Thanks to a generous foraging friend for these locally sourced mussels straight from the rocks into the pot to make Moules Marinière! For more mussel recipes why not buy my cookbook, Facebook Foodie: Recipes of the liked and shared at https://amzn.to/3qro0wn Ingredients: 48 foraged sea fresh mussels, 1 shallot finely chopped, 60ml South African dry […]
Category: Blog
Women Culinary Leadership -Msanzi International Culinary Festival
Monique joins line-up of 10 International and National Chefs at the Msanzi International Culinary Festival 7-10 August 2014, Tshwane, South Africa The Mzansi International Culinary Festival seeks to celebrate the culinary expertise of female chefs from across the globe i.e. Europe, Americas, Africa and Asia. The Festival also aims to spearhead Women Culinary Leadership, Women […]
Growing Zucchini
Zucchini plants are wonderful to have in the garden. The female flowers produce the fruit whilst the male flowers can be used to brighten up a salad or they can be simply stuffed with goat’s cheese and deep fried to create a delicious starter or vegetarian main course.
Growing Organic Vegetables – Broad Beans
Every Wednesday morning at Ballymaloe, I attended the organic farming classes with Susan Turner. Susan trained at Stellenbosch University and spent time at Kew Gardens before converting Kinoith Farm, where Ballymaloe Cookery School is located, into a certified organic farm, all 100 acres of it.
Low Carb Demo Evening Invitation
Banting, Science and Art POP UP Table: 8 July 2014
Delicious handcrafted food was served at Christopher Duigan’s Pop Up Table yesterday evening in Pietermaritzburg. Concert pianist Christopher orchestrated a wonderful evening, full of warmth and special appreciation for the earth’s produce. The theme of the evening was Banting, Science and Art. Banting Lifestyle Professor Barry Lovegrove shared his experience of the Banting lifestyle and […]
Sourdough Bread Harnesses Yeast in the Air
At Friday’s demo we learnt that sourdough bread had no need for baker’s yeast – it simply harnesses the ambient yeast in the air. Once you’ve made your leaven this can stay with you for the rest of your life. It’s best to use non-chlorinated water and in this case bottled or filtered water […]
Slow Food in Ireland
Slow Food is a grassroots association open to all and the diversity of its members is one of its greatest strengths. Slow Food’s English website: www.slowfood.com Slow Food believes that everyone has a fundamental right to pleasure and consequently the responsibility to protect the heritage of food, tradition and culture that makes this pleasure possible. […]
Who Makes the Food you Eat?
After the scares of chickens injected to increase their weight wouldn’t you like to know how the chickens you eat were reared? Here in East Cork, Robbie Fitzsimmons is a 6th generation chicken producer. Not only chickens, the range of East Ferry Free Range also includes ducks, geese and turkeys. The poultry is not fed […]
Buy Local – Buy Irish
A strong message learnt today was the importance of networks, getting people to buy your produce before it gets to market and the fun of enjoying good wine. Use any social media you can to advise people that you have cheese, jams, chorizo sausage or any other artisan food item for sale before you get […]
Ardsallagh Goats Cheese
Jane Murphy’s children had eczema and an insurance salesman gave her a goat and advised her to feed the children goats milk. 30 years on Ardsallagh is winning medals at world cheese competitions! A healthy alternative to cow’s milk and soya milk, goat’s milk is easily digestible, particularly suited to anyone allergic to cow’s milk, […]
Fresh Organic Ingredients = Wonderful Tasting Food
Imagine having a cooking work station and not know where all the utensils are located! This morning my cooking partner, Jennifer and I had several dishes to prepare in a new kitchen. Recipes included wholemeal bread, potato and herb soup, onion quiche, mediterranean salad and strawberry and rhubarb compote. Our teacher is Rosie, the most […]
Raison d’etre
Opportunities to live the dream and experience this dream for real needs to be grasped with an urgency akin to passion. Food preparation evokes memories in time and place, geographic location being sometimes the reason for get-togethers and often times being the reason for the produce on the table. 1998 marked my first visit to […]
Ballymaloe Introduction
Organic salad greens, fresh edible flowers and newly picked radishes with coarse sea salt and olive oil, hand made pizzas from wood fired oven heralded the start of our 12 week course. Mrs Walsh’s cottage will be home for the next 3 months and to reach this quaint abode one has to walk past the […]