Posts Tagged ‘Pat Whelan’

Any kitchen hero usually masters the basics of stirring and frying early in their careers.  The frying will initially yield a few crispy edged eggs or a blackened sausage but it will be mastered quickly.  Stirring is perhaps even more fool proof but marry the two and we have trouble.  There is the general assumption […]

A friend of mine who is passionate about Middle Eastern cooking introduced me to this simple dish and it has all the elements of comfort food that I love. The rice and split peas in this meatball and tomato dish will stretch a small amount of mince into a meal that could feed ten people. However, it needs […]

At weekends when we just want to relax with the kids and enjoy a meal together with not too much time taken to prepare it, this is often our first choice. It takes only 15 minutes or so preparation time and then it’s left to cook slowly for hours with only the effort of plating up involved. Slow-cooked […]

I can clearly remember the first time I enjoyed this classic dish. I was pleasantly surprised that it was so much more layered in taste than my expectation, which was that it was just a beef stew with a fancy name. I was wrong. The aromas that fill the house when it’s cooking stimulate the […]

Garlic is an ingredient that finds its way into many of my recipes. It is not that long ago that the notion of including a chopped clove of garlic in a dish would have seemed alien to most of us. This may seem a lot of garlic, but it really does add an extra dimension […]

We worry far too much.  Even if there are no more hazards for humans today, we seem to believe the environment has become extremely dangerous.  With all our progress, life has become more deadly at every turn and we are constantly inventing things and ways to protect ourselves from ourselves.  Taking a cursory glance at […]

“Behind a contemporary glass wall stand three lectern-like butcher’s blocks. This is where James Whelan Butchers’ in-house experts take to their spotlit “stage” much like performers in a play. It is the theatrical cut and thrust of boning a carcass that is part of the butchers’ unique selling point in Avoca on Dublin’s Monkstown Crescent. […]

I was a little disturbed recently to read of all the various tomato shortages around the world.  They are not necessarily linked, but apparently the US is suffering quite badly, the Argentines have just this month been asked as a nation to ‘go easy’ on tomatoes for a while so the crops can catch up […]

If I had a euro for every time a customer in the shop described the last few weeks as just like “being in Spain”, I’d have enough for a flight there myself.   It did indeed feel like the Mediterranean for several days and apparently, the forecasters would have us believe, it’s not over yet.  In […]

Product Manager James Whelan Butchers is an established retail butcher brand with shops in Clonmel and Avoca, Monkstown – www.jameswhelanbutchers.com.  We are currently looking to recruit a driven Product Manager with a food background and a can do attitude. Career building opportunity for a fully qualified chef with a proven trade record in NPD and NPI. The successful candidate will […]

James Whelan Butchers at Avoca Monkstown, Co. Dublin scooped the Best Meat award at prestigious Checkout Best in Fresh Awards held at The Four Seasons Hotel recently. The Best in Fresh Awards were established to recognise stores and outlets with the freshest food offering in Ireland and is the only annual event to honour best practice […]

I’ve recently been enjoying the joys of mozzarella cheese again, as I tend to do every summer.  This light, mild white cheese is a great warm weather staple for the fridge.  A few tomatoes, some mozzarella and a little basil can create the most wonderful salad that goes really well with chicken or steak.  Slice […]