food columnists

Michelle Darmody
Michelle Darmody: How to bake the perfect chocolate rolls
Sarah_Butler
Sarah Butler: Money-saving meals that taste even better than a takeaway
Aishling Moore
Aishling Moore: The ultimate curried mussels with shoestring fries dish
2030231_1_org_Darina_Allen
Darina Allen: My travels throughout Asia have tantalised my palate for diverse cuisines

FOOD NEWS

Restaurant review: Old school classics to bank on at Díon Rooftop Restaurant and Bar in Dublin
S Restaurant review: Old school classics to bank on at Díon Rooftop Restaurant and Bar in Dublin
We started with cocktails because it is that kind of space

Fri, 09 Jan, 2026

Chicken tikka masala spicy curry meat food with rice and naan bread
Turn up the heat with our Top 8 tikka masala sauces 
Cold weather has us craving warm spices in warm dishes bubbling to heat us from the inside.

Fri, 09 Jan, 2026

Restaurant review: This Cork favourite puts the Izz into Palestinian pizzazz
S Restaurant review: This Cork favourite puts the Izz into Palestinian pizzazz
Izz Cafe is a truly special restaurant, with lovely staff serving great food.

Sun, 04 Jan, 2026

happy friends drinking red wine at christmas party
Wine with Leslie: De-alcoholised wines have improved enormously
I’m not doing dry January or any other penance, I was good last year

Sat, 03 Jan, 2026

Pan fried duck.
Joe McNamee: My preview of the year ahead in restaurants
Joe McNamee looks to the year ahead in the world of food

Sat, 03 Jan, 2026

Healty eating
Food resolutions that just might stick
Ditch self-denial and embrace more sustainable goals in 2026 to add big flavour and vital nutrition to your diet

Fri, 02 Jan, 2026

Cold weather food: Five soups, stews and casseroles to warm you up from the inside out
Cold weather food: Five soups, stews and casseroles to warm you up from the inside out
Stay cosy this week with our favourite winter warmer recipes 

Thu, 01 Jan, 2026

Joe McNamee is back with part two of his annual food accolades
Joe McNamee is back with part two of his annual food accolades
Part 2 of Joe McNamee's annual food accolades, The Munchies, in which he rounds up his food highlights of the year.

Sat, 27 Dec, 2025

Chef characters set. Cartoon chief cooking in restaurant. Cook with tray and different meals. Food industry. Vector illustration
The biggest dining trends of 2025, from pop-ups and chef collabs to traditional Irish produce
Shorter menus, comfort food, and a ‘vibe-cession’ are some of the factors influencing dining out

Fri, 26 Dec, 2025

Hands, group and toast champagne at party in celebration, goals or connection for success in career at night. Business people, d
Wine with Leslie: Three Champagnes inspired by women that you need to try
Toast the women of Champagne with these drinks

Fri, 26 Dec, 2025

I spent a day with Cork turkey farmers before Christmas — here's what I learned
I spent a day with Cork turkey farmers before Christmas — here's what I learned
Free range turkey farming is a labour of love, as Joe McNamee discovers at Healy's farm in Co Cork

Thu, 25 Dec, 2025

Stuffed roast turkey crown
Five top Irish chefs share their secrets to make the perfect stuffing for Christmas dinner
Turkey without stuffing is near unfathomable — actually, make that Christmas without stuffing for even when turkey is replaced entirely, Christmas stuffing seems to remain a non-negotiable for most. Five top Irish chefs offer recipes, ranging from the arch-traditionalist to some radical reinterpretations.

Wed, 24 Dec, 2025

Roasted turkey on holiday table
S Five of Darina Allen's go-to family recipes for a classic Christmas feast
This year I’m championing the old-school and the traditional, writes Darina Allen

Wed, 24 Dec, 2025

Christmas Mince Pies with Icing Sugar
Michelle Darmody: How to bake filo mince pies for the Christmas table
Using filo pastry is a quick trick. You can buy the filo pre-made and it makes nice parcels when layered up in a bun tin

Sat, 20 Dec, 2025

Rustic bowl of Mashed Potato.
Darina Allen: One potato, two potato, three (kinds of) potato — Yum!
Delicious with cold meats on St. Stephen’s Day, creamy gratin is a well-loved spontaneous accompaniment to a meal at any time over the holiday season

Sat, 20 Dec, 2025

Joe McNamee: The Munchies are back — here are my food highlights of 2025
Joe McNamee: The Munchies are back — here are my food highlights of 2025
Joe McNamee's annual food accolades, The Munchies, return once more, in which he rounds up his food highlights of the year. (Part II next week)

