Superquinn Savour

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The ultimate Christmas holidays: recipes for every occasion Traditional feasting Cocktails & canapés Suppers & snacks 50 ways to enjoy the holidays Eating well, saving money VIIPs: Very Important Irish Producers

€ 2 / Free to Reward Card customers Winter 2008

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Manage winter cravings with

Wrigley’s Extra ™

With the long, cold winter nights upon us, even the most active person can find themselves vegging on the sofa forgetting about their waistlines and indulging in some comforting treats. In fact a recent survey by Wrigley’s Extra sugar free chewing gum™1 reveals that when it comes to indulging, we just can’t say no with 1 in 4 of us succumbing to our cravings every day.

Boredom, stress and tiredness are the main reasons for our weakening resolve but the survey also reveals that the time of the day can also affect when we give into our cravings.

61% of people surveyed2 say that they can’t resist their cravings whilst watching TV in the evening and 13% of us falter during the traditional afternoon slump.

With this in mind, Wrigley’s Extra has teamed up with leading Irish nutritionist Nuala Collins to put together some top tips on how to curb those cravings and help have you looking fabulous in your party dress this season. ●

Write down what you are regularly craving

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Deal with craving triggers and find ways to manage them.

If you are feeling the urge to indulge a simple thing like chewing sugarfree gum or taking a walk can take your mind off the craving

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Identify when you are most susceptible to losing control and take action! Run a bath, go to bed early, drink a glass of water, or call a good friend for distraction

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Don’t skip meals – eating breakfast can go a long way to help curb snacking and other food cravings

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Set a deadline to control or kick your craving and tell someone about it

1 Research conducted by Lansdowne Marketing between 4th -18th March 2008 amongst 631 adults aged 35+ 2 Research conducted by Lansdowne Marketing between 4th -18th March 2008 amongst 631 adults aged 35+

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Contents 08 News

All you need to know in the run up to the holidays

14 In the Mood for Mince Pies

Whether you make, heat, buy or eat – a guide to this great seasonal treat

16 3 of a Kind

The best of Italy – pasta, wines and films

18 Flavours of the Season The best seasonal ingredients

20 Gadget Heaven

The meat thermometer, an essential piece of kitchen kit (and a good present idea)

22 A Taste of Excellence

The thinking behind Superquinn’s SQ range

25 Loafing About

Breads with a difference

26 Competition

Win a fabulous Superquinn SQ hamper

28 I believe

Superquinn chairman Simon Burke on what matters

30 10 Ways With...

Savoy, the king of cabbage

32 Real Food Fast

Everyday simple cooking

38 The Slice is Right

Kilkenny bacon to really get your teeth into

40 A lot to Beef about The glory of dry-aged beef

41 Christmas 2008 Celebrate the holidays

42 50 Ways

Those little things that make all the difference

45 Classic Coastal Christmas

Snuggle down in the country for festive feasting

50 Stand and Deliver

The glamour of canapé and cocktail parties

54 Nice and Easy

How to relax and chill over the Christmas period

60 Dining Destinations

Restaurants to celebrate the season in

62 VIIP

The man behind Bellingham Blue

64 Game On

Taking a walk on the wild side

69 Simmer of Hope

The slow road to satisfaction

72 Perfecting a Milky Way A farming success story

74 Christmas Cheer What to drink with what

76 Niche work if you can get it Ireland’s small producers

77 Christmas Brochure

All you can order and other Christmas treats

84 Save Money, Eat Better Dining well and staying clever

86 Munch on a Hunch No-fuss feasting

90 Boxing Clever

Making your own edible gifts

94 Directory

Diary of the big day

96 A Perfect Christmas

What makes this time so special SUPERQUINN

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Editor Art direction Consultant editor Associate food editor Editorial co-ordinator Advertising Print

Hugo Arnold Franki and Jonny Rosemary Stark Sharon Hearne-Smith Rebecca Rowe Liz Doyle Southernprint

Contributors

Trevor Hart Katy McGuinness Mike O’Toole Dianne Curtin Cliona O’Flaherty Haydn Shaughnessy Jenny Lyons Rick Le Vert Charlotte Coleman-Smith Ann Marie Tobin Elaine Murphy Dorcas Barry

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Savour is free in-store to Superquinn reward card holders, subject to availability.

Savour provides a platform for some of Ireland’s foremost food and drink writers to express their views and debate the issues that affect everything we eat and drink.

Their views, however, are not necessarily shared by Superquinn.

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New Soft Real Butter from Dairygold.

Butter without the casualties.

Your Festive Choice

COUNTRY CREST (IRL) LTD. RATHMOONEY, LUSK, CO. DUBLIN Tel: 01 843 7061 Fax: 01 843 9492 Email: sales@countrycrest.ie

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Contributors Sharon Hearne-Smith Sharon Hearne-Smith has basted turkey, wrapped edible gifts and

Ed’s letter

hung decoration in excited anticipation of Christmas this year. As a food stylist and recipe writer, Sharon has literally turned a house into Christmas to help bring you a cracking feast… Oh, and eaten quite a few mince pies along the way too! Visit Sharon’s grotto at www.blueberrypie.ie Cliona O’Flaherty Cliona O’Flaherty is a photographer based in Dublin specialising in food, fashion and lifestyle. Her work is widely published in

Dear Reader,

the likes of Creative Review, Interview Magazine and many Irish publications. She is regularly commissioned for advertising

I have a confession to make. Christmas for me can be summed up in one perfectly formed nugget of delicousness: a mince pie. To say my mother’s are the best goes without saying, but I’m told I can fashion a pretty good one myself. The trouble is I eat them nearly every day of the forthcoming weeks so buying becomes a necessity. Luckily Superquinn do a fulsome and delicious range (see page 14 for a full exposé).The mixture of emotions at this time of year is part of the annual fix. Family is central, history, religion and tradition all play their part and with them comes stress. How to decorate the house, what to cook, how much to buy, will there be enough choice, or too much? What if somebody arrives unexpectedly?

campaigns. Cliona really enjoyed photographing features for the

The following pages are full of features designed to help. Not only have we covered the big day on page 45, but we look at cocktail and canapés on page 50, relaxed family suppers on page 54 and the humble, but welcome, stews and casseroles on page 69.

Mike O’Toole and Ann Marie Tobin

new look Superquinn magazine and also guiltily enjoyed eating her way through the shoots. See www.clionaoflaherty.com Katy McGuinness Katy McGuinness is a journalist based in Dublin. After careers as a lawyer and film producer she turned to writing. She is restaurant critic of the Sunday Tribune. A self-taught (out of desperation) cook, she likes casual dining, quality ingredients and zero fuss.

She loves to be cooked for by other people.

Food stylist Ann Marie Tobin trained as a chef after art college.

She began working as a food stylist in London and has worked with Ainsley Harriet, Rick Stein and tested the recipes for Derry Clark’s Not Just a Cookbook. She is married to photographer

For those in organisation mode we have a countdown to the big day on page 94 but before that there are a host of ideas in our News section starting on page 8. Everything from advice on how to keep food safely to sensible drinking over the holidays and good food ideas for entertaining.

Mike O’Toole who photographed several features in the magazine.

Trevor Hart Trevor Hart has just completed a book for Ely wine bars and another on great Irish houses to be published in the autumn

The big thing about Christmas really is how much of it is repetition. The same family, the same food, the same programmes on television, the same structure to the day. But of course it is never the same, as everyone has got older and much as things appear the same, they are different.

to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Irish Georgian Society.

He loves photographing food, particularly if he gets to taste it afterwards. His favourite things to eat currently include Troy Maguire’s spiced chick pea salad, the côte de bœuf in Robert and Louise in the Marais. And his wife’s chocolate-dipped

So feast on our Real Fast Food feature on page 32, packed with ideas for speedy treats, find out about a new range of bacon on page 38 and on why Superquinn’s dry-aged beef really is as good as it is on page 40. We kick off our seasonal section on page 42 with 50 ways to enjoy Christmas, lots of tips and advice on kicking back and enjoying the holidays which really is the objective here.

stuffed prunes!

John Wilson John Wilson is author of 101 Great Wines Under ¤10 and has edited three editions of The Wine Guide, Ireland’s best-selling wine book. He has contributed to various magazines, and has appeared on a number of radio and television programmes. He is

There are ideas for some of the new restaurants round the country worth going to on page 60. And on page 62 we focus on one of our favourite cheeses, Bellingham Blue, telling you a little about the story and the man behind it along with recipes to use this exquisite example of true Irish artisan produce.

wine correspondent for The Irish Times. Most important of all, he likes a glass of decent wine.

Dianne Curtin Dianne Curtin is a freelance food writer and broadcaster

There is a feature on game - from venison to quail, pheasant to guinea fowl - on page 64 and we profile another artisan producer on page 72, Killowen yogurts. Have a look at what to drink over the festive season on page 74 and on page 77 there is a whole section of foods to order for the big day and more along with a catalogue of products to make feasting both easy and a joy. Happy Christmas.

who contributes to several publications. As a champion of Irish regional foods and local specialities, Dianne works closely with Good Food Ireland and Slow Food Ireland. In 2006 she set up a farmer’s market in her local town of Bandon in West Cork.

Hugo Arnold Editor

Her first book, The Creators, Individuals of Irish Food, published in 2007, tells the stories of some of Ireland’s first artisans.

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Irresistible Christmas Turkey with Galtee Streaky Rashers This is our ultimate traditional Christmas turkey and stuffing recipe. Our Galtee Streaky Rashers will keep the meat moist and add to its succulent flavour. A beautifully roasted turkey is the perfect centrepiece for your Christmas Day table. Have a wonderful Christmas – from everyone at Galtee.

Ingredients For the turkey 1 10 -12lb/4.5-5.5kg turkey. Simply clean it out, blot it dry and leave at room temperature 1 family pack of Galtee Streaky Rashers 110g/4oz unsalted butter Roughly chopped parsley to garnish

For the stuffing 500g fresh breadcrumbs 350g/12oz finely chopped onions 70g/3oz freshly chopped herbs such as parsley, thyme, chives and rosemary Sea salt and ground pepper to season

Cooking To cook the stuffing Melt the butter in a pan and carefully heat the onions. Once the onions have softened, add the herbs and breadcrumbs, turn off the heat and stir to combine while adding a little salt and pepper. Leave to cool.

the turkey drying out in the oven and add a juicy flavour of their own.

Now that the turkey has been stuffed and dressed it’s time to weigh it. You should allow 2 hours for a 10lb/4.5kg bird and 2.5 hours for a 12lb/5.5kg bird.

Place the turkey in a roasting tray and put into the pre-heated oven. After 30 minutes turn the oven down to gas mark 4/180C and continue at this temperature until the turkey is cooked. Check the turkey from time to time – the rashers will keep it moist but you may like to lightly baste it with juices from the tray.

The turkey is cooked once the juices run perfectly clear, and you can check this by poking a skewer into the thigh.

Finally, dress with parsley and serve straight to the table with your favourite vegetables for a perfectly irresistible Christmas dinner.

To cook the turkey Pre-heat oven to gas mark 6/200C. Loosely place the stuffing in the turkey cavity – fill the space but don’t pack it in.

Rub a little of the unsalted butter over the skin of the turkey. Then drape Galtee Streaky Rashers over the entire top of the turkey. The rashers will help prevent 75100462 Squinn Mag 300x222.indd 1

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News Smoothie tips A small glass (150ml) of a 100 percent fruit smoothie equals one of your ‘5-a-day’.

Adding in some low fat milk or yoghurt will give you that extra calcium boost!

Remember you can only count a 100 percent fruit smoothie as 1 of your 5 a day, however much you drink!

