by Caroline@Bibliocook

New blogs

May 18, 2012 in New blogs

Devoted home cook Leena, who blogs at My Celtic Cross-Kitchen, is a Finn now living in Ireland with her husband and four children. They all love to try and cook different foods – Irish, Finnish, Spanish, Oriental – using local ingredients, making it very Celtic Cross-Kitchen.

Donna’s Whipping Up a Storm is a no-nonsense blog for the home cook with hints, tips and easy recipes.

Food photography obsessed, first time blogger Hannah is Desperately Seeking Dinner and hoping to connect up with other Irish foodies.

Aoife and Rachel are the Gastronomic Girls and their blog shares their love of great ingredients, cooking, eating out and, most importantly, their Fabulous Friday Cocktails.

Lynda has set herself a challenge to cook a meal every day from Easy Meals by Rachel Allen – follow her progress at The Rachel Allen Easy Meals Challenge.

If you’d like to introduce yourself to your fellow bloggers through our new series, find more information here: Something for the Weekend.

If you are an Irish or Ireland-based food blogger and would like to be added to the blogroll, please email us at  with a link AND one line describing what your blog is about.

Processing your request, Please wait....

No Comments »

by Caroline@Bibliocook

Inishfood: almost there

May 17, 2012 in Irish Food Festivals

Inishfood - a new kind of Irish food festival with skills sharing, sourdough, #NoMenu Feast and Féile Grianán ÁilighWe are counting down the hours now. Inishfood is just around the corner.

Remember last year? Donal initially asked Darren Bradley if he’d make a few pizzas for, maybe, a dozen people. I think there were about 40 there on the night, wrapped up warm against the cold and falling on each pizza that emerged from the wood fired oven. Fortunately Darren was so organised that he lit the fire at 11am that morning and spent the night beforehand transforming buckets of dough into more manageable pieces.

Well, tomorrow night we kick off with a little more of the same. It’s an informal get together at the Drift Inn, Buncrana, Inishowen. Darren, our Donegal pizza maker extraordinaire, will be making wood fired Inishpizzas plus there’s a selection of Irish craft beers with the L Mulligan Grocer crew and pots of food until late. This is a Pay As You Please event with proceeds going to Crumlin Children’s Hospital and The Bubble Foundation. It’s open to all – just make sure that you drop a line or tweet to @inishfood if you are going to be there.

And then the Inishfood weekend is under way…read more about it here:
Revealed! Inishfood 2012 line up

See you there.

Processing your request, Please wait....

No Comments »

by Kristin

Competition: Só Sligo Food Festival

May 14, 2012 in Competitions

Só Sligo Food Festival (www.sosligo.com) are running a fabulous competition just for Irish food bloggers and the prize is an invitation to our opening which takes place on Friday, 18 May at 6pm plus B&B accommodation and dinner in the Sligo Park Hotel. The Sligo Park Hotel (www.sligoparkhotel.com) has a new head chef, Gary McPeake, who has worked for Gorden Ramsey among others and is bringing a fresh new local menu to the hotel restaurant.

For a chance to win, just tweet  “@sosligofest #SoSligoFoodFestival 18-20 May,  #worldirishstewchampionship 16 May, #GreatFamilyCookOff 19 May www.sosligo.com” and they’ll pick a name at random at 6pm tomorrow. Good luck!

Processing your request, Please wait....

No Comments »

by Kristin

Giveaway: Food to Love by Edward Hayden

May 14, 2012 in Giveaways

Rising culinary talent Edward Hayden has a new paperback edition out of his hugely successful cookery book, Food to Love. Edward now has a regular twice monthly slot on Ireland AM and he will also be taking part in Taste of Dublin this year.

Edward has packed Food to Love full of his favourite salads, soups, one-pot wonders, versatile main courses, chutneys and relishes, delicious, crusty breads, al fresco dining suggestions, festive foods, tempting, finger-licking desserts and gorgeous cakes and bakes. He also includes menu suggestions and his Top Tips throughout. Food to Love is available now in paperback priced €14.99/£12.99 in all good bookshops and at www.obrien.ie.

