The long avenue up to Babington House was sprinkled with drifts of snowdrops, I thought, it’s quite true Babington House spoils you for anywhere else. This special place is a country house hotel near Frome in Somerset - not all frills and flounces but simple, sophisticated and unfussy. From the moment of arrival one feels kind of easy, comfy and unhurried.

This was my second visit, this time I was back as “guest chef” on the invitation of the manager Justin Greene, formerly of Browne’s Townhouse and Brasserie on St Stephen’s Green in Dublin, and the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong. He has been at Babington House for almost a year now - he loves his job and has introduced several new concepts since his arrival, including the guest chef programme – I felt very chuffed to follow in the footsteps of Jamie Oliver and other fancy celebs

Babingon House and its sister hotel, Soho House in London are the brainchild of Nick Jones. Nick is incredibly engaging with great sense of fun and a brilliant feel for lifestyle. His hotels are like fantasy homes but with all the modern ‘must have’ trimmings. They appeal hugely to the young arty creative set who adore the unstuffy atmosphere where they can kick off their Jimmy Choo’s and slip into wellies.They revel in being able to detox and have an all day treatment in the Cowshed, or one can breakfast at four in the afternoon or have Champagne and Caviar or a Babington Beefburger on a floury bap, maybe a duck shepherds pie.

They can also bring along the kids (not an option in many posh country house hotels), and be sure that they’ll be able to relax because the kids will have raced off to the Little House where they are looked after by trained and fun nannies.

There’s childrens’ tea every day, the sort of food kids love with lots of chips and sausages, pasta with tomato sauce and great pizza from the wood burning oven.

For the older ones, there are ponies, goats and a pot bellied pig, lots of duck and tame water hens. If it rains there’s Scalextric, a train set, videos and lots of computer games.

Last time we visited, the proportion of kids to grown- ups seemed to have tipped the balance, not surprising considering the temptations. Nowadays the proportion of kids to grown ups is carefully managed and there’s a child free hush in the panelled library.

In the corner of the room a humidifer hums as it keeps the Montecristos in optimium nick and the snooker table confounds expectations – it’s covered in red baize. 

It’s that kind of place. Several sitting rooms and bars, stylish and comfy contemporary furniture easy with the past. Home from home for the vodka and vitamin crowd who want to live life to the full.

One sitting room can be converted into an edit suite to suit any production and doubles as a private dining room or meeting room. The dining room can accommodate anything from a grand ball to a board meeting.

The breakfast room with its wood-burning oven opens out onto a terrace for barbecues overlooking the lake.

The Georgian house is surrounded by 17 acres of grounds- a floodlit hard tennis court for midnight volleys and four grass courts for Wimbledon hopefuls. There’s even a pitch for football and cricket, less sporty types with a lower boredom threshold like me, can reveal their primitive streak on the croquet lawn.

The bedrooms are simple with polished floors and contemporary furniture, state of the art tellies and heaped goose-down pillows, superabundant warm towels, big bars of soap and a heady selection of oils and lotions,great big roll top baths for sociable soaking. Shower heads the size of soup plates made me think of the daily irritation of the dribbling shower at home.

The active set spend most of their time in the ‘Cowshed’ – so named because in a former time it was just that. Now, however it’s a beautifully converted space devoted to mind and body. So if you really want to feel that you deserve your dinner, go to the gym or have a swim through steam misting the air over two graphite pools or you might want to learn self defence, yoga or baby massage.

If this all gets too much, step into the Babington House cinema with a love bomb- herbal tea or fresh organic orange juice- better still let them pummel scented oils into every pore.

Since our last visit a Mongolian yurt and a tepee have been built near the lake and you can now choose from a selection of massages for total mind and body rejuvenation – just what I needed on this occasion, but sadly I was there to cook a dinner and not merely to be pampered.

Barnaby Jones and his team in the kitchen gave me a warm welcome, we had lots of fun and got a terrific response to the Spring dinner. 

We started the evening with drinks in the playroom where we met the guests. The meal was served family style, everyone mingled and sat at large tables, 12, 10 14’s …

The food was served on large platters so people shared and helped themselves. This immediately engendered an atmosphere and a spirit of conviviality. Within a short time complete strangers were chatting amicably and were bosom pals by the end of the evening.

Many come regularly to these guest chef evenings because of the social element as well as the food. 

In the other dining room the regular Babington House menus were being served. ‘Small plates’, winter regulars, wood oven baked pizzas, or one could opt for a Babington choice- 3 courses to share, chefs choice changes daily. Couples who would rather not spend time making decisions could opt for a menu for 2 people to share – 3 choices of starter and main course and pudding on large white platters, a brilliant idea for both the kitchen and guests.

Sadly, I had to whizz home next day but not before I’d had a delicious lunch at QV (Quartier Vert) in Bristol- a favourite restaurant of which I’ve written previously in this column.
Aer Arann flies direct from Cork to Bristol daily.
QV , White Ladies Rd, Bristol. Tel 0044 1179734482
Babington House, near Frome, Somerset. Tel 0044 1373812266. www.babingtonhouse.co.uk 
World travellers may be interested to know that Soho House New York opens in April. 
Soho House, 29-35 9th Avenue New York. Tel – 001 212 6279800.

Candied sweet potato soup

500g sweet potato

1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
sprig of thyme
80g brown sugar
50g butter
1 pint beer
½ pint orange juice
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and cut the sweet potato to a large dice, sweat the onion, garlic, sweet potato and thyme in the butter for a few minutes. Add the brown sugar and increase the heat to caramelise the sweet potato and onion mixture. Once well coloured and sticky, deglaze the pan with the beer and boil to reduce. Add the orange juice and enough water to cover and gently simmer until the potato is soft. Remove the thyme and blend the soup to a fine puree. Adjust the seasoning and thickness if required with a little more water. 
Finish with freshly ground pepper.

Seared scallops, orange cardamom reduction

3 Large fresh scallops

Mache/ lambs lettuce
1 litre fresh orange juice
3 cardamom pods
1 orange cut to segments

Place the juice and cardamom in a stainless steel pan, reduce over a medium heat until a thick syrup is formed. Place syrup in a glass jar and keep refrigerated.
Clean and trim the scallops, heat a non stick pan and add a little clarified butter and oil. Heat until almost smoking and add the scallops seasoned with a little sea salt. Cook on one side until well coloured and then turn for another 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and keep in a warm place.

To serve, toss a bunch of mache lettuce with 5 orange segments, olive oil, salt and pepper and a little lemon juice. Dress the salad in the centre of the plate, place the seared scallop around the salad and then drizzle the plate with the orange cardamom syrup. Finish with freshly ground pepper.

Rump of lamb, aubergine caviar, coriander yoghurt

200g trimmed lamb rumps

2 large aubergines
olive oil
50ml natural yoghurt
1 tblsp chopped coriander
handful of wild rocket
lemon juice
salt and pepper

Split the aubergines length ways and score the flesh, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with olive oil. Chargrill on both sides to give a smoky flavour then sandwich the two sides back together, wrap in foil and roast in a hot oven until soft. Open the parcel and scrap out the pulp with a spoon. Place in a clean pan and cook to reduce, adjust the seasoning and add a little olive oil.

Season the lamb rumps, sear in a hot pan and then roast in a medium hot oven for 10 to15 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

Mix the yoghurt with a little lemon juice, salt and the chopped coriander.

Place the warmed aubergine caviar on the plate, carve the lamb rump and place over the caviar. Finish the plate with a spoon of the yoghurt dressing around the plate, ground black pepper and a few rocket leaves.

Last October I went to Adelaide for Tasting Australia - which is an international Festival of Food and Wine, an initiative of the South
Australian Government.  'Hot and Happening Down Under' was the theme of The Festival which was held in Adelaide from 5-14 October featured the skills of more than 150 celebrated chefs, authors, food and wine

journalists and critics, television cooks as well as the nation's top food and beverage producers and up and coming chefs and apprentices.  It
One of the most important events in Tasting Australia is the Lifestyle Channel Australian Regional Culinary Competition allowing chefs and apprentices from various regions all over Australia to demonstrate their culinary skills in a cook-off (three courses for four people). The Gold Award for the Best Region was a visit to Ballymaloe Cookery School with the travel sponsored by Quantas the main sponsor of the festival. I was invited to attend the Festival and be a judge in the competition and take part in some of the other activities.
Last week the winning team arrived in Cork Airport and made their way to Ballymaloe Cookery School – the team were Darren Ho,(Team Leader) Brian Means and Julie van den Bergh, a fourth member of the team Steve Brampton was unable to travel. The winning Team hail from Hunter Valley a noted wine region, and part of the competition was pairing their wine and food They had a busy few days with us –they visited the Farmers Market in Midleton, the Jameson Heritage Centre, walked the cliffs in Ballycotton with me and went foraging on Ballyandreen strand.  They visited the English Market in Cork and cooked themselves a Cork supper with the goodies they brought home.  They joined in on our Pub Grub Course and enjoyed mingling with all our other students.  On a day trip to West Cork they visited the Fergusons at Gubbeen to see the famous Gubbeen farmhouse cheese made by Giana and taste Fingal Ferguson’s smoked bacon.
Dinner at Ballymaloe House and Grapefruit Moon in Ballycotton were among the highlights of the visit and we tasted some of the delicious Hunter Valley wine and honey. London and France were the next stops on their itinerary.
 www.tastingaustralia.com.au

Julie van den Bergh has her own Café Crocodile in Hunter Valley and she has shared one of her signature dishes with us.

