Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms Freeze-Dried Raspberries are my new favourite find. I recently started making my own granola, and adding a handful of these gives it that extra special oomph. They add a lovely burst of raspberry flavour and turn a simple homemade breakfast into something that feels like a real treat.

I love them sprinkled through granola with nuts and seeds, but they’re also delicious added to porridge, yoghurt or simply eaten as they are. It’s such an easy way to add something a little different to breakfast, and they have definitely earned a permanent place in my homemade granola!

Geraldine Fitzpatrick

​We've all found that forgotten bulb of garlic at the back of the cupboard, perhaps a little dry or with green shoots beginning to appear. Before you throw it away, take another look. There may still be plenty you can do with it.

​Sprouting garlic is still usable. If the cloves are firm and free from mould or decay, they can still be added to soups, stews, sauces and other cooked dishes. The green shoot is edible too, although it can have a slightly stronger or more bitter flavour.

If you have more garlic than you can use, peel and freeze the cloves. They can be chopped or grated straight from frozen whenever you need them.

A whole bulb that's starting to get past its best can also be roasted. Roasting transforms the cloves into a soft, mellow paste that's delicious stirred through mashed potatoes, soups, vegetables or spread onto toast.

Even the papery skins don't necessarily have to go to waste. Clean garlic skins can be added to homemade vegetable stock for extra flavour, then composted afterwards.

And if your garlic has started sprouting, why not plant a clove or two? Pop them into a pot or the garden and you can enjoy the green shoots as they grow.

One small bulb, plenty of possibilities. Sometimes reducing food waste is simply about looking twice before something goes in the bin.

Geraldine Fitzpatrick

This smoky harissa peanut butter romesco is so gorgeous and full of flavour. We love it with roasted cauliflower but it's so versatile for sambos, salad bowls and brightens up the simplest of leftovers!
 
Romesco:

• 1 slice stale bread
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 jar of roasted peppers (maybe 3-4 peppers if you’re roasting yourself)
• 1/2 cup Nutshed Smoky Harissa Peanut Butter
• 1 tsp tomato purée
• Juice of a lemon
• Sea salt & pepper

Cauliflower:

• Fresh herbs (we used mint, coriander, flat parsley)
• Toasted pumpkin seeds

 
Toast your bread in the air fryer or pan to crisp it up and then add all the romesco ingredients to a food processor. Blend into a paste, I like it kept chunky but add a drop of water or oil if you want a smoother paste. Have a taste and adjust the seasoning to your taste, if you roasted peppers fresh you might need a few tablespoons of red wine or cider vinegar but lots jarred peppers contain vinegar already.
 
Chop up your cauli into wedges & toss with some olive oil, keeping the soft inside leaves to add in the last few minutes. Either air fry at 170c for 15-20 mins or roast on a high heat until charred in places.
 
Plate up the romesco, top with your roasted veg, fresh herbs & toasted pumpkin seeds are great here if you have them and finally finish with some extra virgin olive oil
Keep any leftover romesco & smother on eeeeverything
 
nutshed.ie

Pasta Con Oregano…and yes, a little Hungry Soul
  
Sometimes making great food can be so easy, and it can happen by chance.
 
We had made a delicious vegetable sauce for pasta, but as I am apt to do, I try out the pasta plain and I couldn’t believe how good it was. Good quality pasta makes a big difference.
 
The quality of ingredients makes all the difference:
 

• The pasta was organic, so good, I could eat it alone.
• The olive oil was extra virgin
• The oregano, dried but fresh (mine actually came from a farm in Andalucia, a gift )
• The cheese was Hungry Soul

 
 
INGREDIENTS:
for 4 servings

• 300g pasta (you won't need it all, but you will be happy to have some left over)
• A good drizzle of olive oil, extra virgin
• A few pinches of dried oregano
• 1 tub of soft cheese - the Natural from Hungry Soul

 
METHOD:

1. Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente - You want pasta that is still firm and chewy.
2. Drain the pasta then drizzle a little olive oil over it and mix it up.
3. Give yourself a nice serving, add a tablespoon (or a little more) of the soft cheese from Hungry Soul and sprinkle over it all the oregano.

 
Voilà!  I had it with a nice chunk of sourdough bread and a simple green salad from the garden.
 
I was completely satiated and happy!
 
Jacques Brennan

The Irish Farm in Colour by Michael B Barry & John O'Byrne

This book has captivated me over the Summer and you will see it in all bookshops I’d say. I found it quite a delight to chart the story of Irish farming in yesteryear. Those black and white photos brought back in colour are reminiscent of memories I have from childhood. Our food system and farming systems have changed dramatically but it is no harm to get a good picture of the way it was.
 
You might even recognise people in the photos they are so vivid!
 
So many interesting stories though and ones I did not know. Did you know we tried to be self-sufficient in tobacco? This and many more gems await. I highly recommend this treasure trove. 

