AuthorDarina Allen

As soon as Lily Mae Cox was old enough, her Mum, Jolene, propped her up in a highchair so she could watch her cook. Just like me, Jolene believes that the kitchen is definitely the heart of the home where all the fun begins. She’s super enthusiastic about encouraging kids to get hands-on with cooking and they love it.
In 2020, she launched the Family Cooking Club, a weekly online Cook – A – long for children to learn the skills of how to prepare delicious meals that they (even fussy eaters) want to eat.
Seeing Lily Mae enthusiastically talking and cooking on camera got thousands of kids hooked, Her enthusiasm is infectious and now there’s the book, NOW YOU’RE COOKING!
It’s got 70 recipes, carefully chosen for kids from 5 to 12.
There have been a myriad of books for children but many ‘talk down’ to kids, NOW YOU’RE COOKING seems different to me. Jolene and Lily Mae  speak directly to kids,  sharing tried and tested recipes that provide them with the skills and confidence to cook real food that they really love to eat.
And yes, five-year-olds can cook, this book introduces children to the simple basics,, how to use knives safely, grate cheese, garlic and onions, lemon zest and ginger without grating your fingers, how to make carrot ribbons, diced peppers, how to chop fresh herbs and test to make sure your chicken is cooked.
Starting with perfectly cooked simple classics, like rice, potatoes and pasta, Joeleen and Lily Mae bring everyone along, gently and steadily, sharing recipes like a brilliant energy boosting crunchy granola for breakfast, simply delicious recipes for lunch and after school fuel, one pot wonders, tray bakes, ‘can’t wait to tuck into’ dinners and the sort of sweet treats every kid will enjoy.
Well, Lily Mae affectionately known as Lils, didn’t ‘lick it off a stone’  as we say in Cork,  her mother Jolene, is an award winning food writer and a content creator who has been featured on national TV as well as newspapers and magazines.
Here’s a taste of what you’ll find in NOW YOU’RE COOKING, published by Nine Bean Rows.

Crunchy Granola

Making your own crunchy granola is like stepping into history if you use a pestle and mortar – it’s one of the oldest kitchen tools there is. The mortar is the heavy bowl and the pestle is the stick. (Even grown-ups still forget which one is which.) You use the pestle to smash and crush the nuts inside the mortar, just like cavemen and cavewomen did with their food. It’s a fun way to mix things up, literally!

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients

100g mixed nuts (try almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans,

pistachios and/or walnuts)

300g jumbo oats

50g desiccated coconut

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp salt

180ml maple syrup or honey

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

100g mixed dried fruit (raisins, sultanas and/or dried

cranberries)

Method

Preheat your oven to 200°C for a conventional oven or 180°C for a fan oven.

Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.

To crush the nuts, put them in a pestle and mortar. Press and twist the pestle (the stick) to break them into smaller pieces, but not too small – you still want some chunky pieces. If you don’t have a pestle and mortar, put the nuts in a Ziplock bag, seal it closed and gently bash them with a rolling pin, which is still fun!

Put the crushed nuts, oats, coconut, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir together.

Put the maple syrup or honey, oil and vanilla in a separate small bowl or measuring jug and whisk together. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir everything together.

Spread the mixture evenly onto the lined baking tray, then press it down firmly with a spatula.

Put the tray in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Using oven gloves, carefully remove the tray from the oven and put it on a wooden chopping board or on the hob to protect your countertop. Use a spatula to stir the granola, then spread it back out in an even layer and put it back in the oven to cook for 10 more minutes.

Use oven gloves again to remove the tray from the oven and put it on a wire rack. Let the granola cool completely, then add the mixed dried fruit. Use clean hands to break up any big clumps of granola and mix in the fruit.

Put your granola in an airtight container. It will stay fresh for up to two weeks.

Tropical Berry Smoothie Bowl

Our smoothie bowl recipe is just a guide, so get creative. Add your favourite fruits, nuts, seeds or even chocolate chips. Scatter, drizzle and dollop as much as you like. Just grab a bowl, and remember, the more colour, the more flavour. Like all good art, nothing is out of bounds (within reason, of course!).

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients

300g frozen berries

100g frozen mango

200g natural Greek yogurt

1 tbsp milk

Topping suggestions:

fresh raspberries and/or blueberries

sliced strawberries and/or sliced bananas

hazelnuts, pecans, flaked almonds and/or walnuts

a handful of granola (see recipe)

a handful of raisins or chocolate chips

a handful of desiccated coconut

maple syrup or honey, to drizzle

Method

Put your frozen fruit, yogurt and milk in a blender (ensure there is an adult present to help). Make sure the lid is on tight, then blend until smooth. Wait until the blender stops before taking the lid off and keep your hands away from the blades. Pour the smoothie into cereal bowls.

Now it’s time to have fun! Add your favourite toppings, like fruit, nuts, granola, raisins, chocolate chips or coconut, then drizzle a little maple syrup or honey on

top. And remember, the more colour, the better!

Meatball Subs

With the perfect blend of herbs, these meatballs turn into flavour bombs. Stick those flavour bombs into a sub (which is a bread roll to you and me), smother them in tomato sauce and top it with melty cheese, and just like that, you’ve got the ultimate after-school feast. Or make a batch of the classic tomato sauce and cook a packet of spaghetti and put it all together to make spaghetti and meatballs.

Makes 4

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

500g beef mince (at least 8% fat)

50g Parmesan cheese

1 garlic clove

a few sprigs of fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tsp onion powder

¼ tsp dried chilli flakes

salt and pepper

For the subs:

4 hot dog rolls or mini baguettes

1 x 125g ball of fresh mozzarella

150g classic tomato sauce (see recipe)

Method

Preheat your oven to 200°C for a conventional oven or 180°C for a fan oven.

Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.

To make the meatballs, put the beef mince in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.

Grate the Parmesan, then add it to the well. Peel the garlic, then grate it straight into the bowl.

Pick the basil leaves off the stems, then tear the leaves into the well (or add the dried basil if you’re using that). Add the oregano, onion powder, chilli flakes and some salt and pepper, then mix everything together using your clean hands.

Divide the mixture into four equal portions, then divide each portion in three to make 12 portions in total. Roll each one into a ball, then put the meatballs on one of the lined baking trays.

Put the tray in the preheated oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the meatballs are fully cooked. To check, cut one in half to make sure there is no pink meat in the middle. If there is, put them back in the oven and cook for 5 more minutes, then check again.

Put your rolls or baguettes flat on your chopping board and put your hand on top to steady the bread. Use a serrated bread knife in a gentle sawing motion to cut each one horizontally through the centre, going all the way through. (Some hot dog rolls and mini baguettes come pre-sliced, so keep an eye out for those.) Put the split rolls on the second baking tray, cut sides facing up.

Tear the ball of mozzarella into pieces, then put one-quarter of the cheese on the top half of each roll. Spread some tomato sauce on the bottom half of each roll. Put the tray in the oven for the last 5 minutes of the meatballs’ cooking time to warm the rolls and melt the cheese.

Using oven gloves, carefully remove the tray of meatballs and the tray of subs. Put one tray on a wooden chopping board and one tray on a clean tea towel to protect your countertop.

To serve, put three meatballs on the bottom half of each roll, then sandwich together with the top half.

Classic Tomato Sauce

A good tomato sauce is the base for so many dishes that we always have the ingredients for it in the kitchen. That’s why when I’m hungry, it’s one of my favourite things to rustle up. We always add a little sugar to our tomato sauce because it helps to balance out the natural acidity in the tomatoes, which can sometimes make them taste bitter. But did you know that many jarred sauces are packed with sugar? By making your own, you control exactly how much goes in. And the best part? A classic tomato sauce not only tastes amazing, but it also counts as one of your five a day!

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes

a big handful of fresh basil leaves or 1 teaspoon dried basil

½ tsp dried oregano

1 tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

Peel and grate your garlic.

Method

Put the olive oil in a saucepan, then put the pan on the hob on a low heat to let the oil warm up. Add the garlic and cook for just 1 minute, until you can smell it. Add the tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper and stir everything together.

With the pan still on a low heat, let the sauce simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring now and then. You want the sauce to get a little thicker and all the flavours to get to know each other.

Your sauce is now ready to use, but you can put it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Or you can let it cool down, then put it in a freezer proof bag in the freezer for up to six months.

Not sure about you but we have a fantastic crop of apples this year, both cookers and eaters, this is definitely not an annual occurrence. The weather must have been perfect for pollination during the apple blossom in May.

I don’t take this wonderful bounty for granted so I’m doing my utmost to use as many as possible. We’ve been picking up the windfalls both sour and sweet to make apple jelly. No need to peel but give them a wash first under the cold tap. Cut off any bruises, then quarter and pop into a deep saucepan, pips and all. They include lots of pectin which will help the apple jelly to set. This is a brilliant master recipe, the version I remember from childhood was dripped overnight in a jelly bag or an old pillow slip and always flavoured with cloves, a rich translucent orange coloured jelly gleaming through the glass jars.

Throughout the years, I realised that one could add a myriad of other flavours to make it sweet or savoury. Of course, chopped spearmint or rosemary to serve with lamb and pork or slathered on crumpets warm off the griddle. Fresh sage and apple jelly with pork.

Sweet geranium is another of our favourites, delicious on scones or with meats.

We’re right into early autumn foraging at present – plump juicy blackberries are also in abundance this year. Elderberries are ripe already, weeks earlier than usual as are sloes. If you are up the mountains or even hills, rowanberries are dripping off the bushes. All of these can be added to windfall or crab apples to make apple jellies, either individually or add a fistful of this and that for forager’s jelly. Delicious with game, terrines or many of the aforementioned meats.

If like us, you have more windfall apples than you can cope with, just cook in water until soft, drip and then freeze the juice so you can make more apple jelly when the ‘humour comes on you’ maybe in winter or for Christmas presents. We freeze the juice in plastic litre or gallon containers.

