For a Quintessentially Celtic Treat, Nothing Beats a Freshly Baked Fluffy Irish Scone!

It was “Sally O’Brien and the way she might look at you” that used to attract the tourists. Nowadays tourists are flocking to experience wild coasts, ancient ruins and Irish food. Though subtle culinary differences do exist between us and our close neighbours in Britain. Rather than high tea, Irish scones conjure images of a farmhouse kitchen, a wooden table and a ginormous pot of tea.

When I worked the morning shift in a kitchen, the scones were in the oven within 10 minutes of my arrival. All I had to do was crack some eggs, then pour them, along with milk, into the dry scone mixture (which I had prepared the day before). Every B&B in the country might make a fresh batch each morning if they knew how easy scones are to make.

Truly Irish scones are made in the fashion of white soda bread; combining plain flour, bread soda, salt and buttermilk. While delicious and fluffy when...

Tart apples, sweetened and topped with a crisp, buttery crumble.

Ingredients
3-4 apples, peeled and cubed (cooking or dessert apples)
2 tbsp butter (plus extra for greasing)
third cup sugar
½ lemon, zest and juice of
1 cup blackberries
Crumble Topping
1 cup porridge oats
½ cup all purpose flour
quarter cup sugar
third cup butter, melted
Optional: ½ cup nuts (chopped hazelnuts)
To serve: whipped cream 

1. Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit (180°C) fan. Grease a medium size ovenproof dish.
2. In a saucepan, gently melt the butter and sugar. Add in the cubed apples and lemon juice.  Cook for 5-7 minutes on a medium high heat (the apples should still be al dente and retain their shape).
3. Remove from the heat and gently fold in two thirds of the blackberries until their juices start to run into the apples. Taste and adjust to your desired sweetness adding more sugar if needed. 
4. Transfer the fruit filling into the greased ovenproof dish. Dot the...

Guinness Stew may well be the mother of all stews since anything simmered for hours is going to be wonderfully tasty. Arguably the most deeply flavourful sauce of all stews, with a rich dark brown flavour, this is an Irish classic. The not-so-secret ingredient that goes into Stew that gives the sauce the deep flavour and colour is Guinness Stout (or 'The Black Stuff' as we often say in Ireland), which is known to be much richer than most beers (the thick foam that gathers on the top of a pint).  Irish Stout is widely exported nowadays and other equally good Irish Stouts such as Murphys Irish Stout or Beamish) can be substituted in this recipe . All Irish Stout is so dark it is almost black and it’s why the gravy of the stew is such a beautiful deep brown colour. Don't get confused between a Beef and Guinness Stew and Irish Stew (which is more famous and authentic, made with lamb and more like a soup when served, with NO guinness). In an Irish Stew, the potatoes are...

Transform vanilla ice cream with sweetened breadcrumbs.

Brown bread ice cream is unique to Ireland. Just as other European cuisines have their own iconic dishes used to stretch the last of ingredients which might otherwise go stale. Since home baked Soda bread is best eaten within a day or two of baking, you don’t want to waste any.  It is wonder simply spread with butter on the first day, fabulous toasted on the second day but, by day three, it might be more brick than brioche. Brown bread ice cream was a way to use up the old (not quite stale) bread. Similar traditions exist in cuisines all over the world. In France the 'pain perdu', is used in many different recipes. In Italian cuisine, 'gremolata' dishes make use of the day old bread, turning the stale bread into breadcrumbs, and in England, bread and butter pudding makes use of the nearly stale sliced pan.

An English friend of mine was bemused one day when I mentioned the ‘heel of the loaf’ – a term...

Shortbread Biscuits make wonderful Edible Christmas Gifts!

The delightful buttery flavour and crunchy texture of shortbread makes it irresistible. Fine shortbread biscuits appear in most luxury goods displays at this time of year. Sold in brightly coloured tubes and nestled among the prints, 3-D cards, candles, scarves and gloves they certainly endure as a considered gift for discerning givers. They are also a God send for last minute shoppers. Just baked, homemade shortbread is beyond compare as it is the tastiest and the best. Delicately crisp, the rich buttery flavour is enough to make your heart flutter. When covered in a light dusting of caster sugar, the experience reminds me of the pleasure of a fall of uncompacted snow. Shortbread is very easy to make with the added benefit of containing ingredients that you probably have in your fridge or pantry. For some festive baking, this shortbread recipe, made in a food processor, is whipped up like any cookie dough. Extremely quick...

