Vinca's-in-tha-kitchen!

Polly Says Hey Pesto!

2011-06-27T14:47:00.002+01:00

I first met Yvonne Carty quite a few years ago at my very first networking event, run by the Offaly and Laois Enterprise Boards it was held at Durrow Castle which lies deep to the south of Laoise near the borders of counties Tipperary, Carlow and Kilkenny.

Yvonne Carty, the creative genius behind Hey Pesto! lives close to me and yet I'd to travel some distance to meet her. I recognized her as someone I 'knew' by sight immediately and on gentle probing discovered that she is in fact from nearby Tullamore but lives a little closer to hand - in the same village as me!!! That in itself tells a tale about the kind of life I was living prior to our initial formal introduction, it was frenetic to say the least. Thank goodness fate had intervened and rendered me unfit to continue, demanding a break from all that I knew while introducing me to so much more...

As well as being incredibly busy with her catering business Yvonne is actively involved with the Geashill Tidy Towns committee in organising the brand new Muc Fair in Geashill, Co Offaly on 31st July 2011. (Contact the tidytowns committee for information regarding stands, etc) Without a doubt she's a lady with community conscience and can be seen here promoting Tipperary Tastee's, although she did sneak in a taste of Offaly by using locally produced cream in her main course (wink!)

Watch live streaming video from totallytipp at livestream.com

For more information on Hey Pesto! why not check out their Facebook Page?

Polly's Four Stone Up & One Stone Down...

2011-06-14T15:44:00.002+01:00

I recently received a comment from Mike over on The Wine Buff. Simply put, Mike was wondering if I was ever going to pull my finger out and actually post on this blog at any time in the future...? Oooops!

The simple answer to that question is errrr, yes, that is my intention! It has always been my intention, but sadly it's something I haven't been doing for a while. Thinking about this, it occurred to me that my waffley bad blogging schedule started sometime last May, around the time I returned to work! The truth is I've been doing too many things (or maybe not in this case) and to be honest I've been advised by more than one source to slow things down a little but surely that doesn't mean grind to a halt, does it?

There have honestly been times when that's pretty much what I've done. In the past year I've spent much of my time when not working resting either in bed, having off days or sitting in zombie like fashion infront of this very pc (actually, it's more likely that it was the one I killed or the borrowed laptop that went back when I resigned as secretary of the dyslexia group!!!) Alternately, I may have been working like a beaver to fill orders for greeting cards - as time is at a premium these days I have to slip this in in between scouting, etc...

Cooking hasn't exactly been high on my list of priorities either. I've cajoled 'the boys', any or all three of them to whip up culinary delights on my behalf, persuaded DG to bring home disasterous takeaways or worse still resorted to the occasional emergency bottle of readymade sauce! Yuck - at least that's what my conscience tries to tell me on these (bottled) occasions.

The boys really are quite accomplished cooks, the youngest concocts a presentable panna cotta from memory. Only the eldest one, ie the 40 year old is truly accountable for his actions though, he actually clears up afterwards. I shame when he arrives home after a long days work only to make dinner for four because the lady is out in the shed making greeting cards! I sometimes wonder if it's worth it, and I'm quite sure he does so regularly...

This said, there is perhaps method in such madness. The whole house has suffered in this past year, more than any other, to the extent that teenage boys have discovered the delights of bargaining and persuasion alongside those of vaccuming and lawnmowing. My partner in life has realised that maybe we do need a new cooker. The gas pressure steadily drops off while he's in the midst of something requiring crucial timing - ie it's got to be cooked by bedtime!

How many times have we slapped medium rare best Irish beef steaks (from our beloved Aldi) onto our plates only to have to whip them back off again, wash the plates and recook them under the ailing grill, while the veg stews? We no longer eat roast meats, roast potatoes or yorkshire puddings anymore, unless my Mum rushes to the rescue which is typically on a Monday evenings due to my involvement with scouts...

Okay, I did purchase a brand new microwave rice & pasta cooker recently. Actually, it was a freebie due to the fact that the blessed thing went missing in the post and then promptly arrived on my door step the day after the company had reimbursed my credit card. They insisted that I kept it by way of compensation for the extraordinary nine weeks in transit, which was mighty decent of them, especially as their promotion had promised free shipping, the cost of which was promptly added to the price after we'd reached checkout!

Ah yes, life in the Pierce household has been 'interesting' over the past year or so. My inactivity and penchant for fine red wines has led to me gaining an extra-ordinary four stone over the past five years. The last one has yoyoed horrifically. Each time I've congratulated myself on losing it I've celebrated this by adding to the fortunes of my local vintners (including Wines Direct) and master chocalatiers...

Yesterday I treated myself to a brand new copy of this months "Weight Watcher's Magazine" and a double decker! And yes, my intentions are once more GOOD...

Polly's A-Waffley Bad Blogger...!

2011-01-06T15:21:00.000Z

Okay, so I'm a bad blogger! I haven't put pen to paper, metaphorically speaking for months on end. Perhaps this has something to do with my return to work back in May? Or maybe I've just lost the knack? Personally I think it's got more to do with my addiction to Facebook!

I tried tweeting for a while. Actually I quite enjoyed writing updates in 140 characters or less, in the beginning, but I soon got bored with it. Facebook is definitely my favourite form of micro-blogging. What I like about it is the fact that it's interactive, whereas blogging tends to attract the occasional remark - if you're lucky! Fair enough, maybe my copy should be more interesting and uplifting, surely if it were I'd get loads of remarks. Wouldn't I?

I don't know the answer to that one. What I do know is that if one neglects their blog, they sooner or later lose their readers. I mean, why on earth would anyone follow a blog that's not active? I know from personal experience that it's easy to lose interest if your favourite blogger doesn't blog - I won't mention any names, but the guilty will probably know exactly who they are! Anyway, enough of the waffle...

Speaking of which Lidl, the eponymous discount store ran a special on waffle makers a while ago. Seeing as I am a big fan of these light, fluffy batter confections I rushed home with one and eagerly made up my first batch. The result? Absolutely revolting, they ended up in the bin!

Luckily my now 13year old LB took matters into his own hands recently. Having demanded that I Google 'the perfect waffle recipe' a simple breakfast waffle was chosen from the Mr Breakfast.com site. As luck would have it the recipe was entitled Best Ever Waffles Ever and my kitchen turned happily into an impressionist version of the preverbial bombsite.

The inaugural waffle was dreadful. So much so that even the dogs turned their noses up at it! This was probably something to do with the fact that the recipe site had suggested the waffle maker wouldn't need to be oiled. I'd passed this information on without first checking the instruction booklet and true to form the first waffle had stuck, burnt to a crisp and failed to rise. Plus it was raw in the middle!

Having very carefully de-crisped the machine with a sharp knife (not to be recommended), placed some damp kitchen towel between the irons and steamed the mess off, LB tried again. Only this time he lightly oiled the irons...

Best Waffles Ever (5 servings)

1 and 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 beaten egg yolks
1 and 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 egg whites - beaten stiffly

Mix all dry ingredients. Combine yolks and milk. Stir into dry ingredients. Stir in oil and mix. GENTLY fold in beaten egg whites, do not over mix.

Pour about 1/2 cup at a time into waffle iron.

The result: wonderful! Well, nearly wonderful. Considering that my youngest chose to follow the recipe to the letter, using a small blue and white cup rather than a proper measuring cup, plus the fact that he beat the egg yolks and stirred in the whites it was a specially good attempt at making waffles.

Okay, the mistake with the eggs might have resulted in disaster, but, thankfullyt it didn't. So what if the resultant waffles were a little, well, flat! Served on their own they were delicious. Served with maple syrup they were divine. My only complaint? I'd to share them with the rest of the family...

Sadly there are no photos. This is due to the fact that Miss Piggy here ate them all before it was possible to get any shots in. Needless to say, LB's discovered a new family favourite and the fun hasn't stopped there and for some strange reason I seem to have put a few pounds on over the holiday season.

Polly Wishes You All A Very Merry Chocolate Christmas...

2010-10-19T13:30:00.000+01:00

For those of you who are confirmed chocolate junkies the Temple Bar Cultural Trust will be holding a Chocolate Festival in December. This annual celebration of all things chocolate is known as 'A Chocolate Christmas' and runs from Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th December 2010.

Featuring a whole host of chocolatey activities, displays and tastings this should amount to a whole lot of fun for anyone who has even a passing interest in the stuff. There will be stalls from many of Ireland's finest artisan chocolate producers and outdoor screenings of Chrismas classics like The Polar Express in meeting house square.

For more information on Dublin's latest chocolate craze visit The Temple Bar Cultural Trust website. The full programme of events will be published on November 1st at www.templebar.ie. Bookings will be available from Monday 15th November and if I were you I'd be seriously thinking about using this facility because as we all know, it's bound to be a best seller...!

Jamie Oliver's TED award speech.

2010-10-18T13:45:00.000+01:00

Polly's Dream Comes True...

2010-09-01T15:43:00.000+01:00

http://www.curragh.ie/downloads/Thorough_Brew_Poster.pdf

Polly Dresses Her Kitchen...?

2010-08-30T11:19:00.000+01:00

I've always felt that it's nice to be nice and one way of doing this is to champion other peoples causes! Today, the Kitchen Dresser in Portlaoise is offering readers the opportunity to win a gift voucher worth €50.00 to be spent in her lovely, lovely shop!

To enter, just answer this question by e-mailing it to competition@kitchendresser.ie and then leave a comment on their Facebook page advising them that you've entered. It's as simple as that! So, here goes:

"What is the name of the large music festival that is being held this weekend? Its not far from our shop in Portlaoise!"

For those of you not yet familiar with the Kitchen Dresser you should drop into their webshop and have a look. They stock some super stuff, ranging from purely practical to some lovely treats. Personally, I could go mad up there, especially if I had that €50 voucher to spend!

Figures show more shoppers buying Irish goods | BreakingNews.ie

2010-08-28T13:06:00.000+01:00

Figures show more shoppers buying Irish goods | BreakingNews.ie

A Prize Oh So Sweet...

2010-08-23T18:55:00.001+01:00

Once again we have a great competition for our UK readers only. The fact that I'm not in the UK and can't enter this competition myself is just a tad annoying, but it's no reason to preclude others from having the chance to enter.

To celebrate the opening of their Facebook We Love Baking page Tate & Lyle are offering one lucky reader the chance to win a selection of their sugars.

All you have to do is to leave a comment here on George's lovely blog before Wednesday 25th of August telling her all about your fondest baking experience. The winner will be announced the next day.

For my Irish readers Tate & Lyle are probably the most popular sugar producers in the UK. Established in 1921 following a long history of its founding members involvement in the sugar trade. Probably best known for two products, which Mssrs Tate & Lyle repectively 'invented', the first being Golden Syrup and the second being Sugar Cubes.

With their factory still on the banks of the river Thames, Tate and Lyle have now undertaken to become the first UK sugar manufacturers to produce all their products from Fair Trade sugar cane. So why not give it a whirl and see if you can win this oh so sweet prize...

Polly's Ice-Cream Adventure...

2010-08-23T16:31:00.001+01:00

After a summer of absolute neglect regarding my own culinary adventures and blogging I seem to be on a roll at the moment. Having survived our annual vacation and annual scout camp, I returned to work somewhat shell-shocked, but now it seems, thankfully, that I've rediscovered my enthusiasm for many of the things I genuinely enjoy...

Last Thursday, for instance saw a moment of inspiration. I'd been gathering bits and pieces and finally I had them all, or so I thought! As I lay out the ingredients for my latest adventure I was smugly satisfied that the Book of Sweet Things recipe for an orange ice-cream would fulfil one of my all time favourite cravings. I love ice-cream, as in proper ice-cream rather than iced-desserts (vegetable fat desserts more like!), but I am particularly fond of orange ice-cream.

The ingredients for this recipe are very simple, relying on a traditional custard base made from full cream Tullamore Dairies Milk, 5 Free-range Egg Yokes, the zest of an Orange (scrubbed to remove any unwanted wax or pesticides),and my own Vanilla Sugar to which you add 50g Bitter Marmalade. The lightly whipped Double Cream and Jaffa Cakes are added later on.

Had the been in a box it might have been easier to find them, but these were smashed up in a plastic bag that I'd confiscated from one of our younger scouts on the last day of our annual camp. Reluctant to share his booty with the rest of us he'd hidden them in the bottom of his rucsack and the resulting mess was going to be thrown away. A light bulb had suddenly lit up in my head, I could use them...

Once the custard had thickened my patience (or lack of it) isn't always a virtue at this point, and I resorted to transferring the custard into my trusty pyrex jug and then pluged it into cold water. I find this is so much quicker than waiting for my cast iron saucepan to cool!

Now it was time to fold in the whipped cream and pour the resulting mix into the ice-cream maker.
Quite honestly this is the best part of ice-cream making. Not only do you get to watch the fruit of your labour turn into your favourite dessert, but you also get to clean the utensils!

Sometime around half way through the churning process you're supposed to add the chopped/shredded/crushed jaffa cakes, mmmmh.... The recipe calls for four 'shredded' Jaffa Cakes, in my case I picked out four intact orange jelly discs and a large handful of powdered biscuit base crumbs and shards of dark chocolate to add to the mixture...

Needless to say we'd to be patient at this stage. This, of course, didn't prevent us from 'tasting' the partly frozen ice-cream , although you've to be quick unless you want your fingers caught by the agitator! Tastings aside we did manage to transfer at least six large portions into suitably sized bowl before we shut it into the deepfreeze for a while, just to finish off the freezing process.

I can't honestly remember what we had for dinner that night, but I do remember what we had for dessert! It was just lovely. Even writing about it now has got my taste buds tingling! Best of all though, I was happy in the knowledge that there were another couple of scoops left over for another day. Imagine then how disappointed I was, after a horrid day at work to discover that my eldest boy had devoured my only source of solace hence the absence of photo's!

To add insult to injury I was later presented with the plastic agitator. It was mangled and in an unusable condition, thanks to Tilley the Sheepdog who just loves to chew anything and everything she can get her teeth on. I don't know how she got hold of it, but until I can locate a replacement it looks as though my ice-cream making days are over...

Competition Time Galore

2010-08-17T14:30:00.003+01:00

The Portlaoise based Kitchen Dresser has a great competition on at the moment. For your chance to win a Kitchaid 5 pc utensil set worth €40 just answer the following question:

One of the new colours in the Kitchenaid Artisan Stand Mixer range is purple, but what is the name Kitchenaid have given to this colour?

Answer please to competition@kitchendresser.ie . Competition closes this Sunday 22nd August and winner will be selected randomly next Monday.

Next on my list of competitions to enter is one from my old time fave companies, Glenisk. In partnership with Airtricity they are offering fans the opportunity to win a years free electricity just by signing up for their Moosletter!

For more information on this wonderful opportunity click here and visit Glenisk where you'll find a couple of other great opportunities to win prizes. It's well worth entering and let's face it folks Glenisk is a quality brand with a great ethical record, so go on, give 'em a whirl...

Over on Pigsback, Sony are offering two lucky members the opportunity to win a Sony Vivas phone, which has a high definition 8.1 mega-pixel camera onboard which sports continuous auto-focus allowing you to capture memories as they happen, without missing out on the event itself!

Speaking of events, Pigsback are also offering the opportunity to win tickets for next months Electric Picnic and tickets to see Down v Kildare in the All Ireland Semi-Final.

All you have to do to be in with a chance is become a member of Pigsback.com and follow the links to the competitions page. In addition to this Pigsback.com offer all sorts of special offers and the opportunity to earn piggy points which are redeemable against all sorts of treats. All this is on top of the money off coupons offered against top of the range products, such as Flora, Heinz, Carefree, Kellog's & Knorr. Sign up today and be in with all sorts of chances to win with Pigsback.com. Now of course you can do this yourself by following the links provided, or you could e-mail me your e-mail addresses and I could refer you as friends and earn 300 piggy points each! Go on, you know you want to... (rofl!)

I'm pretty sure there are all sorts of fab competitions on offer out there and will add them as I find them, but for now, that's it ladies and gents. Will try really hard to post sooner rather than later...

Polly Pierce

Vinca Cards - Hand Made From Me For You!

Murphy's Icecream

2010-08-12T17:39:00.002+01:00

Fortuitous circumstance dictated that our annual vacation coincided with the highlight of the Marching Season in the North (of Ireland), which is the Glorious Twelfth of July, quite how I'd missed this on the calendar is beyond me. At this point that I realised I would indulge my love of homemade ice-cream in Co Kerry while evading the crowds in the North West! For years I've been fantasising about paying Kieran Murphy's Ice-Cream Ireland visit to sample his wares and dream was about to come true, despite my family's initial reluctance.

Arriving late in the evening on a rainy Saturday, we set up camp at The Rainbow Hostel & Campsite. DG having cleverly placed the collapsable roof-box in a back to front position discovered a small lake on the roof of his car when we arrived. The driving wind, mist and rain which had accompanied us all the way down to Dingle had found its way inside and soaked through to my sleeping bag. Thankfully it isn't a plush duck down bag, but a less expensive one which did its job just as well when wet. Anyway I consoled myself with thoughts of being down at the Murphy's within the hour.

As it turned out we missed last orders. Instead I awarded myself a swift pint of Smithwick's in a quayside bar listening to a song about chicken and rice being nice. Possibly the most ridiculous thing about that entire day is that we had an Indian takeaway for dinner. Considering that Dingle is a fishing town and just about every bar and restaurant but one serves delicious seafood delivered daily by the fishing boats just the other side of the road this was truly madness.

The next day, Sunday saw us slow to rise and when we did we headed off towards Tralee and its famous Aquadome. The weather wasn't nice and so we spent a little over three and a half hours splashing around like beached whales, having a grand old time. Still no Murphy's Ice-Cream for me. I really do have to admit to feeling somewhat aggreived at this point in time, although I was appeased by the production of a bottle of fine Spanish red wine in the evening.

On Monday I began to despair. Instead of heading into town we drove in the opposite direction and out to Ventry Beach for a few hours and a tour of Slea Head. There was a Mr Whippy style ice-cream van at the beach carpark, but really! This was too much, I mean I finally managed to get them there and now they won't allow me near the object of my recent cravings, little did I know that Tíg Áine had opened for the summer and that Murphys have a concession there. Mind you, we didn't venture quite that far afield...

In the evening with my patience beginning to break I demanded Murphy's Ice-Cream and Coffee. Yes, I demanded it in double scoops and it was worth the wait. Oh yes, it was definitely worth the wait. I treated myself to Guinness and Pure Chocolate, one scoop of each, but the shop was busy and there was nowhere to sit so it was out into the rain. But I was happy and didn't particularly care about the elements.

Wondering along the pavement in search of shelter I was oblivious to the deluge until suddenly my scoop of Guinness plopped down onto the ground. I felt sorry for the woman getting into her car as it happened, she was mortified and asked sheepishly if she were the responsible party. I squeaked my reassurances in return and very nearly bent down to scoop it back up again, but managed to resist both this and the temptation to cry! Where was the dog when I needed her? Like me she's rather partial to ice-cream treats...

