food columnists

Michelle Darmody
Michelle Darmody: How to bake a comforting Queen of Puddings dessert
Aishling Moore
Aishling Moore: Here's my recipe for a classic shrimp cocktail
Sarah_Butler
Sarah Butler: My foolproof recipe for roast Christmas turkey
2030231_1_org_Darina_Allen
Darina Allen: Try these recipes for stress-free starters for your Christmas feast

FOOD NEWS

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

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

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

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."

Fri, 05 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 canapĂ© 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

grape harvest bucket with red wine bottle and wine glass
Wine with Leslie: What I learned about Les Deux Cols wines — and why wild boar are a challenge
Showcasing Les Deux Cols wines

Fri, 21 Nov, 2025

Menolicious
Mariella Frostrup: Eat your way to a healthier menopause
Exuberant, encouraging and colourful, ‘Menolicious’, by Mariella Frostrup and Belles Berry, is packed with recipes fornutrient-rich meals designed for a healthier midlife plate

Fri, 21 Nov, 2025

Dungarvan chef Eunice Power on love, loss, and her determination to keep going
Dungarvan chef Eunice Power on love, loss, and her determination to keep going
It is six months since Eunice Power's son passed away tragically. As she publishes her debut cookbook, Vickie Maye meets her in her Dungarvan home where they talk grief, kindness and the healing power of food

Mon, 17 Nov, 2025

Sarah Butler: My recipes for comforting cottage pie and sweet potato soup
Sarah Butler: My recipes for comforting cottage pie and sweet potato soup
Serving up cosy comfort in a bowl with some handy winter warmers

Mon, 17 Nov, 2025

Watch: Eunice Power speaks about the tradition and healing power of food
Watch: Eunice Power speaks about the tradition and healing power of food
Eunice Power, at home in Dungarvan, seated by the Aga with a copy of My Irish Kitchen Table, speaks about her newly published cookbook and the traditional food she grew up with.

Mon, 17 Nov, 2025

JACK AND THEO KIRWAN
Sprout founders on why they are adding a Cork restaurant to their empire
After ten years of building a cult following in Dublin, Sprout is coming to Cork city. Founders Jack and Theo Kirwan talk to Shamim de BrĂșn about the power of customer loyalty and paying it forward 

Sun, 16 Nov, 2025

Aishling Moore: An easy and satisfying hake fish recipe
Aishling Moore: An easy and satisfying hake fish recipe
You’ll find many different variations of this Mediterranean classic.

Sat, 15 Nov, 2025

Row of ascending stacks of sugar cubes
Joe McNamee: Sugar use has Ireland rising up the obesity chart
"Sweets really were treats. Bread and jam was as much as you might enjoy during the week until Pops came home on a Friday night with toffees to be thrown to the slavering hordes."

Sat, 15 Nov, 2025

Restaurant review: Park yourself at Dublin's Amy Austin for a fine meal — sans wheels
S Restaurant review: Park yourself at Dublin's Amy Austin for a fine meal — sans wheels
"Jerk marinade ‘comote’ (€16), aka sweet potato, was also rather diminutive but this time we didn’t mind as it was outstanding — the dish of the evening for me."

Fri, 14 Nov, 2025

Curried red lentil tomato and coconut soup - delicious vegetarian food on grey background, top view. Flat lay served healthy lun
Top 8: Scoop up these winter-warmer soups in your local supermarket
"Our next survey on November 28 is our annual ‘battle of the bakers’ mince pies. Join me then..."

Fri, 14 Nov, 2025

'Perfectly balanced' Weekend magazine and writers scoop food and journalism awards
'Perfectly balanced' Weekend magazine and writers scoop food and journalism awards
The food offering was commended for 'taking readers seriously'

Fri, 14 Nov, 2025

Family toast.
Wine with Leslie: Supermarket wines to stock up on for Christmas
"My very first taste of wine was a Christmas dinner sip of my dad’s sweet German wine (possibly ‘RM’ Liebfraumilch) in the late 1970s.  I would hate it now, but back then I thought it tasted sweet and magical, a window into the grown-up world..."