The other brilliant standby is stewed apple or windfall purée or a simple compote.

Use it for apple sauce, base for a crumble or apple snow. Little tubs in the freezer, defrost quickly even in a bowl of hot water. If you too have more apples than you can eat or share with your friends, maybe drop a basket or two into a homeless shelter or direct provision centre. Penny Dinners in Cork are always glad of any contributions.

Meanwhile, here’s a recipe for Apple Charlotte which I suddenly got a longing for. Serve it with custard and oodles of softly whipped cream.

Sorrel and Apple Juice

A clean fresh-tasting drink that’s packed with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

Makes 2-3 glasses

225g sorrel, weighed after stalks have been removed

approx. 4-6 dessert apples, depending on size

Destalk the sorrel and juice in a juice extractor; 225g sorrel should yield 125ml sorrel juice.

Cut the apples into quarters or eights and juice (makes approx. 225ml juice).

Mix the two juices together.

Taste and enjoy as soon as possible, served chilled in small glasses.

Nana Dennehy’s Apple Pie

Another everlasting favourite.

Ingredients

225g butter

200g caster sugar

4 organic, free-range eggs

325g self-raising flour

1/4 – 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

2 good sized cooking apples

2 tbsp caster sugar for sprinkling

22.5cm round tin

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

Grease the tin with a little butter.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and pale in colour. 

Add the eggs one at a time incorporating a little sifted flour each time and optional cinnamon. Beat well between each addition. (If the butter and sugar are not creamed properly and if you add the eggs too fast, the mixture will curdle, resulting in a cake with a heavier texture).  Pour the mixture into the tin.

Peel and core the cooking apples and slice into 1cm slices.  Arrange overlapping in a concentric circle on top of the mixture.  Sprinkle with caster sugar.  Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes until golden brown and springy to the touch.

Serve warm with whipped cream or lashings of custard!

Apple Charlotte

This is the scrummiest, most wickedly rich apple pudding ever. A friend, Peter Lamb, makes it as a special treat for me every now and then. It’s also a brilliant and delicious way to use up bread and apples. I make my Apple Charlotte from old varieties of eating apples – my favourites are Egremont Russet, Charles Ross, Cox’s Orange Pippin or Pitmaston Pineapple. It’s sinfully rich but gorgeous.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

225g butter, for clarifying

1kg dessert apples

2-3 tbsp water

175g caster sugar, plus extra to dust

2 organic, free-range egg yolks

good-quality white yeast bread

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.

To make the clarified butter, melt the butter gently in a saucepan or in the oven. Allow it to stand for a few minutes and then spoon the crusty white layer of salt particles off the top of the melted butter. Underneath this crust there is clear liquid butter, which is the clarified butter. The milky liquid at the bottom can be discarded or used in a white sauce. Clarified butter is excellent for cooking because it can withstand a higher temperature when the salt and milk particles are removed. It will keep covered in the fridge for several weeks.

Peel and core the apples. Melt a little of the clarified butter in a stainless steel saucepan, chop the apples into cubes and add to the saucepan with a couple of tablespoons of water and the sugar. Cover and cook over a gentle heat until the apples break into a thick pulp. Beat in the egg yolks one by one – this helps to enrich and thicken the apple purée. Taste and add a little more sugar if necessary.

Melt the remaining clarified butter and use a little of this to brush the inside of a 13 x 20cm loaf tin (or an 18cm round springform tin) then dust it with caster sugar. Cut the crusts off the bread and cut into strips about 4cm wide and 13cm high and quickly brush them with the clarified butter. Line the sides of the tin with butter-soaked bread. Cut another strip to fit tightly into the base of the tin. Brush it on both sides with butter and tuck it in tightly. Fill the centre with the apple pulp. Cut another strip of bread to fit the top. Brush with melted butter on both sides and fit it neatly to cover the purée.

Bake for 20 minutes then reduce the heat to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for a further 15 minutes or until the bread is crisp and a rich golden colour.

To serve, run a knife around the edges in case the bread has stuck to the tin. Invert the Apple Charlotte onto a warm oval serving plate. It won’t look like a thing of beauty, it may collapse a bit, but it will taste wonderful. Serve with lots of softly whipped cream.

Did you know that tomatoes are a mood boosting food – perhaps you have already noticed but there are tomatoes and tomatoes…literally hundreds of varieties and some are definitely more mood enhancing than others!
We usually grow about 25 different types, red, green, yellow, wine coloured, stripy, black…
This year we have fewer, because as some of you may know, we dismantled our old greenhouse before Christmas. We were very, very sad, it had fed us deliciously for over 56 years, but we could no longer ignore the cost of the upkeep and leaks, creaks and drips!
At present the finishing touches are just being put to a brand new acre block of glasshouses for organic production. We are super excited and look forward to using it as a protected garden from Autumn onwards – if you are in the Shanagarry area, come and see it – it’s impressive!
Meanwhile, we have been growing a variety of tomatoes in a tunnel.
We’ve got an abundance right now, many shapes, sizes and colours so we’re tucking into tomatoes in various guises for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Many are heirloom varieties with intriguing names like Bocati, Cindel, Yellow Perfection, San Marzano, Green Zebra, Sakura, Sweet Aperitif, Iris…Lots of sweet little cherry tomatoes like Yellow Submarine, Black Cherry and Sungold. Some of the large varieties like Brandywine weigh as much as 450g and are a meal in themselves.
If you haven’t managed to grow some of your own this year, go along to your nearest Farmers’ Market and seek out a stall selling homegrown tomatoes that have been ripened on the vine. As I mentioned in last week’s article, they’ll have extra flavour and their full complement of the all-important lycopene, an antioxidant which boosts our immune systems and helps lower cholesterol as well as being packed with vitamins, minerals and the all-important mood enhancing properties.
With a few rare exceptions, tomatoes in our supermarkets will have been picked off green and underripe to facilitate transportation. They gradually ripen in transit rather than on the vine, soaking up the rays of the sun. The latter is what provides the WOW factor and boosts the nutrient density.
A brilliant cooks tip that may sound counter intuitive, always season both raw and cooked tomatoes, not just with flaky sea salt and fresh cracked pepper but also a generous sprinkling of sugar to counter the acidity and make them sing…. 
Real as opposed to faux honey is also delicious on a tomato salad, I love the version dressed with freshly squeezed lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil and a generous drizzle of local wildflower honey.
Don’t forget the classic Caprese with slices of tender buffalo mozzarella interspersed, with slices of super ripe tomato and lots of fresh basil leaves. That Italian summer classic is at its best right now.  You might also like to try pairing ripe tomatoes with juicy peaches or nectarines and fresh mint leaves – so good!
Chilled cubes of watermelon and tomato are another irresistible combination, add some wispy thin slices of red onion and a few mint leaves and maybe a little crumbled feta for extra protein.
Even the simple combination of tomato, ripe but still firm avocado and crispy cucumber is a permanent favourite. I’d add some fresh basil leaves to that and maybe toss in some small, hand torn, cubes of yesterday’s bread to soak up the juices, then you have a variation on a Mediterranean bread salad such as Fattoush or Panzanella. 
Ripe tomatoes cooked into a melting fondue, piperonata or ratatouille are super versatile and can indeed be frozen for a winter feast.
Towards the end of the season in late August, early September, buy a few chips of sweet, perfectly ripe, soft tomatoes and turn them into purée for winter soups and stews. They can also be frozen whole, literally just throw them into a container in the freezer. But for now, enjoy the juicy ripe Irish tomatoes at every opportunity…

Fresh Summer Tomato Juice

This is only worth making when you have very well flavoured vine ripened tomatoes, we made it from mid-August until about the end of September when our tomatoes have really developed intense flavour. 

Serves 5 approximately

Ingredients

450g peeled, halved, very ripe tomatoes

1 spring onion with a little green leaf or

1 sliced onion 5cm diameter and 5mm thick

3 large basil or mint leaves

2 tsp Forum white wine vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

110ml cold water

1 level tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

a few grinds of black pepper

Method

Liquidise the ingredients together, then strain through a nylon sieve. Taste and correct the seasoning.  Best when freshly made and better not kept for more than a few hours.  Serve unadorned in tall glasses with a sprig of mint. 

Tomato Granita

Make as above but add more sugar, it should taste sweeter than you reckon it should – use a tablespoon rather than a teaspoon of sugar because it will lose some of its sweetness during freezing…

We love to serve it with crab mayonnaise or even a few slices of ripe avocado and a leaf or two of fresh basil – delicious!

Warm Smoked Mackerel with Heritage Beef Tomatoes, Red Onion and Dill

One of my favourite ways to serve the large juicy heritage tomatoes, a delicious flavour combination with freshly smoked mackerel now that they’ve arrived in Ballycotton Bay at last.

It’s super easy to smoke your own fish inside a biscuit tin with a few tablespoons of sawdust. Lay the fish fillets, flesh side up on a tray, sprinkle the fish with pure salt as though you were seasoning generously.  Careful it’s easy to over salt if the fillets are thin.

Depending on the thickness of the fish, leave for at least an hour but not more than 3 hours. Dry the fillets with kitchen paper, place on a wire rack and allow to dry in a cool, airy place for 30 minutes approximately.

Put a wire rack into the biscuit tin and lay the fish, flesh side up on top. Put the box on a gas jet over a medium heat for a minute or so until the sawdust starts to smoulder. Cover the box.

Reduce the heat and smoke for 4-7 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.  Turn off the heat and allow to sit in the tin/smoked unopened for 5 minutes – remove from the tin and use as you fancy.

Serves 4

Ingredients
450g ripe heritage tomatoes
flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 fillets of freshly smoked mackerel drizzled with extra virgin olive oil
extra virgin olive oil
freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small red onion or shallot, thinly sliced
dill sprigs

Method
Slice the tomato into 5mm rounds, season well with flaky salt, freshly ground black pepper and maybe a pinch of sugar. Put three slices on each plate, lay some chunks of smoked mackerel on top.
Slice the onion or shallots into paper thin rings, sprinkle some over the mackerel.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, a generous squeeze of lemon juice.  Sprinkle some dill sprigs over the top and serve.