Needless to say we went back, time and time again. This was an expensive outing for four, at a fiver for a double cone apiece it was expensive but definitely worth it. One day I even managed to sneak down there twice, without the children. It was then that we met Steve, one of the non-local surfers who had chosen to make Dingle his home during the Surf Season. Steve told us about desserted coves, safe for families and safe from tourists. Yes, Murphy's Ice-Cream is definitely to epicentre of the universe, at least in Dingle!

During our seven day stay we sampled each of the flavours at least once. It's hard to choose a favourite when they're all so good, the Rum n Raisin is exactly what it says on the tin, and the Bailey's is simply divine. Raspberry Sorbet is sensational alongside Kerry Cream, which essentially is the same as their Vanilla, only it has no vanilla in it. The Sea Salt was interesting, complementing their Burnt Caramel nicely. Cookies is an interesting colour, verging on a light mauve due to the darkness of the world famous Oreo's.

I did get to try my Guinness ice-cream a second time, and it was just as good as the one taste I'd had before the first had taken its unofficial leap off the high board. What's interesting about the Guinness recipe is that each batch has 500mls of the black stuff in it, which lends a subtle flavour to the sweet Kerry cream used in all the Murphy's products. This I know because I treated myself to The Book of Sweet Things by Kieran & Sean Murphy.

Above all my favourite of favourite flavours has to be their Cheesecake icecream, with the traditional buttered digestive biscuit base mixed in amongst the tangy sweetness of the lemon cheese mixture it is the perfect icecream.

15% Off All Purchases! Polly Says: Now That Can't be Bad...

2010-06-13T11:21:00.002+01:00

This weekend, to compensate us ladies who aren't exactly crazy about footie for the inconvenience caused by the World Cup 2010 we are being offered a great special offer by the owners of All Tea Towels! This company specialises in all manner of linen tea-towels with a bit of a twist on the traditional, ie pretty pictures and patterns combined with good old fashioned drying power!

Their generous offer of 15% discount on all purchases over the course of this weekend. There is a catch however, it really is just for the ladies! Quote: worldcup15 and cross your fingers that you get there in time. In addition to this this offer has certain restrictions which are that the "discount will work with NoChex & Paypal card payment options - not Google Checkout."

So, why not just sit back and enjoy? Go on, give it a whirl and pick up some lovely new tea-towels that like all linen will become soft and absorbent once you've washed them a couple of times to remove the dressing. Best of all, they won't leave those annoying bits of fluff all over the glasses you'll be using while hubby enjoys the sporting activities over the next month or so!

Speaking of glasses, that would possibly lead one to believe that the average soccer husband drinks beer. I know, that's an outrageous statement but it does happily link two completely different topics to the world cup!
Lorna, over at Garrendenny Interiors is running her Freebie Friday again this week, apologies for the lateness of this post - I fell asleep over the puter last night and it simply had to wait until this morning!!!! LOL!

Anyway, this week's giveaway is a Black & Blum Jimmy Keyring & Bottleopener - perfect for opening those crown cap bottles that are so popular these days. For more on this why not head over to my other blog Polly's Peri-wrinkles & Piercings! for another good read before you enter...

As the All Tea Towels site wouldn't let me lift an image to show you, I thought I'd showcase Sandie Dunne's latest scrapbooking layout. She's this months guest designer on the Studio Challenges blog and the challenge was to celebrate the World Cup! Problem is, she's not into footie, like so many of us ladies, so she decided to scrap her own soccer hero instead.

Right so, I'm off! Have a great Sunday and don't forget the World Cup doesn't last forever, make the best of it and take the opportunity to do something that you wouldn't normally do...like scrapbooking!

Bye!

Polly

VINCA Cards

Polly Says "Take A Stroll Down Garrendenny Lane..."

2010-05-29T12:06:00.001+01:00

Last week, you may remember me telling you all about Lorna Sixsmith's Garrendenny Lane Interior's fabulous Friday giveaway. Last weeks prize was a Lene Bjerre cheese knife with a Selwyn Pearl handle which is inlaid with beautiful silver bands. Without a doubt this was a gorgeous prize, and it was with true delight that I read an e-mail from Lorna advising me that I was in fact the lucky winner...

As happens so often with these things, the photograph didn't do this lovely piece justice and I am well and truly looking forward to using it alongside my dinner service and coffee set at some time later in the year. I've to find the house first, which is burried underneath all manner of detritis belonging to its eight inhabitants! Better yet, add a dining room to my wishlist and somehow make it happen.

Lorna has asked me to tell my readers that Freebie Friday is going to be a weekly event from now on and on that happy note I'll just tell you a little about this weeks giveaway. To get everyone into the summer mood, alongside the glorious weather we've been having Lorna is offering a lovely napkin holder and a pack of pretty Greengate napkins to start the lucky winner off.

All you have to do is leave a comment on the Garrendenny Interiors blog and/or on their facebook page. Once this is done, you'll have to wait patiently till Monday to see if you're the lucky winner which will give to plenty of time to browse through Lorna's online shop...

Polly Celebrates Ireland's National Fish And Chip Day...

2010-05-26T15:44:00.001+01:00

Today, 26th May 2010 is National Fish & Chip Day here in Ireland! Apparently, participating chippers are offering 50% discount on all orders for fish and chips today...

The word on the street is that the first fish and chips in Ireland were introduced by young Guiseppe Cervi, who was on an America bound ship which stopped off in Queenstown (Cobh)on the south coast, just off Cork. Having reached Dublin, Guiseppe worked in the city as a labourer, earning enough to buy a coal-fired cooker and a handcart, and started selling chips outside pubs...

In the years following Guiseppe opened his first fish and chip shop was on Great Brunswick Street – now Pearse Street – next door to Trinity College Dublin in 1880-something...

What remains remarkable about the Fish and Chip industry in Ireland is that the majority are owned by Italians some hundred years or so later. Even more remarkable is the fact that nearly all of these families originate from one tiny area - a handful of little villages in Val Di Comino, in the province of Frosinone in Southern Italy.

In honour of this great tradition the descendents of these hard working pioneers of Ireland's favourite fast food have got together to form a self regulating association - ITICA, whose tagline is "Serving Your Local Community Since 1885"...

These are ITICA's Core Values:

Freshly cut chips are the only chips we serve
Our customers will be treated courteously and efficiently
All meals will be prepared to the highest food safety standard
Our shops will be maintained to the highest standard
Our shops remain a safe and welcoming environment
We will support ITICA promotional activities

For more information why not drop into their site and see who in your area is a member of ITICA!

Now it's not that I'm biased, but with the exception of Leo Burdocks, the only place to go for fish and chips is an italian chippers! Everything else pales by comparison. It's not unusual for Irish chippers to use frozen lumps of soggy battered fish instead of fresh fish. This and the use of frozen chips, which are equally appealing succeeded in putting me off fish and chips for many years!

"GOLDENFRY and Luigi's, Edenderry; Macari's, Tullamore and Angelo's Takeaway, Banagher have become members of the newly formed Irish Traditional Italian Chippers Association (ITICA) and they now proudly display the ITICA logo." (Offaly Express 09 April 2010)

So, the question remains, how will you celebrate National Fish & Chip Day? The thought did cross my mind that I could make a healthy low fat version of fish and chips here at home, however, that really wouldn't be celebrating National Fish And Chips Day properly would it? So I guess it's off to Macari's for tea tonight...

Meanwhile, in between rushing around delivering boys here, there and everywhere I think I shall celebrate by making an extra-special hand made greeting card to cheer a lady called Jayme up. This is known as a random act of kindness or RAK, if you would like to know more about this please visit here...

If I succeed in fulfilling this ambition, I'll be posting on my other blog later on this evening and you can find out more over there...

Why not let us know how you celebrated National Fish & Chip Day 2010? Enjoy!

Ciao!

Polly

Vinca Cards

Polly Watched Pan's Giveaway Grow...

2010-05-25T12:51:00.000+01:00

Some time ago I had the pleasure of witnessing the fabulously talented Donal Skehan of the Good Mood Food blog in the role of Peter Pan during our annual family pilgrimage to the Cheerio's Panto. For many years my family have enjoyed the company of Alan Hughes aka Sammy Sausages and Buffy, starring alongside established and emerging stars on New Years Day.

Once I laughed soooo hard that I cried. Not one to miss an opportunity, although often a line or two, Buffy took the advantage and announced to the audience at large that "Awwh, Mammy's crying...!" I suppose I was fair game. I've lost count of the amount of times that the heckling from the front row has taken its toll on the slightly hung over cast, resulting in snorts, guffaws and the giggles. It's a grand relationship and in hind sight I am sad that it has probably come to an end, my boys consider themselves too old for childish toys and pantos now...

This year (2010), poor weather conditions saw an expedition, halted by the snow and ice. It took us only as far as Dunne & Crescenzi's L'Officina at Kildare Village, where we consoled ourselves with a super Italian dinner for five. Meanwhile, I watched the surrounding tables with eagle eyes, seeking my prey. I was looking for a family who might be heading towards the big city and might be glad of a crazy womans New Year's gesture of tickets for the panto. It was not to be...

Anyway, as I reminisce, I also digress. Returning to Donal Skehan, he may have played Peter Pan alongside Jenny Masterson's Tinkerbelle, but in real life he is growing up. His foodie blog has really taken off, he's written and published one cookery book and is in the process of a second one and he's becoming something of a household name here in Ireland. Good on yer, Donal!

So, how do you fancy a trip to one of his favourite restaurants? Meet the owner and head chef of SABA in the video below and see for yourself why Donal loves this place so much...

Okay, so didn't that look just scrumptious? Now, for my Irish readers why don't you head over to the Good Mood Food Blog and see how can you win yourself a table for two at one of Ireland's finest Thai & Vietnamese restaurants (and don't forget to tell him that Polly sent you)...

Good luck!

Polly

Vinca Cards

Polly's Garden Rockets...

2010-05-24T10:42:00.000+01:00

Just a little over fifty years ago the British government launched its favourite slogan "Dig For Victory!" Here we are, in the fully modernised 21st Century being encouraged to do the same again during one of the worst recessions in since the war. It just goes to show how human beings can adjust to circumstances, returning to the basics during times of need...

In the video below Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall introduces The River Cottage Instant Vegetable Garden from Rocket Gardens. Safely ensconced in a box packed with organic straw to protect and keep its contents moist, your bounty is delivered right to your door. Eliminating the especially vulnerable stages from germination to becoming a fully fledged seedling, Rocket Gardens provides you with an advantage over your local flora and fauna.

Image via Wikipedia

So, what’s in the box?

The following baby plants suitable for filling a plot approx 10m square.

• Rocket x 20
• Mixed lettuce x 30
• Dwarf French green beans x 12
• Runner beans x 8
• Kale x 5
• Courgettes x 3
• Potatoes x 10
• Giant red mustard x 10
• Tomatoes x 3
• Peas x 10
• Basil x 2
• Parsley x 2
• Borlotti beans x 8
• Chard x 10

All you have to do is prepare the soil in advance by digging it over, weeding it and turning the soil into a fine tilth ready for planting! Rocket Gardens certainly provides peace of mind, taking away the uncertainty of the germination process and night time raids...

If you'd like to know more head over to River Cottage, meanwhile Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall tells us a little bit about this great idea:

As you can tell, I'm a bit of a Hugh Fearnley fan! I just wish I had the energy that he has to turn my somewhat overgrown jungle into a productive kitchen and ornamental garden. Still, one can dream...

All the best for now,

Polly

Vinca Cards

Polly Launches Dungarvan Brewing Company In Dublin...

2010-05-22T11:54:00.002+01:00

Just a quick update on the recent post I did on the Dungarvan Brewing Company who produce a range of Bottle conditioned beers - Black Rock Irish Stout, Copper Coast Red Ale, Helvick Gold Blonde Ale their micro-brewery down in Co Waterford.(just typing the names has my imagination salivating!)

I recently received a message in my Facebook message box which informed me that they are expanding! Yes, for those of you lucky enough to be living in Dublin they will be having a launch party in the 'Bull and Castle' on Lord Edward Street in Dublin on Thursday 3rd June starting at 7pm.

I have to admit that I am just a wee bit envious and wish that I live in Dublin. By the time this date comes around I'll be back in the workforce for the first time in four years or so, so I definitely won't be in a position to join the party! Still, there will always be another one...

Meanwhile, if you'd like to keep up with their exploits they now have a blog or rather their chief brewer now has one. This is a good read which is full of useful information for would be real ale drinkers not least because it contains the link to their map of stockists!

Meanwhile, despite the beautiful weather I'm just going to have to content myself with a lovely pint of tap water...

Polly

Vinca Cards

Garrendenny Lane Interiors Friday Freebie... Polly Wants It!

2010-05-22T10:30:00.001+01:00

This is going to be a quickie post to spread the word that Lorna Sixsmith of Garrendenny Lane Interiors is holding her Freebie Friday again this week. This week she put the post up a little late, due to computer problems in the morning, followed by a day out of the homestead, so she is generously leaving the comments open until Monday...

So, what is up for grabs this week? Well, I can tell you that it's something I wouldn't mind getting my sticky mitts on, as I am gradually growing my collection of formal table wear and this is one thing which is notably absent - a cheese knife. This however is no ordinary cheeseknife it is in fact a cheese knife by Lene Bjerre with a Selwyn pearl handle which comes in a lovely faux velvet black case with ‘Lene Bjerre’ inscribed on the case.

For more information on how to win this lovely prize call in to Lorna down at Garrendenny Lane Interiors Blog and don't forget to tell her that Polly sent you! While you're down there you might like to have a quick look around her online shop because Lorna has some fabulous products in stock, ranging from purely frivolous to entirely functional like the Joseph & Josheph 'Nest'...

Meanwhile, all that remains for me to say, is good luck!

Polly

VINCA Cards

Today Is National Fibromyalgia Day

2010-05-12T15:49:00.002+01:00

Polly's A Thrifty Mammy

2010-05-11T13:31:00.001+01:00

Thrifty Mammy Deborah recently resurrected her blogging expertise to bring us a great site full of tips and tricks on how to get by in comfort during these troubled economic times. With favourites such as Lidl and Aldi ranking highly on her list of crucial buys Deborah presents delights such as home-made bacon rashers to menu planning this lady certainly knows her onions.

In addition to this Deborah's site is jam packed with tasty but frugal recipes suitable for a family with young children. Reading her shopping list can be quite a revelation, because for the most part there is very little unusual listed on it. Perhaps this is due to her Irish-American background or maybe she just has more in the way of imagination than most, but this lady is a dab hand with the slow cooker and menu planning. She is a breath of fresh air, not least because she is based here in Ireland which makes her advice so much more worthwhile for the likes of you and me...

Like it or loathe, it our present economic climate presents us with opportunities to rediscover the simple pleasures of home cooked food, rather than fast mass produced factory food. If you read Deborah's regular updates and take them to heart there is no reason why you too shouldn't be eating like a king on a paupers wages! But hang on just one moment, Deborah doesn't stop at food.

She also gives some great advice on how to make a few extra bob to spend on 'lidl treats' such as holidays or even your common or ordinary dvd rental. Check out this Thrifty Mammy's site and let me know what you think

GLENISK PARTNERS WITH LEADING COOKERY SCHOOL, COOKS ACADEMY - COOKERY COURSES & RECIPE BOOKS TO BE WON

2010-05-11T13:08:00.001+01:00

Calling all foodies and aspiring chefs: Glenisk, the award-winning, family owned organic dairy, has teamed up with one of Ireland’s leading cookery schools, Cooks Academy to help Irish people to rediscover their love of cooking.

Glenisk Organic Crème Fraîche features an exciting new on-pack offer, with the chance to win one of several week-long cookery courses from Cooks Academy and recipe books. The courses, suitable for beginners, provide a wonderful introduction to cooking, helping to inspire a love of food. Home cooking is growing in popularity; recent research from Bord Bia shows that 63% of us now cook from scratch several times a week, and that 9% of us have booked a cookery course in the past year.*

Recipe Demonstrations

The partnership has also seen Cooks Academy create a series of mouth-watering recipes for Glenisk, complete with step-by-step video demonstrations, from the top tutors at the Academy. The recipes and videos are available to view at http://www.glenisk.com/recipes/cooks-academy-recipes.

For further information, see promotional packs of Glenisk’s Organic Crème Fraîche, 250g (€1.59, available nationwide) or visit www.glenisk.com.

Polly Introduces Tullamore Dairies

2010-05-11T12:42:00.001+01:00

Hi there and welcome back to Vinca's In Tha Kitchen. It's been a long time since I've made my presence felt here and frankly I feel guilty about it! Sad to say that I could offer excuse upon excuse, each as relevent as the other, but honestly folks I think it was a mixture between bloggers block and a lack of heart...

First of all, let me just say that I haven't been totally idle since my last posting. Oh no, I've been getting plenty of exercise surfing away and catching up with my own reading which is something that often doesn't happen when I'm busy blogging and making cards. It's important to catch up and to keep up, so while I've been feeling sorry for myself with all the exciting developments in my life I've been chilling out on the net in between times. So, I've got quite a bit to catch up on...

First of all my love affair with Glenisk. Well, I'm sure that regular readers have often heard me refer to the Cleary family from Killeigh and their ethically conscious dairy company, and just every now and again their sister company Tullamore Dairies. I feel it necessary for me to offer an apology of sorts, in so far as I seem to have almost neglected Tullamore Dairies - the original incarnation, in preference of their younger flashier sister company.

For those of you who don't live locally Tullamore Dairies is still very much up and running. They provide some of the nicest, creamiest and cheapest milk in the locality, just as they have been doing ever since they first set up as an independant dairy. Rather bizarrely, I made an interesting discovery about this company just last week - they supply skimmed milk...

Up until last week I had somewhat reluctantly been purchasing what I refer to as 'pink milk' from their competitor & major stakeholder in the dairy business here in Ireland. To the best of my knowledge this huge conglomerate was the only supplier of the slightly thinner version of everybody's favourite healthy drink. As a consequence I have been buying their product in bulk and freezing it until needed, as it is often difficult to purchase skimmed milk in Ireland at all!

To be honest I've yet to buy my local Tullamore Dairies product as I've still got a healthy quantity of the frozen stuff to use up, but believe you me I'll be looking for the distinctive green and white waxed carton in the shops next time I go shopping...

Have A Bash?

2010-04-09T18:15:00.004+01:00

You know thinking about it, I really do have a thing about kitchen gadgets. The fact that I don't use the most of them, despite it being a matter of life and death if I didn't get them is entirely beside the point!

One such gadget is the humble pestle and mortar. I do however use mine with alarming regularity and surprisingly enough so does my twelve year old son. Sadly my version of the pestle and mortar is not what it could be. A present from my erstwhile ex-husband many years ago my love for this object has endured despite the fact that it is of green Connemara marble. Ungrateful? No, not at all. I just prefer the more traditional stoneware type...

Perhaps then, it's just as well that George from Culinary Travels is only able to offer her present give-away to our American readers.