Pan Fried Atlantic Salmon fillet on sweet corn cakes with an avocado and Spanish onion salsa

–
Julie says she is not allowed remove this dish from the menu.

From Julie van den Bergh of Café Crocodile in Hunter Valley, Australia
Serves 4
Corncakes

2 cobs of corn, stripped
1 Spanish onion, finely diced
2 tablesp. coriander leaves, chopped
2 tablesp. parsley, chopped
1 teasp. minced garlic
2 tablesp. sweet chilli sauce
2 eggs, whisked
200 ml cream
100 g plain flour

Combine ingredients and cook off in small cakes on frying pan. Use
oiled rings for consistent size and leave on. Cakes freeze well.

Salsa

1 small Spanish onion, diced finely
6 large ripe Roma tomatoes, diced finely (seeds removed)
1 dessertsp. Sicilian salted capers, rinsed well.
1 dessertsp. large capers, rinsed well
1 dessertsp. chopped cranberries
juice of half lemon
1 tablesp. olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, peeled and diced in half cm cubes

Ideally combine all the ingredients except the avocado at least 2 days
prior to use to allow flavours to blend. Add chopped avocado just
prior to service.

Wasabi Mayo

 
1 teasp. minced garlic
1 teasp. Dijon mustard
2½ teasp. Wasabi powder
2 egg yolks
1 teasp. lemon juice
½ teasp. caster sugar
olive oil – approx. 300 ml
salt and pepper to taste

Combine first 6 ingredients in a food processor, pulsing to combine.
With motor running, slowly add olive oil to desired consistency. (Thin
with warm water if required.) Taste and season.

Lemon Dressing

½ cup olive oil
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup mirin
2 teasp. honey
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk and adjust to taste.

To assemble the dish you also require 1 bunch of watercress, washed and
picked, as well as four pieces of salmon fillet, lightly dusted with
seasoned flour.
Heat a large frying pan (with a metal handle) and oil lightly. Place
the fish, flesh side down, sear and turn and put into a preheated
moderate oven.
Place corncakes on a greased tray (2 per person) and place in oven to
reheat.
Dress watercress in a little of the lemon dressing and place a mound in
the centre of each plate. Top with 2 corncakes and smear a teaspoon or
so of wasabi mayo over the warm cakes. Place cooked salmon on top, then
garnish with spoonfuls of salsa.

Perfect with a glass of Aussie Semillon!

Some more Australian ideas –

Banana, Pineapple & Walnut Cake

(makes four loaves)

Ingredients
6 cups Plain Flour
4 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
2 Teaspoons Bi-carbonate of Soda (Breadsoda)
4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
2 cups castor sugar
3 cups chopped walnuts
4 cups mashed banana
4 cups crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups oil
8 eggs, lightly beaten

Method
Combine dry ingredients in large bowl
Combine sugar, oil, eggs & mix
Add banana, pineapple & dry ingredients to mixture
Bake in moderate oven until crisp on top.

Whole-Orange Cake

 
Use medium seedless navel oranges

1 orange
125 g butter
½ cup castor sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups wholemeal self-raising flour
half teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ cup buttermilk

Orange Butter Syrup
½ cup sugar
¼ cup orange juice
60g butter

Grease a 15cm x 25cm loaf tin
Squeeze the juice from the orange, reserve the juice for syrup. Process
or blend the remaining skin and pulp finely.
Cream butter and sugar in small bowl with electric mixture until light &
fluffy, beat in eggs one at a time, beat until combined. Transfer
mixture to large bowl, stir in half the sifted flour and soda with half
the buttermilk, then stir in remaining dry ingredients, buttermilk and
orange pulp.
Pour mixture into prepared pan, bake in moderate oven for about 45
minutes.
Stand cake 5 minutes before turning on to wire rack,
Pour hot syrup evenly over hot cake.

Orange butter syrup Combine sugar, orange juice and butter in saucepan,
stir constantly over heat without boiling until sugar is dissolved and
butter melted, bring to boil, remove syrup from heat.
Keeping time 3 days.

Almond Bread

3 egg whites

½ cup castor sugar
1 cup plain flour
125 g un-blanched almonds

Beat egg whites until soft peaks form, gradually beat in castor sugar,
beating well after each addition until all sugar is dissolved. Fold in
sifted flour, whole un-blanched almonds. Spread into greased 25cm x 8cm
bar tin. Bake in a moderate oven 30 to 35 minutes or until just firm to
touch. Turn out of tin to cool. When cold, wrap in aluminum foil, put
aside for one or two days. Using a very sharp knife, cut bread into
wafer-thin slices. Put slices onto oven trays, bake in slow oven 45
minutes or until dry and crisp.

One of the greatest enigmas, not to mention frustrations of Costa Rica, is that even though it is famous the world over for the quality of its coffee – its almost impossible to get a decent cup of coffee in the country itself.  Much of the best coffee seems to be exported. Travellers stock up with packs of finest quality Britt coffee as they leave the country.
 
Still one of Costa Rica’s most important crops, coffee is not as I had supposed, indigenous to the country, but was introduced from Ethiopia in the early 1800’s. When it was planted originally, it was greatly sought after as a fashionable ornamental plant to decorate courtyards - its glossy green leaves, white blossom and red berries are beautiful year round.
The Central Highlands of Costa Rica are ideally suited to coffee cultivation It thrives in areas where the temperatures average 15-28C with a distinct wet and dry season - Coffee grows best in well drained soil at elevations of 2,500-3,000 feet
.The Costa Rican government quickly saw the potential of the grana del ora, but had difficulty persuading the Costa Ricans to grow the crop. In the early 1800’s they brought in a law requiring everyone to plant at least a couple of coffee plants in their back yard. Coffee growing soon took off and by 1829 it was the nation’s numero uno earner. Needless to say it was a godsend for Costa Rica’s subsistence farmers, it provided them with a vital income on which no tax was levied. Coffee was widely planted .
For years, small farmers dominated production and earned their fair share of the wealth. But as ever, the real profits were concentrated in relatively few hands, the coffee processors who became known as the coffee barons, became Costa Rica’s first social and political elite.
Originally the beans were carried by ox cart or mule trains through the mountains to the Pacific port of Puntarenas to be transported by boat via Cape Horn to the coffee connoisseurs of Europe.
 
Coffee seeds are planted in nurseries, where they remain until they are a year old. They are then transplanted into the ground in rows that follow the contours of the mountain. Some of the fields are almost vertical, it is difficult to visualise how pickers can keep themselves from tumbling down the slopes as they pick the coffee berries. The answer lies in the ingenious way of planting trees directly behind one another so that the trunk of the downhill tree serves as a foothold for the pickers.
The bushes are planted under the shade of trees or tousled banana palms which fix nitrogen in the soil. Shaded coffee bushes are more productive. The first crop can be harvested in the fourth year and the glossy green bushes will continue to bear fruit for up to 40 years. At the beginning of the rainy season tiny white blossoms scent the air with a delicious jasmine like fragrance. The beans themselves are surrounded by lush green berries that turn blood red when ripe.
There is nowhere else in the world where coffee producers attain such high productivity per acre. Ideal conditions combined with high yielding plants and intensive production techniques. The best quality coffee grows at higher elevations where beans take longer to mature and are more robust and aromatic and contain less caffeine. Best coffee comes from the Arabica bean, the high yielding robusta bean is less highly regarded.
 
The coffee crop is harvested from November to January which coincides with the Christmas holidays, so it is traditional for entire families in the rural areas to take to the fields with wicker baskets to pick the coffee beans together. Some of the money earned is used for Christmas presents and new outfits.
The handpicked berries are shipped to beneficios where the fleshy outer layer is removed to expose the beans which are blow dried and spread out in the sun in the traditional manner. The leathery skins are then stripped away, the beans are roasted, sorted, vacuum packed, sealed and shipped to market and finally brewed for a delicious cup of Costa Rican coffee.