Heirloom Tomato and Ricotta Tart

This gorgeous tart was inspired by a photo on the cover of a food magazine a number of years ago, it’s now one of our summer favorites. The ricotta and pecorino filling is uncooked, so be sure to assemble the tart close to the time of eating. Best made in late summer or early autumn when the tomatoes are exquisitely sweet. I use the delicious buffalo ricotta made in West Cork for this dish.

Serves 8

Ingredients

For the Pastry

150g plain white flour

75g cold butter

a little water, to bind

1 beaten organic, free-range egg, to seal

For the filling

250g buffalo ricotta

100g pecorino cheese, grated

2 tbsp double cream

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp chopped basil, thyme and marjoram, plus extra leaves to garnish

zest of ½ organic lemon

flaky sea salt

¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

650g mixed heritage and cherry tomatoes, including striped zebra (green), red and yellow cherry tomatoes, if available

Method

First make the pastry. All the ingredients should be cold. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Cut the butter into cubes. Toss the cubes into the flour and then proceed to lift up a few cubes of butter at the time in each hand. Using your thumbs, rub the cubes of butter across the middle three fingers, towards the index fingers.

Allow the flakes of floured butter to drop back into the bowl, then pick up some more and continue until all the butter is rubbed in. As you rub in the butter, hold your hands well above the bowl and run your fingers through the flour to incorporate as much air as possible to keep the mixture cool. This whole process should only take a minute or two – careful not to rub the butter in too much, or the pastry will be heavy. The pieces should resemble lumpy breadcrumbs. If you are in doubt, shake the bowl and any larger pieces will come to the top. Add salt if using unsalted butter.

Using a fork, toss and stir the pastry as you add just enough water to bind, 2-3 tablespoons should do the trick. If you are in doubt, discard the fork and collect up the pastry with your hand as you will be able to judge more easily by feel if it needs a little more water. Careful not to make the pastry too wet or it will shrink in the oven. If the pastry is too dry, it will be difficult to roll out.

When the pastry has come together, turn it out onto the work surface and flatten it into an approx. 30cm round. Cover with greaseproof paper and, if possible, set aside in the fridge to rest for at least 15 minutes to allow the gluten to relax. The pastry will then be less likely to shrink in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

Roll out the pastry to a circle approx. 25cm in diameter. Lift the pastry over a 23cm greased tart tin and press down gently around the sides. Trim around the edges with a sharp knife and prick the base gently with a fork. Line with baking parchment and fill with baking beans.

Transfer the pastry case to the oven and bake ‘blind’ for about 25 minutes until pale and golden. Remove the baking beans and paper. Brush the part-baked pastry case all over with a little beaten egg and pop it back into the oven for 5-10 minutes until pale golden brown all over. Set aside to cool.

To make the filling, combine the ricotta and pecorino in a bowl. Add the double cream, extra virgin olive oil, honey, herbs, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Mix gently together. Taste a little dollop of the filling with a slice of tomato and correct the seasoning, if necessary. It might need a little more honey.

Slice the larger tomatoes and cut the smaller cherry ones in half lengthways or crossways, as you prefer.

Not long before serving, spoon the ricotta filling into the cooked pastry case and arrange the tomatoes on top. I like to arrange the sliced, bigger ones, including the green zebra over the base and top with the smaller cherry tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, a little drizzle of honey (about ½ teaspoon) and lots of thyme and marjoram leaves. Garnish with a few little basil leaves and serve soon.

Yesterday evening, just as I was about to tuck into supper, I had a moment …Suddenly I thought of the incredible amount of work that actually went into growing and rearing the produce on my plate, not to mention cooking it.
Silently, I gave thanks for my nephew Darren who had put so much work into rearing the free range heritage pigs on his farm at Ballymaloe House.
For our local butcher, Frank Murphy and his son Brian in Midleton who cured the bacon for the succulent slice of glazed bacon on my plate (see recipe in my Examiner Column of June 28^th on Summer Picnics).
For the team of gardeners on the farm who had sown the seeds for the juicy roast tomatoes back in February, transplanted them at the end of March, tended and watered them for over four months for me to enjoy. The deep red tomatoes were ripened fully on the vine for maximum flavour, packed with lycopene, lots of other minerals and vitamins and super tasty.
Remember, scientists now understand that flavour equates to nutrient intensity – nature’s way of tempting us to eat healthy wholesome food. The tomatoes were halved, seasoned with flaky sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, a good sprinkling of sugar and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Fifteen minutes or so in a good hot oven and then a scattering of fresh herbs while still warm. You can’t imagine how delicious it was because the tomatoes were so good to start with.

The red and yellow peppers for the piperonata came from Caitriona Daunt at Organic Republic but the new season’s onion, tomatoes and basil were also from here.
The colcannon made from freshly dug potatoes, new season onions and cabbage took close to five months to grow too, a blight resistant variety called Kelly cultivated organically without a spec of glyphosate, just rich fertile soil enriched with compost and seaweed from the local strand.
Once again, special thanks to the gardeners for those and for the flat pod French beans. This is a brilliant variety called Hilda, they crop and crop and when the beans swell in the pods at the end of the season, they can be dried for winter soups and stews.
I also need to thank Billy for looking after the cows who produce the rich Jersey milk, the basis for the simple parsley sauce, a favourite from my childhood, soooo unctuous and delicious.
Next,  I thought of Maria, our Dairy Queen or was it Tiffin and gave thanks for the dollop of homemade butter melting over the beans and into my colcannon.
So much work and love went into producing the simple feast on my plate. Once again, in the Quaker tradition, I silently gave thanks to Mother Nature et al for every nourishing bite.
I don’t hanker after an expensive Prada handbag or a pair of Gucci shoes…For me to sit down to a plate of food where everything on the plate comes from the farm, gardens or local area is luxury indeed. How blessed am I.
Afterwards a bowl of Loganberry fool, accompanied by a couple of Jane’s biscuits, the name that Myrtle Allen gave these delicious little shortbread biscuits that the children made over and over again on wet afternoons.
Every bite has a story, that’s what memories are made of…

Colcannon

Songs have been sung, and poems have been written about Colcannon – one of our most traditional potato dishes. This comfort food at its very best has now been ‘discovered’ and is often a feature on chic restaurant menus in London and New York.

Did you ever eat colcannon

When ’twas made with yellow cream

And the kale and praties blended

Like a picture in a dream?

Did you ever scoop a hole on top

To hold the melting lake

Of the clover-flavoured butter

Which your mother used to make?

Serves 8-10 approximately

Ingredients

1.8kg ‘old’ potatoes, e.g. Golden Wonders or Kerr’s Pinks

700g Savoy or spring cabbage

450ml approximately boiling milk or more if needed

salt and freshly ground pepper

50g approximately butter

Method

Scrub the potatoes, put them in a saucepan of cold water, add a good pinch of salt and bring to the boil. When the potatoes are about half cooked, 15 minutes approx. for ‘old’ potatoes, strain off two-thirds of the water, replace the lid on the saucepan, put onto a gentle heat and allow the potatoes to steam until they are cooked.

Remove the dark outer leaves from the cabbage. Wash the rest and cut into quarters, remove the core and cut finely across the grain. Boil in a little boiling water or bacon cooking water until soft. Drain, season with salt, freshly ground pepper and a little butter.

When the potatoes are just cooked, bring the milk to the boil. Pull the peel off the potatoes and discard, mash quickly while they are still warm and beat in enough boiling milk to make a fluffy purée. Then stir in the cooked cabbage and taste for seasoning.  For perfection, serve immediately in a hot dish with a lump of butter melting in the centre – the texture should be soft but not quite flowing.

Colcannon may be prepared ahead up to this point, covered and reheated later in a moderate oven 180°C/Gas Mark 4, for 20-25 minutes approx. Add the butter just before serving

Note

Cover closely while reheating so it doesn’t get too crusty on top.

Piperonata

This is one of the indispensable trio of vegetable stews that we always reckon to have to hand. We use it not only as a vegetable but also as a topping for pizzas, as a sauce for pasta, grilled fish or meat and as a filling for omelettes and pancakes.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

225g onion, sliced

a clove of garlic, crushed

2 organic red peppers

2 organic green peppers

6 large organic or chemical-free tomatoes (dark red and very ripe)

salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar

a few leaves of fresh basil

Method

Heat the olive oil in a casserole, add the onion and garlic, toss in the oil and allow to soften over a gentle heat in a covered casserole while the peppers are being prepared. Halve the peppers, remove the seeds carefully, cut into quarters and then cut the pepper flesh into 2-2 ½cm squares.  Add to the onion and toss in the oil; replace the lid and continue to cook for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile peel the tomatoes (scald in boiling water for 10 seconds, pour off the water and peel immediately). Slice the tomatoes and add to the casserole, season with salt, freshly ground pepper, sugar and a few leaves of fresh basil if available. Cook until the vegetables are just soft, 30 minutes approx.

Variations

Spicy Piperonata

Add 1 tsp smoked paprika and a pinch of chilli flakes (the quantity will depend on aroma and pungency of spices – add more to taste if you like it a little spicier) to the onions and garlic and proceed as in the master recipe. 

Piperonata, Bean and Chorizo Stew

Add a can of rinsed haricot beans, black-eyed beans or chickpeas to the piperonata, with 110g sliced chorizo sausage, continue to cook for about 10 minutes or until the chorizo is fully cooked.

Loganberry Fool with Jane’s Biscuits

If you can’t lay your hands on loganberries, raspberries are pretty delicious too – so easy.

Serves 6

Ingredients

450g loganberries

175-225g caster sugar

25-600ml softly whipped cream

Method

If the loganberries are fresh just whizz the berries in a blender with the sugar.  Push the purée through a nylon sieve, fold in the softly whipped cream to taste.  Serve with shortbread biscuits. 