"I have the team over at CSN stores (who have more than 200 online stores that sell everything from cookware to yoga accessories to bamboo flooring to barstools) to thank for allowing me to give away this great prize .

To enter all you need to do is leave me a comment here, making it clear if you are in the US, by April 29th and I will pick a winner on May 1st. I’ll then contact the winner directly and pass their details on to CSN stores so that they can arrange dispatch of the item."

So, best of luck and if you're the lucky winner try not to think of me and my Connemara marble while you're busy bashing away with your lovely new granite pestle and mortar!

Happy bashing...

Polly Pierce

Hand Made Irish Cards For All Occasions

Dungarvan Brewing Company

2010-04-09T17:15:00.001+01:00

t's funny how having a bad day can turn into having a good day all of a sudden, isn't it? Sometimes when the body and/or the spirit doesn't want to play I turn to my trusty computer for solace. It's better than pain killers or valium, somehow managing to suppress whatever is bothering me sufficiently to take away the desire to vent at the children, or whichever innocent might happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The medicinal effect of the computer is proven in its efficiency. A number of years ago my youngest son had both of his large toe nails operated on (Zadek's Procedure), under local anaesthetic. At the time he was sitting up on the operating table munching on chocolate (much to the anaesthetists disgust) and playing his beloved Nintendo DS. LB was considered too young to tolerate the discomfort of the local anaesthetic injections and was expected to require full anaesthesia.

Anyway, I digress. During one of my less enthusiastic moments, ie today I went surfing on the net and am delighted to say that this has truly lifted my spirits resulting in several important discoveries and a lighter mood. Not only am I now the newest proud member of DCWV's Facebook page, (I just love their stuff), I'm also wiser regarding the existence of Lin Yu Chun, I've come face to face with the woman behind I Married An Irish Farmer and what's more I've discovered the existence of the Dungarvan Brewing Company. Wow, what a day...

Regular readers know that I am passionate about supporting the local economy and promoting local businesses. Some may even know that I'm fairly enthusiastic about what is fondly known in the UK as Real Ale. Actually, it's more than that. It's a passion for hand-crafted beers, sadly in Ireland these are few and far between as the majority of beer drinkers lack the appreciation of the craft to seek anything but the high pressured cold fizzy stuff sold in most public houses these days.

Like lambs to the slaughter the modern beer drinker accepts the latest fashion of ultra chilled liquid devoid of flavour in the belief that this is the best way to serve their favourite tipple. In reality beers are served like this to disguise the reduction in quality due to variables cellar conditions and general lack of skill on the part of the average bar person (pc for bar man or heaven forbid maid.)

Having grown up with Guinness of the highest standard, served at room temperature in deference to the average age of the customers being well above sixty years it was with some degree of revulsion that I discovered what the English call 'Guinness'. This was quite a different beast. It suffered the indignities of poor bar skills and travelled poorly. I once was advised by a sage bar man of the New Forest, (in the deep South) that the lumps of black stuff snaking slowly down the inside of the glass were supposed to be there. Needless to say it wasn't long before I was introduced to something far more palatable...

While I have yet to enjoy the experience of the Dungarvan Brewing Company's wares it fills me with absolute delight to be able to extol their virtues here on this page. Ethically they are the epitome of the stuff that I came to love during my time in the United Kingdom. Being Ireland's latest addition to the micro-brewery industry they are producing a range of bottle-conditioned craft beers which are brewed and bottled on-site in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford.

What's so exciting about the Dungarvan Brewing Company then? Simply put it is the return to proper old fashioned brewing techniques which the larger companies have abandoned:

Brewing and bottling on-site means that we can oversee the complete production process, from grain to finished bottle, so we can assure the quality of this hand-crafted product.
Conditioning in the bottle means we have a naturally carbonated, unfiltered and unpasteurised beer that doesn't need any further enhancers or additives to stabilise or improve them.

Anyway, for those that share my passion the Dungarvan Brewing Company is having their official launch tonight at Downey's in Dungarvan, Co Waterford from 8pm onwards. I wish they were a bit closer to home! Maybe if you're in the area and love real beer you'll take a couple of hours out of your busy schedule to drop in for a pint or two and get these guys off to a flying start. For more information check out their Facebook Page...

Slainté

Polly Pierce

Irish Hand Made Greeting Cards & Wedding Stationery

Fancy A Free Yoghurt?

2010-04-08T17:18:00.001+01:00

Anyone reading this for the first time might not be aware of my 'love affair' with local champions of all things organic and sustainable. To explain a little bit more about this whey (sic) not check out this offer:

Fancy Free Yogurt?

We've got 250 free packs to give away to our Facebook Fans. For a chance to win, become a fan and email your address to win@glenisk.com by April 15 putting 'Facebook' in the subject line.

Yes, that's right they're at it again, the Cleary family from Killeigh, Co Offaly are distributing their new Moosletter with all the latest news from the Dairy you can trust. Click on through to their main website to find out more about this ground breaking family and see what has inspired me to follow their fortunes so closely. I'll give you a clue - it's not just because they're local!

So now that you know a little bit more about Glenisk, the people behind it and their ethics do please keep an eye out for their products in a supermarket near you, and support the local economy...

Polly Shares Peter Rabbits Family Recipes...

2010-03-09T11:00:00.003Z

Spring is in the air... and this is a freebie share for anyone with a love of nostalgia and young kids! (excuse the pun!) The Peter Rabbit's Family Recipes e-book is a simple delight with some beautiful illustrations - as one might expect from Ms Potter. In a world of ever increasing sugar consumption and empty calories this may be just the thing to encourage youngsters to eat their greens.

With recipes ranging from Mrs Rabbit's Green Pea & Macaroni Salad to Cotton Tail's Blackberry Lemonade, Kit Singleton proves that healthy eating isn't all about fibre and no flavour. This book will also prove useful later in the evening as the Tale of Peter Rabbit is told at the very beginning with some of the original illustrations.

For more information and indeed help planning your menu's and healthy eating head over to MyCountryCookin.com and have a good look around. There's bound to be something there for just about everyone...

I found this video while looking for a nice photo to boost this post with. I know it goes on a bit, but it's lovely and the cheerful song from Grease is one of my favourites!

Enjoy the innocence of the lost world while eating healthily, just like Peter Rabbit! While on the subject of rabbits, if you click on either of the two pictures I've chosen to illustrate this post it will re-direct you to the House Rabbit Society website where you can find out how to look after the next addition to the family. For example, did you know that a rabbit can be trained to use a litter box? Or that your cat can be best friends with your rabbit?

Well, judging from what I've written above you'd never guess that once upon a time I was petrified of rabbits, would you? My friends so-called pet rabbit bit my finger when I was five, it bled like fury and put me off rabbits for a good thirty years or so. Maybe that's why I developed a taste for one of the healthiest meat options available? But that my dears is a tale for another day, and shhh, don't tell Peter Rabbit what I just said...

Bye for now!

Polly Pierce

Hand-made Irish Wedding Stationery & Greeting Cards From Co Offaly

Polly Congratulates Glenisk On Latest...

2010-03-06T15:34:00.001Z

Early this afternoon I logged into my Facebook account to catch up with the world, his brother and sister and basically to have a good look around. Amongst the regular updates about Farmeville and the like (all of which I studiously ignore!) I came across the latest update from Glenisk.

Regular readers are no doubt aware that Glenisk is in fact one of my neighbours. In rural Ireland, if someone lives within a couple of miles as the crow flies, they are your neighbour and I am thrilled to have the pleasure of having watched the Cleary family from Newtown, Killeigh expand their business over the past three decades. Time after time I'm proud to say that this family business has been nominated for and received top awards and this week is no exception...

Glenisk is the overall winner of the SFA National Business Award 2010. Winning the Food & Drinks category, Glenisk also beat off competition from 35 other finalists to take the top prize. The award was presented to finance director, Gerard Cleary by An Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, TD, on Thursday, 4 March.

While we're on the subject of the latest from Glenisk, why not have a look at their new TV advert. Apparently, this was filmed in the middle of a particularly chilly December which meant that it wasn't practical to film au naturel, ie out on the farm. If you want to see how they did it head over here for more details...

So, congratulations to Vincent, Ger and all the lads over in Newtown! Keep up the good work and carry on bringing national and international awards back to our parish, making organics and sustainability hip, and the nation healthier...!

Polly Pierce

Vinca Cards - Handmade Wedding Stationery & Greeting Cards Made In Offaly

What's Your Swap...

2010-02-15T15:47:00.000Z

As much as I'd love to, I really can't put it any better than George over at Culinary Travels . In fact I simply couldn't agree more, so why not head over there and read all about The Big Swap...

Polly's Plastic Lakeland Bags...

2009-10-20T11:45:00.003+01:00

My Mum is great. She's kind, generous, funny, warm, a good cook, a great babysitter, Mum, Granny, friend, etc. Sometimes however, she can be somewhat over enthusiastic about certain things and when presented with the result of this enthusiasm, I don't always know quite how to react.

One of the latest objects of this enthusiasm is a simple storage device called the Bread Bag produced by Lakeland Plastics. Little more than a white cotton draw string bag which is lined with plastic, this item received little more than a cursory glance. Horror of horrors, she'd actually bought four of the blessed things and presented me with two of them, one medium and one large sized.

In the same breath I was informed that she no longer needed the fancy stoneware bread crock that I'd bought her once upon a time and that I could have it for whatever I decided to do with it. Fair enough, I thought, as we'd both had similar problems with the storage of bread in said article - ie the bread went mouldy within a couple of days occupation. Currently my bread crock holds enormous quantities of rice, keeps it dry, pest free and easily accessible. To be honest, it's a godsend!

So, without more adieu, I decided there and then that the newer, slightly larger stoneware bread crock would make a fantastic place in which to store root vegetables like spuds. These too have proved problematic, in that they're inclined to sprout at the slightest opportunity, so far the bread crock seems to have this particular issue under control.

So what of the plastic lined cotton bag? Well, eventually I decided to try it out. I did so somewhat relunctantly, as I truly didn't have any faith in the things but didn't want to upset my Mum. Rather than be accused of spurning her generosity I stuffed a Tiger Loaf from Tesco's into it and hoped for the best, nearly one week later it remained soft and fluffy, no evidence of age to make it taste stale and certainly there was no sign of mould. I was surprised, no actually I was shocked!

My next experiment was a soda bread cake. As delicious as it was, I deliberated and decided that out of sight was indeed a case of out of mind. Wholewheat soda bread is delicious, especially with a layer of butter upon it and reeks havoc on any healthy eating plan, so it had to be vanished - or else face the consequences. Where better to stuff it than into Lakeland's bread bag, whereupon it languished for the best part of a week before being rediscovered. Aw, so what? Well, normally soda bread lasts no more than 24 hours before it becomes stale and unpalatably dry but not in this case. I was actually amazed this time...

Over the past few weeks I have stuffed various different bread products into my Lakeland Bread Bags ranging from soda bread to pitta bread, tiger bread to donuts and each one has remained soft and fresh for inordinate lengths of time. I don't know how they stay fresh, they just do and whoever invented this solution to an age old problem needs a pat on the back and a round of applause.

My recommendation would be for anyone who likes their bread, especially if they live alone or as part of a small family, is to go out and try the Lakeland Bread Bag for yourselves. It works for me and hopefully it'll work for you!

Polly's On A Reducing Diet...

2009-10-20T09:51:00.003+01:00

Okay, so I am supposed to be on a diet, but what happens when you head off on a weekend jam packed with Scouting activities outdoors and under canvass? Anyone who has done any of the above would probably be inclined to argue that good intentions fly straight out the window and they might be right...

This weekend was like most other weekends, except that food was a plenty and it was there for the taking. Ordinarily we have set rations of food for meals and loads of junk, ie crisps, biscuits a2nd sweets. Now while this scenario is much the same on any Scout camp that I've ever been on, one must remember that they can actually say "No thanks!" when assailed by massive quantities of junk. Not only this, but it is possible to take your skimmed milk along and to avoid high fat spreads and chocolate.

This weekend we feasted on one of the cheapest meals ever produced by the 1st Tullamore Scout Troup; Lamb Rhogan Josh with rice. Not only was it cheap, nutritious and FILLING, there was enough for seconds and all but one scout enjoyed every single mouthful, he's the one who opted for a hard boiled egg and boiled rice for dinner. Next time he's going to give what we're eating a try!

For ten people we used 1.9kg joint of rolled shoulder of lamb diced reduced to just €3.45, 2 cans chopped tomatoes, 1 can coconut milk, five medium onions, two bell peppers (orange & red), two birds eye chili's, five cloves of garlic, one thumb sized piece of fresh root ginger, 1/2 punnet mushrooms, 1 punnet baby sweetcorn, two jars rhogan josh sauce (much to my disgust) and of course 2 tablespoons of Polly's secret spice mixture. Approximately seven tea cups of easy cook american rice were also used.

No oil or fat was needed as the fat from the lamb was rendered down and used for the initial sauteeing of the meat & vegetables. The basic recipe was adapted from Jamie Oliver's recipe except that I mixed up my spice mixture using ground seeds instead of whole, for the sake of convenience and also because most of our charges aren't used to the presence of whole spices in their food!

Polly's secret spice recipe included english mustard powder, fenugreek powder, curry leaves, cumin, ginger, paprika, salt, chili flakes, (ground cardamom for the lamb) & turmeric. To be honest this would have been more than sufficient, but my Scouting colleague decided to pick up a couple of bottles of Rhogan Josh sauce which in my opinion was a waste of money, but never mind. An additional couple of cans of tomatoes would have been better value!(all of 6.5c per person!)

The jars of sauce cost .80c each, canned tomatoes .45c each, baby sweetcorn .79c, onions .79c, garlic .21c, peppers .90c, mushrooms €1.29c, ginger & chili's .40c, coconut milk €1.50, lamb €3.45 and easy cook long grain rice .89c which comes to a total of €9.78 or .98c per person! To be fair, there were actually enough left overs for one more portion, which would have brought down the total cost of the meal .89c per person (.82c without cook in sauces!)...

Now the one thing I'm unable to factor into the equation is the spices. Principally this is because the cost is minimal. I tend to buy spices from my local pakistani shop in what might be considered bulk, ie not in silly little branded jars that cost a fortune from the local supermarket! The one exception to this rule is Colman's Mustard Powder which costs €1.25 for 57g...

So, when you're eating this healthily and for so little it kind of stands to reason that dieting is not high on one's list of priorities. Combined with the fact that we were camping out in temperatures as low as -1C and continually on the go from morning till night, I probably burned off more calories than I consumed. I'm hopeful that my Thursday morning weigh in at Unislim will prove my theory and I'm sticking to it...

Polly Pierce

Hand Made Cards From Ireland

Need Polly Say More...

2009-09-30T13:18:00.001+01:00

Polly Promotes Lidl & Good Heart Health

2009-09-21T12:30:00.003+01:00

If the print on this appears too small to read, please click on the poster and you will be transported to the Lidl website where you will find more details...

Spend €10 or more on fruit and veg and we donate 10% to the Irish Heart Foundation
For more information click on:
http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home.nsf/pages/c.service.sort.charity.charity

Polly Mourns The Loss of Keith Floyd...

2009-09-15T10:35:00.005+01:00

In a world where celebrity chefs seem to be ten a penny the world mourns the recent loss of Keith Floyd. At the peak of his popularity Keith was deemed to be something of an expert on food and a drunkard. His unique selling points were his insistence on wearing a bow tie, and quaffing what seemed in those days to be vast quantities of fine red wines all the while narrating his culinary adventures around the world.

I grew up in a world where celebrity cheffing was virtually unheard of. The two exceptions to this rule were Graham Kerr aka The Galloping Gourmet and Fanny Craddock; although I am sure there were more on the go, these are the ones I remember! In the mid-eighties came the resurgence of the celebrity chef and Keith Floyd was one of them...

It was thanks to the whacky English gentleman's relaxed approach to food and his eccentricities that I took it into my head to find a decent recipe for chili con carné. Nothing much to it, except that somehow it always turned out like my spaghetti sauces evil twin brother! Something had to be done, because I liked the dish and just could not figure out where I was going wrong.

Welcome Floyd's American Pie - the book of the TV series produced by the BBC in 1989. Nestled alongside prison kitchen sized recipes for my favourite Tex-mex dish lay recipes for Pecan Pie and Key Lime Pie and all sorts of exotic delights which had yet to be adopted into the Great British Cuisine.

This is Keith at his best. Beware - this information is as relevant today as it ever was...

While these days I am not inclined to watch a lot of TV, in those days I was probably too busy working shifts or socialising with my colleagues afterwards. I did used to make an effort to catch up with the somewhat dotty Keith Floyd. These days I can't be bothered to watch TV much at all and rarely sit down to watch anything until well after 9pm.

For an example of how Uncle Keith touted his wares and got into shed loads of trouble along the way why not check out his slightly outdated blog. Written in the manner of his speech, this is Keith Floyd warts and all...

Maybe tomorrow I'll post my favourite recipe for one of my favourite dishes. First I'll have to make it in order to figure out the quantities, etc! After years of experimentation, I believe that I've finally hit on the jackpot. I'll give you a clue

balsamic vinegar!

Is organic worth it asks Polly?

2009-09-15T10:08:00.003+01:00

In recognition of National Organic Week 2009 yesterday's Irish Times published this article which makes interesting reading:

Is organic worth it?

Despite the recession and a belief that they’re more expensive, sales of organic food are up 16 per cent on last year – and that’s on top of price-cutting and increased competition, writes CONOR POPE
IT’S BEEN a tough year for organic food producers. As if convincing people to spend a little more on food in the middle of a full-blown depression wasn’t hard enough, they’ve also had to combat a headline-generating scientific report which was published this summer casting doubt on the nutritional benefits of their produce[...]

Polly Pierce Welcomes National Organic Week 2009

2009-09-15T10:00:00.003+01:00

Welcome to National Organic Week! A little bit late perhaps, but as that famous saying goes: "It's better late than never!" Okay, I know it should have been said yesterday, but hey this is Polly we're talking about...

National Organic Week: September 14th – 20th 2009

National Organic Week has been held annually since 2005. Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and co-ordinated by Bord Bia, the week aims to raise consumer awareness of organic food, how to recognise it when shopping and where to buy it. Cooking a tasty meal for friends and family with in-season organic ingredients is an ideal way to treat your loved ones and enjoy the freshest produce sourced in your local region.

National Organic Week provides an ideal opportunity for organic producers and processors to organise events at a national and local level to increase consumer awareness of locally produced organic food. This year there are almost 60 events taking place throughout the country to celebrate National Organic week including, organic farm walks, cookery demonatrations, barbeques, educational events, in-store tastings and much more. It promises to be a great week.

Click here to see the full list of National Organic Week events by county.

Polly Takes Some Beer...

2009-09-08T11:38:00.005+01:00

My last blog post was written in response to a posting on my Facebook page by one of my cyber pals who has been lucky enough to have been nominated for the Most Beautiful Website award over at the Realex Irish Web Awards 2009. While I am personally not mad into award ceremonies and the like, no doubt I'd not refuse if offered, I do find the lists of nominees spectacularly interesting and indeed useful.