Ballymaloe Coffee Ice Cream with Irish Coffee Sauce

Serves 6-8
Coffee Ice Cream
2 ozs (55g) sugar
4 fl ozs (120ml) water
2 egg yolks, preferably free range
2 teasp. vanilla essence
1 pint (600ml) whipped cream
3 teasp. instant coffee
2 teasp. boiling water
 
Irish Coffee Sauce
8 ozs (225g) sugar
3 fl ozs (80ml) water
8 fl ozs (250ml) coffee
1 tablesp. Irish whiskey
 
Put the egg yolks into a bowl and whisk until light and fluffy. Put the sugar and water into a small heavy bottomed saucepan on a low heat. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved and then remove the spoon and do not stir again until the syrup reaches the thread stage, 106-113C/223-226F. It will look thick and syrupy; when a metal spoon is dipped in, the last drops of syrup will form thin threads. Pour this boiling syrup in a steady stream onto the egg yolks, whisking all the time. Continue to whisk until it fluffs up to a light mousse which will hold a figure of eight. Stir in the Vanilla essence, mix the instant coffee powder with just 2 teaspoon of boiling water in a little bowl. Add some mousse to the paste and then fold the two together. Carefully fold in the softly whipped cream. Pour into a stainless steel or plastic bowl, cover and freeze.
Irish Coffee Sauce
Put the sugar and water in a heavy bottomed saucepan, stir until the sugar dissolves and the water comes to the boil. Remove the spoon and do not stir again until the syrup turns a pale golden caramel. Then add the coffee and put back on the heat to dissolve. Allow to cool and add the whiskey.
To serve:
Scoop the ice cream into a serving bowl or ice bowl. Serve the sauce separately.
 

Coffee Marjolaine Cake

This cake consists of four thin rounds of meringue sandwiched together with coffee butter cream, the top and sides are also covered with the cream and decorated with toasted almonds.
This cake should be made several days before it is needed, it will have softened and be much easier to cut. It should be kept in the fridge, covered, at least overnight.
 
Meringue
3 ozs (90g) almonds
4 egg whites
9 ozs (255g) icing sugar
 
Coffee Butter Cream
4 ozs (110g) granulated sugar
8 tablesp. water
4 egg yolks
102 ozs (300g) butter
coffee essence to flavour
Decoration
6-8 ozs (170-225g) flaked almonds, toasted
 
Cover 4 baking sheets with bakewell or silicone paper. Draw out 4 x 8 or 9 inch (20.5 or 23cm) circles on the paper.
Blanch and skin the almonds. Chop or grind in a food processor, they should not be ground to a fine powder but be slightly coarse and gritty. In a spotlessly clean bowl of a food mixer mix all the sugar with the egg whites at once and beat until the mixture forms stiff dry peaks. Fold in the almonds. Divide the meringue between the four circles on the silicone paper, spread neatly, about 3 inch (5mm) thick. Bake immediately in a moderate oven, 150C/300F/regulo 2 for approx. 1 hour or until the discs are quite crisp and will peel off the paper easily. Allow to get quite cold.
Next make the coffee butter cream. Put the sugar and water into a small saucepan and stir over a gentle heat until dissolved. Remove the spoon and bring to the boil, boil gently until 216F is reached or until the syrup is at 'thread' stage. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Gradually pour the hot syrup over the egg yolks, whisking all the time, continue until the mixture is thick and light. Cream the butter and gradually beat into the egg mixture. Flavour with coffee essence. Keep aside. Toast the flaked almonds and set aside to cool.
To assemble the marjolaine, sandwich the four circles of meringue together with coffee butter cream, (if necessary trim the sides to neaten*), then spread more butter cream around the sides of the cake and roll in the flaked almonds. Cover the top of the cake with butter cream and sprinkle generously with the remainder of the toasted almonds. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
* If the edges are jagged it will be difficult to ice later.

Chocolate-covered Coffee Beans

Irresistible nibbles or great decorations for cakes, mousses, and Chocolate or Coffee desserts.
3 ozs (85g) dark chocolate, at least 54 per cent cocoa solids
4 tablesp. medium roast coffee beans
 
Melt the chocolate gently in a small bowl over a saucepan of hot water. When the chocolate is softened add the roasted coffee beans. Stir to coat the beans, then lift them out with a fork and drop them on to a plate or marble slab evenly covered with non-stick silicone paper. Separate each bean, then leave to harden. Remove the beans with a palette knife and store in an air-tight jar. Alternatively, drop the wet chocolate coated beans on to a plate or marble slab covered thickly with sieved good quality cocoa powder. Separate as above and leave to harden.

Creamy Iced Coffee

Serves 2
 
8 fl ozs (250ml) strong , fresh coffee, chilled
1 tablesp. caster sugar
8 fl ozs (250ml) crushed ice cubes
3 tablesp. double cream
 
Pour the coffee, sugar and crushed ice into a blender or food processor. Mix until light brown and frothy. Stir in the double cream, pour into 2 glasses and serve immediately.

On Thursday last we all packed into a bus at the crack of dawn, well 7.15am, to head off into the Knockmealdown mountains on our school tour. A bus full of excited students of 10 nationalities and ranging from 18-50 years of age, full of anticipation.
We headed for Clogheen where Dick and Anne Keating make Baylough farmhouse cheese from the milk of their Friesian and MRI herd. They’ve just started into the new season, having had a break since November.

Ann is a pragmatic lady with an indomitable spirit, characteristics of many of the Irish farmhouse cheese-makers. As she cut the curd she delighted the students with the story of how she initially taught herself how to make cheese and gradually perfected her cheddar type which is now called Baylough.

She explained the cheese-making process in detail to the fascinated students, the importance of the quality of the milk, the function of the starter, which gives the cheese its unique flavour and character. They saw how the rennet coagulated the milk which is then cut into curds and whey. The cheesemaking process can’t be hurried or delayed, it has its own rhythm and is ever changing as the year progresses – the best cheeses are made from summer milk when the cows are grazing on the rich green pasture.

Anne makes five cheeses, the traditional Baylough is the original cheese, aged for a minimum of three months, some are waxed (they are first painted with a liquid wax and then dipped in a hot wax), but demand grows for cheese wrapped in cheesecloth in the traditional way. Anne is pleased with this development, because the cheeses gain an extra complexity of flavour as they age and are increasingly sought out by cheddar connoisseurs. Ann has also built up a loyal following for her garlic and garlic and herb, versions, which are also available smoked.
From small beginnings in her own kitchen Anne’s business has now grown into a custom built dairy with dedicated cold rooms and a packing room.

She is loud in her praise of David Mitchell from Mullinahone Co-op who offered not only inspiration but practical help as she struggled to learn the art of cheesemaking initially, Tim Cogan and his colleagues from Moorepark are also an ongoing support, the business now employs two part-time staff in summer, and Anne simply can scarcely keep up with the demand for Baylough. It now sells at Peter Ward’s Country Choice in Nenagh, McCambridges in Galway, Sheridans in Dublin, Trevor Irvine in Carrick-on-Shannon, On the Pigs Back in Cork’s English Market, Al Vinos in Athlone, Hudsons Wholefoods in Ballydehob, and I regularly see people buying it at Cork Airport to present to friends.
We left Anne and Dick as they were preparing to fill the moulds and sped towards Dungarvan.
We had the most delicious lunch at the Tannery – we’re big fans of Paul and Maire O’Flynn’s cool and sophisticated restaurant. The spiced parsnip and coconut soup drizzled with olive oil was light and full of delicious flavours. Pudding was poached apple with caramel ice cream and cinnamon biscuit.

The students tucked in and polished off every morsel – and they loved when Paul, who is naturally shy, came out and shared his advice and experience of the highs and lows of the restaurant business with them.
Next we sped towards Cork to visit the indomitable Frank Hederman to learn the secrets of smoking fish at his traditional smokehouse at Belvelly near Cobh. Frank has built up an enviable reputation for his artisanal products, salmon, eel, mackerel, sprats, mussels, herrings, hake… and now sells not only in the Cork, Temple Bar and Midleton Farmers Markets, but in other selected outlets around the country and Fortnum and Mason’s in the UK, and he exports to Germany. Yet another example of an artisanal producer who has helped to enhance the image of Irish food abroad .

No culinary education is complete without a visit to the Cork Market, this food lovers paradise continues to gather momentum. It is unique, the only covered market of its type in Ireland, open 6 days a week. A recent annex to Toby Simond’s Olive Stall run by Jenny Rose and situated opposite O’Connells fish stall, sells fat juicy sandwiches made with ciabatta, delicious salads, tapenade, couscous and other goodies.
The Organic stall owned by Mark O’Mahony sells a wide range of organic products, some fresh vegetables and organic meat butchered by Willie Beechinor. They are situated in the middle aisle opposite Mary Rose Daly’s new coffee shop ‘Coffee Centrale’ and close to Mr Bell’s ethnic ingredients stall and Isobel Sheridan’s treasure house of gastronomic temptations ‘On the Pigs Back’. Mary Rose, one of the markets best loved characters, dispenses latte, expressos and cappuccinos with great good humour and aplomb.