Should the fruit be frozen just scatter the berries in a single layer on a plate.  Sprinkle with the sugar and allow to come back to room temperature.  When almost defrosted, liquidise and proceed as above.

Jane’s Biscuits – Shortbread Biscuits

*This recipe was originally in imperial measurements, to get best results, weigh in oz.

Makes 25

Ingredients

6oz white flour or Spelt

4oz butter

2oz castor sugar

Method

Put the flour and sugar into a bowl, rub in the butter as for shortcrust pastry. Gather the mixture together and knead lightly. Roll out to 7mm thick.  Cut into rounds with a 6cm cutter or into heart shapes.  Bake in a moderate oven 180°C/Gas Mark 4 to pale brown, 8-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the biscuits. Remove immediately and cool on a wire rack.

Delicious biscuits to nibble but we also serve with fruit fools, compotes and ice cream.

Note: Watch these biscuits really carefully in the oven. Because of the high sugar content, they burn easily. They should be a pale golden – darker will be more bitter.

However, if they are too pale, they will be undercooked and doughy.  Cool on a wire rack.

Gluten Free: Swap the flour for Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour for a delicious gluten-free alternative

The word JIBRIN may not mean anything to you but mention Izz Café on George Quay in Cork city and people’s eyes light up.

This little café, serving traditional Palestinian food was originally opened in 2019 by Izzeddeen Alkarajeh and Ema Aburabi.

They sought asylum in Ireland from a variety of challenging situations. After a spell in Direct Provision, they eventually got their papers processed and were determined to contribute to the country that gave them refuge.

Through the Society of Friends in Cork, they were introduced to Rupert Hugh-Jones who operates Farmers’ Markets in both Mahon Point and Douglas. With much encouragement and goodwill, they eventually set up a stall selling manaeesh za’atar (flatbread), hummus and moutabal. The response was overwhelmingly positive. On the first day, they sold out in just 2 hours.

This encouraged them to follow their dream of opening a café.

Izz, who has a bachelor’s degree in computer science, is particularly passionate about coffee. He longed to roast and blend and introduce customers to the Palestinian coffee they are now famous for. Izz Café was opened a year to the day later on George’s Quay in Cork city.

Eman, who holds a diploma in interior design, cooked from scratch, the hauntingly delicious traditional Palestinian dishes that she had learned from her mother and grandmother’s kitchen.

Word spread, Corkonians flocked to get a taste of Eman’s rich and comforting food, perfumed with fresh spices – za’atar, sumac, citrus and extra virgin olive oil. Both they and Izz Café have become a beloved part of the Cork restaurant scene. They have since expanded their space in response to the growing demand. Such a lovely story and now Habib, a talented, young refugee from Gaza who loves to cook has also joined Izz Café.

They are actively involved in community driven initiatives including fundraisers such as ‘Coffee for Palestine’ and ‘One Plate for Palestine.’

But the most recent excitement is the publication of their first cookbook in which they share many of the Izz Café favourites. It’s published by Blasta Books (#15 in the series) and entitled ‘JIBRIN’ named for both Izz and Eman’s now abandoned family homeland, Beit Jibrin in Palestine, how poignant is that…

I’m hoping to do an East Cork Slow Food event here at the Ballymaloe Cookery School with Izz Café in the near future (they have recently been awarded the Best Middle Eastern in Ireland), I’ll keep you posted but meanwhile, seek out the original. Izz Café on George’s Quay in Cork city.

Here are three recipes from the JIBRIN cookbook to whet your appetite.

Nabulsi Knafeh

Nabulsi knafeh is a sweet, cheesy pastry layered with kataifi pastry, then soaked in aromatic sugar syrup. This dessert is from Nablus in Palestine and is a festive favourite for special occasions. The story goes that one of the caliphs was depressed and asked his chef to come up with something to impress him, and this was the result.

Serves 10

Ingredients

200g Nabulsi or Akkawi cheese, diced small, or grated mozzarella

500g frozen kataifi pastry

225g ghee or unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

2 tsp caster sugar

FOR THE SYRUP:

400g caster sugar

240ml water

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp rosewater or orange blossom water (optional)

TO DECORATE:

finely chopped pistachios

Method

The Nabulsi or Akkawi cheese needs to have the salt removed, so put the diced cheese in a bowl, cover with cold water and soak for 15 minutes, then drain. Repeat this process every 15 minutes for 4 hours to remove the salt. Squeeze the diced cheese into even smaller pieces and set aside. Skip these steps if you’re using grated mozzarella.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. This works best in a conventional oven, using the top and bottom heat. Grease a 30.5cm cake tin generously with melted ghee or butter. Knafeh is traditionally made in a copper tray because it conducts the heat so well, but this will work too.

Chop the frozen kataifi pastry into small pieces to make it easier to blend. Add it in batches to a food processor and pulse until it’s a fine powder.

Put the pastry in a large bowl with most of the melted ghee or butter and the sugar. Use your hands to combine into a dough. Add more ghee or butter if needed to bring it together – it should hold together when you squeeze it.

Spread half of the dough over the base of the greased tin, making sure there are no gaps and pressing it down in a firm, even layer.

Scatter the cheese over the pastry base, keeping the edges clear. Scatter the rest of the dough on top, pressing it gently to flatten the surface.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the top is golden and crisp.

Meanwhile, to make the syrup, put the sugar, water and lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring to dissolve the sugar, until thickened. Stir in the

rosewater or orange blossom water (if using). Set aside to cool.

Remove the knafeh from the oven and immediately pour the cooled syrup over it, then scatter over the pistachios to decorate. Let it soak for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Sumagiyya (Palestinian Sumac Stew)

Sumagiyya is a tangy Palestinian stew from Gaza, featuring slow-cooked meat with Swiss chard, tahini and subtle spices in a sumac-infused broth, which is what gives the stew its signature tartness. Especially popular in Gaza City, sumagiyya is often served during festivities.

Serves 6

Ingredients

FOR THE SUMAC WATER:

100g whole dried sumac berries

720ml cold water

FOR BOILING THE MEAT:

500g stewing beef or lamb, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 onion, quartered

2 bay leaves

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE STEW:

120ml olive oil, plus extra to serve

3 medium onions, finely diced

500g Swiss chard, finely chopped

1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 tsp mixed spice

60g plain flour

120ml tahini

FOR THE DAQQA

(SPICE MIX):

4 garlic cloves

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp dried dill

1 tsp salt

TO SERVE:

warm pitta

Method

Put the sumac berries in a bowl, cover with the cold water and soak for 2 hours.

Put the meat, onion and bay leaves in a large pot and cover with plenty of cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and skim off any foam that appears on the surface. Add a little salt and pepper and simmer for 40 minutes, until the meat is cooked. Strain the broth into a bowl, then set the meat aside and keep the broth.

Pour the sumac berries and their soaking water into a separate saucepan and bring to a boil, then cook for 15 minutes. Strain the berries through a fine mesh sieve. Discard the berries and keep the sumac-infused water.

For the stew, heat the olive oil in a large pot on a medium heat. Add the diced onions and cook for 10 minutes, until completely soft.

To make the daqqa (spice mix) while the onions are cooking, crush the garlic, chilli flakes, dill and salt together until smooth. Stir the daqqa into the onions and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.

Add the Swiss chard and stir until wilted, then add the boiled meat, chickpeas and mixed spice. Pour over the strained sumac water, making sure all the ingredients are fully covered. Stir well and simmer on a medium heat for 10 minutes.

Gradually add the flour while stirring continuously until the mixture thickens, then stir in the tahini. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To serve, ladle the sumagiyya into serving bowls and let it cool completely. We leave it in the fridge overnight and eat it cold the next day, but it’s often served at room temperature.

Drizzle a little olive oil over the top of each bowl and serve with warm pitta.

Basbousa (Middle Eastern Semolina Cake)

Basbousa is a semolina cake drenched in sweet syrup, commonly infused with rosewater or orange blossom water and topped with almonds. Originating from the Eastern Mediterranean, basbousa is cherished in Palestine, Egypt and beyond. The subtle floral notes honour a tradition of incorporating aromatic essences into Middle Eastern sweets.

Makes 15 pieces

Ingredients

tahini or butter, for greasing the tin

200g caster sugar

240ml sunflower oil

240ml natural yogurt or sour cream

3 large eggs

1 tsp rosewater, orange blossom water or vanilla

extract

360g medium semolina

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

a small pinch of salt

270g desiccated coconut

FOR THE SYRUP:

300g caster sugar

240ml water

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp rosewater or orange blossom water (optional)

TO DECORATE:

15 blanched almonds or desiccated coconut, dried

rose petals, flaked almonds and finely chopped pistachios

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

Brush the base and sides of a 23cm x 33cm baking tin with tahini (or grease with butter if you don’t have tahini).

Put the sugar, oil, yogurt and eggs in a large bowl with the orange blossom water, rosewater or vanilla and whisk to combine.

Add the semolina, baking powder, baking soda and a small pinch of salt and whisk again. Finally, add the coconut. I like to use my hands to mix in the coconut to make sure it’s really well combined.

Transfer to the prepared tin, then tap the tin on the counter a few times to make sure the batter is evenly distributed. Let it sit for 15 minutes to allow the semolina to absorb the moisture, which will help to firm up the cake.

Using the tip of a sharp knife, score the top of the batter into 15 diamond or square shapes.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until the cake has risen and turned golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Meanwhile, to make the syrup, put the sugar and water in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a boil and add the lemon juice. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and add the rosewater or orange blossom water (if using). Set aside and keep warm – you don’t want it to thicken as it cools.

As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, cut it all the way through along the score lines, then pour the syrup all over the top. Let it sit for 30 minutes to soak up the syrup.

It’s traditional to put a whole almond in the middle of each portion of cake, but in the café, we omit this and instead decorate each slice with desiccated coconut, dried rose petals, flaked almonds and finely chopped pistachios.