We have 5 copies of Food to Love to give away! For a chance to win, just leave a comment on this post. One entry per person please – multiple entries will be disqualified. The winners will be randomly chosen and notified by email. The competition will close at 6:00 p.m. on 21 May 2012. Good luck!

Processing your request, Please wait....

54 Comments »

by Caroline@Bibliocook

New blogs

May 4, 2012 in New blogs

Irish Food Bloggers AssociationHolly’s Pantry, a blog about simple, creative food that is styled and photographed in a pleasing way, is written by a third year Culinary Arts Student in DIT Cathal Brugha Street.

Sandra’s Hooked on Food is all about well stocked larders and store cupboards – the only limit then, she says, is our imagination!

If you’d like to introduce yourself to your fellow bloggers through our new series, find more information here: Something for the Weekend.

If you are an Irish or Ireland-based food blogger and would like to be added to the blogroll, please email us at  with a link AND one line describing what your blog is about.

Processing your request, Please wait....

No Comments »

by Kristin

Kennys.ie: Giveaway and IFBA Discount!

May 4, 2012 in Giveaways

There is enormous choice on Kennys.ie with over 5 million books and free shipping worldwide on every single title! Virtually every book on the site is discounted and Kennys, based in Galway since 1940, are at the end of a phone Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm, to answer questions.

If you enter the code IFBA2012 at the checkout, you will get an additional 5% discount off your full order. You can use this code as often as you like until 31 December 2012.

Kennys has also put together a collection of seven cookbooks to give away to one lucky reader – Heston Blumenthal at Home and six books from the Hamlyn Quick Cook series. For a chance to win, just answer the following question: How many books are available on the Kennys.ie website? One entry per person please – multiple entries will be disqualified. The winners will be randomly chosen and notified by email. The competition will close at 6:00 p.m. on 11 May 2012. Good luck, and happy shopping!

Processing your request, Please wait....

86 Comments »

by Caroline@Bibliocook

Revealed! Inishfood 2012 line up

April 27, 2012 in Events, Irish Food Festivals

Inishfood - a new kind of Irish food festival with skills sharing, sourdough, #NoMenu Feast and Féile Grianán ÁilighYou might have been there last year and tried your hand at curing your own pork. You might have followed the Twitter feed and wondered why people were enthusing about Bacon Vodka, Almond and Candied Bacon Bark or raw milk butter. Or you just might have read about it afterwards, drooled over photos, and cursed the fact that you missed out.

You have no excuse this year.

Inishfood – The Line Up – 18th-20th May 2012

Donal of Harry’s, Bridgend, Inishowen, Co Donegal is thrilled to present the Inishfood 2012 festival.

All Access tickets are available to book now.
Individual Daytime tickets for Saturday or Sunday and for Saturday night’s #Nomenu are available from 4th May.

Friday 18 May: Informal Gathering & Welcoming
Venue: Drift Inn, Buncrana, Inishowen 8pm
Darren Bradley’s wood fired Inishpizzas and Irish craft beers with the L.Mulligan Grocer crew & pots of food until late

Pay As You Please – proceeds go to Crumlin Children’s Hospital and The Bubble Foundation
Please inform us at or @inishfood if you are coming.

Saturday 19 May: Skills Sharing Sessions (NOTE – TIMES MAY CHANGE SLGHTLY ON THE DAY)
Venue: Harry’s, Bridgend, Inishowen, Co.Donegal
9.30am – The morning coffee sessions – Karl Purdy (Coffee Angel) & Ross Kane (Bailies Coffee)
10.15am – Official Welcome
10.30am – Real Sourdough Making – Thibault Peigne (session will continue a diff stages during the day to follow the #realsourdough making and begin a real bread campaign!)
11.15am – Ed Hick – Exploring Food Senses

12.45 – Lunch Bell & Mingle

1.45pm Back to the Real Sourdough Bread
2.30pm – For Food Sake “The Future of Irish Fish” Talk, Touch & Tastings
3.45pm – 10mins of fame – Your opportunity to share your new skills / passion
5.00pm – Twisted Irish Cocktails – Hayden Lambert (Merchant Hotel) & Oisin Davis (Sugar Club) – Demo & Tastings using Irish Ingredients