I just love showing the students around the market – showing them the skirts and tripe, kidneys, pigs tails, corned beef and telling them about the history of Cork which has been a trading port back to the time of the Phoenicians. I wonder whether Cork people realise that they are the envy of food lovers all over he country with the variety of produce they have access to, from Paul Murphy’s selection of Irish honeys to fine fresh meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, cheeses, breads, cakes, nuts, grains. It was unbearably tempting, so laden with bags we headed for the Long Valley for a little sustenance before we headed back to Shanagarry for a delicious market supper.
Paul Flynn from the Tannery has generously shared some of his delicious recipes with us.
The Tannery Restaurant, 10 Quay Street, Dungarvan, Co Waterford, 058 45420
www.tannery.ie

Tannery Parsnip and coconut soup

- serves 4 - 6
1 medium onion chopped
10 medium parsnips peeled and chopped
3 sticks celery
1 teasp Singapore laksa paste
½ teasp curry powder
1 standard tin coconut milk
2 pints (1.2L) chicken stock
1 tablespoon honey
salt and pepper to season
few sprigs coriander to garnish

Sweat the onion, curry powder and paste for two to three minutes until the onion is transparent. Add the parsnips and celery and sweat again for another two to three minutes. Add the stock and simmer for 20 minutes or until the parsnips are cooked through. Add the coconut milk and cook for a further two minutes. Blitz with a hand held blender, add the honey and season with salt pepper. Garnish with coriander

Paul Flynn’s Cinnamon biscuits

150g (5 oz) flour
115g (4¼ oz) butter
50g (2oz) castor sugar
115g (4¼) brown sugar
1 egg
2 ½ teasp. cinnamon powder
Beat the sugar and butter until creamy and white. Add the egg. Fold in the
flour. Chill for at least an hour.
Roll out and cut into desired shapes. Bake at 180C (350F/regulo 4) for 10 to 12 minutes until golden but still softish. They will completely crispen up when cold.
Serve with Caramel Ice-cream or on their own with a cup of tea.

Ballymaloe Caramel Ice-cream with Caramel Sauce and Bananas

Instead of bananas you could also try this ice-cream with poached apples and Paul’s cinnamon biscuits
Serves 6-8
50g (2 oz) sugar
125 ml (4 fl.oz) cold water
125 ml (4 fl.oz) hot water
2 egg yolks, preferably free range
½ teaspoon pure vanilla essence
600 ml (1 pint) softly whipped cream
Put the egg yolks into a bowl and whisk until light and fluffy (keep the whites for meringues). Combine the sugar and 125 ml (4 fl. oz) cold water in a small heavy bottomed saucepan. Stir over a gentle heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, then remove the spoon and boil until the syrup caramelises to a chestnut brown. Quickly pour on 125 ml (4 fl oz) of hot water. Do not stir. Boil gently until it again becomes a smooth, thick syrup and reaches the ‘thread’ stage, 106-113C/223-236F. It will look thick and syrupy when a spoon is dipped in. Pour this boiling syrup onto the egg yolks. Add the vanilla essence and continue to whisk until it becomes a thick, creamy mousse. Fold the softly whipped cream into the mousse, pour into a bowl, cover and freeze.
Caramel Sauce
225 g (8oz) sugar
75ml (3 fl oz) cold water
250 ml (8 fl.oz) hot water
Garnish
2 bananas, sliced

Dissolve the sugar in 75 ml (3fl.oz) of 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 pale-chestnut colour. If sugar crystals form during cooking, brush down the sides of the pan with a wet brush, but do not stir.
Remove from the heat, pour in 250 ml (8 fl.oz) of hot water and continue to cook until the caramel dissolves and the sauce is quite smooth.
Allow to get cold.
To Serve: Scoop the ice-cream into a chilled bowl or ice bowl. Slice the bananas at an angle and add to the sauce. Spoon over the ice-cream or serve separately.
Caramel Sauce keeps almost indefinitely in a glass jar in the fridge or any cold place.

A romantic weekend in Paris is the perfect antidote to chase away the dreary January blues. Pick up any newspaper, flick through the pages to the travel section, there will be a myriad of tempting weekend breaks, Vienna, Budapest, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Prague…. If you are a ‘whizz’ on the internet you can pick up even better bargains. We made a spur of the moment decision to jump on a 5.40am flight to Paris on Saturday last. As well as strolling hand in hand under the bridges of Paris, there are many other attractions in this beautiful city – Paris, despite its staid frumpy image on the global gastronomic food scene, is till a serious food town.

There’s lots of choice but unless you want to hit the three star Michelin luminaries, probably your best bet is to head for some of the legendary but still reasonably priced bistros and brasseries. Many have been around forever and offer the same classic dishes, year in year out – no fusion food here but delicious comforting winter dishes like soupe a l’oignon, oeufs en gelee, marinated herrings, choux croute, traditional roast chicken or daube of beef.

We particularly enjoyed the bright and brassy Brasserie Balzar, a much loved stalwart close to the Sorbonne which seems to have survived the take over by the Flo group a few years ago.

There are innumerable restaurants, bistros, cafes, wine bars, but unless you do a little homework before you leave, you can quite easily pass the whole weekend without getting a decent bite to eat. In fact, I was particularly saddened recently when an Irish friend who travels a lot and is really passionate about food, told me that he feels France is losing its food tradition faster than any other country in Europe – scary. Nonetheless, I’m thrilled to see that after many years of little innovation, things are beginning to happen on the Parisian food scene.

So where is the excitement? – The fashion restaurant where ‘the scene’ counts for everything is back in full swing in Paris again – Spoon and 59 Poincare, Alain Ducasse’s World Food Restaurants, attract media types, movie stars and models. The food is not great, but the menu is fun, divided into categories like ‘vegetables’ and ‘lamb’ which the diner can combine in any way they choose, not always a success! The Costes brothers whom many credit with livening up the stagnant Paris restaurant scene, are responsible for L’Esplanade, Hotel Costes, and Georges at the top of the Pompidou Centre. Count on amazing, sometimes sumptuous décor, a glamorous clientele and service with attitude. The food is rarely brilliant though we had a delicious lunch at Georges last year. Korora with its 70’s décor, named after the bar in ‘A Clockwork Orange’, draws the Prada and Gucci set, there’s an enticing menu but don’t be tempted by the Chicken in Coca Cola Sauce! Le Tanjia is the spot to head for if you want to nibble on tagines and b’stillas with models and actresses. Colette on Rue St Honoré is the hip shop with a Water bar downstairs to revive you when you’ve shopped for Ireland. When you get tired of the scene perhaps you’ll want to browse in some of the city’s temples of food. Fauchon in Place de la Madeleine, or Hediard just around the corner are a must. I defy even the most disinterested to come out of the shop without having succumbed to temptation, even if its only a little box of truffles. Less expensive but just as impressive because of its variety and scale is La Grande Epicerie de Paris, a deluxe grocery just beside the huge Bon Marche store.

The woman chef everyone is talking about at present is Helen Darroze

We tried to book a table at Restaurant Helene Darroze on Rue d’Assas but it was choc a bloc, so we had to content ourselves with reading the menu which offers delicious sounding dishes like Champignons des bois et ravioli de Romans, Foie gras de canard des landes grille au feu de bois, Filets de rouge de roche cuits en croute d’épices royals, Fruits de saison rotis……

Instead we managed by the skin of our teeth to get a table at on Sunday night at the other happening spot – Market on Rue Matignon. This new restaurant was opened by Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten who has been the toast of New York for decades now with his restaurants Jean Georges, Vong and the Mercier Kitchen. His new venture in Paris has had very mixed reviews at both sides of the Atlantic, nonetheless it is packed with the rich and famous. The food was good, but in my opinion not as good as his restaurant in the Big Apple. Don’t miss another of my favourite haunts in Paris, Angelina a salon du thé, across the street from the Jardin des Tuileries, on Rue de Rivoli. The elegant and sumptuous interior embellished with murals and gilded antique mirrors is utterly beautiful and the hot chocolate, thick and unctuous, is quite simply divine. It is served with a huge blob of whipped cream and a glass of water to aid digestion.

A weekend is a pretty short time and if you are to check out some of the places I’ve mentioned you’ll need lots of exercise. Paris is a wonderful city to walk through with splendid art galleries, hidden museums, a myriad of specialist shops run by passionate eccentrics and so many beautiful buildings and breath-taking vistas. I love the wonderfully flamboyant Roue de Paris in the Place de la Concorde. At present Parisians are divided over whether the splendid 60 metre ferris wheel should be retained. It was erected for the Millennium and should now be dismantled, however it is the subject of a bitter court case at present and a big row is brewing. We signed the petition to keep it and queued for half an hour, it was worth every second to soar over the rooftops of the Louvre and have unparalleled views over Paris at night – the fairytale domes of Montmartre, the Eiffel Tower and the glittering lights of the Champs Elysées in the distance.

French Onion Soup with Gruyere Toasts

Serves 6

French onion soup is probably the best known and loved of all French soups. It was a favourite for breakfast in the cafes beside the old markets at Les Halles in Paris and is still a favourite on bistro menus at Rungis market. In France this soup is served in special white porcelain tureens.

Serve with a glass of gutsy French vin de table.

3lb (1.35kg) onions

2oz (55g) butter

3 pints (1.8 litres) good homemade beef or chicken stock or vegetable stock

Salt and freshly ground pepper

To Finish

6 slices of baguette (French bread), 2 inch (1cm) thick toasted

3oz (85g) grated Gruyére cheese

Peel the onions and slice thinly. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion and cook on a low heat for about 40-60 minutes with the lid off, stirring frequently – the onions should be dark and well caramelised but not burnt.

Add the stock, season with salt and freshly ground pepper, bring to the boil and cook for a further 10 minutes. Ladle into deep soup bowls, put a piece of toasted baguette covered with grated cheese on top of each one. Pop under the grill until the cheese melts and turns golden. Serve immediately but beware – it will be very hot. Bon appetit!

