There’s a street in Dublin 8 that runs from South Circular Road at Dolphin’s Barn down to the canal, that has to be one of the most desolate stretches of retail I’ve ever seen anywhere. This street has a closed-down hair salon, a closed-down cobblers, a closed-down butchers, a closed-down shop that looks like it [...]

Last week I gave a gushing review of ‘Made in Italy – Food and Stories’ by Giorgio Locatelli and my admiration for this Italian recipe book has not waned. In fact, since trying out a few more recipes, I have not stopped banging on about it to friends. I think they’re still my friends. The [...]

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The M&S dine in for two for €12.50 offer is back – just in time for the Bank Holiday weekend! The selection of mains includes ginger, lime and coriander chicken, ready to roast honey glazed gammon, and seabass with a roasted pepper dressing. The full menu can be seen on the M&S website.

Current specials at Aldi include: Adventure set for kids – €19.99 Natural extracts (vanilla extract in particular can be really hard to track down; I’m going to stock up) – €2.79 per pack Organic whole almonds/ walnut halves/ cashew nuts Click here for details. The current Super6 at Aldi – a selection of fruit and [...]

So maybe I was a little harsh on Lidl last week. Then again, I probably wasn’t. Food offers This week is more appealing. You can pick up ten veg items, including aubergine, lettuce, and onions, for just 50c each – click here for details. Other current food offers include price reductions on bread, ice cream, [...]

One of our loveliest and most favourite regular commenters, Sarah Breen, sends in this recommendation from Dublin city centre: Hi guys! I enjoyed a v tasty and cheap meal last night and I thought I should let you know about it. It was in Cafe Alponte, a little Italian on Duke St, directly across from [...]

My good friend Jimmy Dalton sends us this handy guide to excess mayonnaise. Specifically, Hellmann’s mayonnaise: umpteen moons ago, Snackbox snubbed his nose at a fancy organic mayonnaise I picked up in some snooty Dalkey shop. He then proved a point by eating  Hellmann’s straight from a jar, with his hands. In fairness, he was [...]

When the words ‘cheap cocktails’ are uttered, I’m sure most of us have some terrible memory of some rancid ‘hold your nose’ concoction served to us at an indecent hour and state. Well, not all cheap cocktails have to be muck; punch is the ideal way to treat your guests to a delicious cocktail without [...]

It’s always a good idea to check out the neighbourhood before you move in. Some Sundays ago, I went to look at a house on Lennox Street, close to Portobello. With an hour to kill before I met a friend, I stumbled across Lennox Cafe Bistro, a very attractive, busy, and bustling little spot in [...]