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A chocolate roulade makes an elaborate centrepiece at this time of year, so why not give your family a fabulous festive treat with this chocolate roulade. My flourless chocolate roulade is deliciously light and gluten free. Combining cherries, orange and a rich chocolate mousse like filling, it is the perfect prepare ahead dessert as it tastes even better when made the day before. Flavours such as brandy, cointreau, coffee, sweetened chestnut purée and even ginger can be added to the chocolate sponge or filling. 

Decorate into a Yule log for an elaborate, luxurious seasonal centrepiece. 

Sponge
200g dark chocolate (max 55% cocoa solids), coarsely chopped
25g butter
5 eggs, room temperature, separated into yolks and whites
150g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Filling
125g dark chocolate, broken into squares
250g butter, softened
40g icing sugar, sieved
2 tbsp milk

Grease and...

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Mince Pies play such a big part in a typical Christmas.  My grandma made them every year and while she always made her pastry by hand, she only ever used a jar of mincemeat.  I start to bake mince pies at home from the first week in December.  While my kids love the taste of them, they love making them even more with this easy recipe.  They make gorgeous presents wrapped up in florist cello-wrap and tied up with a festive ribbon.

Since I bake alot, I find my muffin tins have the perfect size hollows for filling deep mince pies.  If you have a shallower tins, be careful not to fill them to the brim as the mincemeat filling will expand while being baked.  Make them in advance and leave in the freezer uncooked and bake them when you need them.

There are lots of ways you can add your own signature to mincemeat. You can add some extra crunch with toasted chopped hazelnuts or bitter...

By now the house will be strewn with tinsel and glittering baubles.  It is the perfect time to indulge in a bit of festive baking alongside a playlist of holiday tunes. These red velvet cupcakes are show stoppers! The cocoa powder in the sponge gives them a mild chocolate flavour and rich colour. For the fabulous red icing I use cream cheese which lends a contrasting tangy taste to these sweet cupcakes.

Red velvet bakes have an intriguing trompe l’oeil effect signalling to the brain ‘red fruit’, whilst the flavour of the cake is actually chocolate, due to the addition of cocoa powder.  Commercial bakers achieve a vibrant deep red sponge purely by adding artificial red food colouring as it maintains a stable colour after baking which doesn’t fade.  However the manufacturer’s labelling indicates it should be used sparingly (so it’s wise to ask mum to supervise the amount used).  In this recipe, I have kept the red colouring to a...

No one is too young or too old to enjoy making gingerbread biscuits. The smell of orange, ginger and mixed spice wafting through the house on a cold wintery day is completely enticing.

Perfect gingerbread: From people to entire villages, let your imagination run wild. Gingerbread can be cut into every shape imaginable and decorated as delicately or as gaudily as you like. Now is the right time to make gingerbread that will last right up until Christmas Day.

If you’re of a mature and civilised persuasion, gingerbread biscuits are lovely dunked in a cup of tea in the morning. For the rest of us, they can be cut into every shape imaginable and decorated as delicately or as gaudily as you like.

Younger children might want to use cutters to make sure their biscuits have a recognisable shape. They can go to town with brightly coloured icing, sprinkles and baubles. The sky is the limit for older bakers. From gingerbread people and animals, to entire gingerbread villages, you can let...

An all time Irish snack Classic

The sausage roll is one of the most beloved snack pastries available here on the Emerald Isle. What could be better than a delicious sausage wrapped in puff pasty? Well, nothing! Of course you won't know that until you try it! :)

Think of pigs in a blanket: a traditional US classic for parties and events, made with hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls. But what if they were homemade from a real Irish recipe with fresh pork sausage? These delicious morsels are so popular you can find them behind the deli at any convenience store in Ireland, and they're one of the highest selling pastries available in Ireland as well as the UK. They form a big part of many Irish people's day to day cuisine, and to say they're addictive would be an understatement. Once you try them, you'll want to make them again and again! Here's the recipe!

Ingredients (Makes about 20):

• 1lb of puff pastry

For the Filling - 

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1lb pork sausagemeat
• 3 tbsp...