The Ballymaloe Cookery School was rocking last week, with great excitement when the 12 Week students cooked their Pop-Up Dinner.
This is a highlight on every term, they plot and plan and have many get-togethers to choose a theme, this year it was Ambrosia. They divide responsibilities, create a menu, allocate different jobs and do everything from scratch.
It’s a brilliant learning experience for them, they have so much fun planning every single aspect of the event from the welcome cocktails to the little goodie bags of homemade treats for guests to take home. We’ve been doing these pop-ups for a number of years now. They sell out like a U2 concert. It’s a fantastic learning experience for the students and gives them an understanding of just how much thought and hard work goes into planning an event.
Tabby from London, took on the role of head chef. Five canapés were chosen to reflect what was in season in the gardens and on the farm and the produce they could source in the local area.
Sorrel and mead glazed pork meatballs; using mead from the Fermentation HQ made from a recipe in the Forgotten Skills book. Crunchy new season cucumber coins with fresh herb labneh, hot smoked mackerel and pickle sea fennel. The wild fennel was foraged along the seashore in Shanagarry, then pickled for the perky garnish. Nettle, green onion and goat’s cheese croquettes with saffron honey and whipped lemon ricotta and a sedum leaf with ricotta, mint and peas.
The succulent sedum leaves came from the borders in the flower garden. Ricotta was made in the dairy from the milk of the little Jersey herd on the farm.  In the interest of full disclosure, the peas were the well-known frozen brand, but the end result was absolutely delicious and has become one of our favourites bites. They had hoped to catch the mackerel themselves but there has scarcely been a mackerel caught in Ballycotton so far this summer so they bought the fish from Ballycotton Seafood and hot smoked it themselves.
The students absolutely love making bread and of the many types they learn, they chose to make little loaves of Guinness bread and sourdough focaccia from the organic heirloom wheat variety grown on the farm last year, to serve with the hand churned Jersey butter.
I adore crudo, but one must have super fresh fish which it has to be said is more and more of a challenge these days, but Lucca managed to get some spanking fresh haddock to make the whitefish crudo with golden beetroot, nasturtium and a lemon honey reduction. He put little dots of homemade nasturtium oil from the herb garden on top, a deliciously fresh tasting combination.
Eve butchered and boned the lamb for the roast loin of lamb with saffron mashed potatoes, salsa verde, dukkah and roast vegetable crisps.
The vegetarian option was spiced aubergines with st. tola goat’s cheese, rocket and dukkah and of course there was a Ballymaloe Cookery School garden salad with lots of edible flower petals sprinkled on top.
They had fun digging the potatoes, picking and harvesting the organic vegetables from the kitchen garden and tunnel.
For dessert, there was cultured panna cotta, nougatine, poached apricots, lemon verbena and a little glass of Sauternes.
For those who had a little space left, a whole array of delicious, irresistible petit fours.
Honey-soaked vanilla sponge with Jersey yoghurt and honeycomb, every element lovingly homemade. Raspberry pistachio macarons, whiskey ganache millionaire’s shortbread, chocolate dipped shards of honeycomb and as if that wasn’t enough, a rosewater infused chocolate strawberry.
A phenomenal amount of work went into the meal and the guests seemed to love every mouthful. The students were thrilled with the response and gained considerable experience and confidence from the exercise.
Rory O’Connell, guided the kitchen on the night, while senior tutor Richard Healy headed up the ace team in the dining room.
Money raised was divided between three charities, The Slow Food educational project. Mustard Seed Communities Ireland, a charity dedicated to caring for the most vulnerable members of society in Jamaica, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. Ripple Effect, an inspirational NGO working with subsistence farmers in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, Ethiopia and Burundi.
Special thanks to the students for sharing their recipes. Hope you’ll enjoy them as much as we did.

Sedum Leaf with Whipped Lemon Ricotta and Peas

70 fresh sedum leaves – makes 70 canapés

Whipped Ricotta

Ingredients

450g approx. of ricotta cheese

4 – 5 tbsp cream

drizzle of olive oil

zest of 1 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Peas

Ingredients

a whole bag of frozen petit pois

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

rind and a little freshly squeezed lemon juice from 1 lemon

a few fresh mint leaves, finely sliced

flaky sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Method

Whip ricotta in food processor with cream and a little olive oil. Season with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste. Fold in the lemon zest. Fill the mixture into a piping bag.

Cook the peas in boiling water for 45 seconds. Take out and plunge into ice cold water.

Dress the peas with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a few drops of lemon juice and season to taste. Careful not to put lemon juice on too early or the peas will discolour.

Pipe the ricotta onto sedum leaves. Spoon 6-8 peas on top of each and garnish with mint and sprinkle with a few flakes of sea salt.

White Fish and Golden Beet Crudo with Nasturtium, Lemon Vinaigrette and Honey Drizzle

Crudo

Ingredients

1 whole spanking fresh white fish (haddock or pollock Preferred)

1 fillet yields 20 slices

Serves 4 with 5 slices per serving

Method

Keep the fish as chilled as possible and descale if necessary.

Filet the fish keeping skin attached, place skin side down on a chopping board.

Cut 1cm thick slices straight down until you are about to touch the skin, slide the slice off the skin towards the tail.  Continue until there is no fish left on the skin.

Arrange slices on parchment paper on a tray in the fridge till ready to serve.

Golden Beet

Ingredients

2 Golden beetroot (possibly 4 depending on size)

Method

Boil the beets in boiling water from 30-50 minutes (small beets 3 minutes) (medium 40 minutes) (large 50 minutes) – reserve the cooking water for the reduction.  Remove the beetroot from the water, allow to cool and rub off the skin.

Allow to come to room temp then chill. On a mandolin, cut to a 3mm thickness.

Lay out on a tray and refrigerate until ready to serve

Lemon Vinaigrette

Ingredients

4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

6 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice

a generous pinch of caster sugar

a generous pinch of salt

a generous pinch of chilli powder

In a bowl, whisk all the ingredients until combined.

Golden Beet Water and Honey Reduction

Ingredients

100ml of reserved golden beet cooking water

1 dsp of honey

zest of ½ lemon

2 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Method

Combine the beet water with honey then reduce on a high heat until it becomes syrupy, 8-15 minutes approx.

Add the lemon zest and juice to the reduction.

Nasturtium Oil

Ingredients

150g of nasturtium leaves

325ml of a neutral oil such as sunflower

2 level tsp of salt

muslin cloth

Method

In a blender add 150g of Nasturtium and add three-quarters of oil, blitz till combined. if it is not running fluidly add the rest of oil till it is running without interruption.

Blend until fully combined (1-2 minutes).

Line a glass bowl with muslin.

Pour the oil mixture into the muslin/bowl.

Pull four corners together and tie then hang muslin over the glass bowl in a fridge for at least 3 hours (best overnight).

Put the strained mixture into the freezer and freeze until the water has separated from the oil.

Pour this mixture into a container and refrigerate until you are ready to garnish.

To plate.

Place five slices of beetroot on the serving plate.

Place five slices of fish on top of each beetroot slice.

Pour 1 tablespoon of the lemon vinaigrette on top of the plate (avoiding covering the fish so that it doesn’t cook).

Drizzle the honey reduction around the plate, a dab near each piece.

To garnish the dish.

Green Oil – dot the green oil around the plate making sure to put some near the fish.

Leaves – take 3 small Nasturtium leaves and scatter around the plate.

Flowers – take 3 petals off a flower and scatter on top of the plate.

Maldon salt – sprinkle a sparse amount of Maldon salt on top of each fish (around 3 flakes of possible).

Serve immediately once plated.

Raspberry Pistachio Macarons

Makes 30

Ingredients

175g icing sugar

115g ground almonds

60g green pistachios

50g egg whites

100g egg white at room temperature

200g caster sugar

Buttercream Filling

Ingredients

110g butter

225g icing sugar

¼ tsp pure vanilla extract

2 punnets of raspberries

Method

Draw 5cm circles on the back of the baking parchment. 

Mix the icing sugar, ground almonds and pistachios in the Magimix until fully blended, add to a bowl with the 50g egg white and mix completely.

Using an electric hand mixer, whisk the 100g egg whites until soft peaks form.  Place this over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bowl is not touching the bottom, add the caster sugar, and whisk continuously until the mixture thickens and almost doubles in volume.  Remove from the heat and whisk until cool.

Mix one quarter of this meringue mixture into the ground almond paste, folding until it is completely mixed.  Then add the remaining meringue, folding gently until combined.  DO NOT overmix at this stage.

Put half the mixture into the piping bag and quickly pipe onto the prepared baking trays keeping within the 5cm outlines.  Repeat with the rest of the mixture onto the other tray. 

Leave at room temperature (not too hot as heat is the enemy) to form a skin for 30-60 minutes depending on temperature.

Preheat the oven to a fan 150^oC/Gas Mark 2.

Bake the macarons for 11 minutes.  Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the tray.

Next, make the buttercream filling.

In a bowl, cream the soft butter and icing sugar together, add a very small drop of pure vanilla extract and mix thoroughly.

To Finish

Spread a little buttercream on each macaron, pop 1-2 fresh raspberries on top and sandwich together.

Enjoy!