One such nominee, in several categories, is the Irish Craft Brewer. This is certainly a new website for me and one which really caught my eye. You see, in the absence of decent Guinness in the UK some twenty or so years ago I developed a keen interest in Real Ale. This is also known as Craft Ale in some circles, hence my keen eye noting the presence of the Irish Craft Brewer in several categories!

Sadly there are few craft breweries, which is what we call real ale breweries in Ireland, North or South of the border. Craft breweries are so called because they make proper old fashioned beer using old fashioned techniques and recipes. Craft Beer or Real Ale is beer produced by small craft breweries and it's lovely! Well, that is if you really like your beer...

As regular readers have probably realised by now I am fussy about certain things, chocolate, tea, coffee, perfume, wine, cheese and beer! I like to drink my Guinness at cellar temperature and not chilled to within an inch of its life, the same goes for chocolate and cheese. I also hate fizzy drinks

Perfume has to be a natural concoction bereft of all modern synthetic additives, from the old world, so has DG's aftershave cologne and my Mitchum deodorant. I've been known to give away huge bottles of expensive perfume - just to make sure no one uses them in the house (retchhhhhhhhhh!). I also use Eco-balls for doing my washing and Ecover for really grubby washing and anything else around the house and won't shop if the scent of the detergent section is noticeable!

Indian or Asian food has to be free of food colourants and preserved garlic is an absolute no-no. Archer's Peach Schnapps is a diabolical creation followed by all other false peach flavoured things, and yet I love peaches. Neurofen gives me asthma, it gives my Mum the runs and my Grandmother was allergic to the stuff. I avoid saccharine and aspartame like the plague and after decades of Weight Watchers I cannot eat low fat spread or anything remotely like it. (Well I could if I really had to, I suppose. :( )

When I'm pregnant I can abide the smell of coffee, beer or even my favourite perfumes, one of which I haven't worn for sixteen years! I crave meat, ice-cream, avocado's and of course all things laden with potential Listeriosis and vitamin A poisoning. While pregnant I eat little and often and lose weight rather than put it on (?) probably due to the incredibly healthy diet my body forces me to eat!

So, if I'm so fussy what is it I like about Real Ale then? I guess it's a number of things, from the presentation ie glass bottles or hand pumps, the fact that it's not hugely mass produced, the flavour, the fact that it is not fizzy and also that it is best served at room temperature. Unfortunately, like all beers it is fattening which is in no small part due to its high alcohol temperature.

To quote the CAMpaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)

"What is Real Ale?

Real ale is a beer brewed from traditional ingredients (malted barley, hops water and yeast), matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide.

Brewers use ingredients which are fresh and natural, resulting in a drink which tastes natural and full of flavour. It is literally living as it continues to ferment in the cask in your local pub, developing its flavour as it matures ready to be poured into your glass.

Real ale is also known as ‘cask-conditioned beer’, ‘real cask ale’, real beer’ and ‘naturally conditioned beer.’

The term ‘real ale’ and the above definition were coined by CAMRA in the early 1970s."

Old favourites of mine have been Tanglefoot, Speckled Hen, Bishop's Tipple, Flower's (especially nice when well kept!), London Pride (smells like bilge water - doesn't taste like it tho'), Hob Goblin, IPA, Fuller's 1845, Summer Lightening, ESB (Exra Special Bitter not Electricity Supply Board), Theakston's Old Peculiar, Marston's Bitter and the like. Occasionally I can buy one or two of them in the local Tesco's but there's not really much of a market for them.

During the intervening years, since then and now a number of breweries faced extinction, I do however remember the hue and cry at the threatened closure of Ringwood Brewery way back in the nineties, with beers like Old Thumper and Forty-Niner at threat of disappearing altogether
Sadly I've forgotten the crazy names of so many craft beers, these days I content myself with what I can get and generally on very special occasions! I haven't yet brewed my own...

For more information on this subject I would heartily recommend both The Irish Craft Brewer and CAMRA as both of these sites contain a wealth of knowledge. Meanwhile, if you would like to sample some Irish craft ales why not go along to SeptemberFest 2009 at Farmleigh, in the Phoenix Park? Sample Galway Hooker (very nice) and a handful of other worthy exhibits.

Entry is free, but I would strongly advise that you arrange transportation home and don't even think about driving. Real ale is hearty stuff and generally has a high alcohol content, sometimes as high as 8% compared with other lesser beers.

Don't forget that there are safe limits on drinking alcohol. My advice is that to avoid long term damage stick well within the recommended limits of 14 u per week for women and 21 units per week for men.

Drink Sensibly, Drink Aware!

Polly Pierce
Hand Made Irish Greeting Cards

Polly's Got A Little List...

2009-09-08T09:53:00.010+01:00

This is just a very quick post to draw your attention to the fact that at long last THE list is out! What list? TH-E L-I-S-T!

Okay, I'll admit it. The above paragraph, if one could be so generous as to call it that, is a little like the stereotype of the tourist abroad. If at first you fail to make yourself understood, rather than try to speak the lingo, slow down, spell it out and raise your voice; then surely they will understand what it is you are trying to impart...

Raw nominations list!

Organised by Damien Mulley, once again the Irish Web Awards return to showcase and reward Irish webmasters for their get up and go.

Already, having glanced at the list and having been tipped off by a friend; I notice a couple of bloggers that I've reviewed or linked to in the past. Namely we have Feelgood Organic Hampers, and The Organic Supermarket in the Most Beautiful Website in Ireland category – Sponsored by Beaut.ie and Irish Busine ss Women.co m in the Best Discussion forum category – sponsored by KRO IT Solutions.

The GoodMoodF ood Blog is nominated in the Most Useful Website in Ireland – Sponsored by DoneDeal.ie and in the Most Beautiful Website in Ireland category.

If you have a look in the right hand side bar of my other blog you will notice a link for Celtic Camper Vans who have been nominated in the Best eCommerce / Services Website category – sponsored by Cybercom. Sad to say, that Vinca was not nominated for any of the categories and will continue on as usual, popping in and out as and when.

I am sure that there will be a couple more categories published in the next couple of days for example the Best Social Media Campaign, which closes its doors to nominees on 17 September 2009. So if there's anyone out there who thinks that they may fit into this category please visit the link above and complete the nomination form...

Needless to say, this is an exciting time for all the nominees and I wish each and every one of them all the best in this. It's a delight to see three great food blog/websites on the list, fingers crossed that they make it through to the short list.

Just one more thing about the awards. They really are an opportunity to showcase the best of Irish blogs and websites. Just by perusing the list I have discovered one or two sites that I wasn't aware of to date; and a couple of impending functions associated with them so why not use this list as a starting point for discovering some of the best Irish writers on the block?

Polly Pierce

Maker of Irish Handmade Greeting Cards Extraordinaire

Polly Hates Chilli Chocolate; or Does She?

2009-09-05T19:34:00.002+01:00

Deary me! I had absolutely no idea as to how long it is since I last posted on this blog, just that it was a long time ago...

Apologies to anyone who checked in during that time while I was MIA (missing in action). Anyway, finally and at last I have something worthwhile writing about, so I am back. A few weeks ago one of my Facebook friends, Amanda Webb of Feelgood Hampers - Ireland's First Organic Hamper Company ran a competition.

The brief was:

Ernest Hemingway once bet 10 dollars that he could write a story in 6 words. His winning story was:

"For Sale: baby shoes, never worn."

We have 5 bars of Wilde's Irish Organic Chocolate to give away. All you need to do is tell us a story in 6 words about how much you love chocolate. The best 5 entires as chosen by our judges will get the prize.

Say no more! I love a challenge and this one was a particularly worthy one. I had a think and came up with this:

"For Hire, Chocolate Taster, Well Fed!"

To cut a long story short; I won! Delighted as I was with my success I had almost forgotten about my prize - probably because I'd gone off and joined Unislim in the meantime...

One day earlier this week I arrived home to find a hand-addressed jiffy bag on my door mat. With no clue as to where it hailed from I barely contained my excitement as I ripped open the mystery package to reveal a simply wrapped brown paper parcel tied with old fashioned string. Immediately I read the label the penny dropped and I realised that dear Amanda had posted my prize. I kind of wish now that I'd taken photo's...

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce Wilde Irish Organic 70% Cocoa Red Chilli & Spice Chocolate! I'll be honest, despite hearing great things about chilli chocolate I do not like it. So, my pleasure rapidly faded with the realisation that my prize was in fact something I dislike with a passion. You can just imagine, can't you?

So in my disappointment I decided to give it a go anyway. After all, it would be bad manners not to and I know for a fact that nobody else in the family was going to try it as they all hate chilli chocolate too. To say that getting into the chocolate was a challenge is not an exaggeration. The plastic wrapper seemed to be hermetically sealed with the express intention of keeping me out and in the end I took a scissors to it...

The result was astounding. It was worth the struggle with the stupid wrapper. The chocolate was as fresh as a daisy and very obviously of the higher quality variety. Better still, it was dark and bitter sweet with a lovely velvety consistency which is so often sacrificed in the higher cocoa labels; there was a noticeable absence of powdery or gritty texture. It was nice.

Flavour wise it reminded me very much of Fry's Chocolate Cream which yet again takes me back to childhood. It was one of my Mum's favourite treats and as such became mine. Although there is no white fondant filling in the Wilde Irish Red Chilli & Spice Organic Chocolate there is a definite similarity between the two. I can only assume that it has something to do with the good quality dark chocolate, cinnamon and nutmeg...

By this time, I discovered the chilli. Oh boy, did I discover it or what? It actually made me exclaim out loud as to how hot a punch it packed. This could of course have something to do with the fact that I'd all but forgotten about the chilli, due to the delight in discovering the absolute gorgeousness of the chocolate itself!

I love chilli. Recently it appears to have found its way into some very unusual places, in the belief that it's good for ones health. Quite how I came to the conclusion that I dislike chilli chocolate I am not sure, but up until the other day this was a fact I could be sure about. I hated the stuff with a passion, probably more to do with the chocolate than the chilli. My Mum on the other hand loves chocolate and hates chilli with a passion even greater than my former dislike of chilli chocolate.

So, I gave her some of my prize. No, not for badness; she asked to try it and had been warned as to the possible consequences. She agreed with me on both points, it's lovely and it does have a faint hint of whatever it is that makes Fry's Chocolate Cream such a time honoured success. She also agreed that the chilli was hot, although she did surprise me when she didn't rush over to the tap for a cooling drink of fresh water. This woman does not like chilli at all, at all...

Would I buy Wilde Irish Chocolate with Chilli and Spice for myself? The answer has to be a resounding "Yes! Don't be silly, of course I will, it's lovely... Oh, and thanks Amanda for picking me to taste it!"

Pollys Take On Dough

2009-08-07T10:02:00.005+01:00

In George's latest post she reviews the diabolical state of English bread. I'm not sure that we've quite caught up with it over here in Ireland; as it is possible to purchase vast quantities of stoneground bread alongside your ordinary batch loaf. Even the smallest corner shop sells some form of wholesome bread, often made by hand in a small bakery nearby.

Despite this; I was startled by the following quote:

“In Ireland as a whole, we have 250 small bakeries for a population of five million. In Germany, for 82.5 million people, they have 20,000.”

Also in Tullamore is Donoghue's craft bakery; also recently quoted in Bakeryinfo.co.uk:

"there’s definitely a market for craft breads in Ireland. He’s (Cathal O'Donoghue) a third-generation baker and, since he took over what was McGlinchey’s Bakery in Tullamore 17 years ago, he has grown turnover considerably. “We’ve expanded from IR£50,000 turnover a year to our present level of over E1m, with 30 on the staff,” he says.
But even though O’Donohue’s product range is very modern, one of its popular lines is still the old-fashioned traditional batch loaf.

He also says that, while the artisan bakery group has made a lot of progress since its launch, it needs a facilitator to drive it forwards. “If we all get in the one boat, we will go faster,” he explains. With the marketing plans about to be put in place, he believes that what the group really needs is good publicity – preferably on television – to sell the whole idea to the public."

Recently I was lucky enough to meet Mr O'Donoghue; at one of my Thursday morning breakfast meetings. Being an expert in both bakery and marketing he'd kindly brought along some samples of their staple Irish Brown Soda Bread, to quote one of our chat show hosts "one for every body in the audience!"

Unfortunately this turned out not to be so. On that morning we had a particularly busy meeting and were overwhelmed with visitors and new members, totalling some forty plus. Cathal had only banked on twenty four! Not to be outdone, he immediately sent word back to base and ordered a second tray, this time a Polish Malt Bread with Oats.

Well, I was one of the lucky ones. Being a straggler and the last to get breakfast can have its advantages, in this case I was able to snag three loaves - no it wasn't greed that motivated me, honest! By this time most of our members had departed leaving a sizeable quantity of forgotten dough on the table at the back of the restaurant.

This incident was a perfect example of my "waste not, want not"philosophy, resulting in perfectly toasted malt bread with lashings of butter in two households the following morning - I took one for my Mum as well. LB preferred his au-naturel with a thick layer of creamy Irish Butter. Sadly there are no pictures to illustrate this lovely discovery, but one thing is certain; next time we'll be buying it!

For Polly Bread Matters...

2009-08-07T09:26:00.005+01:00

Interestingly enough I completed a consumer survey yesterday evening, which focused mainly on two things I am passionate about. One of these is cheese and the other bread! The whole survey questioned my purchasing habits and whether or not I value quality over price, quoting examples which I had to choose from.

Occasionally ridiculous prices were thrown in, as a test measure - to see if I was truthful and paying attention. I have to admit that I stuck to my guns where cheese was concerned; I can't abide sour milk with colourings and fancy packaging and only ever buy cheese in block form!

It is somewhat ironic then that George's latest post dealt exclusively with the subject of bread. Thanks to George, who introduced me to this lovely book (and website) ; I am now beginning to feel somewhat guilty about my behaviour regarding bread. (Well, the kids prefer white sliced and I like it toasted!)

I think the cover says it all! Why not click on the picture and let yourself be transported to Andrew Whitely's website where you can purchase an autographed copy...

Polly's Organic Un-saturation...

2009-07-28T23:21:00.002+01:00

Just to let you know that I am still alive despite the somewhat dubious diet I've been eating recently. Unfortunately my source of fresh organic fruit and vegetables have dried up. This is due to the fact that my distributor, the local Nissan garage here in Tullamore are no longer able to do the honours - this is due to new ownership and a different management style.

In recent weeks/months I have noticed that the quality of my skin has not been what it could be. In fact it has been dreadful! Not only have I been plagued with more spots than I've had in years, I seem to be developing dry, hard patches on my feet which is a first. This combined with flaky cuticles and hang nails I decided has to be due to a noticeable lack of vitamin B as a result of fewer fruit and vegetables.

The problem is that while many consider buying organic as an unnecessary expense, Tesco's and their like have set out to prove this. Having conducted various price comparisons over the past couple of years the cost of my €25 organic fruit and vegetable basket proved to be negligable by comparison! Not only this, but the incidence of bruised or slightly past their sell by date appears to be greater when purchasing store bought organics.

All in all, if you get them early and unadulterated organic fruit & veg does taste better and is undoubtedly better for you than their mainstream counterparts which are bland and often bereft of much in the way of nutritional benefits. So where do we go from here?

How about the likes of Aldi or Lidl? Admittedly both of these stores are competitive in their organic pricing, however their choices are somewhat limited. However, in light of recent developments it appears that it is back to the good stuff, albeit well chosen from my local supermarket shelves. It certainly tastes better than the enormous multivitamin tablets which are the alternative!

Recently, while on holiday in Co Donegal, on the north west coast of Ireland we were treated to garden fresh vegetables and local meats from the butcher's shop in Carrigart. The potatoes in particular were so fresh that you could taste the earth - yes, they were washed before use! This year we only tried George's recipe for Papas Arrugardas (Canarian potatoes) once this year.

Our eldest boy BB is too old for such delights as washing the spuds in the sea and carrying them back in a pot full of the Atlantic Ocean now, so the task was asigned to LB who did a fine job and really enjoyed the fruits of his labour. For some reason this years variety tasted even better than they did before, the reason remains a myster though!

The butcher in Carrigart is bilingual. This is not so much of a feat when you consider that the area we were camping in is considered to be a Gaelteacht area, aka the home of the Irish language. Thankfully though most people are more than happy to converse in English, which is just as well considering that BB, the awkward teenager lacks confidence when it comes to anything but his own native tongue.

The fact that he's been studying Irish or Gaeilge for the past ten years appears to escaped his notice! Irish is still a compulsory subject on our curriculum and BB's first teacher used to use it when correcting their homework and for simple things like please, thank you, etc. Still, the Connemara Gaelteacht will more than make up for his lack of prowess in Donegal.

In the hopes of improving his chances next year when he sits his Junior Certificate he's been shipped off on the holiday of a life time. Surrounded by pretty girls and mates of his own age he's having a ball. The fact that he can be sent home for uttering one complete sentance of English appears to be irrelevent, he's having too much fun being grown up for a change! Let's hope that it continues when he gets home...

Anyway, it's time for bed in my quiet house so I'm going to bid you goodnight and sweet dreams in the hope that the glass of Darien Rosé Rioja from The Wine Buff will work its way into my subconscious being and whisk me away to never never land in a flash.

Night, night!

Polly Pierce

Pollys Jamaican Barbecue

2009-06-27T12:08:00.005+01:00

Just a quickie post today, because I've to finish packing for my camping holiday in Donegal and get ready for tonight's scouting activities. DG's gone into town to collect essential items, such as camping gas and inhalers and I've luxuriated at home, drinking tea and posting on my blogs. Somehow, I think I should have got myself a lot more organised than this, but what the heck?

One little snippet of useless foodie information for you all is the fact that Cadbury's have kindly re-launched their Old Jamaica bourneville chocolate bar. Just the name of it conjures up many childhood memories of special treats and rum n raisin flavoured favourites, ice-cream, fudge and of course chocolate!

This particular favourite used, like all chocolate back then, to come in a foil and paper package. The foil however was a lovely golden colour and the paper and organgey-reddish colour with a picture of an old fashioned cutter on the front. Why they took Old Jamaica off the market I don't know, but I do know that I have polished off two big bars of it in as many weeks...

Also, for anyone who likes their burger's last weekend we celebrated LB's birthday. Yes, I know! It was exactly six months late, but by doing it this way he was guaranteed of having a few guests turn up. In fact we only lost one, which makes a huge change from the usual round of "I can't come because I've got to go shopping for presents with Daddy..." excuses at Christmas time. Why men leave it to the last minute, I don't know. What I do know is that poor LB misses out something terrible, but I digress...

The whole point of this is that I went shopping last Friday, with a wad of cash in my hand. For several reasons I went to Lidl, not least because the parking is handy and the food good. Considering the lovel weather and the fact that the boys would be camping out I'd already decided that we'd be having a barbecue buffet so I settled on Lidl's own brand pizza's, quarter pounder's and frankfurter sausages along with all the usual accoutrements.