Smoothies and juices Through the haze of Christmas festivities and overindulging it’s easy to forget about healthy eating.

Blitzing up a smoothie or juice is quick and pretty much effortless. Use fruits of the season like apples, pears, clementines, pomegranates, passionfruit and pineapple.

Add some cinnamon, nutmeg or cranberry juice for an even more festive flavour. Serve sprinkled with chopped nuts or seeds for a fun and crunchy way to increase your fibre intake.

new products ... events... views... happenings

FOOD FOR LIFE Superquinn recently launched an initiative called Eat Better. The idea is to encourage shoppers to think about making and integrating healthy choices into their diets. Check out the full story on page 27.

What to do with leftovers...

Slice figs vertically and stuff with a little blue cheese - the hard knobbly bits are fine. Place under a grill for a few minutes until the cheese is oozing and serve with a green salad.

Edible Gift Giving These yummy gift wrapped goodies are simply SQ’s caramel shortbreads. Package up in little name-tagged parcels for each place setting at the Christmas table, or pack into a cookie jar as a gorgeous gift to give. There are plenty more tasty ideas to inspire you on page 90.

Place slices of ham in a shallow oven-proof individual-sized dish, top with wilted spinach (a handful of baby spinach leaves in a hot pan), crack and egg over each and season. Bake in a preheated oven, 180C/gas mark 4 for 10 minutes or until the white is set.

Saute some thickly sliced choriso until crisp, add a garlic clove finely chopped, toss in the oil and add a glass of white wine. Reduce to a syrup and add a tin of rinsed butter beans, a handful of parsley 500g cooked and halved Brussels sprouts. Toss for five minutes and serve on slices of toasted country bread rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil.

Lunch on a hunch For anyone Christmas shopping in central Dublin prior to Christmas the following restaurants operate an all-day-dining policy for the month of December: Saba, The Unicorn, Bentley’s, Wagamama.

At Superquinn All Superquinn smoothies are made fresh in Ireland with pro-biotic yoghurt and fresh fruit. (See page 72 for information on pro- and pre-biotics).

The range of smoothies (in 250 and 500ml sizes) at Superquinn includes: Strawberry, Orange and Banana Mango Magic Strawberry Squeeze Big Berry Boost

Hooked on classics You can buy your own prawns from the fish counter and fashion a Marie Rose sauce from scratch mayonnaise, a pinch of Tabasco and a small dollop/ dash of ketchup - or sit back and enjoy a tub of readymade deliciousness. It can be eaten from the packet or transfer into a cocktail glass lined with shredded little gem lettuce for a hint of past sophistication.

Superquinn tip: Top with a few jumbo prawns for added umph!

top tip Don’t throw away over ripe fruit. Why not use it to make a tasty smoothie?

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Coffee WITH ATTITUDE The cafes (now located in eight Superquinn stores) sell coffee which has recently been awarded a triple gold by the Guild of Fine Food Retailers in the UK. Coffee roasters Java Republic won the award for their hand-roasted, Superquinn SQ house blend espresso. This is rather an accolade, as critic Charles Campion, one of the 12 supreme judges said: “To win a gold at the Great Taste Awards is a terrific achievement but to win a two-star or three star award means that the product is faultless.”

Did you know?

The characteristic odour of garlic is due to the presence of sulphur containing compounds (of which the best known is allicin). These compounds are also the source of its powerful immune boosting properties.

In fact garlic is often cited as the one of the most effective home remedies for the common cold. Things to do with garlic: Rub a cut clove over grilled toast and drizzle with olive oil. Saute a few cut cloves in olive oil over a gentle heat, discard and then continue cooking, the oil will be infused with the garlic flavour.

The beans in this particular coffee are 65 percent Bourbon from Brazil, and 35 percent Sumatra Lingtong from the Island of Sumatra, Indonesia.

The bourbon beans give the coffee its mellow softness, and the Lingtong beans add a woody, cedar-like, flavour which contributes real depth.

GARLIC Humble garlic is a basic ingredient that gets slung into our shopping baskets without much thought. Don’t underestimate its power though. Would you be surprised to know that garlic can lower cholesterol, prevent blood clots, reduce blood pressure, fight against bacterial and fungal infections and even, it is said, help to prevent cancer? And that is before considering its merits when it comes to flavour; raw, garlic is pungent and fresh but on roasting it becomes mellow, savoury, buttery and sweet. Garlic’s many uses include rubs and marinades, dressings, dips and pestos, soups, sauces and stir fries.

Check out the Ail Rose de Lautrec or Pink Garlic, a variety grown around the medieval town of Lautrec in the South of France. It is sweeter and milder than white garlic and also keeps longer. Also available this winter is smoked garlic.

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Superquinn scores top awards

Did you know?

The sensation of thirst is not triggered until you are already slightly dehydrated, so it is important to drink before you get thirsty. Even mild dehydration can sap your energy levels and leave you feeling tired.

BARRETSTOWN Putting smiles on faces

Superquinn aims to raise one million euro in funds for Barretstown. Check out the story on page 31 and see what you can do to help.

Instant and good

Think of a noisy, relaxed and happy group of family and friends sitting around a table. What better food to take centre stage to share and enjoy than antipasti? Serve simply with crusty bread or add platters of cured meats and cheeses. Antipasti also make great additions to toasted sandwiches, a pasta salad or when used as pizza toppings.

Check out our new SQ range of continental meats including Chorizo Iberico de Bellota, Paleta Iberico do Bellota, Antipasto Misto di Parma, Coppa di Parma and Prosciutto di San Danielle.

The inaugural Blas na hÉireann Awards were held at the start of October. These awards were set up to celebrate the quality and imagination of the best Irish food producers. With gold, silver, and bronze medals in 18 categories, the National Irish Food Awards recognise and reward excellence by companies creating the best-tasting foods made in Ireland.

The following Superquinn SQ Superior Quality products won six awards: Gold: Blackcurrant yogurt produced by Killowen (see page 72) Silver: Mango sorbet produced by Silverpail Silver: Leek and pepper sausage produced by Mallon’s Bronze: Irish leaf salad produced by Wonderfoods Bronze: Sliced white pudding produced by Rudd’s Bronze: Vintage cheddar produced by Traditional Cheese

Festive Flourishes Own brand stars for Feasting With Christmas gifts all wrapped up why not have a bit of fun with food using the same principals? Pieces of salmon steamed in cabbage leaves or parchment paper or pork chops baked in foil bags? Festive Filo parcels fit the bill here also. Filo pastry is a great basic to have tucked in the freezer for either sweet or savoury dishes. Simply spoon a filling like mincemeat and apples into the centre of a couple of sheets of pastry. Brush the edges with melted butter and gather them up to resemble a parcel. Alternatively, fold the pastry neatly around and scrunch the ends to look like Christmas crackers. Bake until crisp and golden and serve.

Considerable work has gone into introducing a whole new range of own-label products and over 600 lines are promised over the next year. Own label is typically 10 percent cheaper than leading brands and is favoured because it allows Superquinn to work directly with suppliers to ensure quality. This ongoing project involves working with a number of niche and larger suppliers, most of which are located on the island of Ireland. Delights to choose from include fish pie, a range of cheeses, dips. herbs and biscuits, rices, juices and nutritionally balanced meals.

The latest addition to the SQ range is wine, a first for Superquinn.

The wine experts tasted their way through 700 samples to come up with five special wines, all from classic regions of France. Each wine has been chosen as a text-book example of its type, the very best available from the area.

A SHORT GUIDE TO WHAT SHOULD BE IN A GLASS

Alcohol is not always a good thing. Water and soft drinks are often just as welcome. Keeping an eye on how much you consume is much easier if refills happen when your glass is empty. Topping up half way through may seem generous but is it really? A spirit measure is no bad thing when it comes to cocktails, that way you know for certain what strength you are at. Food is good.

Either before you go out or while you are drinking. This does not need to be complex either. Simple snacks and dips are good to bring along with a bottle of wine.

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Mash Direct makes Christmas a Gift!

We grow our own vegetables and harvest them daily, steam cook and mash them gently, keeping all the natural flavours without using any artificial additives.

Mashed Potato Champ

Colcannon Carrot & Parsnip

Mashed Turnip Carrot Parsnip & Turnip

Green Cabbage Broccoli with a Cheese Sauce

www.mashdirect.com

Great Taste Gold Award Winners ’08

Christmas Giftpacks

NIVEA FOR MEN Sensitive Gift Pack Contains: Premium Travel Bag NIVEA FOR MEN Sensitive Shave Gel 200ml NIVEA FOR MEN Sensitive Extra Soothing After Shave Balm 100ml NIVEA FOR MEN Sensitive Extra Soothing Face Wash 150ml NIVEA Deodorant Sport For Men Spray Trial Size 35ml NIVEA FOR MEN Sport Shower Gel Trial Size 50ml

RRSP: `19.99

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NIVEA Silky Smooth Sensations

NIVEA FOR MEN Energising Gift Pack

Contains: NIVEA Body Smooth Sensations 250ml NIVEA Cashmere Moments Shower Cream 250ml 100% Silk Scarf

Contains: NIVEA FOR MEN Extreme Comfort Shave Gel 200ml NIVEA FOR MEN Energy Shower Gel 250ml NIVEA FOR MEN Extreme Comfort After Shave Balm Trial Size 30ml

RRSP: `10.99

RRSP: `8.99

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Plain one, pearl one

Balls of wool and needles at the ready; from celebrities to city slickers, knitting is back in fashion.

Knitting is not only a thrifty and environmentally friendly past-time but is therapeutic and calming too. All attributes that come in very handy at Christmas time. Why not start off knitting simple scarves for family and friends and then move onto hats, mittens, jumpers and even Christmas stockings to hang on the fireplace. Book a class, download free patterns or buy online at www.thisisknit. ie (also in Blackrock, Co. Dublin and soon in Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, Dublin 2).

top tip Try to drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day.

Make drinking water easier by keeping a bottle on your desk at work and reaching for it regularly throughout the day.

Why not add carrying a bottle of water with you everywhere you go to that New Year Resolution list?

Flying the Irish flag

Organic and Fairtrade

While organic remains a small sector of the market it is seeing significant growth.

The range and volume of meats, fruits and vegetables is on the increase at Superquinn. In addition there have been new additions to areas like biscuits, coffee, tea and chocolate. Check out stores for details.

PROUD TO BE IRISH, PROUD TO BUY IRISH. Superquinn’s commitment to sourcing as much produce from Irish suppliers lies at the core of its whole ethos. An Irish supermarket in the broadest sense. Some things you might not know about buying Irish?

Over 85 percent of all fresh produce sold in Superquinn comes from Ireland. All protein used in the company’s convenience ranges comes from Ireland. Only 10 percent of the pork produced in Ireland is produced to a standard good enough for Superquinn. Buying Irish significantly contributes to reducing food miles. Since September of this year the Proud to Buy Irish logo has been used to identify and showcase these products.

Did you know?

AT SUPERQUINN Egg instant: Eggs are easy and quick to cook.

The Superquinn range includes: Duck eggs in mixed sizes.

Free Range eggs in very large, large, medium Organic eggs in very large, large and medium Supereggs in very large, this egg is enriched with omega 3 SQ Sillian Ór in mixed sizes from corn fed chickens

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excellence in diversity A selection of French wine regions come to Superquinn under the SQ label

5 classic wines, 5 great tastes...

SQ ST Emillion Grand Cru Delicious intense ripe blackcurrant and cassis fruits, with great power and a dry, but very smooth finish. A wine of great harmony and complexity. Perfect with roast or grilled red meats, lamb in particular but also game and cheese.

