I wasn’t even bothered starting a fight with the food around the RDS, that big concert and event venue on Dublin’s leafy southside. Ah, the RDS. Hulking, anonymous, and cold, home of the UCD exams back in my student days, and a trigger for grey, pallid memories of long-forgotten and tiring lunches in between tests. [...]

By Mitchell O’Brien At just €1 per meal, these three menus are designed to be prepared together and frozen for ease of use for busy families on a budget. The whole family can get involved in the cooking process – so you don’t have to spend money entertaining the kids. There’s no compromise on the [...]

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 [...]

Although it has been out for a couple of years, I have only just come across the incredible Italian cookbook ‘Made in Italy – Food and Stories’ by Giorgio Locatelli. I have been a fan of his since seeing his recipes in the Observer Food Monthly but having over 600 pages of his dishes is [...]

Selecting the right vehicle for a dish is very important and can have a huge impact on flavour. When it comes to brown rice, it simply tastes better than white and with the exception of certain curries, goes better with most dishes. However, the merits of brown and white pasta are not as clear cut. [...]

I’ve seen a sneak preview of Jamie’s Food Revolution in the US (watch the trailer here) and already I am fascinated and horrified in equal parts. I think Jamie is fantastic, you can see that he really cares about what children are eating. He takes Huntington in West Virginia as his starting point for a ‘seed [...]

Last week, Snack Box published this recipe for Spaghetti Bolognaise. But what about the poor veggies?  Pasta is a tried and tested veggie option, but it can get quite boring. Roasted fennel, spinach, and goats cheese lasagna is a very easy, very delicious twist on the usual snoozeworthy veggie option: “Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Lasanga”. I’ve [...]

The ultimate cheap eat, an amazing comfort food, and a standard dish in every person’s gastro repertoire, Spaghetti Bolognese is made in a variety of ways depending on your own taste. It is so commonly eaten in Ireland that I have heard some people refer to it as Spag-Bol. Yuk! What a horrible name: Peter’s [...]

Halloween is coming up and it’s a deadly festival. It’s actually my favourite and the fact that it’s origins lie in the ancient Irish festival ‘Samhain’ makes it all the more intriguing. I cram in as many horror films as I can in the month of October and embrace all the usual traditions in an [...]

Following on from Tuesday’s post on the merits of a packed lunch, here are a few more brown bag options for your consideration. If you have after work plans, the smokey meatball stew will keep you going right through to the last bus and the creamed mackerel sandwich filler is a healthy yet delicious combo. [...]