Everyone who grew up around south-east Dublin will remember Blake’s restaurant in Stillorgan. It was the local default restaurant: You’d go there for your communion, confirmation, or birthday. Green’s restaurant at the Leopardstown Inn is just a few minutes away. When my dad is dragged out for dinner, this is usually his default restaurant, the [...]

Nuts are a relatively cheap – and healthy – source of protein and fibre. Cashews are rich in mono-unsatured fat and are full of B vitamins, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, and potassium. I often roast cashews and add them to a Thai vegetable curry or throw them into a soup. Or eat them raw instead of [...]

Some new offers at Tesco, valid until Sunday April 5: Half price Petits Filous 12 x 60g – reduced from €4.05 to €2.02 Comfort Concentrate Conditioner – reduced from €9 to €4.99 Small Easter Egg range – buy 3 for €4 There’s also half-price Pampers Giga Packs until Wednesday April 2 only, and buy one [...]

Last year I tried to make some Gorse wine out of the gorgeous, yellow, coconut-scented flowers that invade the Wicklow countryside in spring time. I didn’t sterilise the bottles or use the right equipment, so the “wine”  tasted distinctly of an old drunk’s wrung-out sock. In today’s Pricewatch, Conor Pope has some helpful information about [...]

A few weeks ago, we started a list of resources for children, parents, teachers, and anybody who wants to learn a bit more about healthy eating and growing your own food. Food doesn’t get much cheaper – or better for you – than that. Teaching Resource #2: Irish Seedsavers Irish Seedsavers is an absolutely essential [...]

Still at Dunnes, they’ve some good half-price offers this week: Cookstown Premium/ Oven Baked Ham 120g – reduced from €3.35 to €1.67 150g King Prawns – reduced from €4.99 to €2.49 (you’ll find some recipe ideas in our archive) Salmon en-croute – reduced from €4.99 to €2.49 (recommended by my sister) Irish Cauliflower – reduced [...]

We mentioned last week that Dunnes cafes are offering tea or coffee for just 1c with any other food purchase. This week, their “Credit Busting” lunch for €6.95 includes Ham Hocks with Cabbage and Potatoes, Bangers and Mash, or 2 Burger and Chip meals. The offer is valid until Tuesday April 14. The saving is [...]

Some half price offers at SuperValu this week: Frozen turkeys – reduced from €17.99 to €8.99 Irish Leg of Lamb – reduced from €13.29 per kg to €6.65 per kg (butcher counter only) Lyon’s 40 tea bags – reduced from €1.69 to 84c Meanwhile, Pampers Jumbo Pack nappies are reduced from €14.99 to €10.49. You’ll [...]

Saying two nice things about Tesco in one day: I must be ill. But they’ve updated their advertised offers and they’re much better than what they were promoting earlier this week: Half-price Irish pork steak – reduced from €9.99 per kg to €4.99 per kg Half-price Petits Filous – reduced from €4.05 for a 12-pack [...]

I’m off to beautiful Oxford today, for a six-day working holiday.  I’ll be spending the weekend swanning around pretending to be Virginia Woolf (I already look like her so it’ll be easy), and then attending the Fairsay Ecampaigning Forum for a couple of days. I can’t wait: Oxford is one of the Most Charming Places [...]