SQ St. Joseph Supple, smooth raspberry and plum fruits with a delicious spicy twist and a rounded finish. Red meats, game and full-flavoured cheeses.

SQ Sancerre Vibrant, fresh crisp dry wine, with pear and melon fruits and a good lingering finish.

A good aperitif and will also partner fish, goat’s cheese and lighter salads.

Chablis 1er Cru A classic Chablis with great minerality and a lingering savouryness that makes it a great partner for cheese as well as poultry.

SQ Pommard Elegant and refined with perfectly ripe dark cherry and cranberry fruits with a long finish. This would go well with most red and white meats but particularly tradition roast turkey and game.

In the mood for

Mince Pies They are traditional, delicious and suit a cup of tea as much as a post dinner celebration. They can be made in advance, reheat like a dream and combine with a host of additions from cream to brandy butter and even cream cheese (go on, try it!). The Savour team mince, roll, bake and heat.

‘A simple bite of luxury’

Mincemeat (Makes about 2.5 kg) 3 preserved lemons 450g raisins 450g sultanas 350g mixed peel 450g cooking apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped 225g currants 450g brown sugar 350g shredded suet 3cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ nutmeg, grated 110ml brandy 50g almonds, finely chopped grated rind of 2 oranges Combine all of the ingredients, mix well in a bowl and leave, covered with a cloth, overnight. Spoon into clean jars, top with waxed paper and then seal. This will keep for weeks, if not months provided everything is clean and the jars are kept in a cool place.

Makes about 18 mince pies Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and bring to room temperature. Cut in half and roll one half out thinly on a lightly floured board. Cut out discs to fit you baking sheet and line the tin.

Fill each one so the mincemeat comes about three quarters of the way up the pastry.

Pastry

110g plain flour 60g cold unsalted butter, cubed 1 egg yolk Sift the flour into a bowl with a seasoning of salt. Add the butter and rub lightly with your fingers. Add the egg yolk and knead as lightly as possible to bring everything together. You may need a little cold water, but be sparing.

Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Superquinn mince pies are hand-finished in store. These mince pies are made using a luxury mincemeat filling and are dusted with icing sugar after they have been baked. New this year are SQ Mince Crowns.

Roll out the remaining pastry and cut into stars or discs and cover the mincemeat. Dampen the edges lightly with water to seal. Brush lightly with a beaten egg and dust with caster sugar. Prick with a fork to allow the steam to escape if using lids.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. You can then serve them or cool on a wire rack, store in a tin and warm in a low oven when they taste even better.

At Superquinn What to eat with mince pies Brandy butter is traditional for some, cream essential for others. Creme fraiche may be something of a modern interpretation but its sharpness does wonders to cut the richness of the mincemeat. Orange Liqueur Butter combines something of the traditional with a zesty finish. And for a more unusual route try cream cheese with a scant sprinkling of sugar.

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3 of a kind

Italian style the quick and easy way

The holidays may well be about family and friends but everyone needs to slumber occasional.

The Savour team lean towards Italy in search of something simple to eat, drink and watch.

Spaghetti with tomato and mascarpone 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped 1 tsp picked thyme leaves 75g mascarpone cheese 1 can cherry tomatoes Packet of SQ mushroom tortellini Genlty soften the onion in the oil over a moderate heat without colouring. Add the mascarpone cheese over a gentle heat and add the tomato and basil. Simmer gently for a few minutes, or until heated through. You could add a little milk to the sauce if you don’t want quite such a rich sauce. Also add a bit of butter if you wish. Season with sea salt, cracked black pepper, and drizzle with olive oil.

WINE MATCH A light red will match both the mild cheese and rich tomato sauce. Why not try the Terraze della Luna Teroldigo

Tagliatelle carbonara 110g pancetta or unsmoked streaky bacon, diced 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 egg yolks 1 tbsp olive oil or melted butter 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving salt and pepper, to taste Enough tagliatelle for four

Arrabiata Sauce 1 tbsp olive oil 2 garlic cloves, smashed 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped 1 400g can chopped plum tomatoes 1 fresh chilli, or to taste, deseeded and finely diced Enough penne for four 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley grated Parmesan In a large pan gently sauté the whole garlic cloves in the olive oil over a moderate heat. Remove the garlic as soon as it turns golden and discard. Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes over a moderate heat. Add the tomatoes and let the sauce reduce over a low heat for five minutes. Sprinkle in the chilli. Cook the penne according to the instructions on the packet, drain and add to the tomato mixture. Toss, sprinkle with parsley, toss again and serve with the Parmesan.

WINE MATCH Something big and rich to stand up to the chilli like the Castellani Chianti Classico 1999

SQ Ricotta and Spinach Ravioli

SQ Roasted Vegetable Ravioli

Cook the pancetta in the oil over a moderate heat until crisp. Combine the cheese, eggs, salt and pepper. Cook the tagliatelle according to the instructions on the packet. Drain. Mix the hot pasta with hot pancetta and its fat. Add the cheese and egg mixture. Toss until the egg is cooked to the desired consistency. Serve at once with more Parmesan cheese and black pepper.

As a variation you can add a small chopped onion when you cook the pancetta or use onion instead of pancetta. Or for a real authentic Italian touch, serve with a raw egg on top that can be mixed in to taste.

top tip

WINE MATCH A crisp Pinot Grigio will cut through the rich creamy sauce, like the Connubio Pinot Grigio 2006

3 classic Italian movies to watch

Il Postino Cinema Paradiso La Vita è Bella

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www.lottery.ie

Some gifts just keep on giving...like the €10 Christmas Countdown scratch card from National Lottery. With 25 panels to scratch and instant prizes of up to €100,000 it’s a great little gift to pick up this Christmas.

P22515 NL Christmas CountDWN 222x300 JJ.indd 1

09/10/2008 11:12:22

Autumn is a golden time. So much variety and all at its best.

Rosemary Stark goes in search of treasure.

Pumpkins

Funghi One misty autumn morning you might spot, in a field where sheep or horses graze, a sudden crop of firm white field mushrooms or, walking through woods, come upon a golden crop of trumpet-shaped chanterelles. The smallest crop of wild mushrooms (or indeed a packet of dried ceps, aka porcini, soaked as per packet advice) cooked along with cultivated varieties (such as firm chestnut and tender oyster mushrooms) makes a fine seasonal dish to serve as starter with long, oblique-cut slices of toast, or to partner poultry or game, or in a pasta dish or risotto. Add, as the mood takes you, chopped shallot or onion, garlic, thyme leaves, cubed pancetta or bacon, and fry gently in olive oil until juices are first released then partially re-absorbed or cooked off.

Round and orange as the gaudiest sunset and big enough for a would-be princess’s fairy-tale carriage, sweet-fleshed pumpkins seem designed for autumn celebrations. But it wasn’t always thus, for when the devil condemned boozy old Irish farmer Jack to wander the earth for ever with only a cinder for light, nobody on the Irish side of the Atlantic had ever set eyes on a pumpkin. Generations made their Jack o’-lanterns with a candle stub stuck into a carved-out turnip. Irish emigrants took Hallowe’en festivities to America, where they found pumpkins, which were not only considerably easier to carve, but gave a brighter all-over glow - and smelled rather less rank. Surplus pumpkin flesh makes fine pie filling, or freezes well for soups, casseroles and risotto.

Geese Sensibly, these fiercely dignified birds refuse to allow any tampering and interfering with their natural breeding cycle. They hatch in the spring, grow fat on summer pastures and are ready for table from the feast of Michaelmas, in Ireland Fomhar na ngean (29th September) through Christmas. Sensible cooks will roast at least one goose during these months, storing the abundance of spilled fat in fridge or freezer for future roast and fried potatoes. To allow for weight lost in the oven, allow 500g raw dressed goose per person. Available to order only.

Wet Walnuts Wet walnuts are a seasonal excitement, the first of the year’s crop brought to market with their shells dark and damp. Eat within two days or store briefly in the fridge to serve at the end of a dinner party (ex-smokers will particularly welcome the fiddly distraction) with some flaky sea salt and perhaps a bowl of muscatty Italia grapes for sweet contrast. Open nuts by sliding the flat of a knife between shells and twisting it. Pick off flaky brown skin (this is the fiddly bit) and nibble the milky kernels with a dab of salt.

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Oysters The European flat oyster (ostrea edulis) is in season only when there is an R in the month, a matter celebrated in Galway Bay with an International Oyster Festival recognised as one of the world’s top festive events. Irish native oysters, once to be had for the taking, were bought for their weight in gold by early Roman invaders. Craggier Pacific oysters (crassostrea gigas) introduced to Ireland in 1965 grow bigger and faster than natives and are widely farmed in Irish waters. Oysters swill their way through 11-12 litres of water per hour for 2-4 years to reach marketable size. No wonder oyster-eaters say they taste like the essence of the sea. Aphrodisiac effects noted by, amongst others, Jonathan Swift, derive from a higher zinc content than any other foodstuff. Oysters keep in the fridge for a few days, but never freeze them.

If they are tightly closed they are fine to eat – but first you have to open them – a trick worth learning at www.rossmoreoysters.webeden.co.uk. Serve on the deeper shell with nothing more than a squeeze of lemon, a dash of Tabasco or a splash of shallot vinegar – and maybe a Guinness or two.

Pheasant Of ancient Asian ancestry, pheasant have long been naturalised throughout Europe - at the last count, Ireland had 570,000 breeding hens. Birds in their first season now reach supermarkets oven-ready soon after Hallowe’en. Hung briefly (if at all) hence less gamey, these are dinner-party crowd pleasers – tastier than chicken, and often cheaper than well-raised poultry. Smaller but sweetertasting hen pheasants are preferred for roasting: stretch a rasher of unsmoked streaky over the breast and roast 45-55mins in a mediumhot oven. Allow one bird between two, serve with bread sauce and rowan jelly, and look forward to a cold pheasant sandwich next day. Make game stock with the carcases.

Figs and pomegranates With home-grown orchard fruits in peak season, there’s also a voluptuous abundance of fruity imports for special treats. Figs make the prettiest of desserts: cut a deep cross in the top, pull open like petals, poke in a spoonful of mascarpone and garnish with a few late-season raspberries. For bejewelled garnishing glamour, look to the pomegranate.

Choose the reddest fruits, quarter them and bend back the leathery skins to release juice capsules over sweet and savoury salads and flans, smart supper dishes of pale fish and fowl, cheesecakes, iced cakes or generous scoops of ice cream.

Vacherin Mont d’Or A seasonal cheese popular at Christmas, made between August and March with milk from cows brought down from pasture in the high Jura mountains. Matured in round boxes of thin spruce, the cheese becomes almost molten under an undulating crust the colour and texture of suede. Keep it cold, but not for too long, and never be tempted to freeze it. Serve at room temperature, removing surface crust to spoon the cheese on to biscuits, or over bitter salad leaves as a starter. For a party you can make slits in the top crust and push in slivers of garlic and sprigs of thyme, then warm gently in the oven and serve with baguette slices and celery sticks for scooping up the cheese.

Illustrations by Eleanor Stevenson SUPERQUINN

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Meat thermometer

Gadget Heaven

C

ertainty is never easy with food but this is one gadget that removes an awful lot of doubt. There are some – mainly men – who claim you can tell that a piece of meat is done simply by touching it. This may be true of a steak. Cooked to medium rare, a steak, when prodded, will give a little and then bounce back. But when it comes to a roasting joint, or a turkey for that matter, things are not quite so straight forward.

A meat thermometer allows you to tell exactly what is going on inside the meat, where it really matters. A golden turkey skin is all very well, but this piece of kit will let you know if the bird is done, or not. It also works for other cuts of meat.