Useful tip: Hold your nerve: – The onions must be very well caramelized otherwise the soup will be too weak and sweet.

Ballymaloe Quiche Lorraine

Serves 6

Pastry

4 ozs (110g) white flour

Pinch of salt

2-3 ozs (55-85g) butter

1 egg, preferably free range or 4-5 tablesp. cold water or a mixture of egg and water

Filling

1 tablespoon olive or sunflower oil

4 ozs (110g) chopped onion

4-6 ozs (110-170g) rindless streaky rashers (green or slightly smoked)

2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk, preferably free range

2 pint (300ml) cream or half milk, half cream

3 ozs (85g) freshly grated Cheddar cheese or 2 ozs (55g) finely grated Gruyére cheese

¼ – ½ oz (15g) Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

2 teaspoon chopped chives

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Flan ring or deep quiche tin, 72 inch (19cm) diameter x 13 inch (3mm) high.

First make the pastry. Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl cut the butter into cubes and rub into the flour with the fingertips. Keep everything as cool as possible; if the fat is allowed to melt the finished pastry may be tough. When the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs stop.

Take a fork or knife (whichever you feel most comfortable with) and add just enough liquid to bring the pastry together, then discard the fork and collect the pastry into a ball with your hands. This way you can judge more accurately if you need a few more drops of liquid. Although slightly damp pastry is easier to handle and roll out, the resulting crust can be tough and may well shrink out of shape as the water evaporates in the oven. The drier and more difficult-to-handle pastry will give a crisper, shorter crust.

Line the flan ring or quiche tin and bake blind in a moderate oven 1801C/3501F/regulo 4, for 20-25 minutes.

Cut the bacon and cut into 2 inch lardons, blanch and refresh if necessary. Dry on kitchen paper. Heat the oil and crisp off the bacon, remove and sweat the onions gently in the oil and bacon fat for about 10 minutes. Cool.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, add the cream (or cream and milk), herbs, cheese, bacon and onions and cool. Season and taste.

Pour the filling into the par baked pastry shell and bake in a moderate oven 1801C/3501F/regulo 4,* for 30-40 minutes, or until the centre is just set and the top golden (don’t over cook or the filling will be slightly scrambled).

Serve warm with a green salad.

a conventional oven gives the best result

Tarte Tatin

The Tatin sisters ran a restaurant at Lamotte-Beuvron in Sologne at the beginning of the century. They created this tart, some say accidentally, but however it came about it is a triumph – soft, buttery caramelised apples (or indeed you can also use pears) with crusty golden pastry underneath. It is unquestionably my favourite French tart!

Serves 6-8

2¾ lbs (1.24 kg) approx. Golden Delicious, Cox’s Orange Pippin or Bramley Seedling cooking apples

6 ozs (170 g) puff pastry or rich sweet shortcrust pastry

4 ozs (110 g) unsalted butter

8 ozs (225 g) castor sugar

Heavy 8 inch (20.5 cm) copper or stainless steel saucepan with low sides

Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/regulo 7 for puff pastry. For shortcrust -180ºC/350ºF/regulo 4.

Peel, halve and core the apples. Melt the butter in the saucepan, add the sugar and cook over a medium heat until it turns golden – fudge colour. Put the apple halves in upright, packing them in very tightly side by side. Replace the pan on a low heat and cook until the sugar and juice are a dark caramel colour. Put into a hot oven for approx. 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, roll out the pastry into a round slightly larger than the saucepan. Prick it all over with a fork. Cover the apples with the pastry and nick in the edges. Put the saucepan into the fully preheated oven until the pastry is cooked and the apples are soft-25-30 minutes approx.

Take out of the oven and rest for 5-10 minutes or longer if you like. Put a plate over the top of the saucepan and flip the tart on to a serving plate. (Watch out – this is a rather tricky operation because the hot caramel and juice can ooze out!). Reshape the tart if necessary and serve warm with softly whipped cream.

Last week a unique cookbook was launched in Cork called The Global Kitchen. This ‘little gem’, published by Omah Printing celebrates the wealth and diversity of recipes and cooking ideas brought to our shores by refugees and asylum seekers. The launch, at the Vision Centre, North Main Street, was a wonderfully colourful affair. Several of the refugees wore their traditional costumes. Rebecca and Sarah Kasule from Uganda did a traditional dance of welcome to the irresistible beat of the African drumming group.

During the past few years several hundred refugees have arrived in Ireland. When one learns of the extraordinary lengths that many asylum-seekers go to, to reach our shores, one is filled with awe. Would any of us have the courage to endure the danger and deprivation that they have suffered? Desperate situations call for desperate measures and for some at least there is absolutely no alternative but to head off into the unknown and hope for the best. Imagine what it must be like having suffered months or sometimes years of terror to eventually reach safety and then be treated with hostility.

In 2000 NASC was set up in Cork as an Irish immigrant support centre. There the refugees can find a safe welcoming haven where they can meet, celebrate their own culture, learn about Ireland, share experiences and develop the language skills needed to communicate. When we’re away from our native country, few things are more comforting than the food ‘that our Mammy used to make’.. Many of our happiest childhood memories are connected to food and the meals we shared around the kitchen table with family and friends. The refugees who arrived in Cork spent many hours reminiscing about the food of their homeland, searching for familiar ingredients. They were thrilled to find The Russian Shop, Iago and Mr. Bell’s stall in the Cork Market. Sometimes all they could do was look. Ego’s Intercontinental Store in Barrack Street and All in One Ventures in Shandon Street were also a source of longed-for flavours to enable them to reproduce the authentic dishes of their native countries. Sometimes they pooled their resources to buy some produce and familiar spices and cooked together and then shared their meals with their Irish friends who loved the new exciting flavours.

Gradually the idea of a cookbook was born I was delighted when I heard about this project, a brilliant way for asylum-seekers, refugees and immigrants to share their culinary knowledge, cooking together and testing recipes with Irish ingredients. The Global Kitchen, the result of several months of experimentation, is a little gem, an exciting and eclectic collection of favourite recipes, some honed and perfected from

taste memory, others reproduced with the help of loved ones at home, a perfect present for foodie friends.  Because of our turbulent history, many people in Ireland have real empathy with asylum-seekers and refugees. We remember with gratitude the welcome and opportunities offered to numerous Irish people in the past by other nations, particularly America. It is the test of a mature and civilised nation that it can react with generosity to those less fortunate. Irish society needs to be able to respond to the possibilities and challenges that an intercultural society poses.

This exciting little cookbook with recipes from more than 18 countries gives us the opportunity to learn and to share and to taste. Food transcends all boundaries, unites all colours and creeds. Once we share a meal together a bond is formed. The refugees who contributed to this book have had fun working on this endeavour. Shops selling ethnic ingredients in Cork have enabled them to reproduce the authentic flavour of their homeland many thousands of miles away from home. All the money raised from this project will go to support NASC, to enable them to provide extra services, free legal service, internet access, language classes, music groups, friendship….. Seek out The Global Kitchen in bookshops, (£9.50) or contact NASC, St. Mary’s of the Isle, Sharman Crawford Street. Tel. 021 431 7411, Fax 021 431 7402,

e-mail: iisc@eircom.net  Website:http://homepage.eircom.net/-iisc  Here are just a few of the many tempting recipes in the book.

Chin-Chin

This recipe came from Silly Ashu from Cameroon now living in Cork.

450g (1lb) self-raising flour

50g (2oz) butter

100g (3½oz) castor sugar

½ teasp. grated nutmeg

3 eggs

groundnut oil to deep fry.

Rub the butter into the flour.

Beat the eggs, sugar and nutmeg together. Stir in the flour, turn out and knead the dough on a floured board. Roll it out thinly and cut it into ribbons. Slice the ribbons across so that you are left with strips of pastry that are about the length of your finger. Cut a small opening in the middle of each ribbon and pull one end through it so that it is bow-shaped. You needn’t be too fussy about this; the important thing is

to make the chin-chin into interesting shapes. Deep-fry them in small batches until golden brown and leave to cool. They will keep fresh for 2-3 weeks if stored in an airtight container.

Khorchani Sahbi, a Tunisian chef living in Cork shared some of his favourite recipes.

Brick – Egg in filo pastry

1 sheet of filo pastry, oiled

1 egg

salt and pepper

3-4 capers

½ teasp. harissa

Heat plenty of olive oil in a heavy-based pan Fold the sheet of pastry in two to make a rectangle. Working quickly, break an egg into the middle and season it well, add capers and harissa if you want more punch to your egg. Fold the pastry over the egg making a parcel and pinch the edges to seal.

Slide the parcel into the oil from the plate or board you are working on. Baste the top of the brick with oil as you cook, to set the top. You can deep-fry it if you like but you must use olive oil. Cook until the pastry is crisp but the egg yolk is still runny. Eat it in your hands and keep your head over a plate the first few times that you make it, as it is hard to eat it with dignity! Keep lots of French style bread for mopping up.