Sat, 20 Dec, 2025

Restaurant review: Italian flair both fair and flavourful at Gloria Osteria Dublin
S Restaurant review: Italian flair both fair and flavourful at Gloria Osteria Dublin
Gloria Osteria arrived in Dublin in late November, having fully refurbished the corner of Westmoreland Street and College Green

Fri, 19 Dec, 2025

Making friends with your freezer over Christmas
Making friends with your freezer over Christmas
Avoid wasting money and food by using your freezer to store ingredients, home-prepped meals and leftovers. No-waste caterer Orla McAndrew gives her top tips for making the most of this underused kitchen appliance

Fri, 19 Dec, 2025

'Cork has been our most requested site': Oakberry Açaí opens first Munster store in Cork City
'Cork has been our most requested site': Oakberry Açaí opens first Munster store in Cork City
Located on Oliver Plunkett Street in the city centre, the store will be serving up açaí bowls, signature smoothies, and handcrafted coffees

Thu, 18 Dec, 2025

Irish Soda Bread
Top 10 ieFood recipes our readers loved in 2025
From Darina's classic comfort food to a Bake Off star's chicken dinner, these are the recipes you've been returning to all year

Wed, 17 Dec, 2025

Bottling Irish magic: the renaissance women of Ireland's distillers
Bottling Irish magic: the renaissance women of Ireland's distillers
Meet the women driving the renaissance in Irish distilling.

Sun, 14 Dec, 2025

Joe McNamee: Southern hospitality continues to stand firm — despite a tough year
Joe McNamee: Southern hospitality continues to stand firm — despite a tough year
"Many restaurants are full, bookings hard to come by, but diners are no longer spending freely — often making do with two courses, even one instead of the usual three, and the arse is falling out of restaurant wine sales."

Sat, 13 Dec, 2025

Restaurant review: Ten years in, Bastible balances precision and pleasure
S Restaurant review: Ten years in, Bastible balances precision and pleasure
Even brilliant restaurants fail sometimes, so when I realised Bastible was 10 years old this past November I decided it was worth a revisit.

Fri, 12 Dec, 2025

New Year's toast
Wine with Leslie: Alternative Christmas tipples for all budgets
Besides buying us wine as a gift, you can enhance our pleasure remarkably by giving the gift of a good wine glass; we can never have too many.

Fri, 12 Dec, 2025

How to make mince pies, classic trifle, and other favourite Christmas desserts
How to make mince pies, classic trifle, and other favourite Christmas desserts
Spoil your loved ones this Christmas with Michelle Darmody's festive and fabulous treats

Mon, 08 Dec, 2025

A clearer Christmas: How to survive the festive season sober
A clearer Christmas: How to survive the festive season sober
Ireland and alcohol: a pairing so familiar it’s become a global stereotype. But the social landscape is changing, and with it, our drinking habits. Sarah Finnan explores how to survive the festive season sober 

Sun, 07 Dec, 2025

Restaurant review: New team breathes life into Kenmare’s Park Hotel
S Restaurant review: New team breathes life into Kenmare’s Park Hotel
"They still treasure the venerable old building and that aforementioned hospitality, but the premises has been streamlined."

Sun, 07 Dec, 2025

Seven delicious recipes to make Irish seafood part of your Christmas feast
Seven delicious recipes to make Irish seafood part of your Christmas feast
Aishling Moore’s modern seafood recipes for a spectacular celebration

Sat, 06 Dec, 2025

Christmas Family Dinner Table Concept
10 Irish products to buy for the food lover's Christmas pantry
Raise your festive eating pleasure with these 10 pantry essentials, writes Ali Dunworth

Sat, 06 Dec, 2025

Christmas Red Wine in Front of the Fireplace and Christmas Tree with Gifts
A wine expert's guide to the best festive drinks for Christmas
Leslie Williams picks bottles for every budget, taste and Christmas celebration

Sat, 06 Dec, 2025

A taste of Christmas: Festive food gifts to give this year
A taste of Christmas: Festive food gifts to give this year
If food writer Joe McNamee isn’t writing about the finest Irish food and drinks, then he’s eating and drinking the stuff to beat the band, no more so than at Christmas. Here is his list of edible essentials to keep you well fed and watered throughout the holiday period

Sat, 06 Dec, 2025

Joe McNamee: Galway eatery Kai's new cookbook showcases eclectic and eccentric fusion
Joe McNamee: Galway eatery Kai's new cookbook showcases eclectic and eccentric fusion
"Jess’s ‘fusion’ is different. She may scavenge freely from the global repertoire, recipes and ingredients, but cleaves to a bedrock of the magnificent Irish produce with which she is so besotted."