Fri, 14 Nov, 2025

How to make the best chicken pie with shop-bought pastry and other easy shortcuts
How to make the best chicken pie with shop-bought pastry and other easy shortcuts
As the weather turns cooler, there is nothing more comforting than a creamy chicken pie with a crispy top

Wed, 12 Nov, 2025

How to make good soup: 10 of our most popular soup recipes ever
How to make good soup: 10 of our most popular soup recipes ever
Warm, comforting and delicious: soup season is officially here

Tue, 11 Nov, 2025

How to make James Martin's comforting beef pie and sticky toffee pudding
How to make James Martin's comforting beef pie and sticky toffee pudding
A classic dessert with a twist

Mon, 10 Nov, 2025

Sarah Butler: A pair of 'help-yourself' recipes, perfect for young chefs
Sarah Butler: A pair of 'help-yourself' recipes, perfect for young chefs
"Burrito bowls are a fun, healthy, and most importantly, an easy dinner to make for your family."

Mon, 10 Nov, 2025

Three hearty recipes from Mary Berry's new cookbook to try this winter
Three hearty recipes from Mary Berry's new cookbook to try this winter
The TV chef shares a mixture of brand-new recipes and her nostalgic classics

Sun, 09 Nov, 2025

Joe McNamee: Why we should savour the flavour of a fine Irish cider this autumn
Joe McNamee: Why we should savour the flavour of a fine Irish cider this autumn
"In my youth we drank dirty black porter but as soon as the sun shone, we switched to cider and if we were lucky enough to hit a heatwave, we drank it until our stomachs groaned.  (The concept of perhaps not drinking was still a novel notion.)"

Sun, 09 Nov, 2025

Restaurant review: Washington Street's latest eatery brings the Soul to a busy Cork thoroughfare
S Restaurant review: Washington Street's latest eatery brings the Soul to a busy Cork thoroughfare
"As he did in the iconic Liberty pub — just around the corner — with Resistance, a speakeasy cocktail bar on the first floor, Soul proprietor Stephen O’Sullivan has once again created a canny visual concept on a tight budget."

Sun, 09 Nov, 2025

Aishling Moore: Golden baked oysters with creamy chard
Aishling Moore: Golden baked oysters with creamy chard
Serving oysters cooked rather than their most often state of raw is an excellent way to encourage the reluctant to eat these marvellous molluscs.

Sat, 08 Nov, 2025

Aoife McElwain's 'Messy': A big book of comfort food for beginners
Aoife McElwain's 'Messy': A big book of comfort food for beginners
In her new cookbook, Aoife McElwain gently and patiently brings the joy back to the kitchen with recipes like messy eggs and an easy, slow-cooked beef and harissa stew

Fri, 07 Nov, 2025

sunset over the vineyards in the loire valley
Wine with Leslie: Wine recommendations from the Loire Valley
"Crément de Loire sparklers are everywhere and are fantastic value, dry and sweet rosé are too."

Fri, 07 Nov, 2025

Sarah Butler: Creamy pasta bake and sweet potato wedges for easy family meals
Sarah Butler: Creamy pasta bake and sweet potato wedges for easy family meals
These recipes are proof that with a few simple ingredients, you can serve up something wholesome and satisfying that makes family mealtimes the best part of the day

Mon, 03 Nov, 2025

Aishling Moore: Brill with baked pumpkin, kale and caper salsa
Aishling Moore: Brill with baked pumpkin, kale and caper salsa
"This year at Goldie, we’ve been using lots of Uchi Kuri, a Japanese variety of winter squash that Alex at Singing Frog Gardens is growing in West Cork."

Sun, 02 Nov, 2025

Restaurant review: Kaldero's Filipino focus brings charm and flavour to Dublin 2
S Restaurant review: Kaldero's Filipino focus brings charm and flavour to Dublin 2
You will find some Irish ingredients, but this is not fusion food, simply food that “reflects where we come from and where we are now”.

Sun, 02 Nov, 2025

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Darina Allen
Darina Allen

Serving up top food every Saturday

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