My oven is still acting up so the pizzas were nuked in the microwave for ten minutes and then placed under a hot grill to finish. They disappeared in a flash and their were no complaints!
The frankfurters were warmed up, and served with fried onions to make hot dogs and even my Mum remarked on how nice they were - these ones were in the fridge section in packets of ten.
As for the quarter pounders, they were lovely, to the point that you could mistake them for homemade!

The total cost of the food for the party was less than €120.00, which included a couple of bottles of wine, minerals, cleaning materials and lot of food left over in the freezer for the weeks to come. Refreshments, crisps, sweets were also used for school lunches this week and we have juices to take with us on our hols.

All in all this represented terrific value for money, enabled LB to have a great party with lots of goodies to share with his mates, school lunches, breakfasts, dinners and teas plus some refreshments for the older members of the family! For those who say ugh! Lidl is there for people who can't afford to buy better quality food, I say wise up and shop sensibly.

Sure you may save a few euro's, but you will also pick up some top quality own and premium brand food which sometimes can't be purchased elsewhere. Look after the pennies and the pounds WILL look after themselves...

All in all it's been a great week for shopping and eating. One word of caution to anyone who is thinking of following our example and heading up north, if you shop in Aldi or Lidl they tend to use the same pricing structure north and south of the border, ie pound = euro prices. Bearing this in mind, I certainly intend to do a shop or two while I'm up there, but it will be in the Republic due to the less expensive pricing thanks to the exchange rate! Do not use up your pounds unnecessarily, save them for Junction 1 and lots of bargains up there instead...

Happy Hols Everyone - see ya in two weeks!

Love Polly
Vinca Cards Irish Wedding Stationery Made By Hand

Polly Smoothes The Whey...

2009-06-11T13:52:00.004+01:00

Well Summer's managed to last another day here in the sunny Emerald Isle, so much so that I am frozen! I know that's a bit of a contradiction in terms except for the fact that this has occurred as a direct result of the prevailing weather conditions...

See, I was about to drive home from one of today's many appointments in neighbouring towns when I received a request for me to bring home a yummy breakfast smoothie from our friendly neighbourhood coffee bar. Yep Chocolate Brown do nice smoothies and I was foolish enough to introduce my hairy son to them. Not content with one, he wanted a second one, although his enthusiasm was somewhat dampened when I told him he'd be buying it...

As I have to dash into Tullamore for a second time later on this afternoon, to deliver a card or two, the thought did occur to me that maybe I could spoil the little blighter after all and bring him the object of his affections. That was until I remembered that it would melt on the way home and make a mess of the car. So, in true super-mum fashion I made my own!

Anyway, this of course wasn't at all possible in the eyes of the hairy teenager, who has transcended BB, just because I'm his Mum and I can't do anything...

So take a hand full of frozen strawberries, raspberries, fave fruit per person
Add a small hand full of your favourite muesli breakfast cereal
about 1/2 pint of your preferred milk, ie whole, skim, semi-skim 0r half-fat,
or soy/fave fruit juice for the vegans and the discerning
one large goblet LIQUIDISER
a large drop of enthusiasm and extra milk for when it gets too thick to churn!

What to do:

Chuck the whole lot into the goblet of your old fashioned liquidiser, or smoothie maker or food processor if you absolutely must.
Give it a good stir and whizz in the liquidizer stopping to stir regularly.
When mixture is smooth and resembles ice-cream it's time to stop whizzing and get eating/slurping!
Don't forget to use gloves to hold your very cold long drink and use a spoon or you will get brain freeze!
Add honey to the goblet for added sweetness if desired and/or yoghurt for a refreshing lift!

Ladies and gentlemen, the hairy teenager stood open mouthed and speechless for a good moment or two. He then admitted that maybe his mum does know a thing or two and tucked in to a smoothie which was invented a long time before his very existence was conceived!!!!

Nearly an hour later, my body temperature has risen sufficiently for me to consider removing my extra heavy duty hoodie sweatshirt on yet another bright and sunny day here in the Emerald Isle! Why not give this one a whirl and celebrate the joys of summer, but maybe if you're organised you'll recycle those functionally ugly plastic containers and straws from your local smoothie bar for a really professional touch...

Ciao!

Polly Pierce

ps sorry there aren't any pics - we ate/drank it all before you could sneeze from the sudden cold! Maybe next time peeps...

Amanda's Amazing Nettle Pesto...

2009-06-10T14:35:00.003+01:00

A very good cyber friend of mine recently attended a cookery course and came home with a lovely recipe for Nettle Pesto. This is certainly something which I intend to try, as looking out of the same window as yesterday I can also see an abundance of nettles!

No matter how much Nettle Soup, Pesto, or nettle anything else for that matter, that I make this will not deal with the problem! Luckily I don't mind the view and can now fully appreciate where the famous "forty shades of green" come from!

Polly Tweets On Coffee!

2009-06-10T14:16:00.002+01:00

Seeing as it is fast approaching mid-afternoon, I thought I'd better give you something of a special link for coffee lovers. David Walsh is the author of The Other Black Stuff and is certainly a self confessed coffee geek, why not check him out as you sip yours and think about the Offaly Dyslexia Group while you do so...

Polly Popcorn!

2009-06-09T18:32:00.004+01:00

Another favourite recipe for the summer, well, any time of the year really is hot butterscotch popcorn!

This is one of my easiest to prepare recipes, so easy in fact that even my youngest prepares it on a semi regular basis and has been for quite some time. As popcorn seems to be popular the world over I thought I'd share how I prepare it with may friends here on Vinca's-In-Tha-Kitchen, especially considering the lengthy conversation about home-made food that took place earlier today. Everyone knows that home-made tastes better, don't they?

Ingredients:
One large heavy bottomed saucepan WITH lid
1 tablespoon of light cooking oil (preferably not olive!)
enough corn kernels to cover the bottom of the saucepan in an even layer, thus making it invisible!

Method:
Heat the oil in the heavy bottomed saucepan on high until it is hot and on the verge of smoking.
Pour in the corn kernels until the bottom of saucepan is covered.
Shake the saucepan vigorously, ensuring that the kernels are covered in hot oil.
Return to heat for a minute or so. Repeat shaking.
Return to heat and cover. Reduce heat to medium and listen for popping noises!
Shake pan vigorously and return to heat. Continue listening and shaking occasionally until all popping noises have stopped.
Remove from heat. Serve.

Serving suggestions:
a shake of salt (low cal serving!)

home made butterscotch
home made toffee sauce

Butterscotch:(double up quantities dep on amount of popcorn made!)
One knob of salted dairy butter
One tablespoon sugar
One tablespoon golden syrup

Toffee Sauce:
One knob of butter
Two tablespoon sugar
Vanilla essence - couple of drops to taste
Pinch of ground cinnamon - 1/4 tsp max

In both cases place all ingredients in a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat until all the sugar crystals have dissolved stirring continuously.
Allow to bubble for a few seconds and pour over freshly made popcorn.
Allow to cool before eating or you WILL burn your mouth or fingers.
Enjoy and do not count the calories!

Speaking of which, I've just enjoyed a small bowl of the butterscotch popcorn that my kids made when they got in from school. Unfortunately, it didn't last long enough to take a picture of my own, and then I wonder why I'm inclined to gain a few pounds here and there!

Cat Pee Champagne Polly?

2009-06-09T17:58:00.003+01:00

With summer having finally arrived, (that's a laugh considering that Mid-Summer's Night is in less than two weeks time!) the doors and windows are open nearly all the time. Butter stored in the cupboard is soft and spreadable and bread has to be stored in the refrigerator to stop it from going mouldy overnight! Best of all my Nutella jar doesn't have to be nuked in the microwave oven prior to use...

As I sit at the computer I can work without the addition of the desk light and admire the somewhat unusual sight of blue skies and sunshine. The scotch laburnum has gone over now, its yellow petals no longer reflecting the light into my room, but thankfully the elderflower has replaced it. Unlike the laburnum, all parts of which are deadly poisonous to humans, the elderflower is a remarkably useful culinary addition.

One favourite is a low alcohol champagne made from its frothy white blossoms. Essentially this is a mixture of cooled boiled water, several large fresh heads of elderflower, sugar, lemons and possibly some citric acid. Each recipe depends upon varying quantities of the above ingredients and the abundance of wild yeasts which are attracted to the musky white umbrellas.

Having allowed the mixture to mature for a few days, it is then strained and placed in sterilised bottles. It's important that the bottles chosen for this beverage are of either strengthened glass, ie champagne bottles or the thin walled flexible plastic ones that fizzy drinks are sold in as a considerable quantity of carbon dioxide is released as the mixture works itself out. Ordinary glass wine bottles will not survive this part of the process intact!

In as little as three weeks Summer can be celebrated in true country style with a unique and refreshing mildly alcoholic champagne, which is best served lightly chilled. Unfortunately, there are those with sensitive noses who have isolated a distinct aroma of tom-cat pee and upon loudly remarking this fact have persuaded most that this is not the delight that it is! (my ex-mother-in-law being one such person!)

One famous exponent of this summer delight is Britain's own Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall of River Cottage fame. While his timing and ingredients may differ from those quoted above, I'm sure you will agree that the sentiment remains the same...

Polly Plea(d)s...

2009-05-23T14:41:00.006+01:00

Regular readers of this blog will by now be aware of the fact that I love hats! In fact, I have so many hats that it's difficult to manage them all at times...
When I refer to hats, I mean metaphorical hats, you know the type that you wear at certain times of the week depending on which occupation you are following at the time. Examples of these would be chef's, cook's, night cap, hike hat, scout hat, gymnastic's hat and finally dyslexia group hat, not forgetting Mummy hat and chief bottle washer hat too!

Last year the Educational Building Society Community Fund donated funding to 150 worthy causes around the country. Two of my hats were the lucky beneficiaries, #1. The Offaly Dyslexia Group (aka The North Offaly Dyslexia Association) and #2. Tullamore Scouts. The point is that now is the time for me to take my hat off and hold it out to you for donations. Well, it's a bit simpler than that even! For my Irish reader's this will be of particular interest...

All members of The EBS are eligible to nominate one local charity for funding from the EBS Community Fund 2009. Applications may be downloaded from here and must be submitted by 5pm on the 5th June 2009 either by post or to your local branch office.

The reason for the speel about the hats is that I am too involved in each of my own volunteer groups to be able to choose which one to promote. Each of them is a worthy cause and each needs financial help as much as the other, to allow them to further their good deeds!

So Ladies and Gentlemen, this is where you come in; I am calling upon your good will to make the choice for me and to promote this fact to all your friends, relations and colleagues. Ask them if they have an EBS account and then suggest whichever of my favourite charities appeals to you the most, please? Pretty, please?

#1. Offaly Dyslexia Group

We have recently formed, ie 2009.
We are continuing to provide resources for the group.
We run workshops to help children with Dyslexia learn how to read and how to interact with others.
The workshops which we run are great for the kids self esteem as well as on a more practical level. Just knowing that they are NOT alone makes a tremendous difference.
We provide support and advice for parents.

#2. LSG Supporter's Club

We raise funds and support our coach in teaching children gymnastics.
This is great for kids with specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia as it improves their co-ordination, self esteem, concentration, social skills, etc.
One of our ex-coaches/members Geoff Rellis was also a member of the national squad. He is now furthering his studies and working within the sport in Canada.
Last year we had 7 medal winners at The Men's Irish Gymnastics Championships. This year we had none, because we didn't enter the competition. This is due to inadequate funding for this sport and the high cost of entering events such as this...
We need equipment, coaches and a permanent base to call our own. At present the Irish Army is generously renting its gymnasium to us on a temporary basis. Storage and access can be problematic at times.

#3. Tullamore Scouts

This is a VOLUNTARY youth group formed over one hundred years ago by Robert Baden-Powell. Scouting is a world wide activity.
Funding is raised locally.
Scouting helps in the development of young lives and provides children with life skills which will help them at times of crisis and in the work place.
Scouting encourages young people to take responsibility and to help others.
Activities can be expensive. Insurance is vital. Leaders are volunteers and pay for themselves.

Each of these organisations needs your help. Whether this be in terms of financial donations, nomination for the EBS Community Fund 2009 or in terms of time each of these groups does need your help badly. Please choose one to support, if you are unable to support all of them.

Please enlist the help of your spouse, children, co-workers, friends and family. If you are unable to help us yourself it is possible that someone you know can help us, it may be that they are one of the 440,000 EBS customers who is eligible to nominate one of my charitable groups. If you don't ask, you will never be able to tell them about this crazy woman who lives in a bog, makes cards and loves hats - or indeed her favourite charities!

Thank you for taking the time to read this most unusual post.

Polly Pierce

MASHABAB sent you a video: "The Ecstasy Of Bread (L'Extase Du Pain)"

2009-05-23T11:09:00.002+01:00

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I got this in my in-box this morning. All I can say is that it does look good enough to eat and transported me back to the Valle de Loire in '06! The Ecstasy Of Bread (L'Extase Du Pain) The Ecstasy Of Bread (L'Extase Du Pain) explores the relationship between traditional French food products and their use in a native Anglo-Saxon population. First part of a trilogy. L'Extase Du Pain (The Ecstasy Of Bread) explore le rapport entre des spécialités alimentaires traditionnelles françaises et leur consammation au sein d'une population anglo-saxonne. Premiere acte de la trilogie.
© 2009 YouTube, LLC 901 Cherry Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066

Organic Idols Come Together...

2009-05-22T15:19:00.003+01:00

Local company Glenisk, aka Tullamore Dairies has recently paired up with the Organic Centre to offer readers the opportunity to grow their own vegetables. The first 10,000 readers to register for this irresistible offer will be sent a packet of organic seeds to start them off...

Readers of my blog can, however do a little better than that and if they quote the code vincasinthekitchen01 they will be entered into a draw for a goody bag with a months supply of Glenisk Organic Yoghurt. What more could you ask for? Well, now that you mention it...

The funny thing about this is that it involves two companies whom I've admired for a long time, for a variety of reasons. Glenisk because of their business acumen, initially, and also because of their philosophy regarding organics, which has recently seen them embrace renewable energy as their sole power source. All this and they are neighbours, after all!

Regarding The Organic Centre, I've travelled to Rossinver, Co Leitrim on a number of occasions only to discover that this bastion of all things organic hasn't at that time been open to the public. How frustrating? This is one of the many things I want to do before I die, and at the rate I'm going it'll be a miracle if it happens at all! Maybe I'll have better luck this year!

So peeps, get out into that garden and prepare a bed to receive your organic seeds from Glenisk in partnership with The Organic Centre, but don't forget to visit their link first and register.

Do Have A Sausage, Polly...

2009-05-11T08:40:00.005+01:00

The other day I opened up my e-mail and discovered a something a bit different, which brought a smile to my face and pangs of regret at the same time. A couple of days on and this feeling still
hasn't resolved itself, as basically I am pig sick!

The thing is Darragh of This Is What I Do... contacted me with an invitation to attend a barbecue this evening. Yeah, so what? We're all invited to barbecue's throughout the transient Irish 'summer' and to be honest, more often than not it's a blessing in disguise to not be able to attend them! Let's face it, the menu is fairly restrictive isn't it? One burnt sausage tastes much the same as another, or does it?

The barbecue in question is somewhat different and has been organised by Artisan Producer (Best in Ireland Bridgestone Guide) Jane Russell whose Original Irish Handmade Sausages were launched in 2004. They are high-meat, low-fat ‘proper’ sausages which bear little resemblence to those overweight pink fingies which I have always despised!

Sadly I've never come across them, despite their wide acclaim. I will however seek them out when next in Dublin, us culchies have yet to be edumacated regarding quality when it comes to sausages, so it'll probably be a while before Jane ventures further afield...

So, if you are at a loose end and fancy sampling some of Ireland's best, get your skates on and head off down to the Odessa Club, 7.30 pm, Monday 11 May (that's this evening folks!)...

Polly's No Ordinary Nutcracker...

2009-05-07T14:07:00.005+01:00

One 0f the things that I've always wanted to do, but for various reasons haven't is Wine Tasting. That's not to say that I haven't tasted my fair share of wines over the years, but it is certainly something that until recently has gone on the proverbial long finger...

Maybe it's the snob value that has succeeded in putting me off. Despite every thing I once attended the Russian State Ballet performing Swan Lake and the Nutcracker at the Mayflower Theatre, Southampton. Although I was familiar with the music, I had never 'been into' the ballet. Reluctantly I agreed to celebrate my erstwhile friend Frances 'Bunty' Sexton's birthday with her and a few friends by attending one of the most beautiful performances of my life.

The fact that I was in my leather biker jeans and jacket and Debbie was in her hideous zebra skin leggings was beside the point. Within moments we were immersed into a new and beautiful world, one where appearances didn't really matter, not even during the half time intermission visit to the theatre bar...

Sadly, I have long since lost touch with this old friend, but have never forgotten the fun that we had together all those years ago. Maybe this was why I jumped at the chance of attending the Wine Appreciation Course at Arthur & Nuala Halligan's "Wine Buff" here in Tullamore. I had hoped that one of my birthday gifts, at the end of March might have been a voucher for it, but I really can't complain as I did receive a steam proof pair of oven gloves, a huge double layered bamboo steamer, a Cuttlebug and a spinning wheel instead. Anything else would just have been over the top...

For those of you not familiar with The Wine Buff, this franchised chain of wine shops specialises in the provision of "Extra-ordinary wines at ordinary prices!" While this may be a catchy turn of phrase, it is also very true. Dealing exclusively with small established vineyards in the old world, ie France, Italy, Spain and Hungary this shop lives up to its promise.

So, after two weeks I am now looking forward to the final night of the course. We've already discussed the basics, ie the bottle, labels, corks, etc on the first night. Last week we passed around the aroma kit contents, with the promise of a €35.00 St Emillion for the person who correctly identified the first five - sadly I confused the scent of black-jack's with that of fruit-salads! I got four out of five and the dreadful clinging scent of cat pee stuck in my nasal passages for the remainder of the session.

Now I know how to work or chew the wine. To breathe through the wine without laughing too hard, I would recommend dark clothing and not a new white blouse for that part - oh and stick to white! I can identify the fruit, acid, alcohol and tannins on the palate and talk about the length and balance of the wine. Best of all I get to purchase a nice bottle of red wine to curry brownie points with DG for babysitting services rendered while I'm out having fun!

What I can't do, despite my very good intentions is SPIT. I'm sorry, but that just seems to be taking things that step too far! Our host for the evening, the lovely Daragh who hails from the Limerick shop does SPIT as he drives home each night. His lively, laid back presentation is so gregarious and bubbly that he really doesn't need alcohol anyway!

It seems that I prefer red to white and that I also like a healthy kick of tannin in my wine. Ordinarily I go for Spanish reds; the Rioja's, the Tempranillo's and the Crianza's being my favourites. Although, I have discovered a distinct liking for Cotes Du Rhone(see left) , probably due to the use of the Grenache/Garnacha grape there too!

Although it's described a fault, I like the green peppery taste associated with the Cabernet Sauvignon grape, and how I could go on, and on, and on some more! Wow! Just listen to that, it's never too late to teach a new dog old tricks! So many of the myths which surround the art of wine tasting and appreciation have fallen by the wayside as a result of Daragh's whacky, laid back presentations!