Sat, 06 Dec, 2025

Pouring red wine
Wine with Leslie: Merlot's disappearance, and the 'Sideways effect'
Bordeaux itself is less fashionable but I still drink it regularly, I love how it ages and I particularly love its balance of fruit, tannins and acidity and how the wines only occasionally go over 14% ABV. Three to try.

Fri, 05 Dec, 2025

End of an era: Cork's Quay Co-op restaurant to close after 44 years — with My Goodness moving in
End of an era: Cork's Quay Co-op restaurant to close after 44 years — with My Goodness moving in
The establishment will be taken over by vegan enterprise My Goodness Food

Wed, 03 Dec, 2025

Restaurant review: The Ivy Asia is an assault on all five senses — I hated it
Restaurant review: The Ivy Asia is an assault on all five senses — I hated it
Maybe selfies are the point of The Ivy Asia. It certainly isn’t the cooking.

Sun, 30 Nov, 2025

Aishling Moore: Entertaining at Christmas made simple with these canapé recipes
Aishling Moore: Entertaining at Christmas made simple with these canapé recipes
This week, I’m sharing three simple canapé recipes that are super useful to have in your repertoire when family and friends come calling

Sat, 29 Nov, 2025

Sarah Butler: Wholesome is the way to go with these colcannon and sausage roll recipes
Sarah Butler: Wholesome is the way to go with these colcannon and sausage roll recipes
This week, I have recipes that will guarantee clean plates around the dinner table

Sat, 29 Nov, 2025

Joe McNamee: There have been veggie sausages for almost as long as there’s been hippies
Joe McNamee: There have been veggie sausages for almost as long as there’s been hippies
Anyone with an age in double digits still unable to differentiate between meat and meat alternatives requires protection under an entirely different sort of legislation.

Sat, 29 Nov, 2025

Christmas mince pie survey: Which Cork bakeries are serving up the best all-butter pastry?
Christmas mince pie survey: Which Cork bakeries are serving up the best all-butter pastry?
Little tastes more like Christmas than a blob of luscious, spiced fruit encased in crisp, all-butter pastry

Fri, 28 Nov, 2025

Wine with Leslie: The three wines from Chile making their debut in Ireland
Wine with Leslie: The three wines from Chile making their debut in Ireland
The wines are only just in the market and I like what I’ve tasted so far.

Fri, 28 Nov, 2025

Italian restaurant Gloria Osteria has opened its doors in Dublin — here's what you need to know
Italian restaurant Gloria Osteria has opened its doors in Dublin — here's what you need to know
Nestled in a restored 19th-century bank on Westmoreland Street in the city centre, Gloria Osteria offers a menu of fresh homemade pasta, classic Italian secondo, grilled steaks and seasonal cocktails

Thu, 27 Nov, 2025

Irish food history book wins best of the best award at ‘Oscars’ of food publishing
Irish food history book wins best of the best award at ‘Oscars’ of food publishing
Irish Food History: A Companion is an edited collection of 28 chapters covering the story of food, drink and gastronomy in Ireland from the Ice Age to the present day

Tue, 25 Nov, 2025

Aishling Moore: Haddock is wonderful in puff pastry — try this recipe
Aishling Moore: Haddock is wonderful in puff pastry — try this recipe
Good things come in small parcels

Sun, 23 Nov, 2025

Joe McNamee: How historic recipes can teach us so much about Ireland's past
Joe McNamee: How historic recipes can teach us so much about Ireland's past
Tracing the evolution of the Irish peasant’s diet over the centuries serves up the grievous impact of Ireland’s colonisation almost literally on a plate.

Sat, 22 Nov, 2025

Sarah Butler: My one-pan chicken and brown bread will be your go-to recipes on busy weeks
Sarah Butler: My one-pan chicken and brown bread will be your go-to recipes on busy weeks
Having either of these made brings me such peace of mind during the midweek madness when dinner is still an hour away

Sat, 22 Nov, 2025

Restaurant review: I am excited to see what Cairo 2 Cork food truck does next with its menu
S Restaurant review: I am excited to see what Cairo 2 Cork food truck does next with its menu
I first heard of the Cairo 2 Cork food truck upon learning the Egyptian ambassador to Ireland had written to its chef-proprietor Nivene Sadick to congratulate her on being the first to serve Egyptian food in Ireland.

Fri, 21 Nov, 2025

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Darina Allen
Darina Allen

Serving up top food every Saturday

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