A Kitchen Craft Meat Thermometer is available in all stores, €¤4.99.

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3UPPLYING 3UPERQUINNdS Fruit & Vegetables FOR OVER 25 yearsYour guarantee of FRESHNESS!

How fresh? Some of our produce is still in the ground just 4 hours before arriving on the Superquinn shelf!

...now thats FRESH!

A taste

of

Excellence Seeking out the best is all in a day’s work for Superquinn.Trying to better that is no easy task but, as Rick Le Vert discovered, the SQ label is all about more.

J “The line emerged organically out of Superquinn’s traditional focus on food quality”

ust a year ago there were a 100 of them; today the total is over 150 and its still climbing.

Superquinn’s SQ range is expanding at an impressive rate and now includes everything from dry-aged beef and extra-tender lamb to handmade yoghurts and luxury muesli. Come October, you’ll even find the first bottles of SQ wine on the shelves, five old-world wines specially selected.

The list of new products may be growing but the rational behind the label remains the same – to offer customers products of real provenance and authenticity. “We want to provide customers with something completely different to everything else out there,” is how Bruce Langlands, the company’s head of new product development, describes the approach.

“We want each and every product in the line to be unique to Superquinn.”

Take the dry-aged beef for example. This is 100 percent Irish beef that has been matured for twentyone days on the bone, giving it an unmatched depth of flavour and tenderness. This isn’t just Superquinn’s best; this is Ireland’s best.

The line emerged organically out of Superquinn’s traditional focus on food quality. “We’d been carrying a number of superior quality products in our range,” Langlands says, “we just weren’t highlighting this to customers.” Those products already considered to be ‘best in their class’ were absorbed into the SQ range.

Then began the process of building strong, enduring relationships with passionate artisan producers like Couverture, the small Dublin-based company that supplies a selection of heavenly cakes and tantalising minature desserts, or the cheese makers at Cooleeney and Wicklow Blue which supply their award-winning farmhouse cheeses.

Sharing an interest in the simple pleasures of good food with the artisan food community is what really lies behind SQ. People like Nicolas and Judith Dunne of Wexford-based Killowen Natural Yogurts (see page 72) and Sam Johnson of Sam’s Cookies. The latter is a small family run artisan producer based in the foothills of the Dublin mountains. They do a number of biscuits for the range including a Chocolate Tiffin, Chocolate Caramel Shortbread, and Crunchy Oat Bites. All are handmade using fresh ingredients.

Of course not all products in the range come from local Irish producers. Italy’s oldest producer of pasta, Bertagni, supplies a selection of traditional handcrafted pastas, for example the rocket and ricotta tortellini. Local or imported, the commitment to authentic quality remains the same.

The range is for anybody who loves good food. For some it might be that little something special to stay home for on a Saturday night. For others it might be more of an everyday treat to get them through the working week. And while all the products are free of artificial additives and preservatives, don’t expect them all to be strictly healthy. “We’ve got plenty of sinful things in there,” Langlands admits, “but they are good and sinful.”

Until now the emphasis for the range has been on fresh foods: meats, fish, vegetables, fruits, and bakery products such as the date and walnut, and apricot and raisin breads recently introduced to the line. In future though, watch for the introduction of preserves, conserves, and beverages like coffee. “We already have a number frozen items in the line, such as ice creams, sorbets, and burgers,” Langlands says, “but we want to extend across the entire food floor, into ambient and long-life products.” And what could be more ambient than the new wines?

The extension of SQ does have a built-in natural barrier to growth. “This is about food innovation at its best,” Langlands stresses. In other words, don’t expect to see the brand creep its way in to toilet roll or cleaning products any time soon.

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For expertise and excellence when shopping for seafood or dining out, look for the Circle

seafoodcircle.ie

Seafood Circle A4 Advert .indd 1

18/06/2008 13:32:18

We want to Reward you!

Remember to use your Superquinn Reward Card to keep earning Rewards in the run-up to Christmas! Online or in-store, we’ll give you 1 point for every €1 you spend.

You can redeem your points at the till for instant savings on your Christmas shopping – you can also save on festive treats with your Reward Card cash vouchers found in your December mailing!

And if you’d like to treat yourself or a friend to a One4all® Gift Voucher for Christmas, just call the One4all® Gift Voucher shop on (01) 870 8111 – minimum order value €15 (1,500 points).

To learn more, visit us online at www.superquinn.ie/rewards or call the Reward Card Team on LoCall 1850 444 488.

No card yet? Don’t get left out?

If you haven’t got a Reward Card yet, it’s easy to get one!

Sign-up in-store by completing and returning our Reward Card form Call our Reward Card Team on LoCall 1850 444 488 Sign-up on www.superquinn.ie/rewards All new customers receive an exclusive welcome pack with 200 free points and a coupon for Triple Reward Points to use when you activate your Reward Card – so what are you waiting for? The sooner you get your card, the sooner you can start earning these great Rewards!

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Soda bread may be traditional (and is all the better for that) yet we now have a wealth of breads to choose from. Some may be plain, others packed with seeds, nuts and even fruit. You can now get white, brown, soft, crusty, round, long and even square.

Superquinn bakes a range of 40 fresh breads in the majority of its stores every day. What follows is a list of favourite breads: SQ Superior Quality Date and Walnut Speciality Bread (pictured) Hand-crafted and artisan baked on the shores of Lough Neagh.

SQ Superior Quality Apricot and Raisin Speciality Bread Made by a third-generation artisan family bakery.

Sean’s Brown Bread Produced instore from a combination of wholemeal and white flour combined with buttermilk.

Wholemeal Soda Bread Traditionally rich and moist, this bread is high in fibre.

Spelt and Honey Speciality Bread Made with spelt, sunflower and sesame seeds and sweetened with a little honey.

Pave Foccacia Selection A traditional Italian bread selection made with olive oil and topped with tomatoes, shallots and kalamata olives.

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WIN a Hamperful of Superquinn

Luxury!

How to win a hamper?

This competition is open to all Superquinn shoppers.

All you have to do to win one of these super deluxe hamper of grand goodies is answer one crucial question:

How many items are now in the SQ range of top-quality goods?

Please send you answers to: SQ Hamper Prize Superquinn Support Office Newcastle Road Lucan Co Dublin There are three hampers to be won. Entries must be received by 28 November. The editors decision is final. Winners will be published on the website www.superquinn.ie It’s all about quality – the very best that money can buy. Food for special occasions, ingredients for celebrating the good things – and the good times – in life.

The very best Ireland and the rest of the world has to offer, 200 products so good we are proud to give our own name to them – that’s the Superquinn Range. And from these deluxe foodstuffs we have chosen over a dozen superb items for three lucky prize winners. It could be you!

On the meat front there are dry-aged rib-eye steaks and the best burgers you will ever taste, then there’s a plump corn-fed Sillan Ór chicken, whose golden flesh and skin promises you it has been carefully raised on yellow corn; we can also just fit in some noisettes of finest extra-tender Irish lamb, lean, meaty and ready for a grand fast-cooked supper.

For special weekend breakfasts, or just to treat yourself any time of day, you will have our carefully blended Luxury Muesli, toasted grains generously mixed with nuts and fruits; and some very special Banana and Blueberry Yogurt. Our delious vine tomatoes and ready-made Roasted Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Ravioli are perfect as near-ready-made starters, the latter coming straight from one of the top pasta makers in Italy. And to end a sumptuous meal, we offer a cheese plate of Ireland’s best Cooleeney and world-favourite Vintage Cheddar.

Shopping is about choice, and you can trust Superquinn to offer the best quality at a great price. We know there is pressure on family budgets and family meals must be satisfying and enjoyable without breaking the bank.

That is why we put all our efforts into searching out the very best foods at all price levels. And we have no intention of changing that.

“Food is our business and we plan to keep it that way” But the very top-of-the-range foodstuffs do need more time and special expertise to produce, whether it’s finest Parma ham from Italy’s gourmet heartland in Emiglia-Romana, or dry-aged Irish beef, which needs to be hung in an expertly temperature-controlled room for 21 days. Such special attention and extra time obviously adds to the cost, and all our suppliers both home and abroad are acutely aware that they must earn the higher price by supplying the highest quality product it is possible to make anywhere in the world.

The Superquinn range, which now offers our customers 200 products will grow and change, as managers in all our departments are always hunting out the world’s best ingredients. Soon we shall be introducing ambient products like jams and marmalades, biscuits and other condiments. But one thing we can promise our customers: Superquinn has no intention of digressing into selling you shirts and shoes, or, for that matter, televisions – that we leave to others. Food is our business and we plan to keep it that way. That is why we can offer the very best food there is. That’s the way we like it, and it’s the way Superquinn customers like it too.

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Ways to enjoy a healthy life There is a tendency to think of healthy eating as meaning diets, something to be considered in the cold light of a January day when all the feasting of the coming weeks is but a distant memory. Yet healthy eating is increasingly something we are being encouraged to integrate into our diet, rather than treating separately.

Irish people eat around two teaspoons of salt a day, about 10g compared to the maximum recommended 6g. Eating too much salt can result in an increase in blood pressure which in turn can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Most of the salt we eat is already in our food and processed meat is one of the top sources of salt in the Irish diet. Swapping processed meat for fresh lean meat as much as possible has the big benefit of lowering salt intakes.

Superquinn recently launched an initiative called eat better. The idea is to encourage shoppers to think about making and integrating healthy choices into their diets. The eat better logo launched as part of the initiative has been placed all around the stores to make it easy for customers to instantly recognise products that can make an important contribution to a healthy balanced diet. The campaign is accompanied by literature and recipe cards in-store which explain, for example, why eat better lean fresh meat is a better choice than processed meat, the advantages of fish and particularly oily fish; and the top 20 ways to integrate more fruit and vegetables into your diet.

Lean red meat like beef and lamb has the big benefit of being a great source of iron. Four out of 10 Irish women and children do not eat enough Iron. What is so important about iron? It is important for energy and concentration levels and the type of iron in meat (heme iron) is much more easily absorbed that the type of iron in vegetables or breakfast cereals (non-heme iron), so it is important to eat a balance of both types.

Lean fresh meat, for example, is lower in fat and saturates compared to processed meat. Eating less saturated fat can lower the level of ‘bad’ or LDL cholesterol in the blood which can lower the risk of heart disease.

We are all recommended to eat two portions of fish and one of these is supposed to be oily. Oily fish include salmon, sardines, trout, fresh tuna, mackerel and herring.

Why? Oily fish is high in healthy omega 3 fats and one of the few food sources of vitamin D which is just as important as calcium for healthy teeth and bones. Fact: no matter how much calcium we eat, we need vitamin D to help us absorb it.

For healthy teeth and bones adults and children are recommended to eat three portions of dairy a day (milk, cheese and yogurt). Low fat or reduced fat dairy products contain less fat and saturates than full-fat versions but the same amount of calcium which is why only low or reduced fat dairy products get the eat better logo.

Informative and interesting, three out of four Irish people do not eat enough fibre. This campaign explains why fibre is important and how to go about increasing your intake.

Roast spice-stuffed mackerel

Seared salmon and cucumber salad

4 mackerel, cleaned and gutted, heads removed 2 teaspoons ground ginger 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 cucumber 4 salmon fillets, skin on 150ml yoghurt

generous pinch of saffron 1 heaped dessert spoon of ground cumin 1 heaped teaspoon of ground coriander pinch of cayenne pepper 4 lemons

Slice from the open belly to the tail of each fish.

Lay it, belly side down and press along the backbone from just behind where the head was to the tail. The backbone will gradually be pushed out as you work along the fish. Remove it and any accompanying bones with pliers or tweezers.