Tonight, being the last night, we get to open the famous St Emillion from last week and taste it with and without food. The word lemon was mentioned last week, as was apple, cheese and crackers. Somehow I doubt that it'll be any of the above, but whatever it is I can hardly wait! I now have anecdotes galore to share with my friends and probably the beginning of liver disease too - after all, there is homework during the week to be done...

From the very first night, I knew that this was going to be fun and it is. With half of my local BNI chapter there, how could it fail to be? Regardless, if you have an interest in wine and want to know a bit more about it, without any frills or too many spills, I would highly recommend that you head on down to your local Wine Buff and make enquiries.

Slainte!

Polly Pierce

Polly Exposes Self...

2009-05-05T12:37:00.002+01:00

Is Polly A Convert?

2009-04-21T11:17:00.004+01:00

Funnily enough, having clicked through to the link I published in my last post I am feeling quite blue at the moment. The fact that I enjoy almost blue steak is beside the point, and yet in a converse sort of way, it is very much to the point.

Meat is the ultimate convenience food, it really is. Let's face it folks, those of us who eat the stuff just throw it in the oven, grill or a pan on the top of the stove and that's it pretty much done. Some of us do indulge in making it different by adding all kinds of marinades which alter the flavour and in some instances tenderize the meat.

Herbs and spices add to the flavour and are beneficial in terms of aiding digestion of the tough fibres. By and large though, it's easier to eat meat than to not eat meat.

Yesterday evening LB & I were busy. Busy? I'll say, rush home from school at three, via the local shoppe, knock up a quick meal, eat it, complete homework and dash out the door to be at a meeting for five. After that it was run down to BJK's, collect BB and head into town for our Scout meeting. Phew, I'm exhausted just thinking about it!

So what did we eat? Very simply, the great British stand by of chop & chips! Oh yes, let's not forget the fried onion and the pear for dessert - no, not combined, we had the onion with the main course! Knock down a quick cup of water and we were ready for action. While all this was 'cooking' I dashed down to the bathroom and grabbed a quick shower, LB raised the chip basket and turned everything off, just in time for me to serve it all up piping hot and feeling refreshed! Now that is what I call convenient!

For this evening, however, I'll have something quite different. Lentil Dahl and a Vegetable Curry based on the lovely Jamie Oliver's recipe, containing coconut milk and all. My tummy's rumbling at the mere thought of it, cos it is gorgeous. Now I could be really good and make it a Vegan version, but the fact is that I love the flavour that the use of Dairy Ghee (unsalted clarified butter) adds to both dishes.

That and the addition of some really special Basmati Rice purchased at our local Spice Shop and it will be true perfection. Mind you, that will entail a trip into town to purchase more rice, as the pot is running low and my Curry Leaves have seen better days.

If you click on the link or the picture you will magically be transported to Fanatic Flavours and a lovely recipe for the afore mentioned Dahl. This is proof positive that vegetarianism isn't all baked beans and boring pulses - in fact it is anything but!

Try it out and let me know how you get on...

Polly

Living Vegan: The Cow that Cried

2009-04-21T10:33:00.003+01:00

Should anyone out there be tottering on the brink of vegetarianism, read this story and you'll soon make up your mind:

Living Vegan: The Cow that Cried

To be fair, this was an accidental posting and I don't know quite how it got here, except for the fact that I must have somehow pressed the wrong button! Regardless, I probably would have posted it anyway, though I think fate intervened. There's obviously a reason...

Polly

Parsimonious? Me?

2009-04-16T17:04:00.002+01:00

Warning:
The contents of this post may seriously damage your HEALTH!

Extravagence is the opposite of Parsimony. It's not something that I indulge in often, but when I do, I know just how to do it and yesterday was no exception. Having saved well over €50.00 by waiting since November to purchase the blue & black rouched satin clutch bag in Coast I was able to splash out and compensate myself for the inconvenience of having to venture out in such horrid weather...

The Chocolateria, which is brought to us by Dunne & Crescenzi is relatively new at Kildare Village. The name kind of speaks for itself, it stocks sumptuous chocolates and coffees for your delectation. Sadly I was informed that it is due to close in a couple of weeks time, having been only a temporary shop. I took this information in my stride and sympathised with the young lady behind the counter, while I eagerly awaited my 'Death By Chocolate' .

I was excited, after all it had described as the ultimate luxury in Italian hot-chocolate, best taken with a spoon. I mean, there's so much sweet, runny stuff around these days - most of which have only waved at the chocolate on its way past. If the description of this stuff was acurate, I was in for a treat!

Apparently, Chocolate is GOOD for you! It's official, so says the framed list of points offering to prove this. One such good point is that not only does it make you happy, it helps to prevent tooth decay and helps to cure a cold; according to Dunne & Crescenzi! Having glanced quickly at the list while I waited I sat down to savour the concoction of dark, sticky brown liquid while I studied it in more detail. The list or the chocolate? Both!

"Mmmmm!" There really is little more that I can say; "mmmmmmmmh. Mmmmmmmmmh!" Yes, I died and went to heaven right there on the spot. In fact, it was so good that I went back later and did it all over again, only this time it was even better.

I don't know what their secret is, but I do know that the young lady decanted a thick chocolatey brown liquid from a dispenser on the counter. After that she took it off and added some more chocolate and whisked it furiously. And again, and again. The resultant mixture, ie Death By Chocolate is aptly named as it truly is the most sumptuous hot chocolate I have ever drunk.

The consistency was both thick and smooth, although it also had enough texture to be satisfying. Its aroma was one of pure chocolate and the flavour was bitter enough to reveal the true character of the chocolate used in its making, while sweet enough to compliment it perfectly. Although there were undertones of vanilla, these were not excessive. Perhaps the real difference is that this drink was not drowned in litres upon litres of milk...

I could, but I won't wax lyrical all day AND all night, but I won't. My advice to any true chocolate addict is get to the Chocolateria before it closes. If that fails, then you will never have experienced Heaven on Earth and most certainly won't have endured Death By Chocolate! I am going to have to find a recipe for this delight of delights, and when I do I will share it with you - for a small charge!!!! LOL!

Polly

Convenience Costs Polly

2009-04-13T15:55:00.007+01:00

As a result of our decision to skip up and down a rather large mountain in Co Mayo, it was decided that something relatively quick and easy, with a high protein/calorie content would be served up for dinner last Saturday night. After all, those energy depleted mountaineers would need something good to fill them up.

The Scouts were running around on the back lawn of The Atlantic Adventure Centre like headless chickens, chasing the ball as though they'd never mounted Croagh Patrick while the adults of the party complained about their aching limbs. I envy the boys enthusiasm for life and wish that I possessed even a tenth of their energy!

As we had travelled by train, we'd travelled relatively lightly. Our arrival in Westport heralded scouts, equipment, leaders, but thankfully no tents and was well past closing time at the local shops. Our Leader had wisely chosen to bring a few essential supplies in her rucsac.

Saturday night menu consisted of nearly 1kg of minced/ground beef, 1 kg spaghetti (dry) and two jars of Dolmio's finest Taste of Sorrento ragout sauce, complete with cherry tomatoes, basil and pesto. For sixteen persons this provided a very acceptable first course, which was followed by a staple of oven chips and chicken goujons.

Personally I stuck to the spaghetti, which despite having been produced from a jar was very acceptable. In fact, to my surprise, it was quite delectable.

Admittedly, I did simmer the made up beef ragout on the stove for rather longer than the recommended 20 minutes, but I don't imagine that this made a huge difference. The end result was sixteen empty plates...

This week I did look up the price of these Dolmio jars and was horrified to discover that my suspicions regarding thecost were correct. At an exhortitent €2.80 per jar, I could have fed a biblical five thousand for the same amount of money!

Take a 1 kg net of Tesco's cooking onions costing a mere €1.79 and I'd probably use three of them + two 400g cans of Tesco Value Chopped Tomatoes @ €0.90 + a pinch of mixed herbs where a whole 18g pot of Tesco Value Mixed Herbs costs 32c (cost impossible to assess due to tiny quantities used) , Schwartz Bay Leaves Refill 6g €1.35 /20ish & I'd probably use 2, plus a teaspoon of Tesco Olive Oil costing €7.35/litre.

As the meat and the spagetti part of the above dish is a common factor, I am not going to include them in this cost comparison. However 2 x €2.80 = €5.60 - €1.34 = €4.26 difference in the cost of Polly's Spagetti Bolognaise and Dolmio's Spagetti Bolognaise with a taste of Sorrento!

If cooked correctly this dish is rich enough to be flavoursome and filling without the addition of expensive ingredients such as parmesan cheese and pinenuts. Made my way it does take a little longer, regarding the preparation of the ingredients, but in terms of convenience I'd say that there is very little to choose from between the two.

Personally I'd always prefer to carry a few fresh vegetables and/or cans to glass jars purely for safety reasons and a plastic bag with a few herbs makes very little difference to anything bar the flavour of the resulting meal. I honestly believe that it is a case of swings and roundabouts in relation to convenience foods and flavour, but this example does just go to prove that the cost of convenience is indeed high!

Anyway, regardless of its origins this is one of my favourite meals and I'm now beginning to feel a little hungry, so at the late time of *@!€* I shall go and dress myself, make some dinner for us all and then head off to Scouts!

Ciao!

Polly Pierce

Polly Drinks Liquid Malt-easer

2009-04-13T15:27:00.006+01:00

Okay, so I know it's been a while since I last posted here. That's not to say that I haven't been busy elsewhere...

Croagh Patrick

Recently, we seem to have been doing a lot of activities with the Scouts. Namely since we returned after last years Summer Hols, we've been off camping at least four or five times. The most notable would probably have been those in the 'off-season' which is of course the Winter.

Our first camp was in October, when our Leader and I awoke to frost on the back of our tent thankful for the fact that we'd both brought our long-john's and the drop of Drambuie Mr B had put in our hot chocolate. Next was the February camp, when we woke to find frost on the tops of our boots inside the awning of our tent, and most recently the March camp when we were visited by glorious sunny weather during the day and freezing fog at night time. Oh the joys...

Ascent Of The Holy Mountain

Only last weekend, on Holy Saturday we'd ventured to the top of the Holy Mountain of Croagh Patrick in Co Mayo. Boys, oh boys! Did we ever, that was indeed a pilgrimage and a half; for the younger members of our troup it was little more than a spring jaunt up a big hill, while the older and less fit members will remember it for ever more. Yours truly took at least an additional 45minutes to mount the summit and was greeted with cheers and Mr B's special energy drink - Liquid Malteser's!

Ariel View Of The Reek

I don't know why I was cynical about this magical mixture, I shouldn't have been. After all, I am a great exponant of do-it-yourself medicines for all occasions. Not only was the drink warm, refreshing, welcome and tasty, without a doubt it did have magical properties that enabled me to descend the afore mentioned mountain. Admittedly I could hardly walk by the time I had reached the bottom of the 760-something metres and collapsed into the back of Gary's Atlantic Adventure Centre jeep in a very un-lady-like fashion, but hey, who's looking?

The secret of the Liquid Maltezer's is closely guarded, but I do know that it relies heavily on the presence of refined glucose powder, horlicks and drinking chocolate, all of which are decanted in their dry form into a zip-lock bag and carted up the mountain in readiness for weary travellers. Add to a large sprinkle of this mixture a generous portion of hot water, carried on the back of a trusty pack horse and mix with whatever implement is closest. Drink and enjoy.

Following a light, but calorie packed lunch, prepare oneself for leaping down the mountainside with all the nimble energy of the proverbial mountain goat while waving at a light aircraft emblazoned with the Irish Airforce colours (and yes, he did wave back!), so there...

Happy Easter!

Polly Pierce

2009-03-16T11:54:00.004Z

Farmer Gobshite v The World As We Know It

2009-03-16T11:41:00.002Z

The issue of GM foods is somewhat emotive at the best of times, actually it makes my blood boil!

This is Farmer Gobshite

Recent events involving a farmer in Wales typifies the whole 'normal' farming mindset; why not head over to My Organic YumYum and read Amanda Webb's explanation of the events?

Polly's Coryza Update...

2009-03-07T10:27:00.003Z

So much for the recent improvements in the waist-line department! Following three, yes three large mugs of my son's special medicinal hot-chocolate I do feel remarkably better! Okay, so the cold hasn't completely gone, but the eyes have stopped watering and the sneezing is down to roughly one per hour...

Sadly though, the use of full fat milk in large quantities, a Chinese take-away and lots and lots of Nutella is bound to have an effect on my waistline. Earlier last month I decided to join Tesco on-line diet club, which proved to be a mistake as immediately afterwards I became quite ill and never did anything about it!

At least with a real club you do tend to follow 'the plan' as you have the competitive factor of comparing pound for pound each week! This said, I still managed to shed a whole seven pounds during the time involved, which makes me wonder then if it's really necessary to spend a fortune on loosing weight or if it's just a matter of adopting a healthier mind-set?

Regardless of which answer it is, I am now fully anticipating having sabotaged my good work and gained another couple of pounds plus the original half a stone! Still, it's a small price to pay for feeling okay...

Polly
Vinca Cards

Polly's Communion Dinner

2009-03-06T14:36:00.003Z

And so to return to the age old favourite subject of good food and to continue on from my post the other day. You know, the one about the steak and how good the service is at Julian's Bistro in Day's Hotel, Tullamore.

Now before anyone jumps to any conclusions, I do not accept pay per post or sponsorship for promoting any of the businesses mentioned here on this blog! The opinions here are based on my own first hand experiences and are entirely subjective. So there...

This being the case, and particularly in view of the forthcoming round of 1st Holy Communion and Confirmation celebrations which loom in the very near future, I thought I'd give you a quick look at the special Communion Menu in the same Julian's Bistro. Considering the quality of the cuisine and the service as already shared, I thought that this might well be of interest if you just happen to live in my area.

Communion/Confirmation

Soup de Jour

Homemade Soup served with a Crispy Bread Roll

Crushed Potatoes

Deep Fried Crushed Potatoes with a Sweet Chilli Sauce & Crème Fraiche

Chicken & Bacon Salad

***

Traditional Roast Beef

Served with Yorkshire Pudding, Red Wine Gravy & Horseradish Sauce

Roast Turkey & Honey Glazed Ham

Served with Herb Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce & Red Wine Gravy

Deep Fried Breaded Fillet of Plaice

Served with Tartare Sauce & Side Salad

All the above dishes are served with Seasonal Vegetables & Potatoes

***

Selection of Ice Cream with Brandy Snap Basket

Apple Crumble with Anglaise Sauce

Cheesecake with Fruit Coulis

***

Tea/Coffee

€25.00 per person/€14.50 per ½ child portion

As you can see the menu is fairly comprehensive, though simple and covers most of the traditional dishes that one might anticipate at a celebration of this nature. What's more is the fact that it presents remarkable value compared with many of the other popular venues in the locality.

Aside from it's relatively central location on Main Street, Day's Hotel boasts one other advantage, which makes it perfect for those little princesses intending to flaunt their Communion dresses around the town. Secure parking is provided free of charge at the nearby multi-storey cark parkfor all patrons of Day's Hotel upon validation of their parking ticket...

For booking enquiries call 057 93 600 34

Have fun!

Polly
Vinca Cards

Polly's Traditional Medicinal Hot Chocolate

2009-03-06T13:44:00.003Z

Hot off the back of a weekend out in the wilds of Charleville Castle, this week has been sheer relief in the food stakes. No more Dunne's Stores Beef Curry boiled in a bag for me, or so I thought...

Our evening meal on Saturday had consisted of what I can only refer to pre-digested excreta containing lumps of beef, served with a tiny portion of boiled white rice. Each was given a choice of boil in the bag Beef Curry, Chicken Curry or Spaghetti Bolognaise for those of a weaker disposition.

The emphasis of the weekend being placed firmly on Camp Craft and NOT on cooking resulted in three lines of hungry scouts queuing up for sustenance as the light quickly faded. Considering the offending bags were still frozen solid and each billy can is only able to accommodate one meal at a time this proved to be somewhat of a challenge, but we survived!

Later in the evening, following a star lit hike through Charleville Forest one and all were cold and thirsty, needing something warm and sweet to ward off the imagined companions that'd accompanied us on our hike. Toasted marshmallows and hot chocolate for twenty proved to be just the thing to settle our troup down before bed...

Some five days later, having gladly left the meagre rations behind in the forest I am happy to report that I'm also dying with Coryza! (That's posh for a head cold...) After hours of sneezing fits, streaming eyes and half a box of tissues later I remembered the camp-fire hot chocolate and realised that this was just the cure required.

Admittedly it was just for me which of course simplified its preparation, as did the use of my trusty microwave oven. In just three minutes I was able to make the perfect medicinal hot chocolate. How? I used two teaspoons of Nutella in warmed milk and stirred it frantically for a few moments!

It may not be rocket science, but I can assure you that this rather odd way of making one of life's little childhood luxuries is A1! The hazelnut & chocolate spread can take a while to dissolve, although probably no more than conventional hot chocolate/drinking chocolate or cocoa. It also adds a touch of creamy luxury missing from most other attempts at making your own after ski chocolate drink at home.

There was only one thing missing from this afternoons mug and that was the shot of spiced Drambuie! As I still have to venture out to the school run, I am quite content to forego that particular pleasure, but it does add to what is already divine!

All credit goes to BB, my eldest son for the new method of spoiling oneself. Due to his absolute laziness/imagination there is a new family tradition to pass on to my grandchildren, assuming this horrid cold doesn't finish me off first...

Bon Viveur!

Polly
Vinca Cards

Polly's Blues

2009-03-02T14:48:00.007Z

I was recently privileged to be accepted as a member of BNI - Business Networking International. This is this great for my card making business (I've been inundated with requests since just before Christmas!) and it has the added bonus of a good old Irish Breakfast every Thursday morning!

Just before Christmas, down at the BNI we decided to celebrate in style. One of our business colleagues is sales executive for Day's Hotel in Tullamore, so our choice of venue was easy. Not only had we met weekly at Day's, we’d also sampled their cuisine…

Truthfully, it was superb! The choice of courses was limited to a table d'hote menu, but it was more than adequate and the standard overall was very high. Our table was arranged so that all 26 BNI members plus partners could communicate easily with one another. The rest of the restaurant was attended to separately and sectioned off allowing all parties to enjoy their meal without distraction, this worked well.

House wine served with the meal was a very acceptable in red and a white, of a well known label. Each course presented several choices. Starters ranged from a simple soup de jour to a seafood gateau, which was apparently very good. The salad accompanying my confit of duck was overly elaborate, proving to be slightly off-putting. I would have preferred a simple leaf salad.

The main course presented the obligatory turkey and ham, and other choices, including duckling and of course the ubiquitous side of steak! Our membership is mainly of the male persuasion, so it is no surprise that this was the main contender. Steak was ordered by almost everyone, ranging from well done to medium. I am however rather partial to the slightly more adventurous rare steak.