Slata Tunis – Traditional Tunisian Salad

2 red peppers

2 green peppers

1 red onion

1 cucumber

1 green apple

handful of black or green olives

small tin of tuna in brine, drained

1 hardboiled egg

slices of lemon to garnish

plenty of chopped fresh parsley

Chop everything into small dice about the size of your smallest fingernail and mix well together.

Dress with the juice of a lemon and 30-40 mls of the best olive oil you have, mix well again until everything is coated in oil and glistening. Arrange the salad in a shallow bowl and dress it with flaked tuna and parsley. Alternate slices of tuna and egg around the edges.

Last week, food and wine and travel writers from all over the world descended on Adelaide in varying degrees of bleary-eyed jet lag. We were happily lured there to attend a week long celebration of Australian food called Tasting Australia. We flew with Quantas from London on Wednesday night, touched down in Singapore and eventually arrived in Adelaide at 5.00am on Friday morning, amazingly, I was as ‘fresh as a daisy’, because somehow Quantas seem to have managed to design a seat which can be adjusted so you can get a reasonable night’s sleep. A friend had packed me a fantastic picnic from a little Lebanese restaurant in Camden Town called Le Mignon, so I interspersed that with the Neil Perry Quantas airline food.

Even though I didn’t manage to eat it all there was no way I could bring it into Australia. Here is a country that fully understands the importance of strict quarantine laws. They are not about to sacrifice their disease-free status for any reason. There are dire warnings about bringing in, not only food or plants, but also seeds or seed ornaments, eg necklaces or articles stuffed with seeds. Plant produce doesn’t just mean living things – straw packaging, wooden articles, handcrafts, eg wreaths and dried flower arrangements, shells, feather boas, stuffed animals, hides, furs, unprocessed wool and yarns. ……Animal grooming or veterinary equipment, saddles, bridles and birdcages, hiking equipment must all be declared and checked. Bee products are strictly forbidden. Specially trained beagles wait in the luggage claim area to sniff your baggage and there are on-the-spot fines and confiscation for anyone caught flaunting the quarantine laws. By being strict and unwavering on this issue, the Australian government has managed to keep out exotic pests and diseases that could affect plant, animal and human health and the environment.

Kangaroo Island, the third largest island off Adelaide, a 45 minute plane ride from Adelaide, produces some amazing produce and has even stricter quarantine laws. The island, 46% of which has never been cleared of natural vegetation, was discovered in 1802. In the early part of the last century 12 hives of Ligurian bees were brought from Italy – the Italians have since lost this strain through disease, so now the Kangaroo Island is the only pure strain left in the world. There are no foxes or rabbits on the island, consequently there is a thriving free range chicken and egg business on the island, and honey of course. More recently a young couple have started to grow olives and make a fantastic olive oil. The island is still unspoilt despite the fact that tourism is the main industry.

Agriculture was developed after the second world war in 1948, merino sheep were introduced for wool and a vibrant seed potato industry operated. The island is very beautiful and visitors come because it is still underdeveloped. Long avenues of Eucalyptus, Angus and Hereford cattle grazing in the fields, koala bears gorging themselves on the leaves of the gum trees. In Seal Bay one can see the sea lions luxuriating on the beach after a three day fishing trip at sea. At the other end of the island there are fur seals and the breathtaking beautiful rock formation called the Admiral’s Arch and Remarkable Rocks.  We had flown over from Adelaide to visit the small food producers of Kangaroo Island which is known for its clean green environment. An Englishman John Melbourne has started a marran (similar to crayfish)

farm with 65 ponds. Tuna and scallops are also farmed quite successfully and there are several cheesemakers, including Island Sheep Cheese just beside the Airport, who make three different types of sheeps’ milk cheese, Haloumi, Kefolateri, Manchego and a thick unctuous yoghurt. We had a delicious breakfast at a local B & B called Stranrear, run by the Wheaten family. Anne Wheaten did the best Eggs Benedict I ever ate, the eggs were from their own chickens, the spinach which tastes reminiscent of the sea, was from their garden and the locally cured bacon was delivered by a neighbour that morning. After breakfast an Apple and Mulberry Crunch and lots of lovely preserves, as well as their own eucalyptus honey. We even saw some kangaroos.

Eggs Benedict 

Serves 4

Rich and gorgeous, often eaten for breakfast but best for brunch – again the quality of all the components can lift this from the mundane to the extraordinary.

4 free range eggs, preferably organic

4 English muffins or 4 rounds of toast made from good bread preferably

not sliced pan 4 slices cooked ham or 4-8 slices of bacon

Hollandaise sauce- see recipe below.

First make the Hollandaise sauce.

If using bacon heat a very little sunflower oil in a hot frying pan. Cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper. Meanwhile poach the eggs and make the toast or split the muffins. Spread the hot toast or

toasted muffins with butter. Top with a slice of ham or 2 slices of crispy bacon. Gently place the poached egg on top and coat with Hollandaise sauce. Serve extra hot toast and sauce separately.

Hollandaise Sauce

Serves 4-6, depending on what it is to be served with

Hollandaise is the mother of all the warm emulsion sauces . The version we use here is easy to make and quite delicious with fish. Once the sauce is made it must be kept warm: the temperature should not go above 350C/180F or the sauce will curdle. A thermos flask can provide a simple solution on a small scale, otherwise put the sauce into a delph or plastic bowl in a saucepan over hot but not simmering water.

Hollandaise Sauce cannot be reheated absolutely successfully so it’s best to make just the quantity you need. If however you have a little left over, use it to enrich other sauces or beat into mashed potato or use it to pick up a fish pie.

2 egg yolks, preferably free-range and organic

110g (4oz) butter cut into dice

1 dessertspoon cold water

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, approx.

Put the egg yolks in a heavy stainless saucepan on a low heat, or in a bowl over hot water. Add water and whisk thoroughly. Add the butter bit by bit, whisking all the time. As soon as one piece melts, add the next piece. The mixture will gradually thicken, but if it shows signs of becoming too thick or slightly scrambling, remove from the heat immediately and add a little cold water if necessary. Do not leave the pan or stop whisking until the sauce is made. Finally add the lemon juice to taste. If the sauce is slow to thicken it may be because you are excessively cautious and the heat is too low. Increase the heat slightly and continue to whisk until the sauce thickens to coating consistency.

It is important to remember that if you are making hollandaise sauce in a saucepan directly over the heat, it should be possible to put your hand on the side of the saucepan at any stage. If the saucepan feels too hot for your hand it is also too hot for the sauce. Another good tip if you are making hollandaise sauce for the first time is to keep a bowl of cold water close by so you can plunge the bottom of the saucepan into it if becomes too hot.

Yoghurt with Honey and Toasted Hazelnuts

In Australia we tasted delicious Eucalyptus honey with toasted almonds from the Barossa Valey, but seek out some good local Irish honey for this recipe.  Delicious for breakfast or dessert

Best quality natural greek style yoghurt

Strongly flavoured local Irish honey

Toasted almonds or hazelnuts, sliced

Serve a portion of chilled natural yoghurt per person. Just before serving drizzle generously with really good honey and sprinkle with toasted almonds or hazelnuts.

Apple and Blackberry or Mulberry Muesli

Serves 4

4 ozs (110g) fresh blackberries, mulberries or grated dessert apple (preferably Worcester Permain or Cox’s Orange Pippin)

3 heaped tablesp.rolled oatmeal (Quaker Oats)

6 tablespoons water

teasp approx. honey

Soak the oatmeal in the water for 10 or 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mash the blackberries or mulberries roughly with a fork and mix with the oatmeal. Sweeten to taste with honey, a scant teaspoon is usually enough but it depends on how sweet the berries are. Serve with cream and soft brown sugar.

Bridge Creek Ginger Muffins

Makes 10 approx.

110g (4 oz) unpeeled ginger root cut into chunks

170g (6 oz) castor sugar

zest of 2 lemons

110g (4 oz) butter

2 eggs, preferably free range

250ml (8 fl oz) buttermilk

285g (10 oz) white flour

½ teasp. Salt

½ teasp. bread soda

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6.

Grease 1 tray of muffin tins or line with non – stick muffin cases.

Whizz up the ginger in a food processor then put it into a saucepan with a couple of tablespoons of sugar over a medium heat until the sugar melts. Allow to cool. Cream the butter, add the remainder of the sugar and the finely grated lemon zest, add the eggs one by one and beat well between each addition. Next add the buttermilk and ginger mixture, blend well. Finally stir in the flour, salt and bread soda, until just mixed. Fill the greased muffins tins with the batter, bake for 30-40 minutes in the preheated oven, serve warm. (Adapted from The Breakfast Book By Marion Cunningham)

If for any reason you should find yourself in Exeter, I have just come across an interesting place for you to check out – it’s a new funky budget hotel called Barcelona.  Budget hotels have been popping up all over the place in recent years, offering excellent value and enabling many more people to travel than ever before. Most charge a price per room, so if one is really economizing the whole family can squash in together. One can even bring a picnic if you can’t afford or decide against the economy breakfast. So what’s different about Hotel Barcelona – well the answer is not much on the outside – the former West of England Eye Infirmary is a tall imposing and somewhat austere brick and stone structure – it’s on Magdalen Street – just a stone’s throw from Exeter Cathedral Close.  However, once inside the door, the impression is altogether different – there is a profusion of colour, a fire crackling in the grate in the entrance, original marble terrazzo floors and great music to lift one’s spirits after a long journey or a stressful day. The staff are young, cool and really eager to please. Someone had great fun decorating and converting this former eye hospital. Victorians’love of fresh air meant there were large windows which allow in lots of sun and light A collection of original 1930’s, 50’s and 60’s furniture, rugs, art and funky artefacts blend well with the Gothic proportion of the original wards. The bedrooms still have the original parquet floors and great fun bathrooms. Best of all many of the bedrooms have features that one only expects to find in luxury hotels – a cordless telephone, modern dataport, video and CD player and a hidden away television.