Preheat the oven to gas mark 7/425F/220C. Combine the ginger, garlic, onion, saffron, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper and the juice from two of the lemons in a liquidiser, adding a little cold water if necessary to get a smooth paste, but don’t let it get to loose. Season the inside of the fish and spread the mixture evenly. Put the fish back together and dust in plain flour. Place on a lightly oiled roasting tin and dribble over more oil. Roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the fish is cooked. Serve with rice, or better still a chunky salad of tomatoes and cucumber dressed with coriander and yoghurt.

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander olive oil 1 lemon, quartered

Top and tail the cucumber, slice lengthways and cut a V down through the seeds. Using a teaspoon scoop out the seeds. Slice as thinly as possible, place in a sieve and dust with a scant teaspoon of salt. Toss well and set aside for five minutes. Rinse under plenty of running water and leave to drain. Squeeze out as much moisture from the cucumber as possible and combine with the yoghurt and coriander. Set aside. Drizzle a little of the olive oil over the salmon and toss lightly so it is well coated.

Season well with salt.

If thoughts of eating a healthy diet make you worry about giving up treats like biscuits, chocolates and sweets this initiative is packed with reality; don’t give these things up, just be sensible about how much and when. Try to limit treats to one a day and watch portion size.

For further information pick up an eat better, feel great leaflet in store and look out for the eat better logo in store and visit www.superquinn.ie/ eatbetter

Heat a heavy frying pan for at least two minutes, five is even better. Add the salmon, skin side down and walk away for at least four minutes.

You need to do this for the skin to crisp up. If you move things about it will all start to stew.

Turn the salmon over and continue to cook for another two minutes or until it is cooked through. Serve with the cucumber and a wedge of lemon.

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I believe...

Simon Burke, chairman of Superquinn talks to Charlotte Coleman-Smith.

Photograph by Stefan Syrowatka

“ Our philosophy is to bring the product alive, to let people see it for real in the way that they would in a farmers’ market, or a small traditional greengrocers”

I believe Superquinn has a place in everyone’s heart in Ireland. There’s a bit of a sense that everybody owns Superquinn, that it’s part, almost, of the popular culture. And we’ve done our best, under the new ownership, to keep it close to the hearts of Irish people.

We buy a higher percentage of our products – around 80 per cent of fresh lines, for example - from Irish sources than any other supermarket. And that’s been a passion of the business from the beginning.

Our produce is not only Irish-sourced, but it’s the pick of the Irish crop. If you take beef, for instance, no more than the top 10 percent of meat produced in Ireland would actually meet Superquinn’s demanding specifications. Plus, it arrives on the shelves fresher, by definition, than products that are being imported from elsewhere.

We’re always on the lookout for products that are new and innovative. A lot of people think, for example, Irish cheese ends with cheddar and Cashel Blue.

Our range demonstrates that you can actually get a phenomenal variety of cheese types, flavours and styles without leaving Ireland. We work with many artisan producers of very specialised products.

Not everything is as Irish as it seems. We’re the only supermarket, I believe, whose ready meals are made with all Irish meats. If you take a chicken coq au vin, or korma ready meal, you can make that in Ireland and say it’s Irish-made. But in the great majority of cases the chicken is typically coming from the Far East. At Superquinn, the meat that we use in these meals is sourced to the same specifications as the meat you would buy at the counter.

Of course we will source products overseas where that’s appropriate. For example, the SQ range includes continental meats like Parma ham and chorizo. We won’t try to get those in Ireland. We go to where the real experts are. But where we have a tremendously strong and competent growing industry ourselves fresh fruit and veg, meat - where our quality compares favourably with anything in Europe, then why wouldn’t we buy our own? It’s not xenophobic, it just makes economic sense.

In the last few months there has been a huge amount of focus on the cost of food. It’s true that prices have increased, driven by huge hikes in the price of grains, soya, rice and of course oil. These things affect the cost of almost every foodstuff.

Price increases have affected all the grocers the same, and all of us are trying to keep the cost of a weekly shop as low as we can. But we have to understand that it’s only possible to reduce the price of food by so much before you start to affect quality really quite significantly. And these impacts on quality aren’t necessarily obvious. They can have to do, for example, with the forced growing methods that are used in other countries that deprive the products of their normal maturity cycle, which affects flavour, nutrition value and longevity.

If you take the shopping basket at Superquinn as a whole, you would find the difference between us and our leading competitors negligible. And that allows you to buy products of significantly higher quality than you would get elsewhere, but it’s not affecting the cost of your shopping. What we’ve found time and again when we’ve looked into this issue is that people do buy more. We tempt them. I do it myself!

Our philosophy is to bring the product alive, to let people see it for real in the way that they would in a farmers’ market, or a small traditional greengrocers.

Some of the bigger supermarkets have leeched all the character out of food shopping. Everything is hidden in plastic containers and you could be transplanted from one supermarket to the next and not know the difference. So having real fish out there, real meat on the counter, real bread baked in the shop, not just heated up - these things do make a difference.

What we have to try and do is remind our customers that they are not actually spending more for the same thing, they’re just buying different things.

And they’re actually getting a much more interesting, varied and, I would think, high-quality diet for the additional money they are spending.

I don’t think it’s my job to lecture people. My job is to inform customers so that they can make educated choices. Our ‘eat better’ foods are designed specifically to target some of those deficiencies in a typical Irish person’s diet - as opposed to everyone else’s ‘healthy-living’ products, which are based on Europe-wide or UK diets.

I’m an accidental retailer. I started off doing something else entirely – accountancy. Then I got the opportunity to take charge of the retail business at Virgin when I was only 29 and knew nothing about retail, really. Nothing about running businesses. It was that kind of organisation. I thought it was for 3 months and here I am, 20 years later, still doing it. And I love it.

Just being able to work directly with customers is tremendously exciting; the fact that the business changes on a daily basis and decisions we take today have an impact on sales tomorrow. And I can see the response of my customers to things I am doing every day.

I lived in London for more than 20 years, all told, and during that time Ireland has been completely transformed. It’s a bit like meeting somebody you were at school with, 25 years later. They are very familiar but, actually, you know nothing about their adult lives. This country has been through an extraordinary story.

Superquinn is a cut above, rather than exclusive.

Where it is exclusive, it’s for everyone. Where else would they pack your bags for you, cut your steak, bake your bread freshly every morning? You are getting all those things and you’re not having to spend crazy money to get it. It’s a smart shopping decision to come to Superquinn.

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Savour - 28-29 - I believe v3.indd 29

29

10/10/08 17:00:44

10 ways with...

Savoy The king of Irish cabbages comes up trumps. Recipes by Jenny Lyons Dolmas Cigar shaped rolls of leaves stuffed with minced meat, rice or bulghur wheat.

Season with cayenne and poach. They are even nicer the next day.

Sautéed Toss roughly chopped leaves in a pan for a few minutes with chilli, add a few cloves of finely chopped garlic at the end and check seasoning.

Bacon, bubble and squeak Silky mashed potato, finely sliced blanched chopped leaves, and good quality lean bacon fried off with some spring onions. Mix the lot together, shape into cakes and fry until crisp and golden.

Simple bacon and cabbage

Gujerati-style with carrots

Cabbage, potato and buckwheat

Fry chunky bacon lardons until no longer releasing liquid. Toss in swathes of finely chopped cabbage, finish with chopped garlic and season to taste. Serve with grilled white fish.

Toss shredded cabbage and carrots in a pan with oil and a green chilli.

Spice up with asafoetida, mustard seeds and cumin.

Add lots of salt, a pinch of sugar and a handful of fresh coriander. Cook until just tender and squeeze over some lemon juice.

Cook the cabbage and diced potato separately until soft. Toast the buckwheat in a hot pan with a little oil for five minutes, add water and cook out until tender. Add the cabbage and potato, season, drizzle with olive oil and allow to cool. Eat with grilled vegetables and charcuterie.

Thai pickled Shred enough cabbage to pack into a sterilised jar.

Dissolve 2 tablespoons of salt and 1 tablespoon light brown sugar in 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar. Cover the cabbage with the pickle, seal, and let stand for three days in a warm dry place, then refrigerate. This will keep for one week only.

Ministra (cabbage soup) A light soup made with vegetable stock, flecked with shredded Savoy. Add noodles or pasta to give it more substance. Serve with a slick of olive oil.

Farfalle, cabbage and pancetta Cook shredded cabbage until tender. Fry pancetta until almost crispy, add the garlic and thyme. Cook farfalle until tender. Combine everything, add grated Parmesan and serve topped with pine nuts.

Cabbage bake with Parma ham, and Gorgonzola Moisten the Savoy with cream and white wine, crumble in the cheese, stir through some shallots and shredded ham. Toss in some walnuts if desired, and bake covered loosely with tin foil.

Cabbage dishes go very nicely with a number of wines, depending on the other ingredients used. With bubble and squeak, or bacon and cabbage, go for an easy rounded red such as the Clos des Verdots Bergerac 2006, or the Trimbach Pinot Blanc from Alsace, where cabbage features heavily in the local cuisine.

Alternatively, this is a good opportunity to try out a few beers, such as the Fuller’s London Pride, or for a real treat, the Belgian Chimay Blue.

Otherwise try matching the dish to the country, a Portuguese wine with cabbage soup, a light Valpolicella with farfalle or the cabbage bake.

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Savour - 30 - 10 ways with v8.indd 30

10/10/08 17:01:50

Nestling in the foot of the Wicklow mountains Barretstown offers adventure and a whole host of activites to children with serious illnesses. As Superquinn launches its fund-raising initiative for this unique and important centre Savour takes a look at just a little of what goes on . . .

The serious business of

un f Barretstown, founded by the late Paul Newman, has served nearly 12,000 children from 22 countries since it opened in 1994 andrequires ¤ 4.5 million of funding each year. Please see instore for further details or log on to www.barretstown.org

Barretstown, situated at the foot of the Wicklow mountains, provides a programme of therapeutic recreation for children with cancer and other serious illnesses. This involves activities as wide ranging as art and outdoor adventure.The programme is backed by leading medical specialists and plays a valuable part in children’s recovery.

Bringing smiles to people lies at the heart of the recently launched Superquinn/ Barretstown project.

Over a three-year period Superquinn aims to raise ¤1 million in funds.

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Savour - 31 - Barretstown v1.indd 31

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10/10/08 17:02:33

Real

food fast Everyday simple cooking Quick and easy – yes, but complicated these dishes are not. Everyday eating with a little style and not a lot of effort.

Hugo Arnold on suppers that really won’t take long.

F

ast food can be good food. Sizzling sausages take minutes, a grilled and juicy steak even fewer minutes. This is food that uses the best ingredients, not the most exotic. This is cooking that is efficient without cutting corners, for there are no gimmicks involved in preparing good, simple food.

Flavours should be bold, not fussy, ingredients few rather than many, cooking methods fast and herbs thrown in with a lavish hand. These recipes can be done within 30 minutes. Eating well is the objective here and taste, texture and appearance must all reflect that. Freshness is crucial. Things taste better that way.

Real fast wines The wines here are chosen to appeal to thirsty as well as hungry people.

Remember to chill whites and bring reds into the kitchen before you leave home in the morning,.

If you forget, put whites in the freezer for ten minutes and gently warm the reds in a sinkful of lukewarm water.