Much to the horror of the maître d, I was served a 'blue steak!' The inside was RAW, bloody and barely warm while the outside was steak coloured and hot! (Yuck!) He dealt with this discretely and efficiently, while compensating me generously with red wine. My only complaint is that in replacing the offending article with a rather larger cooked version and fresh vegetables I hadn’t left enough room for them!

images & referrences courtesy of Colin McNulty

Moving on to the dessert course, once again we were presented with several choices. The majority however went for the traditional Christmas Pudding with the Bailey’s Cheesecake coming a close second, although my bread and butter pudding went down rather well. There other lighter selections offered, although my memory two months later isn’t what it could be.

In conclusion I would highly recommend Day’s Hotel for any celebratory function. Their prices are reasonable, the service and quality of staff is excellent and the food is very good. All in all, while Day’s is not a luxurious hotel, its connections with the upper end of the hotel market are obvious in their attention to detail and quality.

All in all the Uibh Fhaili Chapter of Business Networking International had a thoroughly enjoyable evening and will be returning some nine months hence. Should you wish to join us for our regular Thursday morning business referral meetings please contact me by leaving a comment to that effect…

Polly Pierce
Vinca Cards & Brownie Points For Men

Polly Chickens Out...

2009-03-02T13:06:00.003Z

Some time ago I decided, in my infinite wisdom, to join Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on his "Chicken Out Campaign" by signing the petition and giving it a write up. For those of you who surf with sound, you may have noticed a noise emanating from the bottom of the page.

This informs readers of the number of signature's to date.

Following a weekend of cooking over fallen wood camp fires in the wilds of rural Ireland, I returned reluctantly to my computer and opened up the latest in Hugh's newsletters detailing the winner of the design a new label for Tesco's Chicken. Congratulations to Debbie Cripps, whose label design epitomises the soul of this campaign.

Do click on the screen below and see some of the winning entries, without a doubt the standard was high and it must have been a phenomenal task choosing one over the other. Afterwards, having viewed some pretty appalling images of battery chickens which end up on other peoples tables for as little as £1.00 why not head over to Chicken Out TV and lend support to the appeal?

Just by adding your name to the petition, which includes some prestigious names you will be adding fuel to the fire. You can, however, also invite your friends to join the campaign too by sending them a personal message from Hugh himself!

Either way, please don't just speed on through. Do give this issue some thought and remember that free-range or organic chicken really does taste better; so you get to enjoy something wholesome, nutritious and cruelty free with a clear conscience...

So, there's some food for thought!Enjoy...

Polly Pierce

Vinca Cards

Have Your Cake & Eat It

2009-01-30T14:02:00.004Z

It's a while since I posted. Sorry about that, but life has been totally hectic recently, leading me to forget two important events which took place on the same day. The first is DG's birthday and the second is Jean, who lives in France's birthday; both of which took place on January 27th. Ooops! Sorry Guy's...

The reason is that I have been somewhat preoccupied with a new business concept and website recently. With an important training session taking place last Monday; I was spurred into action by the realisation of the fact that St Valentine's Day is looming. Not only would I have the embarrassment of admitting to the trainer that I hadn't done anything about the idea we'd discussed; I'd also be missing an important opportunity. Hence a flurry of activity and the beginning's of a new website...

So, for the gentlemen amongst you; and of course the ladies, you can have your cake and eat it too! Why not head over to Brownie Points For Men and find out what all the excitement is about?

I'm sorry if the title is a little bit biased; it just seems that the men get into trouble more often than we ladies do; so it is principally aimed at the busy guy and let's face it they're all BUSY until the last moment! Aren't they?

I'm off now to scan in some more cards before I have to hand them over to the not-so-local craft shop for the Marie Curie Foundation. I'll tell you more about this and show you them in my next post, but I've to dash or I'll miss another opportunity and time flies when you're having fun...

Polly Pierce

Hand Made Wedding Stationary & Greeting Cards

Polly Loves Welsh Cider!

2009-01-23T13:17:00.003Z

When I originally wrote this post; over on Polly's Peri-Wrinkle's & Piercing's! it was a follow on from my previous post. In it I explained how I'd made a particularly troublesome personalised Birthday Card for a gentleman of 50, who loves Arsenal FC and is trying to give up Cider! It was prompted by a friend of mine who asked to see the result of my endeavour's.Sadly she was disappointed.

Realising that being organised is necessary for any entrepreneur and self promoter; having forgotten to take a photo of it prior to delivering the same card (only six months early!) I gave a detailed report of what I had done. This involved a lovely photo of a pint of Cider being poured expertly into a glass; as a result I followed on with another photo and a cider anecdote from the Autumn of my childhood!

Only after I had published did I realise that it probably should have been posted over here on Vinca's In Tha Kitchen - considering the nature of the post! So click on the link and find out all about my Mom's misadventure's...

Enjoy!

Polly Pierce

Maker of Bespoke Handmade Greeting Cards & Wedding Stationary In Ireland!

Polly Welcomes You

2009-01-05T23:45:00.004Z

Hello and welcome back to Vinca's-In-Tha-Kitchen in 2009!

On Christmas Day we celebrated with a delicious organic Champagne; a smashing gift from Amanda at Feelgood Organic Hamper's. While I am partial to a glass of good champagne, as is DG; my Mum on the other hand enjoys a glass and no more declaring it to be over-rated and expensive.

Not so this year; as she pronounced the Fleur de l'Europe to be the nicest champagne she'd ever had the pleasure of drinking. In fact she enjoyed it so much that she accepted a second glass...

So, "Thanks a Million for that Amanda! It went down a treat!!!!!"

If you are interested in finding more information about this lovely wine, click on the photo of the bottle and you will be transported to the Fleury site.

Happy New Year!

Polly Pierce
Hand-Made Greeting Cards & Wedding Stationary

Polly-dexterity!

2008-12-23T09:52:00.004Z

Having taken a few days off; in order to finish a massive order of personalised Christmas, Birthday and Wedding Cards I am back with vengeance! Yesterday I received an e-mail from BJK; which to be honest is highly appropriate, considering that nobody in this household enjoys doing the washing-up.

Where Fly Lady has failed to re-train entrenched habits and motivate this family the Telegraph may have come up with the answer. So, without further ado; I present what every household dreams of:

Like it or loathe it; I think we must all agree that this wonder of modern technology would have a place in most kitchens'! Sadly, rumour has it that it won't be out on the market for quite some time - perhaps a note to Santa would work?!

So, that's it for this year; my last post on Vinca's-In-Tha-Kitchen! until after the great feast of Christmas. In truth; despite having purchased a Christmas tree at my local hardware chain, the other day I have yet to put it up, in fact the poor thing has been leaning against a wall in the sitting room for the past week! So, maybe this morning I'll finally get around to it. As the saying goes; it's better late than never...

I have some lovely glass bauble's, some of which were purchased from Lorna at Garendenny Lane Interior's the weekend before last; amongst other things. Luckily for me I was able to sell twenty-three of my lovely hand-stamped Christmas Cards which just about paid for my purchases.

Sadly, any income from Vinca Cards has to remain separate from my housekeeping money; otherwise I'd never be able to tell whether I was coming or going! Still, I can offset the cost of at least one item against it; I bought a lovely business card holder for display on my table at forthcoming Wedding Fairs...

So; this is it: Merry Christmas!

Lots of Love

Polly Pierce
The Irish Hand-Made Greeting Cards & Wedding Stationary Maker!

Polly See's Cleary Now...!

2008-12-05T15:46:00.004Z

Dear God; will these guy's never stop? Hot on the heels of my last post; in which I championed some famous Offalian's on a local, national and international level I just received the latest copy of the Glenisk Newsletter.

Not content with being famously innovative; this family business has gone from strength to strength over the last thirty or so years. While still incarcerated at the Sacred Heart Convent in Tullamore I have fond memories of opening the quarter pint tetra-cartons of milk donated to the school on a daily basis during the early years of the Tullamore Dairies story.

As Christmas approaches so do the memories of the Cleary's driver dropping off a carton or two of cream from Santa Clause. The Cleary's have been a part of the community from start to finish, their dreams have grown to reality in the time that has realised enormous changes in this country alone. From being up there in the third world league tables, the Bengal Tiger famously immigrated and took Irish nationality...

Sadly it seems that the bubble has since burst; but not for Glenisk - the organic side of a business that started up a generation or so ago in Newtown, Killeigh. Not only does this company have a strong work ethic; upholding the belief that we should interfere as little as possible with our planet and all that it produces is equally important. Locally the Cleary's use Airtricity; generated from the one naturally occuring resource that Ireland is seldom short of - Wind! Maybe next they will be harnessing another type of wind produced by Green Cows!?

A little further afield this local hero is supporting yet another important project this Christmas; from a humble pot of cream to a herd of goats, maybe even a hive of bees. Glenisk has teamed up in promoting and sponsoring Bothar to produce a beautifully photographed Calendar for the New Year in 2009.

Vincent Cleary is pictured (right) with Patrick McCarrick of Bóthar and Sandy, one of Glenisk's goats at the launch of this year's calendar.

Each calender will cost just €10 (including postage to anywhere in the world) and it features images of successful projects in Nepal and Tanzania. Funds raised from the sale of this calendar will form part of the ongoing support to poor families in these two countries. Also featured are images of dairy goats from Ireland.

The Cleary family of Glenisk made the decision to sponsor the calendar because, as Vincent Cleary puts it: "We greatly admire Bóthar's work in helping to alleviate hunger among the world's poorest populations."

Just in case you are one of those poor people like me, who remember the the days when Christmas actually meant something, was smaller and more enjoyable why not have a look at gifting for charity. Faced with the difficult decision of what to buy for whom visit Bothar and download a copy of this years Christmas catalogue, let's help someone else for a change. Face it guy's; "...unlike most of the presents we exchange at this time of year, these are gifts that reflect the true spirit of Christmas."

"The Difference Is Cleary"

Did I forget to suggest that you pay the Cleary's another visit and check out their Awards and Accolades Page and see what these guy's are really up to..

Offalian's Triumph

2008-11-28T10:12:00.005Z

This morning I checked into Microsoft Outlook to see what delights had landed in my inbox and was not disappointed to spot the Offaly CEB December Ezine. My attendance of events organised by this group is unfortunately infrequent; due to previous commitments clashing. I keep an eye on things though; just in case...

In the wake of a whole swathe of award ceremonies it was a natural progression to publish some of the Offaly success stories; many of which had to do with food. Some; admittedly, in a somewhat round about way, but nevertheless come under that category!

Strangely enough this accolade must be awarded to Agetek who are based in Tullamore. Their stange name belies the fact that this company won the 2008 OCEB Enterprise Of The Year Award; but how is this connected with the subject at hand, ie Food? Well, simply put these guys manufacture doors for kitchen units and I'm sure we're all agreed that they are an integral part of the food preparation area...

On a much larger scale the Silver Award for cheese making was presented to Ralph Haslam of Mossfield Organic Cheese for his cow’s milk cheese with garlic and basil at the 2008 WORLD Cheese Awards which were held in Ireland for the first time this year; featuring over 2,400 entries from around the globe.

This award winning farm is situated at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains some six miles from Birr, County Offaly. Having undergone organic conversion in 1999, Mossfield began production of award winning organic cheeses in 2005 and are hoping to expand into the field of yoghurt and ice-cream production in the future.

On a National Scale; the overall winner of any success story has to be Glenisk the overall Winner of National Organic Award 2008 for their Glenisk Irish Organic Butter. Glenisk Irish Organic Butter was judged the best of more than 100 entries in the 2008 National Organic Awards, organized by Bord Bia in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture.

The Cleary family business has been based in Killeigh, Co Offaly producing a range of organic yoghurt and milks for over twenty-five years. Sourcing quality organic milks from fifty farms across the island of Ireland; harvesting 90% of all organic milk produced, this company has gone from a dream to Award winning reality.

Another notable winner; the 2008 OCEB Enterprise Of The Year - Artisan Award was presented to Ballyshiel Artisan Foods who lovingly create a deliciously tempting range of speciality confectionery and chocolates; hand made using authentic family recipes. Their range includes Toffee Dulce de Leche (used in making Banoffee pie), exquisite Chocolate Sauce, Karina Handmade Chocolate's which include old time favourite; Macaroon Bars.

Ballyshiel Artisan Foods promise is that all their quality products are gluten, preservative, artificial flavouring, hydrogenated oil and fat free making them suitable for coeliac's and vegetarian's.

Also included in the list of Offaly CEB finalist's was Yvonne Carty of Hey Pesto! Who specialises in making entertaining a stress free adventure of the culinary variety. Catering for corporate and domestic customer's Yvonne has her craft down to a fine art and having sampled some of her wares I can heartily agree!

I'm sure we can all agree that the above list makes interesting reading for us Offalian's! It's nice to hear of anyone in the region succeeding in business but to be honest it's even better when this applies to food. At a time when there's less money available to splash out on expensive treats it's good to know that we have some award winning products right here on our door step. What's even nicer is that the quality of these products is assured...

I hope you enjoy checking out the links as there are some terrific products and companies to be found. Be thankful that Polly didn't launch into one of her famous rants about the dangers of eating 'normal' foodstuffs...

Polly Pierce

Fine Hand-Crafted Wedding Stationary & Greeting Cards For All Occasions: Affording You The Gift of Time

Polly; Let The Tagged Alone!

2008-11-25T12:19:00.001Z

Oh no~I've been tagged again! This time it's Donal over on TheGoodMoodFoodBlog . I suppose it serves me right as I seem to have been hogging his blogging all afternoon; yes that's right, all afternoon. The reason being very simple; I am obsessed by the pantomime and he's starring in the one I love...

Anyway one thing obviously led to another and hey presto I am to reveal seven little known facts about myself for public consumption. Actually I don't mind that bit too much, the problem is trying to think of folk I know who haven't already been tagged this time around or even the last time around! So; for the easy part!

1) I speak with a very mixed up English accent - sorry to shatter any illusions folks! That is until really cross in which case a few of the colloquial profanities may be uttered in a slightly softer but more menacing accent!
2) I am half Irish and a little less than half English, with some Scottish blood and heaven only knows what else coursing through my veins!
3) My complexion is so sallow and my hair so dark that I am easily mistaken for a local when on holiday's/vacation abroad; whereas DG is paler than your average milk bottle with deep auburn hair! I have steel blue eyes.
4) Despite the above I am not well travelled; preferring mostly to holiday around the islands of Ireland and the United Kingdom, usually camping in my own tent, cooking for four on a camping stove or meths burner. (finances dictate!)
5) I have developed some very diverse reading habits which vary from short novella's and poetry to classics such as Dracula and Alice in Wonderland to the Avoca Book of Soups. I enjoy reading aloud to my children and anyone else who will listen.
6) My taste in music is eclectic to say the least. My first concert was AC/DC at the Hammersmith Odeon and the most recent a Recorder Quartet Recital at a local hotel - I went to both voluntarily! I have met Lemmy from Motorhead.
7) As a child I was very active. I won several medals and awards for both swimming and gymnastics - at (very) amateur level. Today I lead a sedentary life-style. I'm sad...

Now for the difficult bit! Who on earth am I to tag; without causing them to tear their hair out, that is?

Sorry girls; but I am sure you understand!

Polly Pierce
Hand Made Wedding Stationary & Greeting Cards from Ireland

Polly & Bogart's Secret Shared

2008-11-19T15:44:00.004Z

A couple of weeks ago I made a promise to one of my many cyberfriends; I know Evelyne through the Irish Business Womens Forum aka IBW. Like many people I am quite partial to the odd drop of wine which is where my friend comes in; Through The Grape Vine is an on-line wine merchant specialising in fine wines, personal and corporate gifts, personalised wines, hampers and all manner of sumptuous gifts.

Just browsing through the site makes me want to whip out my credit card and place an order immediately. Sadly; for me this is not to be recommended as my social calendar is whirling out of control. With two weddings and two significant birthday's to celebrate; plus the cost of accommodation, travel and presents it's very much a case of budget cut back's this month!

That said perhaps I didn't have to drink DG's poor wallet dry last Friday night! (Oh yes, I did!) Having always been a sucker for classic cocktails and a nice venue; I was in my element. Having been invited to Ms T's wedding; which was celebrated at none other than Middleton Park House it was in my interests to be on my best behaviour for the evening. (Speaking of wedding's Through The Grape Vine do wedding packages too!)

Not only did I have to look good, it was important that I felt good too. Dressed in a mixture of classic cream teamed with a striking blue cashmere and silk wrap, matching leather gloves and six inch sateen heels in the same striking blue I looked and felt a million dollars. It would be a shame to spoil this illusion by lifting a pint of the black stuff to my pretty pink lips...

Instead I taught the barman a new cocktail; consisting only of the fruit of the vine, ie brandy and triple sec I figured this would be a safe bet for the evening. Not only did it look elegant; it tasted divine!

Side-Car
1 Measure Cognac
1 Measure Triple Sec
1 Measure Lemon
Ice

Very simply this cocktail is shaken not stirred! Just the way James Bond likes it; which is quite fitting considering that the Groom, his junior Best Man and Groom's Man arrived by helicopter!

For anyone who's not familiar with triple sec; this included me until relatively recently, Kieran over at Ice-Cream Ireland recently solved this most elusive of puzzles. According to the Wikipedia link in his article Triple Sec is any orange flavoured alcoholic liqueur. Considering that a Sidecar has been my favourite cocktail since my early twenties I felt a bit of a chump when I discovered this tantalisingly simple fact!

Until Friday I would always have recommended the clear Cointreau, which has a lovely sharp tangy flavour that added little to the drink other than its clarity of flavour. As Middleton Park House is such a classy establishment they prefer my mother's favourite liqueur; Grand Marnier and boy does it make a difference.

Not only does it lend a luscious glow to the finished cocktail, but the flavour is simply divine. What Cointreau adds to this cocktail is sharpness with an over-riding sweetness; Grand Marnier is quite the opposite offering a subtle softness to this classic cocktail. While this may be advantageous in the short term; it certainly makes this drink one for the long night, whereas its slightly less demur sister generally retires after just one or two appearances.

Better still is the fact that there were very few ill effects following a subtle blending with fine white table wines and champagne. My grand-father always swore by sticking to either the grain or the grape; as did my father and with good reason...

For more information on this classic cocktail, which also happened to be one of Humphrey Bogart's favourites why not head over to The Cocktail Spirit for a quick heads-up with Robert Hess?

Meanwhile, my lips are smarting just at the thought of our evening at Ms T's wedding. The food was fabulous, as was the whole production. The venue is romance itself and with a handful of your closest friends I can't imagine anywhere else in the world that I'd want to get married...

Polly Pierce
Vinca Cards Hand-Made Wedding Stationary & Greeting Cards
ps. I've been invited back to exhibit at their next Wedding Expo on February 8th next year!

Bright Lights For Polly

2008-11-09T23:11:00.003Z

Every now and again I like to write about some of my on-line friends; one of whom is Jean - an English woman living in rural France. By day she is an atelier (French for upholster) and the rest of the time she is Barbara from the Good Life. That is meant as a compliment; I loved the series when very much younger and still enjoy it when it turns up at re-run time...