Tasmanian food activist Matthew Evans from The Fat Pig Farm has been on my radar for a very long time but until recently our paths had never crossed. Well, blow me away, if he didn’t walk into the hall of the Ballymaloe Cookery School the other day. I couldn’t believe my eyes. He was over this side of the world to attend Groundswell, the regenerative farming conference in Hertfordshire in the UK and decided to swing by Ireland where some of his ancestors hailed from.
Matthew has had a fascinating life, originally the restaurant critic for the Sydney Morning Herald, he became a chef, restaurateur, food writer, TV broadcaster and now is also a farmer.
His seventy acre mixed farm is in the beautiful Huon Valley, south of Hobart, right down on the southern end of Tasmania.
He grows vegetables and fruit, makes cider, fattens a few heritage pigs and milks a couple of house cows to have beautiful fresh milk, the subject of MILK, one of his fifteen books. Another simply entitled SOIL is a hymn to the underappreciated three or four inches of earth below our feet on which our very existence depends.
He, just like me, is passionate about the importance of rich fertile soil. After all, the only reason we have life on earth is topsoil, crucial for the health of the planet and our ability to grow food.
Matthew came to farming from the kitchen. As a chef, he became intrigued by flavour and super curious about why some vegetables and fruits and herbs were so much more delicious than others. What was it that made a simple ingredient like carrots for example, taste so much more intensely sweet than others?
This inevitably led him to the soil. Richer, more fertile organic soil, usually produces better tasting and more nutrient dense food – Surprise, surprise!
And so he has become a feisty advocate for regenerative, ecological farming – growing food in a way that replenishes the soil and ecosystems and keeps us healthy.
Groundswell on Lannock Farm, now in its tenth year, creates a forum for farmers, growers, anyone interested in food production and the environment to come together to share ideas and learn about the theory of practical applications of regenerative farming systems.
A series of brilliant speakers entice thousands of people from all over the world. www.groundswellag.com
(There was quite a contingent from Ireland and NOTS – National Organic Training Skillnet). www.nots.ie  
There is a consensus that we urgently need a global metric to measure outcomes on our farms. Polluters need to pay for the damage to the environment and farmers who deliver positive climate, nature and social outcomes, should be rewarded financially. These actions would be a game changer…
One of the many inspirational sessions I attended was entitled, Farming: Our Health Service. There is a growing concern that our current food system is broken but farming has the potential to be our natural health service so what do we need from food production to regenerate public health?
They explored how whole health agriculture is needed to realign farming with both human and environmental health and wellbeing.
Regenerative Farming or ‘Regen’ is the great new buzzword, but it is already being commandeered by the multinational food companies in their marketing and labelling.
Thus far, however there is no definition so there is considerable confusion amongst the general public and a definite possibility of greenwashing….
Regen is an admirable way to embark on a journey towards less artificial inputs, pesticides, herbicides and ultimately organic farming, however many ‘regen ‘ farmers are still using glyphosate, albeit less, to kill weeds but it also damages life in the soil. Without a strict definition this inspirational movement runs the risk of being discredited.
Matthew Evans gave me a present of his latest book, ‘The Real Food Companion’ published by Murdoch Books, a lifetime’s worth of food knowledge, from the soil (where it all begins) to the table.
Difficult to pick just three recipes from the hundreds in this inspirational tome, but enjoy these to get started.

All recipes are from ‘The Real Food Companion’ by Matthew Evans published by Murdoch Books.

Crab and Chilli Omelette

Rich egg, sweet crab and the spice of chilli combine to make this one hell of an omelette.

Ingredients

100g cooked crab meat

2 small red chillies, seeded and finely sliced

3 tbsp chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves

1 tsp fish sauce

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tbsp peanut oil

1 large garlic clove, crushed

Serves 1-2

Method

Mix the crabmeat in a bowl with the chilli, coriander, and fish sauce, then add the remaining sauce to the eggs.

Heat the peanut oil in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat and quickly fry the garlic until starting to colour. Add the egg and stir until it is half cooked. Scatter the crab mixture over the top and press gently into the egg. When the egg is nearly cooked, fold the omelette over, and tip onto a plate.

Halve the omelette and serve with steamed rice.

Wild Strawberry Salad with Vanilla Drained Yoghurt

I love strawberries as much as I love Hobart on a sunny Sunday afternoon. And that’s a lot. Unlike Hobart, however, I only love fresh strawberries in summer.

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g Greek-style yoghurt

1 tsp natural vanilla extract

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest

500g strawberries

3 peaches or nectarines, stones removed, cut into chunks

2 bananas, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks

1 tbsp lemon juice

5 basil leaves, finely sliced

Method

Place the yoghurt in a strainer lined with muslin (cheesecloth) or strong, clean, absorbent paper. Cover the yoghurt, place
a bowl underneath the strainer, and place the whole lot into the refrigerator to let the whey drain out overnight. The next day, put the thickish yoghurt into a bowl and stir in the vanilla extract.

In a large frying pan, heat the honey and zest over medium heat. Add the strawberries, peaches and bananas and toss to warm through. Add the lemon juice and basil and serve warm with the yoghurt.

Honeyed Anzac Biscuits  

I like my Anzac biscuits (cookies) chewy, and it may take a couple of attempts to get them just right. Honey makes a nice change from the golden syrup that is used in most traditional recipes.

Makes 25

Ingredients

100g rolled (porridge) oats

135g plain flour, sifted

200g caster sugar

70g shredded coconut

125g butter, cubed

2 tbsp honey

1 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), sifted

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4.

Line two baking trays with baking paper.

Mix the oats, flour, sugar and coconut together in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre.

Heat the butter and honey in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until melted and combined. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda to combine (it will foam up, this is normal).

Pour the honey mixture into the dry ingredients and mix to combine. If it seems too stiff, add 1-2 teaspoons of water. Place dessertspoon-sized blobs about 5cm
apart on the prepared trays, allowing room for them to spread.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden. They will keep in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

At last, the conversation around the impact of ultra-processed foods on the health of the nation is gathering momentum. I’ve written before about how we are sleepwalking into a health crisis of gargantuan proportions. It has crept up on us so rapidly and stealthily that it has almost gone unnoticed.
Ultra-processed foods now make up over half of the average diet in Ireland. To be precise, 54.9% according to research published in The Journal of Public Health Nutrition. Ireland tops the poll in 19 EU countries, contrast that percentage with 10.2% in Portugal. Ireland is now the second most obese country in Europe with more than a quarter of the adult population classified as obese.

For some time now, it has been altogether easier to find what used to be called fake or junk food now called UPF’s, than real food…
Plus there’s huge confusion amongst the general public about what exactly constitutes UPF’s, ultra-processed food.
These are foods that are mass produced in industrial systems,  purposely engineered to be irresistible and hyper palatable, cheap with a long shelf life.
Foods that you couldn’t be made in your home kitchen with ingredients you would never find in your pantry.
Packed with artificial flavourings, colourings and preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilisers, flavour enhancers… Often with a long list of ingredients, many unrecognisable to the general public. A chicken curry on the recently introduced Free School Meals menu had over 50 ingredients – where are our priorities…?

These foods are highly profitable and are aggressively marketed to both children and grown-up’s. In the UK, only 2% of advertising is on real food, 98% is spent on ultra-processed food. I’ve no doubt it’s similar over here.
The reality is, our food system is built for profit not to nourish the population. New research links harmful ultra-processed foods to the alarming rise in obesity, Type 2 diabetes, metabolic and inflammatory diseases, cancers, even early death….

So why, knowing what we know is it legal to sell these foods? What will it take to reverse this trend and break free but reverse it we must.
We may think we actually have a choice in what we eat, but the reality is an immense amount of money, thought and research goes into making these foods utterly irresistible and addictive and super cheap. UPF’s have quietly taken over the food system and they are unquestionably making us sick. Is it possible that the manufacturers are unaware of this? 

About 10 major food corporations control 80% of the food supply on our supermarket shelves. Meal Deals, Takeaways, Grab, Gobble and Go, Deliveroo and its many incarnations have become a way of life…

So, what to do?

In the words of Michael Pollan, “Eat nothing your grandmother wouldn’t recognise as Food”. kind of sums it up simply… 

Chris Van Tulleken’s excellent book ‘Ultra-Processed People’ published by Cornerstone Press draws a direct correlation between high levels of ultra-processed food consumption and the rise in both physical and mental health issues.

Should the production companies not be required to pay for the ill health they are causing?

How long before the Irish government will no longer be able to fund the health service? 

So, what to do? Time for bold and coordinated action and a huge rethink about how to tackle the decline in national health.

This will not be an easy matter, many of the major food corporations are wealthier and more powerful than governments.

As the grandmother of 11 grandchildren, the UPF food situation is keeping me awake at night. We need a coalition of parents, teachers and citizens to demand action. 

We urgently need to reexamine our priorities – after all, what could be more important than the future health of the nation, our children and grandchildren. This is no easy task to tackle. but what could be more important, what could be more urgent? After all, the wealth of the nation depends on the health of a nation and the health of a nation depends on the food we eat…time for action!

Many of the foods we take for granted are ultra-processed. Here is an alternative to the bottled tomato sauce which has become a staple for so many. Avoid the majority of breakfast cereals, with a few very rare exceptions like real porridge, most are ultra-processed…Here too is a super simple recipe for homemade fish fingers, make a little homemade garlic mayo to go with them and whizz up a few homemade breadcrumbs, they take just a couple of seconds to make, a brilliant way to use up leftover stale bread.

Win, win all the way… 

Two Breakfast Cereals:

Apple, Blackberry, Strawberry, or Raspberry Muesli

This is right up there with porridge as the best and most nourishing breakfast ever. It’s also super delicious, can be made in minutes, even when you are semi-comatose in the morning. Choose ripe eating apples for this recipe. The proportion of apple to oatmeal should be equal, taste and adjust as you wish. During the soft fruit season, we crush strawberries, raspberries, loganberries or tayberries and fold into the oatmeal instead of almonds. A few blackberries are delicious added to the muesli in Autumn.

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 heaped tbsp organic rolled oatmeal

110g dessert apples, preferably Worcester Pearmain or Cox’s Orange Pippin

approx. 1 tsp honey, depending on the tartness of the fruit

single cream and soft brown sugar, to serve

Method

Measure out 6 tablespoons of water into a bowl and sprinkle the oatmeal on top.  Let the oatmeal soak up the water while you grate the apple. A stainless-steel grater is best for this job; use the largest side and grate the apple coarsely, skin and all. I grate through the core but watch your fingers when you are coming close to the end. Pick out the dark pips and discard.