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Savour - 32-37 - Real food fast v6.indd 32

10/10/08 17:03:19

Roast sea bream, fine beans and black olive vinaigrette Serves 4

4 portion-sized sea bream, gutted few sprigs each of parsley and tarragon 4 bay leaves 8 tbsp olive oil 500g fine beans, topped

75g black olives, stoned and roughly chopped 1 tsp white wine vinegar 1 lemon, trimmed and quartered

Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6. Wash, dry and season the fish with salt and pepper, then stuff with the herbs. Place on a roasting tray, trickle over 4 tbsp olive oil, season with salt and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked.

Meantime blanch the beans in salted boiling water for 5 minutes or until just cooked, drain and toss in a bowl with the chopped olives, remaining olive oil, the vinegar and salt and pepper.

Serve the fish with the bean salad and a wedge of lemon.

WINE MATCH Waipara Hills Sauvignon Blanc

Grilled salmon, green sauce and broccoli Serves 4

3 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 1 garlic clove, peeled, chopped and mashed with a little salt 2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Did you know?

AT SUPERQUINN we trim the stalks on broccoli to make it easier for you

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, (plus a little extra for cooking the fish) 400g broccoli 4 salmon steaks 1 lemon, quartered, for serving

Preheat a griddle pan or conventional grill as hot as it will go. Combine the parsley, garlic, anchovy fillets, mustard and olive oil and set aside. Steam or boil the broccoli in salted boiling water for 4 minutes, or until just tender, drain and keep warm.

Rub the salmon steaks with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Grill or griddle for a scant 2-3 minutes each side or until cooked. Serve with the green sauce piled on top, a little of the broccoli and a wedge of lemon.

WINE MATCH SQ Chablis 1er cru Vaillons, Burgundy SUPERQUINN

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Savour - 32-37 - Real food fast v6.indd 33

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10/10/08 17:03:36

Baked mushrooms, Parma ham and feta on toast Serves 4

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 8 large field mushrooms 40g butter, cut into 8 dice, plus extra to spread on toast 8 slices beef tomato small bunch thyme, picked

1 tbsp chopped parsley 4 slices Parma ham 40g crumbled feta 4 slices good quality bread, sourdough is particularly good

Preheat the grill. Divide the garlic between the mushrooms, dot with butter cubes, season with salt and pepper and grill 5-8 minutes or until the mushrooms start to wilt and release their juices.

Place a slice of tomato in each mushroom, sprinkle over thyme and parsley, add the Parma ham and then the feta. Flash briefly under the grill to just start melting the feta . Toast the bread, spread with butter and top each slice with a filled mushroom to serve.

Spiced pork burgers Serves 4

2 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp coriander seeds 1 tsp sweet paprika 1 tsp hot paprika pinch cayenne pepper 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped bunch coriander, leaves and stems

roughly chopped bunch parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped 500g minced pork 1 egg, lightly beaten a little oil for frying 1 lemon, quartered

Lightly toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a hot dry frying pan, tip into a roomy mortar, add the paprikas and cayenne and crush to powder with a pestle. Add the onion and garlic and pound to a paste. Add the coriander and parsley and continue pounding until you have a nice green sticky mess.

Combine with the pork and egg, season with salt and pepper and shape with wet hands into burgers.

Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan and fry for about 5 minutes on each side. Serve with lemon wedges, warmed pitta bread and some mango chutney.

WINE MATCH WITH THE BAKED MUSHROOMS Casa Mia Organic Cabernet Merlot, Italy WINE MATCH WITH THE BURGERS Tatachilla Partner’s Cabernet Shiraz, Australia WINE MATCH WITH THE FISH CURRY Tatachilla Growers Sauvignon-Semillon, Australia WINE MATCH WITH THE GRILLED RIB-EYE Chateau Le Boscq, Cru Bourgeois Supérieur,h Saint Estèphe

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Savour - 32-37 - Real food fast v6.indd 34

10/10/08 17:03:49

Coconut fish curry Serves 4

4 sea bass fillets, each about 150g 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ground turmeric 2 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil 2 medium onions, peeled and finely sliced 6 green chillis, split lengthways and seeds removed

3 garlic cloves, sliced into strips 20 dried curry leaves 400ml coconut milk coriander sprigs to garnish boiled rice, to serve

Remove any small bones from the fish fillets with tweezers. Mix ½ tsp salt with ½ tsp turmeric and rub gently into the fish fillets.

Heat the oil in a wide pan, add the onions, chillies and garlic and sauté for a few moments. Add the curry leaves and keep cooking until the onions are translucent. Take out half the curry leaves and set aside for garnish.

Add the rest of the turmeric to the pan and season to taste with salt. Pour in the coconut milk and heat through. Add seasoned fish fillets and simmer, very gently, for 3-4 minutes until just cooked. Serve immediately with the sauce on plain rice, garnished with the reserved curry leaves and coriander.

Grilled rib-eye steak with sauteed rosemary potatoes Serves 4

4 large waxy potatoes 1 tbsp chopped rosemary 4 dry-aged SQ steaks 5-6 tbsp olive oil

Did you know?

AT SUPERQUINN we won a ‘Guild of Irish Food Writers’ award for our dry-aged rib-eye steaks?

1 tbsp finely chopped chives mustard, to serve

Cut potatoes (peeled or not according to taste) into 1cm cubes. Place in cold, salted water, bring to the boil, drain and toss in a clean tea tea towel to dry.

Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan and sauté potatoes 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally until golden brown. Remove from the heat and add the rosemary, tossing to coat well in oil, and set aside somewhere warm.

Season and lightly glaze the steaks with olive oil and fry or grill them for 2-3 minutes each side, or until done to your liking. Toss chives into the potatoes and serve with the steak plus a generous dollop of mustard.

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Savour - 32-37 - Real food fast v6.indd 35

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10/10/08 17:04:02

Stir-fried beef with cabbage and ginger

Sausages, penne and sage

3 red chillies, trimmed and chopped 2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped 1 tsp nam pla/fish sauce 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 3tbsp vegetable oil

100g unsalted butter 6 large pork sausages, skinned 2 onions, peeled and finely chopped 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 2 red chillies, trimmed and

Serves 4

half a small Savoy cabbage, trimmed of core and outer leaves and finely sliced 2 sirloin steaks, trimmed and thinly sliced 1 tsp dark brown sugar boiled rice and a small bunch coriander, roughly chopped, to serve

Combine the first five ingredients in a mortar and grind to a paste with the pestle. Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the cabbage until it just starts to wilt, about 3 minutes. Add the paste and stir-fry 2-3 minutes or until it loses its raw aroma – it should smell sweet and appetising. Add the beef strips and the sugar and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add a tablespoon of water and continue tossing in the hot oil until everything just starts to dry out. Serve with rice and a lavish scattering of the chopped coriander.

Serves 4

finely chopped bunch fresh sage 200ml red wine 1 400g tin tomatoes 3 tablespoons of olive oil 200g penne Parmesan for serving

Melt the butter and gently colour the sausage meat over a moderate heat. Add the onion and carry on cooking so the meat colours and the onion softens. This will take a further 10 minutes and shouldn’t be rushed.

Add the garlic, chilli and half the sage, finely chopped.

Cook for 10 minutes and then pour in the wine. Allow to bubble up and reduce over a moderate heat for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and allow to simmer over a reduced heat for 30 minutes. Don’t let the mixture become too dry. You may need to add a little water Heat the olive oil and sauté the sage leaves until they just crisp up. Set aside.

At Superquinn Sausages are big business at Superquinn.

Inspired by a visit to Germany in 1978 - yes 30 years ago - the Superquinn sausage was invented and now comes in a vast range of sizes and varieties including reduced fat, the gourmet SQ collection and even chicken.

Sausages available include: SQ Roast pork and bramley apple Award winning SQ Leek and black pepper SQ Honey and mustard SQ Toulouse pork

Cook the penne, dress with the sauce, fold in the sage leaves and serve with Parmesan.

Sausages and mash with braised shallots Serves 4

4 floury potatoes 1 onion 4 cloves 4-6 tbsp olive oil glass of milk

8 Toulouse sausages 450g shallots, peeled 300ml HJ Archer Organic Cider

Peel the potatoes and chop into roughly equal-sized chunks. Place in a saucepan of salted water along with the onion, studded with the cloves. Bring to the boil and cook until the potato is tender, drain, remove and discard the cloves and liquidise the onion with the potato. Beat in 4 tbsp olive oil and a glass of milk - just enough for a good mash consistency. Check seasoning and set aside to keep warm.

Fry sausages in a little oil, turning regularly until cooked through, then set aside in a dish to keep warm. Put the shallots into the sausage pan and shake to coat thoroughly in the oil remaining in the pan, cover with tin foil, lower the heat and cook until tender, about eight minutes. Remove and keep warm.

Drain any excess oil from the pan, add the cider and cook, stirring regularly and scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan, until the liquid becomes a syrup.

Serve the sausages with the sauce, mash and shallots.

SQ St. Joseph, Rhone HJ Archer Organic Cider

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Savour - 32-37 - Real food fast v6.indd 36

10/10/08 17:04:20

Grilled lamb, creamed haricots and watercress salad Serves 4

4 150g boneless lamb loin chops olive oil 2 x 400g tins of haricot beans, drained and well rinsed.

250ml cream

2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the flat side of a knife 2 dessertspoons finely chopped parsley bunch of watercress

Serves 4

2 teaspoons runny honey 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped half lemon, juiced 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

half teaspoon smoked paprika 4 boneless chicken breasts, skinned

Whisk together the honey, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and paprika in a medium-sized bowl.

Season to taste.

Preheat the grill. Lightly oil the chops and season generously all over, place under the grill for six to seven minutes or until cooked. Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes covered with tin foil.

Combine the haricot beans, garlic and cream in a saucepan and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer over gentle heat, stirring frequently, until you have a thick, gloopy mixture.

Take care it doesn’t catch on the bottom. Stir in the parsley and check seasoning. You may like to remove the garlic, but I prefer to leave it in.

Serve the chops with a spoonful or two of the beans and a little watercress.

Pad thai Thailand’s signature meal-in-a-bowl Serves 4

2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 2 eggs, lightly beaten 400g flat rice noodles (similar in shape to tagliatelle) soaked soft and drained according to packet instructions 2 tbsp nam pla/Thai fish sauce 3 tbsp salted peanuts

Lemon, paprika and honey grilled chicken

2 tbsp dried shrimp (available from oriental stores) 2 fresh red chillies, chopped 100g bean sprouts 1 lime 2 tbsp finely sliced scallions bunch coriander, roughly chopped

Trim the chicken breasts of any excess fat or bloody areas. Remove the fillet and peel away its membrane.

Take the first chicken breast and – once trimmed – place between two sheets of clingfilm. Using a rolling pin gently flatten into a thin escalope. Repeat the process with the remaining chicken breasts. Once flattened, mix with the fillets into the marinade, cover and chill for 20 minutes.

Preheat and oven-top grill pan over a medium high heat. Grill the chicken for four to five minutes on each side. Serve hot, warm or cold.

WINE MATCH WITH THE STIR-FRIED BEEF Veranda Pinot Noir WINE MATCH WITH THE PAD THAI Vansha Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa WINE MATCH WITH THE LAMB Côtes du Rhône Villages Domaine Grès Saint Vincent WINE MATCH WITH THE GRILLED CHICKEN Guigal Cotes Du Rhone WINE MATCH WITH THE APPLE TART McGuigan Black Label Chardonnay

Easy apple tart Serves 4

8 small dessert apples ground cinnamon 2 tablespoon brown sugar 400g packet filo pastry (you won’t require all of it) 100g butter melted Peel, core and roughly chop the apples and toss with a teaspoon or two of ground cinnamon and the sugar. Generously butter a 22cm tart tin and lay sheets of filo out like spokes of a wheel, brushing with melted butter as you go.