Just yesterday, while I was catching up with her tales of life in France and Self Sufficiency I came across a post which made me wonder what she knew about one of the regular members of my weekly organic fruit and vegetable basket; Chard. When it first turned up I did at least know what it was and vaguely remembered it being featured in Organic Gardening, however I couldn't remember what to do with it! So, who better to ask than a friend who just so happens to grow it...

Swiss Chard Bright Lights
Originally uploaded by Botanical Interests

Here is what she wrote:

"Chard. I make filo parcels with the green leafy part which vaguely resemble samosas and then with the white stems I cut them into one inch lengths, cook them (usually in water) and then serve with a cheese sauce. Alternatively if your boys are tricky about unusual veg you can chop it finer and hide it in the bolognaise sauce, or veg sauce if you are vegetarian. You can use the stems the following day but not much longer than that. Chard doesn't keep well once it's out of the garden.

Filo Parcels: Strip the green leaves off them stems and after washing them cook as for spinach - ie not much water as you want it to be not too wet. Drain it thoroughly and if necessary press gently in a sieve to get rid of excess water. I then put it in the magimix with a tub of ricotta - not sure of quantities but you need a decent amount of green - and chop it all up. Add nutmeg if you want or other flavouring.

Then, prepare the filo pastry. I brush one side with melted butter, turn it over (the melted butter is then on the OUTSIDE to help it stick together), and put a dollop of the mixture in and roll it up in whatever manner works! The pastry here is round so I start with a semi circle and end up with a parcel. If it is square then you can probably end up with a triangle. I don't think it really matters as it all ends up in the same place!

Put the parcels on a baking sheet and cook in the hot (200) oven for about 20 minutes - but keep an eye on thme as they go from nicely brown to oh dear oops very quickly!

I've never frozen them but I imagine you can. But I do often make them the day before and keep them in the fridge over night. They are fiddly to prepare so you need a bit of time."

Sadly; without Jean's excellent guidance my supplies of what is supposed to be a delicious, attractive and nutritious vegetable led a sheltered life at the bottom of my salad drawer, at the bottom of the fridge. That is until I had totally forgotten about it; by which stage it would have devolved into a green, slimy mess destined for the compost heap!

As I only received Jean's e-mail this evening and the issue of my ailing oven is still not fully resolved it will probably be a while before I make the filo parcels but I can still knock together a pretty good cheese sauce. So, hopefully tomorrows basket from Lough Boora Farm will present itself with a full spectrum of colourful chard for me to experiment with...

How Amanda Made Polly Feelgood!

2008-11-08T15:21:00.003Z

As you may already know by now I love to promote products that I believe in and I have a great interest in Organic and Free-Range Food. For some time now I have been following Amanda Webb's business Feelgood Organic Hamper's with great interest.

I first met this lady at a joint networking event being held at Castle Durrow, Co Laois. This was quite some time ago; my first time at anything like it and I was very unsure of myself, as did several of the women I spoke to that evening. I took her business card and a copy of her brochure; I'd good intentions but little cash to spend.

Amanda's special interest is in everything organic and the environment; which led her to offer Ireland's only organic hamper service. Some eighteen months later I placed my first order with Feelgood Organic Hamper's and was delighted to learn that I had qualified for a free bottle of organic champagne too!

With its recently extended range Feelgood Organic Hampers looks set to take off just in time for Christmas; offering luxurious packages of organic food and drink, pamper packages and so on. I just wish that I could justify the expense of sending one to myself with Christmas in mind! Organic wines served with delicious plum puddings, luxury chocolates, and so on. Yum!

You know what? Why not visit Amanda's website and see for yourself, only then will you be able to see how much hard work has gone into making Feelgood Organic Hampers the business it is today...

...By the way Amanda has a lovely food blog as well! It's called Organic Yum-yum!

Polly Promotes Blog Candy

2008-11-08T14:59:00.003Z

Depite the title of this post it involves very little food! However, it is promoting some of Karen of Simply Embellish's art work. Karen from Hawaii produces cards and various other forms of art work...

She has just recently introduced a new range of sticker sets available on her ET SY s hop; some of which are customisable, while others are definitely suited to certain themes such as Home Baking, Christmas, Thanks Giving, etc.

To be in with a chance of winning a complete sticker set click here to be find out how...

Good Luck!

Polly Pierce
Hand-Made Wedding Stationary & Greeting Cards

Polly Passes Gas Safely

2008-11-04T13:37:00.003Z

Some time ago I had reason to call out the service engineer for Electrolux. Strangely enough, the name of the company concerned is just a little bit misleading; considering the appliance he'd called out to see is a gas cooker!

The problem was that one of the rings was refusing to ignite using the ignition button and was only lighting when a naked flame was applied. Really, it was such a minor problem that I probably wouldn't have bothered him if it weren't for the fact that the cooker was still relatively new and under guarantee.

The issue of the sparking; or rather not sparking was cleared up relatively quickly, however he did point out one or two more issues which were far more pressing; he was appalled by what he observed: the canister was placed beside the cooker inside the kitchen. He immediately insisted that it should be OUTSIDE with an insulated copper pipe to carry it through the wall. Just as importantly; the heavy orange plastic pipe must not run across the back of the cooker due to the extremes of heat and the associated risk involved.

Another important thing that did come out of this meeting was the fact that he'd never encountered Portagas, the supplier I was using at the time; having dealt with CalorGas or FloGas for years this was a new one to him. On testing the flow/pressure it was discovered to be slightly below par as the flame wavered gently from side to side. I promised to get rid of PortaGas and re-instate good old Calor/Flo-Gas instead.

On that note we arranged that he'd call back and see how things were going in a couple of weeks time; with me promising to rectify the safety issues he'd pointed out. Being a bit of a DIY'er I tackled the issue of storing the canister in a safe place with gusto; hiring an industrial masonry bit to drill through the back wall of the house. I also located an old plastic dustbin to camouflage the unsightly yellow canister and drilled a whole in the top for the tubing.

At this stage I was rather pleased with my efforts and set about removing the regulator (ie connector); it needed to be replaced and anyway it wouldn't fit through the two centimeter hole!
What I found inside was just revolting; the very thought of it still makes me feel nauseaous at just the thought of it. As stupid as it sounds there was a thick gungey fluid within the orange plastic tubing; reminiscent of syrup or honey an just as gloopey! The smell of this stuff was something else...

All this a long time ago, and up until recently had been all but forgotten. That is until the cooker started playing up again and emergency LPG was purchased in the middle of cooking the Sunday roast. It was Portagas again and within a few days things started to go awry again in the cooking department, the rear left ring wouldn't light fully and was in a permanent simmer position regardless of the position of the dial.

The top oven wouldn't light for ages and then was unable to achieve required temperatures for cooking! Finally the main oven packed up, the flame is little more than that of a pilot light and any heat produced would make perfectly white meringues or prove bread beautifully; but it's not much good for anything else.

Like anything else; as soon as you know you can't have something, you desperately want it! Yes folks I want to bake, make casseroles and pot roasts, you name it and I have been drooling over the mere idea of being able to use my gas oven to make it in! Should I call out the engineer or should I just revert back to good old Calor/Flo-Gas? I am seriously hoping that it is the latter that will cure my ailing oven - it worked before, after all...

The only problem with such an optimistic (hopelessly so) outlook is that each day passes with me cursing the oven, the gas and anything else in sight. I can still make toast and have virtually the full use of the top plate and being a survivor can make a cake or bread if necessary in the microwave oven. The slowroasted pot-roast can be done in the slow-cooker and I can manage.

When eventually we do get around to looking for Calor/Flo-Gas we are going to be challenged big time; as the Portagas folk are refilling any yellow canister returned to them, making it difficult to know who does and who doesn't do the real Calor or Flo-Gas. Even some of the shopkeeper's that I've spoken to haven't realised that they were selling anything other than the real stuff. Should you find yourself or your cooker suffering similarly and wish to purchase Calor Gas please consult the company's interactive map for a supplier.

To add insult to injury I am told that the deposit paid for the proper original Calor Gas cylinder's will not be refunded by Portagas! There was a mini-holy war when I took one of the cylinders; which by now had been painted with the Portagas insignia back to a local shop demanding a refund. Sure enough I got it; but I wasn't so lucky the next time at the other branch of the same shop...

For the sake of decency and for my own peace of mind I won't rant on any more about the issue of PortaGas v Calor-Gas or Flo-Gas. I have recounted my own experiences relating to problems with my cooker and reported the fact that the service engineer whose job it is to fix these things had not heard of PortaGas; which I think is quite odd. I was not impressed with the customer service end of the company concerned especially relating to the refunding of deposits paid.

NB. I must point out also that I have just discovered that canister's intended for outside storage should be the RED Propane Gas and not the YELLOW Butane gas which is inclined to remain in the liquid state at temperatures below zero degrees centigrade. Propane on the other hand will vapourise at anything above -42C. In the light of this information, I believe it is time for me to consider changing not only my supplier but also the type of fuel required to revive my poor slightly wider than average cooker!

Ladies and Gentlemen; I leave you to make up your own minds; and urge you to pray for the ailing health of my lovely Electrolux gas cooker and for a transfusion of Calor/Flo-Gas LPG in the near future to make it feel better. Meanwhile if things get really bad I can always use the camping stove or even the Trangia meths stove...

Polly Whines

2008-10-03T13:22:00.007+01:00

As some of you undoubtedly know by now I recently attended The Midlands Bridal & Debs Exhibition at Charleville Castle; not as a visitor but as an exhibitor. I had a great time and left with plenty of ideas and big hopes for orders in the future.

© Lily O'Brien

As far as my stand goes, aside from having a superb product to show off I took my new best friend; Lily O'Brien with me. Or perhaps I should say some of her lovely chocolates which I offered

to my visitor's as ~~brides~~ bribes; excuse the accidental pun! Suffice to say; my table was very popular, not least because I was the only stationer present!

On Saturday evening; on my way home from the expo I called into my favourite shop, ie Lidl. As I had worked hard all afternoon; I'd decided to treat myself to a glass of wine to finish the evening off and this shop has a great collection of Spanish wines to choose from. Imagine my delight when their 'Barcelino' oak aged Barrica from Catalunya was on offer at just €5.99...

Needless to say I picked up two bottles. One I shared with my Mom the following evening; alongside Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding; and guess what? She loves it too! The other took pride of place at home and was shared with a thirsty farmer when eventually he got home from working on this years late harvest.

I am also pleased to be able to report that my local Lidl had some of their Lord Nelson teas left in stock. I had first encountered these on the Lidl Treats blog a couple of weekends ago and pounced on the opportunity to test them. As they had had such a good write up, my expectations were high and I was delighted to discover that these inexpensive treats were every bit as good as hoped for.

Even LB has discovered their delights. He has been plying me with huge quantities of the softly coloured beverage in the hopes of usurping me from my place at the computer this week. The poor lad wasn't in the best of health last week; suffering with one of those infernal bugs which does the rounds at this time of the year.

© lidltreats.com 2008

Despite returning to school on Monday; he's been off again this week following his withdrawal from a cross country race at our local Harrier's club. He's not quite well enough to be in school and he's not quite ill enough to be at home; suffering badly with boredom!

To make matter's worse; BB has also been off colour this week. He had his Tetanus booster injection the other day and appears to have suffered some of the unfortunate side-effects, including cherry red face, bodily aches and pains and a tomato sized lump on his left upper arm which is very sore. The delights of preventative medicine!

Today both of these guy's are a lot better and have taken to driving one another mad; and me in the process. Doubtless they're still not fit enough to return to school today; but you can't blame a gal for wishing!

So, that's enough from me; and anyway I think I can smell pancakes in the distance! LB has obviously decided to focus his energies in the kitchen for the time being...

Bon Appetit

Polly Pierce
Purveyor of Fine Irish Hand Made Wedding Stationary & Greeting Cards

Polly Supports...

2008-09-24T22:24:00.002+01:00

Earlier today I got wind that a few of my pals have been nominated for the Irish 2008 Movie Star Web Awards being held on 11th October at the Radisson SAS Royal Hotel, Dublin. As usual the list is endless; but then there are quite a few categories so that's to be expected.

Congratulations to Deborah Hadley of Spicendipity who has made it into the top five Best eCommerce/Services Website Award sponsored by Cybercom. Fingers crossed Deborah!

Deborah is doubly lucky this year, having been nominated and short listed for the Most Beautiful Website in Ireland Award - Sponsored by Beaut.ie. So I guess it's both hands out of action until the award ceremony and the announcement of the lucky winners...

Also short listed is award winning Darina Loakman; over at Mumcentric who is in the top five for the Best Podcaster Award sponsored by Irish Mortgage Brokers. Once again, this is great news and the short-listing is well deserved; so congratulations and the best of luck for October 11th.

It's great news to see so many women in business doing so well and being recognized publicly for their efforts; keep up the good work and carry on being an inspiration for the rest of us WAHM's out here in blogland...

Finger's Crossed!

Polly Pierce
Vinca Cards

Polly?

2008-09-24T21:37:00.003+01:00

As I was catching up with some of my Twitter pals I came across this little nugget; the subject of this video is Ben & Jerry's Ice-Cream. As you all know; by now, I am a confirmed ice-cream addict whose ambition is to get down to Killarney to sample some of Kieran Murphy's ice-cream delight in person at the source of origin. Sadly this year we didn't make it, but maybe next year we will...

Meanwhile; returning to the subject of some hot debate caused by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) in their letter to the popular ice-cream makers. Would you fancy eating ice-cream containing Human Breast Milk? Click on this link which will take you to a video showing some reactions of other ice-cream lovers...

Meanwhile; speaking for myself, a self-confessed dairy cow who nursed two boys for longer than she cares to remember I ask one question: "Have you ever tasted the stuff?" Well, like most adults the answer is probably no. However, most nursing mom's will tell you readily that even the smell of it becomes unpleasant after a while; especially if you're expressing.

I'll leave you to make up your own mind on this one; but it certainly is food for thought when you consider how much dairy most folks eat on a daily basis. One more thought, Mares Milk chocolate is readily available in Austrian shops and doesn't taste that bad...

Why not leave a comment and share your opinion?

Polly Pierce

Maker of Hand-made Wedding Stationary and Greeting Cards

Pollys Review

2008-09-24T21:08:00.003+01:00

Goodness me! What it is to be popular...

This morning, while siphoning through my in-box I discovered another little snippet of interest. Okay, well it is probably only of interest to me and anyone wishing to sample the culinary delights of Tullamore, Co Offaly.

Back in February I did a review on Mezzo here in Tullamore; it seems that they liked my review as they have requested that it be included in FindaRestaurant.ie. Seeing as I positively raved about the place way back in February of this year I would be more than delighted to share my opinion with the world at large; not forgetting the direct linking of their review back to my blog.

photo courtesy of discoverireland.ie

Well; who am I to turn down an opportunity such as this? If anything that lil e-mail positively made my day! Well, it and a couple of others! What I must point out here and now is that I have checked FindaRestaurant.ie out and from what I have seen so far; it is pretty impressive. What the heck? Go for it is my attitude...

Polly Pierce

Vinca Cards

Polly €10,000

2008-09-22T14:13:00.004+01:00

Hey there everybody!

As you may be aware if you have been following my recent exploits on Polly's Peri-wrinkle's & Piercing's I have all but cancelled any/all social engagements for the next week. This includes blogging; unless that is to let off steam about people being thoroughly unreasonable!

Anyway, despite this I still have to check my e-mails and guess what I came across this morning? Yet another TV programme looking for participants to take part in a new show called HEAT. A good incentive to apply for this is the €10,000 prize available to the winner!

Now I have to admit, it sounds pretty good to me. However, as I am expecting to be too busy to bless myself in the near future I thought I would pass it on to my readers and take a rain-check myself! Do let me know how you get on if you are one of the lucky applicants to be accepted for the show...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi,

I am mailing because TV production company Loosehorse are producing a brand new series of RTE's cookery show HEAT and are looking for participants. I have always found in the past that word of mouth through friends is one of the most effective ways of finding people to feature in programmes so I'm wondering if you could help me spread the word.

We are looking for people who are great cooks and would relish the opportunity to cook for customers in a real restaurant. See below for a more detailed blurb about the show. Oh and people get the chance to compete for a €10,000 prize!

I would really appreciate if you could forward this mail onto anyone you think might be interested and if you would like more information please email me on kathriona@loosehorse.ie or call 01 6136052.

Below is a bit more information about series.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Kind regards,

Kathriona

Ireland's amateur chefs wanted for RTE show and chance to win €10,000 prize

RTE's HEAT is currently on the hunt again for Ireland's most enthusiastic amateur chefs.

We are looking for people who have never cooked professionally but know their roux from their 'roo; people who have always fancied plating up their own creations in a real and pressured restaurant; people who have a passion for food and a competitive edge.

So, can you stand the HEAT? Do you have what it takes to design a menu and cook it for real, paying customers in a real restaurant?

Are you prepared to put your culinary ability to the test in the ultimate pressure cooker - a professional kitchen?

Are you able to design and execute a winning menu under the steely gaze of one of Ireland's best and toughest chefs?

Would you like to win a culinary holiday worth €10,000?

If you can answer yes to these questions then get in touch by emailing heat@loosehorse.ie or call us on 01 6136052.

Applicants must be over 18, never worked in a professional kitchen, have the flexibility to be available for occasional filming over a 2 month period and most importantly love food and cooking.

Kathriona Devereux
Loosehorse
1 The Anchorage
Charlotte Quay
Dublin 4
Tel: 01 6136052
Email: kathriona@loosehorse.ie

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Love Polly Pierce
Maker of Hand Made Wedding Stationary & Greeting Cards

Polly Makes Startling Discoveries

2008-09-14T16:43:00.003+01:00

A while ago I subscribed to Damien Mulley's blog. I drop in from time to time and have a quick read; but I never thought that it would make much difference to my life in general. I was checking out my reports over at Google analytics this morning and noticed a couple of unexpected entries.

The what's, why's and wherefore's are actually quite simple. I copied and pasted the url's into my browser and hey presto found that I'd logged into another Irish food blog; and guess what? It is owned and run by the very same Damien Mulley and The Good Mood Food Blog by Donal, which is well worth a read if only for the lovely photo's.

From what I can tell Gastronom.ie is a round up of live feeds from a variety of blogs around the country and it certainly makes interesting reading. For one, Vinca's In Tha Kitchen has received more than one entry...

Gastronome.ie certainly makes interesting reading! I have discovered a number of interesting blogs and rediscovered a few old favourite's that I have been neglecting of late. Why not head over there and see for yourself?

A couple of interesting examples include and Lidl Treats; which as everyone knows pans right into my good books because Lidl is one of my favourite places to shop!

I can't think of a nicer way to spend the morning; except for the fact that I had promised myself that I would be uploading new pics to my Vinca Cards website, working on press releases and other exciting projects of a similar nature! Still, tomorrow's another day and so long as I have it done by the time I have to head into our Scout meeting tomorrow night everything will be okay!

Polly Pierce