Oct 27
This time last year I was pining for a little taste of home. Halloween was coming and I was looking forward to a steaming bowl of colcannon, just like my mammy used to make. Unfortunately, I could not find any kale or green cabbage, a key ingredient of the dish, here in Lithuania. I tried several supermarkets and farmers’ markets, but only white cabbage was available. Upset, I consoled myself with cake. Read more
One of the many things I love about travelling is the diversity to be found across our planet – diversity of people, language, culture, food, weather and landscape. So often, our food and culture is influenced by the landscape around us. If you are surrounded by sea you will likely eat lots of fish and seafood, if you have boggy earth you will burn turf. And if you have fields full of limestone, you will build walls. Travelling through northern Spain, close to the border with Portugal, we encountered these stone walls. I was immediately reminded of the stone walls found across the west of Ireland and which I thought were unique to our fair isle. The Spanish construction is a little different – I don’t think I have seen walls constructed around big stones in such a uniform way in Ireland. But the resemblance is striking. Amidst all the diversity there are always similarities. We’re not all that different, really. Read more
On my recent trip home I got to catch up with some old friends, but I also got to meet new people. I love meeting new people, especially in rural Ireland where they seem so characterful, so full of laughter and stories. Meeting new people invariable results in being asked two questions – where do you come from and what do you do. These seemingly innocuous questions always fill me with dread – because I don’t have a straightforward answer to either of them. Read more
A change is as good as a rest. Or so they say. As my limbs were weary and my bones heavy from a summer of growing, harvesting and preserving, I took myself home to the motherland for some much-needed rest and recuperation. Read more
In the early morning sunlight we watched as the boat pulled away from the shore, leaving Ireland in our wake. As the coastline slowly faded and disappeared we turned to look ahead. Wales would be first, we knew, then England and France. After that we had no plan – we’d just have to see where the road took us. So far, so good. Read more
A few weeks after we bought our new camper van we finally set off on our first “food odyssey”. I had been packing the van with essential kit over a number of days, including bedding, pots, tableware and some fruit and vegetables, so that we’d be ready to go at a moment’s notice. On Saturday morning we awoke to see a bizarre mist over the hill in front of the house and took this as a sign that the weather would be glorious, so we decided that today was the day. Read more
I’m a confirmed omnivore and think I always will be. I love my vegetables and am happy to eat plenty of meatless meals, but I also love meat. As meat eaters, I think it’s very important to know where our meat comes from, starting with the simple fact that meat comes from animals. (Apparently there is a growing number of people who either aren’t aware that meat comes from animals or simply choose to ignore this fact because the thought is unpleasant to them.) Read more
Finally we got the word that our awning and bike rack had been installed and our camper van was ready for collection. We drove away from the dealership like chattering children with a shiny new toy. We rushed home, grabbed some bedclothes and a toilet roll and took off on our first adventure. Read more
Yesterday being such a glorious day we decided to take a trip out to Howth for a spot of lunch and a mooch around the market. We had a delicious lunch of fish and chips from Beshoff’s – full works for hubbie (cod, chips and mushy peas) and the “low-calorie” option for me (hake in light batter with a handful of chips and a side salad with gorgeous basil dressing). Read more
My Food Odyssey 