by John & Sally McKenna December 2000
Ah
Christmas!
Okay, let's rejoice. The wettest November in recorded history is over, and it's time to allow Yuletide to get into serious focus. For many food lovers, however, the Xmas feast has become a bit of a joke. Turkeys are so big they are virtually impossible to cook. Hams are too salty. Plum pud is too heavy. To which we say...
Christmas Competition!
For a very special Christmas treat our winner this month can look forward to a Country Choice Hamper (value £100), with the contents selected by Peter Ward. The hamper will include everything to make your christmas store cupboard complete. Find out more
Christmas Miscellany
Organics, Country Markets, Local Shops , Local Foods, Smoked Foods, Oysters. Find out more.
Wines Direct
Many folk have already discovered that you can do all your Xmas shopping and ordering on the web, and with well constructed web sites such as that from Mullingar's Wines Direct making choosing and ordering easier than ever, it's a cinch to sit at the screen and make everything easy, and let the other poor divils worry about the traffic jams and the queues and the hassle. Find out more
Making Plans for Nigel
Nigel Slater is awesomely popular, and a diamond geezer to boot, which partly explains why he is so popular. He is self-deprecating, he dedicates his books to his cats, and he both understands his food and loves his food. Find out more
Terroirs Xmas Treats
There is nothing more delightful than buying a food lover a food present, and to be honest there is nowhere better in Dublin for doing just that than in Donnybrook's Terroirs, where Sean and Françoise Gilley have assembled the most delectable range of goodies and treats you can find. Find out more.
Menu of the Month
Chef Cath Gradwell and her team at Belfast's stellar Alden's restaurant always concoct very special and very imaginative Christmas menus, and 2000 is no exception. Find out more.
Recipe of the Month
Cargoes Belfast's brilliant café and deli, Cargoes, is our source for this month's funky recipe. If chicken and oranges sounds strange, be assured that it has long been a favourite pairing in mediterranean countries. Find out more.
The Good Fortune of Country Cooks
Paul Flynn, chef-proprietor of Dungarvan's brilliant Tannery Restaurant, reflects on the good fortune of country cooks, both amateur and professional, whilst making his wife collapse with laughter. Find out more.
The Hunger Site
This Christmas, use the Internet to help alieviate world hunger : click on The Hunger Site, a site which focuses the power of the Internet on a specific humanitarian need. Find out more.
Noticeboard
The Left Bank Bistro in Athlone is looking for someone to join them in the kitchen! Find out more.
And the holiday begins...
One of the pivotal differences amongst French winemakers is this: the Bordelaise are bourgeois, whilst the Burgundians are farmers. Take Jean-Claude Ramonet, for example. This charming man is the third generation of Ramonets to make wine from their 14 hectares in Burgundy. Find out more.
Reader's Report: Foods of Southern Spain
Andalucia, which includes the Costa del Sol, is a rich source of wonderful foods writes Eric Moroney. Cured hams, Sausages, Soups, Fish, Meat, Game, Tapas, Fruit, Vegetables, Cheeses, Drinks....Find out more.
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text © John & Sally McKenna
illustrations © Ken
Buggy