All-Day Saturday Sessions Pass includes lunch, tastings & cocktail – €20

Saturday 19 May: #NoMenu Feast at Harry’s Restaurant
8pm – #NoMenu by Raymond Moran, Harry’s, and craft beer matching by Caroline Hennessy, Bibliocook

Bookings €45 includes arrival cocktail, matching beers & entertainment

Sunday 20 May: Inishowen Land, Shore, Sea & Culture day
10.30am Meeting – Car Park, An Grianan Hotel, Burt, Inishowen, N13)
10.45am – “Going Native” on Farm, with Ella McSweeney (RTE Broadcaster). Meet the traditional & rare-breeds including tasting different breeds session. Beside Hotel Car Park. (Session logistics assisted by the Clonmany Agricultural Show).

12.noon – Lough Swilly Shore Forage – Sally McKenna (Bridgestone Guides), Manus Mc Gonagle (Quality Sea Veg) and Enda McEvoy (Aniar Restaurant) (short drive leaving An Grianan Hotel)

2pm – Harrys Walled Garden pick & taste walk through with Dermot Carey (Harrys) & Trevor Sargent (Trevors Kitchen Garden). Meeting point at An Grianan Hotel Car Park.

3pm – Féile Grianán Áiligh – An Grianan Fort, Burt. Ancient Beer Brewing by Declan Moore (Moore Group), Ancient Celtic Celebration of Crafts, Celtic Games, Celtic Lifestyle Demonstrations and Cultural & Musical Carnival. A spectacular new event.

Sunday Sessions – €15 Includes Féile Grianán Áiligh Access & All Tastings
Note: Féile Grianán Áiligh is also a standalone event. Advance ticketed Park & Ride access €5 from 12.30-3pm or 3.30- 5.30pm.

All Access Tickets – Saturday & Sunday Daytime Sessions inc Sat Night #NoMenu feast with matching beers & Féile Grianán Áiligh €75

BOOKING: DM on Twitter to @Inishfood to book or email

Accommodation:

  • Lake of Shadows Hotel, Buncrana, 1 night B&B, €35pps, 2 nights B&B €65pps phone (074) 9361005 to book
  • Special Rates @ An Grianan Hotel, Burt (email for details)
  • Whiteoaks Organic Gardens have a small Inishfood village of 5 new houses with rooms to rent at €50pp for 2 nights sharing (2 dbl bedrooms & 1 single in each house). €70pp for 3 nights. Includes continental breakfast in own kitchen. Email to book or DM @inishfood
  • Redcastle Hotel, 1 night B&B €59pps, 2 nights B&B inc 1 evening meal €145pps phone (074) 9385444 to book.
  • The Red Door (www.thereddoor.ie) €€65pps B&B for Sat & Sun nights or €€150pps for 2 nights B&B including dInner Sunday night.

DONEGAL CHEFS HOMECOMING FEAST (SOLD OUT!)
7.30pm Harry’s, Bridgend, Inishowen, Donegal Chefs Homecoming Feast, featuring:
Kwanghi Chan (Cliff House Hotel)
Gary O Hanlon (Viewmount House)
Stephen Gibson (Pichet)
Derek Creagh (Finnebrogue)
Sharon Harkin (L’Ecrivian)

Processing your request, Please wait....

Tags: 15 Comments »

by Kristin

New blogs

April 27, 2012 in New blogs

Irish Food Bloggers AssociationLiz Moore, based in Northern Ireland, has been cooking professionally for over 20 years and has now hopped on the blogging bandwagon too at Liz Moore Cooks.

Dee is the woman behind Dee’s Wholefoods and she also blogs fast, nutritious recipes at The Veg Pod.

Katie blogs at 365 Things I Learned in My Kitchen, a food blog for Irish and English people living in Belgium, full of tips on where and how to shop there and of course how to recreate some familiar food that doesn’t exist in Belgium.

Fiona lived and worked in Japan for several years and is now passionate about Japanese food. She blogs easy-to-follow Japanese-style recipes at Fiona’s Japanese Cooking.

Over at The Purple Page, Kat will give you all the info you need about the best places to go, see and sample food wise.

If you are an Irish or Ireland-based food blogger and would like to be added to the blogroll, please email us at  with a link AND one line describing what your blog is about.

Processing your request, Please wait....

No Comments »