Place the apple mixture in the centre and then fold the filo over the top, gently ruffling as you go and again using liberal amounts of melted butter. What you are aiming for is a fountain of filo. Bake in a preheated oven, 180C/gas mark 4 for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool a little and serve.

Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan and stir-fry the garlic for 30 seconds, or until golden.

Add the eggs, tossing and tearing as they cook in the hot oil. Add the drained noodles and toss until everything is well mixed.

Add remaining ingredients down to and including the beansprouts, stirring after each addition so they stirfry rather than stew. Divide on to four plates, scatter over the scallions and coriander and serve with lemon quarters to squeeze over.

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13/10/08 21:58:58

The slice is right For a proper Irish breakfast and a traditional Christmas dinner, really good bacon is required.

Dianne Curtain finds a valley in Kilkenny wherein lies the key.

Photography: Trevor Hart

T

he full Irish – always a magnificent fry up - may run counter to all modern health advice, but for a few it remains the only proper start to the day, and for many more it’s a weekend luxury they would find hard to renounce: crisp, sizzling bacon with best Irish sausages and a slice or two of pudding, plus the hospitable ‘one egg or two?’ question.

In a land once famous for its bacon but now, alas, awash with cheap imports, sourcing the good stuff is not always easy. You have to seek out a producer who knows his bacon. In Kilkenny, a fourth-generation bacon-curing expert went back to the land. Back, in fact, to his family’s farm. As David explains: “The bacon we produce on our farm runs from field through to plate in several long and traditional steps. We grow most of the wheat and barley for the feed in our own fields, mill the grain in our own production plant and make the feed ourselves. Then we rear the pigs throughout their lives, cure the bacon ourselves, slice it and pack every single rasher.”

The pigs are a Landrace cross-breed, known for plump, lean and tender flesh. Their diet has been specially developed to produce pork which absorbs the cure without losing its own unique flavour: a combination of nature and science working together.

At Superquinn The range includes: Traditional back, maple, smoked and streaky.

An SQ dry-cure rasher will also be launched in the coming months.

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Savour - 38-39 - Gleann na Greine v7.indd 38

10/10/08 17:06:12

Gleann na Greine bacon is now available in-store

For curing, prime loins are selected for the back rashers, whilst belly pork yields streaky rashers marbled evenly with fat and lean so typical of the cut. The Gleann na Greine loins are cured using two different cures - traditional or maple - developed by Superquinn over many decades.

The knowledge and expertise provided by David, is one of the many reasons why Superquinn has

“This is the time-honoured way of smoking meat products, developed originally to preserve perishable foods in days before refrigeration” partnered with the Brett family. David explains: “Our smoking technique for Superquinn follows old-fashioned methods, unlike the ‘chemical smoking’ used in some modern smoked bacon production, in which the bacon is dipped in a substance to add the colour and flavour of smoke.

As with any aspect of quality food production, time and patience certainly pay off and give our bacon a true taste of yesteryear.”

Maple Cure involves maple syrup in the Wiltshire cure recipe, which adds a gorgeously caramelised dimension to the flavour. And the speciality dry cure, available only in the SQ range, is produced by hand-rubbing sea salt into the meat, which gradually infuses the flesh from the outside in, giving gentle saltiness and no sign of the white liquid which often floods the pan during cooking of cheaper rashers.

So how does all the care and attention lavished on Gleann na Greine bacon tell on the plate? Whether your penchant is for pale or smoked bacon, these back rashers, served sizzling hot from pan or grill to stack between crusty bread slices, make the best bacon sarnie, and add their own savoury magic to the full Irish. And at this time of year, the streaky rashers come into their own for draping over the breasts of lean game birds, and will perform a particularly important function covering the breasts of the Christmas turkey, which spends such a long time in the dry heat of the oven. Streaky rashers are also essential for those bacon rolls or bacon wrapped chipolatas that traditionally accompany to the big bird to table.

Gleann na Greine bacon is produced exclusively for Superquinn. The dry cure bacon is available in the SQ range.

Countdown to the perfect breakfast • Heat the oven • Boil the kettle, make coffee/tea • Put plates in oven including serving plate if using • Fry sausages, puddings etc first Then bacon • Finally cook the eggs and have everything on standby, including those intending to eat. A good breakfast is worth waiting for.

The full Irish The devil is in the detail when it comes to a fry up. Top quality ingredients, a little oil but not too much and timing lie at the centre of delivering a plate of deliciousness.

There are more sausages out there than Christmas decorations but Superquinn somewhat stole the show 30 years ago in developing a banger that, not to put too fine a point on it, is something of a hallmark. Keep the heat under your pan low and cook slowly so the outer skin colours to a mahogany brown and the inner sweetness comes to its full potential.

For some it is black, for others white but there is no doubting the power of good pudding in a fry up. The secret is in frying at a moderate temperature so the outside is caramelised to a crisp and the inside remains moist and savoury.

Eggs are crucial to any breakfast, from an omelette to sunny side up (or down). Sillan Ór eggs deliver that old-fashioned yellow hue and a white that has some attitude.

The debate on what else to include could go on forever. Some good country bread fried in the left-over oil is hard to beat, but then so too is a properly grilled tomato. Field mushrooms, their dark gills rendered meat-like with butter and seasoning are hard to beat. But then there is the question of how to cook your eggs. Scrambled is not half bad, but poached runs a close second and that is before you have considered coddling.

Meat first, then the vegetables and finally the eggs. Happiness is but a frying pan away.

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Savour - 38-39 - Gleann na Greine v7.indd 39

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10/10/08 17:06:27

A lot to beef about Moist, tender, full-flavoured steak is culinary nirvana for many.

Diane Curtain discovers just how much work goes into delivering Ireland’s best.

What to serve with steak Mustard is traditional, as is bearnaise (hollandaise with the addition of tarragon).

Try blue cheese mashed with a little butter.

Finely chopped rosemary combined with olive oil A good olive oil

Did you know?

How to tell if your steak is done to your liking If you prod the meat with your finger a rare steak will be soft and spongy a medium-rare steak will be a little firmer a medium steak will feel almost firm and crispy on the outside

At Superquinn Blue cheese to buy Bellingham Blue Wicklow Blue Blue Shropshire Blue D’Auvergne Bresse Blue Cambozola Crozier Blue Stilton Blue Cashel Blue Danish Blue Gorgonzola Dolcelatte Picante Roquefort St. Agur

T

urkey may shine as the star attraction on the big day during the festive season, but a good steak is hard to beat. A winter supper of an aromatic, juicy, well-flavoured steak goes straight to the heart of many Irish men and women.

A steak cut from well-reared, well-hung prime beef, offers a break from tradition - and a quickly cooked alternative - during the rest of the Christmas holiday. The Irish grass-fed system for cattle is one of the best in the world - and no doubt contributes to the wonderful flavour, texture and tenderness of the very best meat. But until now finding it at its best has not been easy.

Dry-aging beef is the traditional way of ensuring both tenderness and flavour. And with this in mind the meat in the SQ range comes from a select number of farms producing prime Hereford cattle.

Hereford cattle are one of the oldest traditional beef herds, introduced to Ireland in 1775. What makes the meat so good? For a start, this breed is reared purely to produce top-class beef. Originating in Herefordshire, England, it was known for yielding meat of superlative eating quality. On introduction to Ireland, Herefords took to the landscape and grazing system and the breed has now become a familiar sight, with red coated, white-faced animals, grazing contentedly on lush green Irish grass. In 1997, a number of committed farmers gathered together to form the Irish Hereford prime breeders group, which now has over 1,000 members and is where the SQ beef comes from.

Why dry-aging?

Why does dry-aging make a difference to the eating quality of beef? The meat is matured in the traditional manner, on the bone, for a minimum of 21 days. This allows for greatest tenderness and flavour development. It also makes the meat go a slightly dark colour. This indicates lengthy maturation, and because of the nature of breed, there will be a tell-tale marbling of fat, particularly evident in the rib eye and strip loin. This helps the meat stay moist and tender when cooked and is absolutely essential, since the fat melts away during cooking to leave the meat juicy and tasty.

This range only uses prime cuts from the hindquarters of the animal. This includes the ribeye a succulent cut right from the heart of the rib, and which has that marbling of fat just visible; the striploin, fast cooking and full of flavour, and the leanest and most tender; the fillet, which is low in fat and extremely easy to cook and eat.

It is also good to know, that as a bonus, the packaging used keeps the meat in absolutely premium condition for longer. Just as long as it takes you to get it home and open it.

The secret to cooking steak

The biggest challenge to cooking steak at home is getting the pan hot enough so the meat sears rather than stews. The next challenge is to control the heat so the outside becomes nicely caramelised without burning. This latter challenge is reached in part by the heat under your pan and by turning the steak over. It is also important not to overcrowd the pan, far better if you are cooking say four steaks, to do two at a time.

This is no time for butter or olive oil as they both burn Preheat the pan over a moderate heat for five minutes or until it starts smoking.

Rub a little oil on each side of the steak and season well with salt.

Turn the heat up under the pan to full for a minute. Introduce the steak and leave them alone for one to two minutes.

At the same time turn the heat down to three-quarters.Turn the meat over and leave for a further one minute.

Turn two or three times during the final stages of cooking, ie about every 30 seconds.

Timings

It is very hard to give specific timings as much depends on how you like your steak cooked and what your equipment is like.

The SQ Dry Aged range includes: Fillet Steaks, Rib-Eye Steaks and Striploin Steaks. There will be further addtions to the range soon.

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Christmas 2008

Celebrate the holidays 50 ways to enjoy the festivities A classic lunch in Wexford Cocktails and canapés Relaxed family suppers This wreath is based on one you can buy in Superquinn .

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50 1

The crucial “Our ingredient in a G&T, essential butchers for almost all cocktails reckon and the quickest way to chill a warm bottle you can of white wine. Ice, and of it, should not get several plenty be underestimated. small tray in the meals from That fridge may well cope normal life but one joint, with Christmas is hardly at least two normal. Ice-cube bags an easy, spacemeals from are efficient and convenient to ensure you one bird if way almost - never run out. you count Sensible drinking is an essential part soup and of Christmas and sandwiches water can get pretty dull the drivers among us. and cook for Lemonade, ginger beer elderflower cordial sufficient and make things rather interesting, as quantities” more does the choice of still or

ways to enjoy 3

Buy flowers a few days in advance, that way you get to enjoy them for longer and beat the queues.

Superquinn does a range of seasonally themed flowers and bouquets.

4

It is the thought that counts. Use your computer and source as many gifts on the internet without leaving home and, even better, opt to have the gift wrapped.

2

sparkling water. Why not check out our range of waters of the world and freshly squeezed juices.

sandwiches and cook sufficient quantities.

See pages 77 to 83 for advance ordering at Superquinn.

6

Stock up on the likes of salami and amaretti when the stores are quiet, leaving only the choosing of perishables to the last minute.

Use to prevent overbrowning or drying out the turkey, cover and keep vegetables warm, fashion into a trivet for everything from fish to a whole roast, steam the Christmas pudding, and perhaps most important of all, wrap turkey sandwiches for that essential Christmas walk.

7

Things that can be made or bought and frozen for later: stuffing; breadcrumbs; mincepies.

8 5

A whole salmon may seem expensive but starts to pay for itself when you see how far it goes. The same for a large ham or joint of beef. These can form the basis for many meals over the holiday period. Our butchers reckon you can get several meals from one joint, at least two meals from one bird if you count soup and

Don’t get carried away, try not to have too many exciting and exotic tastes in one menu. There is a great temptation to have everything all the time so each time you sit there is a sea of ingredients. A plan is useful, and can always be changed.