Stir the honey into the oatmeal and then stir in the grated apple, taste and add a little more honey if necessary. This will depend on how much you heaped up the spoon earlier on and how sweet the fruit is. Serve with cream and soft brown sugar.

Ballymaloe Crunchy Granola

A toasted grain cereal. Use organic ingredients where possible to really nourish your family.

Serves 20

Ingredients

350g local runny honey

225g light olive oil

470g oat flakes

200g barley flakes

200g wheat flakes

100g rye flakes

150g seedless raisins or sultanas

150g peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds or cashew nuts split and roasted

70g wheatgerm and /or millet flakes

50g chopped apricots or75g chopped dates are nice too

toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds are also delicious

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

Method

Mix oil and honey together in a saucepan, heat just enough to melt the honey.  Mix well into the mixed flakes. Spread thinly on two baking sheets.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, turning frequently, making sure the edges don’t burn. It should be just golden and toasted, not roasted!

Allow to get cold.  Mix in the raisins or sultanas, roasted nuts, toasted seeds, chopped dates, apricots and wheatgerm.  Store in a screw top jar or a plastic box, keeps for 1-2 weeks.

Serve with sliced banana, berries in season, milk or yoghurt.

Tomato Fondue

One of our favourite recipes and  one of our great convertibles, it has a number of uses, we serve it as a vegetable or a sauce for pasta, filling for omelettes, topping for pizza…It will keep for four or five days in the fridge and freezes perfectly. It will be particularly delicious at this time from now on made with Irish summer tomatoes.

Serves 6 approx.

Ingredients 

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

110g sliced onions

1 clove of garlic, crushed

900g very ripe tomatoes in summer, or 2 x 400g tins of tomatoes in winter, but peel before using

salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar to taste

1 tbsp of any of the following: freshly chopped mint, thyme, parsley, lemon balm, marjoram or torn basil

Method

Heat the oil in a stainless steel sauté pan or casserole.  Add the sliced onions and garlic toss until coated, cover and sweat on a gentle heat until soft but not coloured – about 10 minutes. It is vital for the success of this dish that the onions are completely soft before the tomatoes are added.  Slice the peeled fresh tomatoes or chopped tinned tomatoes and add with all the juice to the onions.  Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar (tinned tomatoes need lots of sugar because of their high acidity).  Add a generous sprinkling of herbs. Cover and cook for just 10-20 minutes more, or until the tomato softens, uncover and reduce a little.  Cook fresh tomatoes for a shorter time to preserve the lively fresh flavour. 

Tinned tomatoes need to be cooked for longer depending on whether one wants to use the fondue as a vegetable, sauce or filling.

Variations

Tomato Fondue with Chilli

Add 1-2 chopped fresh chillies to the onions when sweating.

Penne with Tomato Fondue

Toss 450g of cooked penne or spaghetti with Tomato and Chilli Fondue.

Tomato and Chorizo Fondue 

Add ½-1 sliced or diced chorizo to the tomato fondue five minutes before the end of cooking, great with pasta.

Tomato, Bean and Rosemary Stew

Add 1 x 400g can of haricot beans or black-eyed beans and 1 tablespoon of chopped rosemary to the above.

Yummy Fish Fingers with Garlic Mayo

The hake stocks are in good shape, fresh hake is a superb fish, sweet and flaky.

Serves 8

Ingredients

8 pieces fresh haddock, hake or pollock cut into fingers 11.5 x 3cm approximately

salt and freshly ground black pepper

white flour, seasoned well with salt, freshly ground and pepper and a

a little cayenne or smoked paprika (optional)

egg wash

2-3 beaten free-range, organic eggs and a little milk

panko or dried white breadcrumbs

To Serve

crunchy Little Gem lettuce leaves

Garlic Mayo (Aioli)

225g homemade mayonnaise (see recipe)

Add 1-4 crushed garlic cloves (depending on size) to the egg yolks as you start to make the mayonnaise.  Add 2 tsp of chopped flat-leaf parsley at the end and season to taste.

Method

Heat the oil in a deep fry to 180˚C.

Season the fingers of fish with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then, dip the fish, first into the well-seasoned flour and then into the beaten egg and finally coat evenly all over with the crumbs of your choice.  Pat gently to firm up…!

Heat some olive oil or clarified butter in a wide frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the fish fingers until golden and crispy on the outside and cooked through into the centre. Drain on kitchen paper.

I love to wrap them in crunchy Little Gem lettuce leaves, add a dollop of garlic mayo (aioli)/mayo of choice and enjoy.

Homemade Mayonnaise

Ingredients

2 egg yolks, preferably free range

¼ tsp salt

pinch of English mustardor ¼ tsp French mustard

1 dsp white wine vinegar

225ml oil (sunflower or olive oil or a mixture) – We use 175ml sunflower oil and 50ml olive oil, alternatively use 7/1

Method

Put the egg yolks into a bowl with the salt, mustard and the white wine vinegar (keep the whites to make meringues). Put the oil into a measure. Take a whisk in one hand and the oil in the other and drip the oil onto the egg yolks, drop by drop whisking at the same time to create an emulsion. Within a minute you will notice that the mixture is beginning to thicken. When this happens, you can add the oil a little faster, but don’t get too complacent or it will suddenly curdle because the egg yolks can only absorb the oil at a certain pace. Taste and add a little more seasoning and vinegar if necessary.

If the Mayonnaise curdles (splits), it will suddenly become quite thin, and if left sitting the oil will start to float to the top of the sauce. If this happens, you can quite easily rectify the situation by putting another egg yolk into a clean bowl, then whisk in the curdled Mayonnaise, a half teaspoon at a time until it emulsifies again.  Alternatively, if you catch it just as it begins to curdle, you can sometimes rescue the situation by whisking in 1-2 tablespoons of hot water.

If you’re longing for a bit of peace and quiet, it’s super difficult these days to find a place for a family holiday away from the madding crowd, yet with enough activities within reasonable driving distance to keep several generations occupied and amused. Recently, we managed to find just that almost by accident. We found ourselves in an agricultural area in the southwest of France that I’d never even heard of before called Gers, sometimes Gascony. Apparently, it’s one of, if not the most rural part of France, internationally renowned for its fine gastronomy, how about that for a find! 
It’s also famous for its many bastides, beautiful fortified medieval towns and villages. There are no motorways in Gers, no high-speed trains though you can get a train to the capital Auch or ‘Ouch’ as I mistakenly pronounced it. Best of all there is no mass tourism, and the locals seemed genuinely delighted to see us. We drove for miles through rolling countryside, undulating fields of sunflowers and sweet corn, grazing pastures with bales of hay and occasional Blond Aquitaine cattle. Beautiful allés of plane trees originally commissioned by Napoleon to provide shade for his marching troops. Hedges bursting with yellow broom and honeysuckle, perennial sweet pea and purple vetch…sounds like I’m writing tourist blurb, but I kid you not, this is exactly what it’s like! How come, I never knew about it before.
There were 18 of us, so we had rented a restored 17^th century château just outside the little village of Seissan called Château Labarthe. As was the custom, it had its own chapel close by where the bells rang out both morning and evening, so, so beautiful and tranquil.
On the first evening, we went to a little restaurant called CRU – Cave et Repas à l’Unisson that we had pre-booked in the city of Auch. Tables outside under a spreading Judas tree, we ordered everything on the little blackboard menu, typical French bourgeois food and delicious.

Every village has a market day, most  start early in the morning and finish at noon-ish, but in the Armagnac and  d’Artagnan area, they often start in the late afternoon and continue on into the night, finishing circa 11pm.
On Sunday we headed for the market in the medieval village of Bassoues, dating back to 1016 and happily coincided with their annual fiesta to celebrate the feast of their patron Saint Fris. The whole community were out in their Sunday best and the village brass band played merry tunes with gusto before the long table feast under the village square. Lots of little shops, another impressive chateau and a beautiful church dedicated to the Saint.
On Monday, we drove 45 minutes to Samatan, a much bigger market, spread over many of the streets in centre ville, apart from stalls piled high with seasonal vegetables and fruit, ripe nectarines, peregrine and doughnut peaches, apricots, and a bounty of summer produce. Many stalls selling green Moroccan pottery, candles, wispy cane lampshades and tajines. Among many things, this area seems to be famous for its foie gras and ducks, so we made a pilgrimage to the Halle de Gras which literally translates to the Hall of Fat. Local farmers were proudly selling their prize produce, whole ducks, magret de canards, ducks hearts, and of course beautiful fresh foie gras. Close by, other farmers were proudly selling a selection of live poultry, chickens, fine cockerels, ducks, quail, geese, a turkey, rabbits, pigeons, even canaries and budgies.
My favourite section is where small farmers and their wives were selling their small harvest of homegrown produce, often organic or chemical-free on simple stalls. Little bunches of the rich and spicy local white garlic, dried Tarbais beans, new season onions, tiny Gariguette and Charlotte strawberries, state of the art Boucherie and Charcuterie vans were selling artfully butchered meat, charcuterie and coils of Saucisse de Toulouse and the local Noir de Bigorre pork. Others had a fantastic array of cheeses. We ate steak frites at one of the little cafés on the edge of the market soaking up the atmosphere. The steak was rare and juicy and delicious, possibly from the local Blonde d’Aquitaine cattle, famous for their delicious beefy flavour.
We filled our bags and baskets with beautiful produce, some of the famous prunes from Agen and a fine bottle of Armagnac for which the area is also justifiably famous.
Home again with my head swirling with memories of an area that I long to explore further. Here are some recipes to remind me of the week.

