Sally's blog

The “Warming Chicken and Potato Stew” did it. The minute I saw the recipe, featured in The Guardian, I knew I had to cook the dish. It pushed a button that was more pathological than culinary, or simply curious. Something about “Warming Chicken and Potato Stew” screamed at me, and what it screamed was: you need this in your life, so go get the gochujang.
So I did, and I cooked it, and it was stunning, and I have been slowly and steadily cooking my way through Our Korean Kitchen ever since.

People get nostalgic about pigs, about pork. Attend any pig-in-a-day class, and you get to see adults who positively romanticise the pig, and see themselves surrounded by happy piglets, happy in shit.

Fiona Bird is a forager, living in the Outer Hebrides. She’s a seaweed specialist, but also has a terrific understanding of the entire edible coastline. This is her third book, the others being a book on foraging, and a book for children. She also, as one always has to say, is a previous finalist in MasterChef. Put all this together, and you have an exciting mix of talent, enthusiasm, inquisitiveness, pioneer spirit and adventure, and this book was always destined to be a good read.

Leslie Williams wants Kevin Thornton to cook his last ever meal.

Pictures right from Kevin's Instagram feed: @KevinThornton5

There’s been a lot of talk these past days about the best places to eat in Ireland, all thanks to some guide or other that came out recently.

The “KP”

June 25th, 1993. The day before I turned 15, and my first day in a professional kitchen.

It was also the first day I held a proper knife and the first day I realized the top flap of your thumb hurts like hell when you slice it off. I don’t want to jinx myself but I’ve only ever cut myself bad once since and even that wasn’t all that bad.

It didn’t put me off.

William Barry reckons John Farrell's newest Dublin venture, Luna, is his best yet.

Gearoid Lynch's cooking in Cavan's The Olde Post Inn is nothing less than a culinary masterclass, says John McKenna

Wine writers love to fuss about food and wine matching when in fact there are only a few foods that are actually difficult to match and most of those will be sorted out by a fruity dry rosé.  Chocolate however can be a challenge and that was the task myself and John Wilson of the Irish Times set ourselves at Theatre of Food this year.

Here's the thing about Food on the Edge: if you are going to be there, in Galway on October 19th and 20, it will be the equivalent of having been at the first MAD symposium. It will gift you the same life-long bragging rights as having sat down at the table at the opening night of Dilisk. You will forever have the same once-in-a-lifetime thrill of hearing Rene Redzepi speak at Litfest.

Already described as "Ireland's MAD", Theatre of Food just gets bigger and better, and is now a pivotal part of Electric Picnic.

This year huge crowds descended on the tent, for both our demos and our workshops. It was a blast, as this video demonstrates. Roll on EP2016. Though how we're going to top this year, I really don't know. It's worth coming to Electric Picnic, just to see Theatre of Food.

Thanks to all the brilliant people who came and gave it loads, including artists and crew.