The restaurant called Cafe Paradiso, has been designed to resemble a ‘Big Top’ with a glass wall overlooking the gardens and terrace and the most beautiful ancient Holm oak. At one end there’s a 30ft mural by Jon Eaves and a woodburning oven. Head chef Michael Field is passionate about food and hopes to put Cafe Paradiso at the top of the food map in Devon. He’s committed to serving honest simple Mediterranean food including Neapolitan pizzas and aims to serve simple dishes using the best local raw ingredients. We had a delicious dinner of local shellfish, Devon beef and a plate of Cafe Paradiso desserts. But the best was yet to come, for those of you who would prefer to boogie rather than flop into bed after dinner, there is a very grown-up theatre -style night club and the Kino bar with a collection of 1950’s Film Noir film posters , and lots of 1960’s memorabilia – just my era.  This is a fun spot put together with an intelligent understanding of the needs of the many young creative customer who wants modern ultra funky decor and stylish luxury at affordable prices -it was terrific when I visited – hope they can keep it up and realize their vision. Hotel Barcelona, Magdalen St. Exeter, EX2 4HY Tel. 00 44 1392 281000 Fax 00 44 1392 281001 Emailinfo@hotelbarcelona-uk.com  www.hotelbarcelona-uk.com

Cafe Paradiso Guinea Fowl with vine tomatoes and basil

4 Guinea fowl breasts

4 tomatoes on vine

1 bunch of basil
1 glass red wine
Tomato concasse
Olive oil
Seasoning
Dried mixed herbs

Heat extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper in a pan until it smokes. Add the Guinea fowl skin side up to seal. Then turn so skin side down. Add shredded basil and vine tomatoes (whole on vine). Add wine and chicken stock, reduce in oven. When cooked (approx. 9 mins) allow to rest (3 mins) before serving.

Cafe Paradiso Tiramisu

250g Mascarpone
1 egg white
1 egg yolk
150g sugar
200ml water
15g coffee
Double measure of Tia Maria or Marsala
Sponge

Make a coffee syrup with coffee, 100g sugar, Tia Maria and 180ml water reduce and allow to cool – Soak the sponge in half the coffee syrup. Beat egg yolk with 20g sugar in a pan with 20mls water, boil to a thick syrup. Onto this pour half the coffee syrup and whisk until cold. Fold in mascarpone, whisk until stiff. Whisk egg white with 20g sugar to soft peaks and fold into the mascarpone mixture. Layer sponge and with mixture. Finish with cocoa. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

Cafe Paradiso Catalonian Fish Soup

4 pints Shellfish stock
1 finely chopped red chilli
1 finely chopped red onion
Handful of chopped chives and Italian parsley
4 Scallops
8 Mussels
4 Crayfish
Seasoning
Thicken with corn flour if necessary

Caramelise the red onion and chilli in a pan. Reduce the fish stock and red wine in a pan. Add the mussels, scallops and crayfish to the caramelized red onion and chillie’s. When the mussels are beginning to open add the reduced stock/wine. Just before serving add chopped herbs.

Cafe Paradiso Pan fried lamb with a balsamic and rosemary jus

4x8oz Lamb neck fillet
8 sprigs of rosemary
Finely chopped red wine
1 teaspoon lamb stock
1 teaspoon redcurrant jelly
1 clove of garlic
Seasoning and reduce

Heat extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper in a pan until it smokes. Seal the lamb. Add the red onion, garlic and red wine – reduce. Add the lamb stock and redcurrant jelly. Once the jelly is dissolved add balsamic vinegar. Serve.

I’ve just stepped off a plane from New York armed with a bright green bagel to give my cookery students a real taste of St Patrick’s Day in The Big Apple. The purpose of this trip was, as ever was to promote Ireland and all things Irish and to dispel the myth once and for all, that we live solely on Corned Beef and Cabbage and Irish Stew. Not only that, but I like to spread the word about the exciting renaissance that is taking place on the Irish food scene, the quality of our produce, our meat fed on the lush green pastures, the fish from around our coast, the farmhouse cheese industry, and the emergence of a whole new generation of small artisanal food producers. I sing the praises of the creative cooks and chefs who at last realise the quality of our raw materials and reassure visitors that its no longer a case of coming to Ireland just for the scenery and friendly people, now they can taste delicious food also. This has been my message on many TV and chat shows for 10 or 12 years now. The message was gradually getting through but this year was quite a challenge. Its less than a year since I was last in New York, in that short time BSE and FMD have caused a sea change in the American perception of European food. Hitherto, we as Europeans were inclined to be sniffly about American food – all that fast food, hamburgers, bagels, diet sodas …. Europeans were not about to accept US beef with its supplements and growth promoters, causing a furore with the World Trade Organisation. Nor surprisingly, Foot and Mouth Disease, hot on the heels of BSE, has sent tremors of panic through Americans planning to travel to Europe. Every news bulletin over St Patricks’s weekend gave graphic description of the slaughter of animals in Britain , alongside the news that the parade in Dublin has been cancelled as a precautionary measure to keep Foot and Mouth at bay. Somehow the message got garbled in most peoples’ minds. Everyone I spoke to seems convinced that Ireland too was rife with Hoof and Mouth as they call it. I had several extraordinary conversations with well educated Americans which illustrate the confusion. On Wednesday I told the chef in the Sky Club in Manhattan how much I enjoyed the Liver with glazed onions and mash that he had cooked for me – I remarked that I hadn’t eaten liver for ages and had almost forgotten how delicious it was. He astonished me by saying in all seriousness – “Oh yes of course you can’t eat liver or meat in Ireland or Europe with BSE and Food and Mouth” – I was shocked and tried to set him straight but he was still sceptical. Next day I was chatting to the make-up girl at NBC as I waited to go on the Today Show, she confided that she was leaving New York soon to move with her boyfriend to London, “What fun, London’s a fantastic buzzy city – you’ll love it” I enthused – she seemed extraordinarily glum about the whole idea – When I inquired why she wasn’t thrilled, she told me in a deadly serious tone of voice, that she was really concerned that she was really interested in healthy food and what she “put into her body, ” consequently she was hugely concerned that she wouldn’t be able to find safe healthy food in the UK! I did my best to reassure her as I was called into the studio for my precious five minute segment, during which I had to make a Beef and Guinness Stew. I was so determined to tell all of America that there were no cases of Hoof and Mouth in Ireland (The Today Show has an estimated 4 million viewers and is shown right across the time zones.), that I forgot to add the mushrooms to the stew! Later that day I had lunch with Zanne Stewart, food editor of Gourmet magazine, the largest selling food and travel magazine in the US. She confirmed that the general perception was that it was no longer safe to eat European meat, worse still, an astonishing number of Americans believe that Ireland and Britain are all one place anyway. Don’t underestimate the impact this perception will have on our tourist industry, particularly now that Foot and Mouth has arrived in Ireland.

Irish Colcannon Soup

Serves 6
Colcannon is one of Irelands best loved traditional potato dishes. Fluffy mashed potato flecked with cooked cabbage or kale. This soup uses identical ingredients to make a delicious soup

55g (2oz) butter
425g (15oz) peeled diced potatoes
110g (4oz) diced onions
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1.1 litre (2pint) home-made chicken stock or vegetable stock
450g (1lb) cabbage
25g (1oz) butter
salt and freshly ground pepper
130ml (4 fl oz) creamy milk

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. When it foams, add the potatoes and onions and toss them in the butter until well coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and sweat on a gentle heat for 10 minutes, add the stock and cook until the vegetables are soft.
Meanwhile make the buttered cabbage Remove the tough outer leaves from the cabbage. Divide into four, cut out the stalks and then cut into fine shreds across the grain. Put 2-3 tablespoons of water into a wide saucepan with the butter and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, add the cabbage and toss constantly over a high heat, then cover for a few minutes. Toss again and add some more salt, freshly ground pepper and a knob of butter.
Add the cabbage to the soup, puree in a blender or food processor with the freshly chopped herbs. Taste and adjust seasoning. Thin with creamy milk to the required consistency.