Anne Maher

What if we banned the sale of Organic Food? What!?! Are you mad? It’s a question I posed to Chat GBT recently and here is what I got in 100 words…
 
Banning the sale of organic food would significantly affect farmers, consumers, retailers and the environment. Organic farmers could lose their market and either switch to conventional farming or leave agriculture. Supermarkets and restaurants would no longer be able to sell certified organic products, reducing consumer choice. Prices might fall for some foods due to increased conventional production, although short-term shortages could cause disruption. Environmental effects could include reduced use of farming practices that limit synthetic pesticides and fertilisers and support biodiversity. Consumers might seek alternatives, potentially creating new labels or informal markets. Overall, the policy would have major economic, environmental and social consequences.
 
I have highlighted the informal markets bit because this is an important point that we underestimate. Predictions, assumptions and reliance on the truth of AI aside we cannot underestimate what humans will do when they are challenged with adversity. Take the proposed raw milk ban for instance 15 years ago. This spawned the movement of Raw Milk Ireland and a consequence of revisiting the value of what we were loosing as a nourishing food. It seems a bit idiotic now to be honest looking back. In the light of all the toxic “foodstuffs” readily available to us now it feels quite ironic that the plan was put in place and it was believed to be workable. Perhaps the powers that be thought it would work? Perhaps they thought people would just accept it. They obviously didn’t. Perhaps we do need an old shake up now and again. It is easy for us to become complacent when we feel there is abundance and ease of access. When there is want and restriction our desire and interest peaks. For what it is worth I am not advocating for a ban. But from past experience it might just be a strategic marketing ploy that could work in its favour long term! 

Anne Maher

Do you ever watch those old period dramas of aristocracy dining at the long tables with the splendid table settings, precious plates and silver cutlery etc. I do find them fascinating. When I was in Home ec college we learned how to set a table, how to lay out the cutlery (outside in…). Large events such as weddings have the table setting displays that add so much to the sense of occasion. Doesn’t the food taste better when there is a sense of occasion attached to it? Don’t you feel special? The skill of beautiful presentation is one that I so admire and respect. We feast with our eyes. Unfortunately it is not a skill I have mastered. Pot to plate is my go to and to be honest sometimes I by pass the plate and eat straight from the pot…
 
But it got me thinking recently when we picked up a click and collect of a meal from a restaurant. Of course it was in plastic trays. Yes it was handy. Yes it was convenient. But it wasn’t the same as being there and having the occasion as well as real plates.
 
Every day at my sons day service they serve Meals on Wheels in plastic trays. Ready meals in the supermarket. Plastic trays. School meals. Plastic trays. The slow but steady erosion of the sense of occasion. The solidifying of the positive associations with food and occasion.
 
It may be time to dust off that set of crockery that waited for the right time to be used. That time is now. 

Anne Maher

Spanakopita or spinach pie. This was a staple in our family until I became vegan, then we found it difficult to replace the feta cheese and the egg.  Egg was easier; we just omitted it, but the feta was more difficult, there was no vegan cheese alternative that was to my taste.
 
But of course, like any traditional cultural dish, it is made differently in each home. You do not need cheese, as long as you have spinach, onions, herbs and good pastry.
 
Today, we are so lucky to have Hungry Soul cream cheese alternatives that make any dish you add it to a little cheesy and very, very tasty… Happy Days!
 
INGREDIENTS:
Serves 4 

For the filing:

• 1 bag of baby spinach ...
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 tub of Hungry Soul - Garlic and Chives 
• a little salt
• a drop of olive oil 
• ½ tsp of dried oregano
• A few springs of basil, fresh if you have it on hand

 
For the pastry:

• Plain flour    200g
• Vegan butter 100g ( cold from the fridge )
• A few tablespoons of ice-cold water

 
METHOD:
 For the filling

1. Soften your onion in a little olive oil on low heat until soft; you do not want it to brown. Set aside.
2. Wash your spinach, but do not bother to dry, just wilt it in a pan. One cooked, chop it nice and small.
3. Mix the spinach, the onion, and the herbs together and set aside.

 
For the pastry:

1. Cut the butter into the flour with a knife, then use your hands to crumble it all. Move quickly so as not to warm the pastry too much. Add a tbsp at a time of ice-cold water until it all comes together into a ball.
2. Let it rest in the fridge for 30 min. If made the day before, take it out 30 minutes before you need it.
3. Split the ball in two and roll it out to desired size, quite thin.

 
Assemble it together.
 
On one of the layers of pastry, spread out 2/3 of the tub of Hungry Soul, leaving a 2cm edge. Spread the spinach mixture over the cheese then cover with the other layer of pastry, and press the edge together. Make a few holes with a fork.
 
Put it into a hot oven at 200 °C, then turn it down to 180 °C and cook until browning, approx. 15 to 20minutes.
 
Allow to cool, 5 minutes before cutting and serving ... the taste is better.
 
Bon Appétit!

Jacques