Darina Allen: How to make the perfect soda bread, and other traditional Irish recipes

Darina Allen with her spotted dog and Irish soda bread for St. Patrick's day at Ballymaloe cookery school. Picture; Eddie O'Hare

We all have a few special Saint Patrick’s Day dishes that we rustle up to serve to family and friends gathered around the kitchen table. 

I just love bacon and cabbage and parsley sauce. Of course, corned beef and cabbage is the emigrant’s favourite in America and very tasty it is too with some real Colman's mustard mixed from the powder.