As a kid, I sneered obnoxiously at other people’s Christmas dinners. “We,” I lorded in the boastful voice of a nine-year-old boy, “have turkey, ham, and roast beef.” Surprisingly, my face went relatively unpunched. Even though my folks would have been far from flathulaich, the rules of reason went out the door for the Christmas [...]

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 [...]

You have to try this Italian dessert, it’s Baked Amaretti and Vin Santo Plums with Mascarpone Cream – outrageously good. It is from the recipe book ‘Falling Cloudberries’ by Tessa Kiros. With a really rich, full-bodied taste, it’s a winner if you’re looking to impress. I went all out and bought the ingredients from The [...]

While in Dun Laoghaire, join the queue for Teddy’s ice cream. Teddy’s has been around since forever, and it really is the sweetest, creamiest and freshest whipped ice-cream you’ll ever taste. Sometimes, whipped ice cream can have an artificial or even metallic taste. Teddy’s, however, tastes as though it’s gone from cow to ice cream [...]

Students at Griffith College are probably familiar with the great selection of beers across the road in O’Neills, but for the rest of you, I think this place is worth mentioning. It’s an unusual off-license, also selling various cheeses, biscuits, milk, and newspapers. There’s always some specials on. On Monday, I saw: -    6 cans [...]

I tuned into the Pat Kenny show yesterday to hear the AMAZING I Draw Slow being interviewed. Okay, okay, I’m shamelessly plugging my husband’s band, but there was also a segment about how this will be the most frugal Christmas for many. As a result, people are hitting the €2 shops for the first time, [...]

As Jackeen blow-ins to Wicklow, Glendalough Fayre in Laragh came in handy. We’d come from Dublin where there were ethnic food shops everywhere, where specialised ingredients like asefetida, banana leaves, and preserved lemons grew on trees, to a place where our nearest supermarket was at least half an hour away. Glendalough Fayre – our nearest [...]

I’ll put my hands up, I haven’t a clue about Polish food. But there are now a huge number of Polish food stores, while most local supermarkets now have a large range of Polish food in stock. So, rather than remain ignorant, I decided to look into Polish cooking traditions and what better place to [...]

I’ve been a customer at Spiceland for years and always pick up a bargain. The store offers a wide range of canned goods and condiments, but the real savings are in their bags of spices and herbs. Situated beside Shabnam Foods on South Richmond street, Dublin 1, Spiceland trades in Indian, African and Asian foods, [...]

Crystal Continental is a Afro-Caribbean and Asian food store situated in the Moore Street Mall in Dublin 1. Caribbean food is built on many influences including the indigenous Caribs, Africans, Indians and Chinese. With such diversity, it’s not surprising that this store is crammed with not just the familiar Indian and Asian ingredients but more [...]