Salad of Heritage Tomatoes, Peaches and Mozzarella

We used huge heritage tomatoes, super ripe peaches and tender buffalo mozzarella – a delicious combination.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

2-3 ripe peaches depending on size

4-8 heritage tomatoes depending on size

2 balls of buffalo mozzarella

8-12 leaves of basil or mint

flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dressing

2 tbsp of lemon juice or mild white wine vinegar such as Forum

8 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp honey

salt and pepper

Method

Slice the peaches off the stone – you will get 8 pieces approx. from each fruit and place in a large low sided bowl. Cut the heritage tomatoes into similar chunky pieces as the nectarines and add to the bowl. Tear each piece of buffalo mozzarella into 4 pieces and add to the bowl. Season with flaky salt and freshly ground pepper.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together, taste and correct the seasoning.

Tear the herbs on to the fruit and cheese and add the dressing. Stir and mix gently, being careful not to break up the fruit.

Place on a large platter or individual plates and serve immediately garnishing with a few more mint or basil leaves if you have them to spare.

Agen Prunes in Armagnac

Super easy to make, serve as a delicious dessert with vanilla bean ice cream or just a blob of whipped cream if you will…also delicious served as an accompaniment to roast duck, goose or pork.

Ingredients

225g Agen prunes with stone in (20 prunes approx.)

grated rind of 1 organic lemon

150ml Armagnac

150ml sugar syrup (*equal quantities of sugar and water – dissolve the sugar in the water and bring to the boil for 2 minutes then allow it to cool. Use any leftover sugar syrup to make lemonade, fruit compotes…) 

1 Kilner jar

Method

Fill a sterilised Kilner jar with Agen prunes, add the freshly grated lemon rind. Half cover with Armagnac, then top up with the sugar syrup. Seal and allow to macerate for at least ten days.

Tarte aux Pomme from Gers

Use freshly ground cinnamon or mixed spice or sprinkle generously with Armagnac, the local spirit.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

1 packet of filo pastry (you may not need it all)

50g butter, melted

3-4 dessert apples, e.g., Cox’s Pippins

110g caster sugar

1 tsp cinnamon or mixed spice or 1 tablespoon of Armagnac (optional)

icing sugar

1 x 23-25.5cm round tart tin, preferably with a pop-up base.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

Brush the tin with melted butter, cut 3 sheets of filo in half widthways, brush with melted butter, fold in half and arrange overlapping in the tin. Peel and cut the apples into chunks, sprinkle with plenty of sugar (plus cinnamon or mixed spice or Armagnac if using) and toss. The tin should be generously filled with fruit. Fold the edges of the filo back into the tart.

Divide another 3 sheets of filo into 4 pieces each. Brush generously with melted butter.  Scrunch up each piece and arrange on top.  Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour approx. or until the apple is cooked and the pastry crisp and golden.

Pop the tart out of the tin onto a serving plate.

Dredge with icing sugar, serve warm with softly whipped cream.

Note: The apple may be par cooked ahead in which case it will take a shorter time to cook.

Hooray, July is officially National Picnic Month but why confine it to July. I’m a perennial picnicker, I virtually never leave home without a picnic.
My tin box, full of goodies, comes with me on the train, on a plane, up the hills, onto the beach or the cliffs…

I’ve got several picnic baskets, they are best for the beach, they fit several small frying pans so I can cook sausages over a little fire. I make a circle of stones on the sand, send the kids off to collect driftwood, scrunch up the sports pages and sizzle the sausages. What could be better after a swim, Colemans mustard made from the powder is an obligatory accompaniment for me and thick slices of fresh soda bread slathered with butter.
You’ll never be short of friends when you arrive with a picnic!
I’ve got lots of hand woven willow baskets. Some are relatively new, others are old and wonky but all much loved and full of memories. Childhood memories of picnics by the sea on the cliffs near the Metal Man in Tramore. Mummy would always roast a fat cockerel just before we left and bake several loaves of brown soda bread and a spotted dog. Always a pot of raspberry jam.

Good bread and jam tastes so good outdoors. And a cake, an old-fashioned coffee cake is my favourite.
You could of course make or bake something exotic for your picnic, though gorgeous, it’s definitely not essential. You’ll probably have lots of delicious store cupboard stables ready for a spontaneous picnic. I love to have good sardines or mackerel, a tin or two of really good anchovies. The latter will be delicious on thick slices of crisp cucumber (a delicious bite that Rory O’Connell introduced me to), and big juicy red and yellow tomatoes…

Make a batch of mayo and divide it in half, add some crushed garlic and chopped parsley to one lot and you’ve got a delicious aioli or garlic mayo.
I usually bring a few hardish boiled eggs too and a couple of ripe avocados. You’ll need some flaky sea salt for the avocados, and I love a little dollop of mayo, a sprinkling of Aleppo pepper and flaky sea salt over the hard boiled eggs – that simple treatment transforms them into a little gourmet picnic bite.

Don’t forget a hunk of cheese, or something soft and gooey and some water biscuits, a bottle of rosé and/or fizz and some elderflower cordial.
Depends where you’re off to, but one could call to a local shop to pick up a bag or two of ice, bring an ice bucket with you, use it as a container to fill it with picnic goodies on the way and for garbage on the way home.
Happy Picnicking…

Very Best Anchovies on Crisp Cucumber

Rory O’ Connell introduced me to this delicious little bite and so simple to make, they are also great for canapés.

Ingredients

1 crisp Irish new season cucumber
1 tin of the very best anchovies
a little lemon thyme if available

Method
Slice the cucumber into 2cm thick slices, lay a piece of anchovy on top. A little sprinkling of lemon thyme enhances the magic.
The contrast of the crisp texture of the cucumber and briny anchovy makes for a truly WOW bite.

Glazed Loin of Bacon

Best still warm – everyone will be licking their lips!

Serves 12-15

Ingredients

1.8-2.25kg loin of bacon, either smoked or unsmoked (streaky may also be used)

400g/1 small tin of pineapple, use 3-4 tbsp approx. of the juice

350g brown Demerara sugar (crunchy not soft brown sugar)

whole cloves, 20-30 approx.

Method

Cover the bacon in cold water and bring slowly to the boil, if the bacon is very salty there will be a white froth on top of the water, in this case it is preferable to discard this water. It may be necessary to change the water several times depending on how salty the bacon is, finally cover with hot water and simmer until almost cooked, allow 25-30 minutes approx. for every 450g.  Remove the rind, score the fat into a diamond pattern, and stud with cloves.  Blend brown sugar to a thick paste with a little pineapple juice, 3-4 tablespoons approx., be careful not to make it too liquid.  Spread this over the bacon.  Choose a small low sided gratin dish or roasting pan that barely fits the joint, otherwise the glaze will just burn on the tin.    Bake in a fully preheated hot oven 250°C/Gas Mark 9 until the top has caramelised – baste the bacon three or four times during this time. It will take approx. 10-15 minutes to caramelise.  Remove to a carving dish.  Carve in thin slices lengthwise so each slice includes some of the eye of the loin and streaky bacon.

Note: We use loin of bacon off the bone.

Classic Coffee Cake (Loaf)

This is a splendid recipe for an old-fashioned coffee cake – the sort Mummy made – and we still make it regularly. Everyone loves it. I’m a real purist about using extract rather than essence in the case of vanilla, but in this cake, I prefer coffee essence (which is actually mostly chicory) to real coffee.

Serves 10-12

Ingredients

225g soft butter

225g caster sugar

4 organic eggs

225g plain white flour, preferably unbleached

1 tsp baking powder

scant 2 tbsp Irel or Camp coffee essence

Coffee Butter Cream

150g butter

330g icing sugar, sieved

5-6 tsp Irel or Camp coffee essence

Coffee Glacé Icing

450g icing sugar

scant 2 tbsp Irel or Camp coffee essence

about 4 tbsp boiling water

To Decorate

Caramelised Walnuts or just use walnut halves (see recipe)

1 x 20cm square cake tin

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

Line the base and sides of the tin with greaseproof or silicone paper. Brush the bottom and sides with melted butter and dust lightly with flour.

Beat the soft butter with a wooden spoon, add the caster sugar and beat until pale in colour and light in texture. Whisk the eggs. Add to the mixture, bit by bit, whisking well between each addition.

Sieve the flour with the baking powder and stir gently into the cake mixture. Finally, add in the coffee essence and mix thoroughly.

Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes. When the cake is cooked, the centre will be firm and springy, and the edges will have shrunk from the sides of the tins. Leave to rest in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Remove the greaseproof paper from the base, then flip over so the top of the cake doesn’t get marked by the wire rack. Leave the cake to cool on the wire rack.

To make the coffee butter cream, whisk the butter with the sieved icing sugar and add the coffee essence. Continue to whisk until light and fluffy.

When cold, cut the cake in half lengthwise, then cut each half horizontally creating rectangular layers, 4 in total. Sandwich each sponge layer together with half of the coffee butter cream, forming a loaf shaped cake. Place half of the remaining buttercream into a piping bag, fitted with a medium star shaped nozzle. Spread the sides and top of the cake thinly with the last of the butter cream and place into the fridge for 10-15 minutes to chill. This technique is called crumb coating.

Next make the Coffee Glacé Icing. 

Sieve the icing sugar and put into a bowl. Add coffee essence and enough boiling water to make it the consistency of a thick cream.

To Decorate

Remove the cake from the fridge. Pour the glacé icing evenly over the top of the cake, gently spreading it down the sides with a palette knife. Allow to set, 30 minutes approx. Decorate with piped rosettes of buttercream and garnish with the caramelized walnuts or walnut halves if preferred.

Caramelised Walnuts

100g sugar

50ml cold water

20 walnut halves

225ml hot water

Dissolve the sugar in the cold water over a gentle heat.  Stir until all the sugar has dissolved, then remove the spoon and continue to simmer until the syrup caramelises to a chestnut colour.  Remove from the heat, dip the walnuts into the hot caramel, and coat each one completely using a fork. Remove to a silicone baking mat, or oiled cake tin, and allow to cool. Once all the walnuts have been coated, pour the hot water into the saucepan and continue to cook until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is quite smooth. Reduce until it starts to thicken slightly.  Allow to get cold.  This sauce can be used for serving with ice cream.