I’m always dubious when someone tells me they’ve discovered the best Indian restaurant in Ireland. More often than not, it turns out to be very good indeed - but also very, very similar to most Indian food served in Ireland. Seven pieces of identically shaped chicken or lamb, swirling in lots of sauce, and served [...]

I’ve been watching Jamie Oliver’s New European Series - so far I’ve seen him in Morocco, Spain and, most recently, Greece. This episode was all about simple ingredients simply put together. He went spear fishing, met up with some bee keepers and nibbled on some goats cheese with a Greek Orthodox monk.
Some of the dishes [...]

I’ve posted before about Let’s Eat In, a takeaway with branches in Blanchardstown, Shankill, and Sandyford. The portion sizes are substantial and many of the dishes will feed two people.
Last weekend, I picked up one of their best dishes, the Chickpea Chana Masala (€7). I wasn’t enormously hungry so opted for it as a side [...]

I’m a born and bred southside boy, but no stranger to the mean streets of Dublin north.
Back in the 70’s and early 80’s - when, like today, money was a scarce commodity - my dad made a weekly trek through ten feet of snow, volcanoes, solar flares, heatwaves, and floods to pick up fruit and [...]

Broke and busy, I couldn’t get it together to go away. Instead, I had this great plan to fool myself into thinking I was abroad by having a dish a day from holidays past. I did have two successful meals but a hundred and one things came up and I ended up barely sitting down [...]

Samosa are great party food but they don’t have to be Asian, Indian or even savoury.
If you’re looking for a healthy alternative to apple tart, why not give this apple samosa a try.
This hand-held dessert will go down well in a crowd and are totally delicious.
If you are after something savoury; these artichoke, feta and [...]

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 [...]

Sometimes the most surprising dishes come out of desperation. I fancied a pizza but I didn’t have a pizza base or the will to make one. I did however have flour tortilla wraps, mozzarella and a variety of antipasti which I usually have in the fridge for sandwiches.
To make this easy-peasy pizza; you simply heat [...]

To mark Bastille day, I’m planning a French feast this evening with some friends. Tucking into French onion soup, a classic Coq au vin and a Crème brûlée; a French three course meal doesn’t have to cost a fortune and this menu contains basic ingredients that won’t break the bank.
Incorporating onions, white wine, cheese and [...]

It has been a great summer so far for growing and the strawberries haven’t let me down. They taste unbelievably flavoursome and are the stawberriest strawberries I’ve ever tasted.
This is the first year I have grown the fruit and I had no idea that there would be such a bevy of them. In fact, there [...]