Beef with Beamish, Murphy or Guinness

This was a big hit with the crew of the Today Show
Serves 6-8
2 lbs (900g) lean stewing beef, eg. Chuck
seasoned flour
3 tablespoons (45ml /4 American tablespoons) olive oil
2 thinly sliced onions
1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) sugar
1 teaspoon dry English Mustard
1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon+ 1 teaspoon) concentrated tomato puree
1 strip of dried orange peel
a bouquet garni made up of 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig of fresh thyme, 4 parsley stalks.
1/2 pint (300ml/11/4 cups) Beamish, Murphy or Guinness
1/2 pint (300ml/11/4 cups) beef stock
8 ozs (225g/4 cups) mushrooms
1/2 oz (15g/one-eighth stick) butter
salt and freshly ground pepper

Cut the meat into 11/2 inch (4cm) cubes and toss in seasoned flour. Heat some oil in a hot pan and fry the meat in batches until it is brown on all sides. Transfer the meat into a casserole and add a little more oil to the pan. Fry the thinly-sliced onions until nicely browned ; deglaze with the stout. Transfer to the casserole, add the stock, sugar, mustard, tomato puree, orange rind and bouquet garni. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer in a very low heat, 150C/300f/ regulo 2, for 2-21/2 hours or until the meat is tender. Meanwhile wash and slice the mushrooms. Saute in a very little melted butter in a hot pan. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside. When the stew is cooked, add the mushrooms and simmer for 2-3 minutes, taste and correct the seasoning. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.
Note: This stew reheats well. You may need to add more sugar to the recipe if you find it a little bitter.

For years I’ve longed to go to India, even the dire warnings of my friends and graphic descriptions of the misery of Delhi belly didn’t dampen my enthusiasm. Nonetheless it was with a certain trepidation that I recently embarked on a 10 day culinary tour of South India , Mumbai, Goa and Kerala.  Surprise, surprise, even though we ate for Ireland we didn’t have the slightest twinge of gippy tummy. Even more remarkable, no one of the entire group of 20 people was ill, although we ate food everywhere from street stalls, to local restaurants, plantation houses, to palatial hotels.  Even as we landed early in the morning at Mumbai Airport, we were aware of the characteristic spicy smell of India. The airport was a heaving mass of people, terrifying when one is bleary eyed after a long haul flight.  Fortunately we were rescued by the staff of the lovely Leela Kempinsky Hotel who came especially to meet us. The hotel is just five minutes from the airport and even at 4am we were warmly greeted with the traditional Indian welcome. Beautiful girls in saris put the bindi on our foreheads and slipped garlands of French marigolds and jasmine flowers over our weary heads – so beautiful we felt instantly revived.  After we had grabbed just a few hours sleep we donned our runners, joined our group and started to explore. Mumbai, the economic powerhouse of India, is an exhilarating city, home to approx. 18 million people, and the industrial hub of everything from textiles to petro-chemicals.  A city of extreme contrasts, from the glamour of the Bollywood film industry (the largest in the world) and cricket on the maidens at weekends, sacred cows wandering the streets, to Asia’s largest slums. Its relative prosperity has made it a magnet for India’s rural poor. Like many Asian cities it is fuelled by an amazing entrepreneurial energy at all levels.  The poor , of which there are millions, are endlessly creative in their pursuit of a livelihood or even mere existence. The culture shock is extreme and difficult for even seasoned travellers to cope with.  One of the most fascinating sights we saw on the first morning, was the Djobi Ghat, a unique and colourful laundry where men do all the washing in sinks and tubs in the open air, the clothes emerge miraculously clean and are delivered starched and ironed all over the city. One of the great landmarks, The Gateway of India, a honey coloured basalt arch of triumph, was originally built to commemorate the visit of George V and Queen Mary in 1911. Ironically it was from there that the last British regiment departed in 1948.  Nowadays, even though it has become a tourist spot, it is still a favourite meeting place for locals in the evening. Pedlars, snake charmers and balloon sellers all give it the excitement of a bazaar. You must see the Fort Area where most of the city’s impresive colonial buildings are situated and the Victoria Terminus where carvings of peacocks, gargoyles, monkeys, elephants and lions are perched among the turrets, buttresses, spires and stained glass windows.  There are wonderful views of the city and Arabian Sea from Malibar Hill.  Try to get to Mani Bhavan, a small museum dedicated to the life and works of Mahatma Ghandi, and if time allows the Prince of Wales museum to see the extensive collection of fascinating 18 & 19 Century miniature paintings, elegantly carved ivory artworks and a rich and gorgeous collection of Nepalese and Tibetan art.  But we were on a culinary tour so apart from all these delights the main focus was the food. Mumbai, meaning ‘good bay’ as Bombay is now called, has apparently the best selection of restaurants of any Indian city. The amazing variety of food reflects all Indian creeds and cultures and gives an insight into the history of the metropolis: Parsi Dhansak, Muslim kebabs, Mangalorean seafood, Gujarati thalis and of course Mombai’s great speciality the bhelpari. For that, go along to Chowpatty beach in the evening when darkness blots out the ugly surroundings and the grim waters of Back Bay.  The locals come with their kids to enjoy the amusements in the cool evening breeze. When we tumbled out of our bus at about 9 pm, the beach was throbbing with excitement, merry- go- rounds, monkey trainers, paan wallahs, mystics, card players, philosophers, con artists, boat trips, pony rides, … Several people were having vigorous massages on the beach.  There was row after row of food stalls with braziers and huge iron wok like pans and griddles selling Indian snacks, samosas, spicy potato cakes and the famous bhelpuri – delicious snacks of crisp noodles, puffed rice, spiced vegetables, crushed puri, chutney and chillies. Here too you can find some of the best kulfi in Mumbai. The best seafood we ate was at a city centre restaurant called Ttishna, next to the Commerce House in the Fort area. The food is a fusion of South Indian and Mangalore, a delicious fish called pumphry from the Indian Ocean, marinated in turmeric and lime and seasoned with freshly crushed black pepper and cooked in the tandoor oven. The steamed King crab served with melted butter was the most divine and succulent we ever tasted. Huge spicy prawns and Surmai tilski were also superb.  After lunch we explored the colourful indoor Crawford market, Bas reliefs by Rudyard Kipling’s father Lockwood Kipling adorn the Norman Gothic exterior and an ornate fountain he designed still stands, surrounded by old fruit boxes in the centre of the market. The animal market at the rear sells everything from dogs to cockatoos. The meat market is certainly not for the faint-hearted and would cause our environmental health officers to have apoplexy. Perhaps we should study this as many Indians certainly have antibodies and an immune system the envy of Europeans and Americans whose systems have recently been dumbed down by lack of challenge from bacteria now that so much food has been rendered almost sterile by processing.  Having said that, about 70% of Indians are vegetarians. Meat, when it is eaten is often cooked within hours of being killed, with a judicious mixture of spices, many of which have antiseptic qualities. It certainly didn’t deter me from trying everything that was put before me – some of the most exciting flavours I’ve ever tasted.

Indian Spiced Vegetable Pakoras with Mango Relish

Serves 4-6

Vegetables
1 thin aubergine cut into * inch (5mm) slices
1 teasp. salt
2 medium courgettes, cut into 1 inch (2.5cm) slices, if they are very large cut into quarters
12 cauliflower florets
6 large mushrooms, cut in half
Batter
6 ozs (170g/1*) cups Chick pea or all-purpose flour
1 tablesp. (1 American tablesp. + 1 teasp.) chopped fresh coriander
1 scant teasp. salt
2 teasp. curry powder
1 tablesp. (1 American tablesp. + 1 teasp.) olive oil
1 tablesp. (1 American tablesp. + 1 teasp.) freshly squeezed lemon juice
6-8 fl ozs (175-250ml/*-1 cup) iced water
Vegetable oil for deep frying
Garnish: Lemon wedges and coriander or parsley

Put the aubergine slices into a colander, sprinkle with the salt, and let drain while preparing the other vegetables.  Blanch the courgettes and cauliflower florets separately in boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water, and dry well. Rinse the aubergine slices and pat dry.  Put the flour, coriander, salt and curry powder into a large bowl.  Gradually whisk in the oil, lemon juice and water until the batter is the consistency of thick cream.  Heat good quality oil to 180C in a deep fry. Lightly whisk the batter and dip the vegetables in batches of 5 or 6, slip them carefully into the hot oil. Fry the pakoras for 2-3 minutes on each side, turning them with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels and keep warm in a moderate oven (uncovered) while you cook the remainder. Allow the oil to come back to 180C between batches. When all the vegetable fritters are ready, garnish with lemon wedges and fresh or deep fried coriander or parsley. Serve at once with Mango relish.

Mango Relish

2 fl ozs (50ml/* cup) medium sherry
2 fl ozs (50ml/* cup) water
2 fl ozs (50ml/* cup) white wine vinegar
2 tablesp. (2 American tablesp. + 2 teasp.) sugar
cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 teasp. salt
Pinch of ground mace
1 mango, peeled and diced
1 small red pepper, seeded and diced
1 tablesp. (1 American tablesp. + 1 teasp.) lemon juice

Put the sherry, water, vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, star anise, salt and mace into a small, heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the mango, pepper, and lemon juice, lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Spoon into a screw top jar and refrigerate until required.