9

Tin foil is one of the most underestimated items of kitchen kit.

10

Have one list, or better still a small notebook. That way you don’t have to keep everything in your head.

11

Never underestimate the number of helpers you will need and how many of them are keen to be involved. While this may exclude the very young and the very old allocating tasks lessens the work load for you and makes everyone feel part of proceedings.

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the holidays 12

Fill the house with the aroma of Christmas by making your own mulled wine.

Alternatively try the pre-prepared mulled wine available in store.

13

Did you know that you can pick up all your baking ingredients and equipment in Superquinn?

14

Crush spices and store them in an airtight jar and use within a few weeks for best flavour.

17 18

Don’t run out of heating oil.

Check the

tank early.

Left over scraps of smoked salmon will keep for a week in the fridge and can be whipped into a pâté with cream cheese, crème fraiche, lemon juice in a second.

19 20

Have you got enough containers to store left overs?

A premade basic roux made from equal portions of butter and flour is very handy to have as a sauce thickener. It keeps for weeks in the fridge – it will harden but it will be perfect.

21

15

A freezer full of ice-cream will get you out of many an awkward moment.

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Count your cutlery and crockery – you may need to top up or borrow some.

Check you have good quality cooking oils eg walnut, hazelnut as well as olive oil.

22 23

Red cabbage can be cooked in advance and frozen.

Most stews taste better made a day or two in advance and reheated. See the feature

The focus may well be on the big day but there are endless meals to prepare, days to enjoy, parties to relax into and family gatherings to celebrate.

Savour prompts, guides and highlights those little things that make all the difference if thought about in advance.

on pages 69-71 for some ideas.

24

Wash and iron table linen, better still get somebody else to do it.

25

In the weeks leading up to Christmas put something in your shopping basket so you can spread the cost.

26 27 28

Use frozen pastry, either bought or home made in advance.

Make French Dressing in advance and keep in the fridge.

Ask for help carrying heavy shopping, huge trees or massive presents. The last thing you want is a sore back.

29 30

Use window sills for chilling wine, mineral water and juice.

Have you enough candles and tea lights? They make any room - indeed the house - look festive, particularly if there are lots of them. And think about what they are going to go in and on.

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Washing-up liquid doesn’t last for ever, a back-up bottle might be worth thinking about.

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50 “When Your fridge will be full shopping to bursting over the holidays but it is give yourself quite easy to extend your by buying and a break fridge freezing some extra cold occasionally, packs and put them into coolboxes. it is supposed Buy a to be fun” few extra

32

43 44

Stock up with firewood, logs and peat and of course matches.

33 34

45

When shopping give yourself a break occasionally, its supposed to be fun!

presents for unexpected guests.

Buy some sugar-coated chocolate eggs for a quick decoration on top of cakes.

35

Place your order for turkey, ham or goose early or better still have Superquinn deliver them straight to your home. See www.superquinn.ie

Plan your table decoration.

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A bicycle can often be a better way to get around than a car.

36

There is always so much to do. Every now and then sitting down/reading a book has to rise to the top of the list.

37

Make vanilla sugar by storing vanilla pods in castor sugar.

Sprinkle over biscuits, cakes and puddings.

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Make sure you have a roasting tin big enough to hold the turkey.

39

Go for a walk, even a little one is enough to give you a break.

40

A cup of tea and a piece of cake in the middle of the morning, even a glass of sherry is one way of reminding yourself that this holiday is special.

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Get silicone paper – this non stick parchment paper can be used several times over and is particularly useful when making meringues or chocolates because they simply peel off.

42

Oldfashioned gravy needs good stock and that is something which can be made in advance.

If you are feeding large number on the day a table plan is worth considering and children can be involved in making up place names.

48

Book taxis well in advance, especially for New Year’s Eve.

49

Don’t forget the house takes a day to decorate. Designate enough time to enjoy it.

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Superquinn is there to help. But talk to us well ahead of time so we can offer the most comprehensive advice.

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Classic Coastal Christmas We may all wish for snow, yet a dry, bright day is more likely and ultimately more enjoyable. Savour snuggles down on the Wexford coast for some festive feasting.

Recipes: Sharon Hearne-Smith and Hugo Arnold Food styling: Sharon Hearne-Smith Photography: Cliona O’Flaherty With thanks to Avoca and Debenhams for props

Menu Bloody Mary shots Oysters Langoustines and aoili Parma ham and fig crostini Smoked salmon with soy, ginger and Oriental salad Roast turkey Cider-braised red cabbage Turkey sandwiches Root vegetable and spinach mash Christmas pudding ice-cream with clementine salad SUPERQUINN

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Oysters 1 dessertspoon very finely chopped shallot 2 tablespoon red wine

vinegar Tabasco Lemons

Combine the shallot and red wine vinegar and set aside. Open the oysters and serve on ice with the shallot and red wine, Tabasco and lemons.

Langoustines and aoili 2 egg yolks 1 garlic clove crushed to a paste with a little salt 300m vegetable oil lemon juice to taste

Allow three to four langoustines per person depending on size Lemons to serve

Place the egg yolks and garlic in a bowl. Add the oil drop by drop, whisking all the time, until the mixture emulsifies to form a thick paste. Continue adding the oil, but increase the rate to a steady trickle. As the mixture becomes difficult to stir, add a little of the lemon juice. Once all the oil is incorporated, adjust the seasoning and add more lemon juice if appropriate.

Put the langoustines in a large saucepan. Cover with cold water, season generously with salt. Bring to the boil. As soon as they come to the boil remove from the heat. Pour off the water and allow the langoustine to cool. You can do this the day before and refrigerate.

Serve with the aoili and brown bread.

Parma ham and fig crostini 1 slice Parma ham per person you need to allow half a fig per person a little icing sugar

Did you know?

AT SUPERQUINN You can order seafood, hams, turkeys and desserts from Superquinn. See page 78 for an order form

Bloody Mary shots

olive oil 1 stick French bread 1 bunch watercress, thick stems removed

Thinly slice the bread, drizzle with olive oil and grill or bake at the top of a preheated oven, 200C/gas mark 6, for about five minutes, watch it like a hawk, they burn easily. Allow to cool. These will stay crisp for a few hours as long as they are allowed to cool without steaming.

Vodka Dry sherry Tomato juice Celery

Preheat the grill. Slice the figs into 6-8 thin slices and arrange on a non-stick baking sheet. Dust the icing sugar over lightly and grill for 2-3 minutes until softened and caramelised. Leave to cool completely.

Combine a measure of vodka with a dash of sherry over ice. Stir in tomato juice, season and serve with a stick of celery

To assemble, arrang ethe crostini on a serving platter.

Arrange a little watercress on each one. Tear the Parma ham into 3-4 pieces and arrange on top. Lay a caramelised fig slice over and serve.

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Smoked salmon with soy, ginger and Oriental salad Serves 12

600g of smoked salmon, thinly sliced 12 handfuls of salad leaves 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot 3cm fresh ginger, grated 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

3 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoons water 100ml vegetable oil 3 tablespoons light soy sauce

Combine all the dressing ingredients and mix well. Toss the salad leaves in the dressing and distribute on to plates. Lay the salmon on top and serve.

Quick guide to lunch at 1.30pm (for a more comprehensive version see page 94) 9.15am Turn on oven 9.30am Put turkey in oven and ham on to boil 11.30am Par-boil potatoes and transfer to the oven to roast. Put the pudding on to steam.

12.30pm Reheat the stuffing in the oven and make the bread sauce 1pm Take the turkey out of the oven and check it is cooked. Keep warm. Put the ham in the oven. Make gravy.

Cook vegetables 1.30pm Ask somebody to carve and sit down and relax

Roast turkey Serves 12

400g sausagemeat 400g chestnut puree 100g breadcrumbs 1 egg, beaten salt and pepper

1 5kg turkey 225g butter large piece of muslin 1 dessertspoon flour

Combine the sausage meat, chestnut puree and breadcrumbs and mix well. Stir in the egg and season with salt and pepper. Stuff the neck end of the bird and secure the skin with a skewer. Weigh.

You need to allow an hour per kg of stuffed bird and aim for it to be cooked an hour before you intend to eat. This allows for some margin in case your oven is not quite hot enough.

Melt the butter and soak the muslin until all the butter is absorbed. This is what will keep the breast meat moist.

Season the turkey all over and well. Cover the breast with the muslin doubled over and transfer to the oven.

Roast for three hours. Then place a skewer in the thigh and check that the juices run clear. If not, return to the oven and check at 15 minute intervals. Alternatively use a meat thermometer like the one on page 20.

Remove from the oven, take off the muslin (it can be washed and reused), cover with tin foil and keep warm.

To make the gravy skim off the fat, this is easily done by laying sheets of kitchen paper on top of the oil and discarding. When almost all the fat is gone place the tray over a low heat. Stir in the flour, allow to colour and then add 500ml of turkey stock. Simmer for 10 minutes and then strain into a jug SUPERQUINN

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Cider-braised red cabbage Serves 10-12

150ml dry apple cider 3 tbsp red wine vinegar 3 tbsp Demerara sugar 1 kg red cabbage 2 large red onions, finely chopped

pinch freshly grated nutmeg tsp cinnamon tsp cloves 25g unsalted butter salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 150C/gas mark 2.

Bring the cider, vinegar and sugar to a gentle boil in a large casserole pan and simmer until the sugar dissolves.

Meanwhile, discard the outer leaves and core of the red cabbage and finely shred. Add to the casserole with the red onion, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves, season well and stir to mix. Dot the butter on top and cover with a tight fitting lid. Bake in the oven for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

This can be made on Christmas Eve or even well in advance as it freezes well. Simply reheat through on the big day.

Root vegetable and spinach mash Serves 10-12

500g carrots, peeled and sliced 500g turnips, peeled and diced 250g parsnips peeled and sliced

75g unsalted butter, diced 150g bag of spinach, stalks removed salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring three separate pans of salted water to the boil and boil the carrots, turnips and parsnips individually until tender. Drain well and return in their pans to very low heat for a few seconds to allow excess water to steam out. Mash each vegetable roughly before stirring them together with the butter and seasoning.

Stir the spinach through just before serving.

Alternatively, if making in advance of Christmas Day leave the spinach out until the mash is reheated.

For what to drink with Christmas dinner, and indeed the whole day, please see page 74

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Bread sauce 600ml full fat milk 50g butter 1 onion studded with 8 cloves 2 garlic cloves, smashed 2 bay leaves 100g fresh white breadcrumbs, preferably from some good quality bread 4 tablespoons double cream Combine the milk, butter, onion and bay leaves in pan, bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside to infuse for 30 minutes.

Strain and add in the breadcrumbs. Stir in the cream and reheat gently until warm

Christmas pudding ice-cream with clementine salad 100g caster sugar 4 egg yolks 375g full-cream milk 200ml whipping cream 2 tablespoon brandy

200g Christmas cake, diced 8 clementines 200g caster sugar 1 tablespoon brandy

Combine the sugar and egg yolks and whisk until pale. Bring the milk up to boiling point, remove from the heat and pour on to the egg and sugar mixture, whisking all the time.

Pour into a clean saucepan, place over a moderate heat and stir, making sure the mixture doesn’t catch, particularly at the edges, until thick. As soon as a line drawn with your finger through the custard on the back of a spoon remains, remove from the heat and pour into a clean bowl. If it over-cooks at this stage you will end up with sweet scrambled eggs. If you are nervous, sit the clean bowl in ice and pour the mixture through a sieve which will help to catch the over-cooked lumps.

Combine the custard with the cream and brandy, stir and transfer to an ice-cream maker or freezer.

Remove after half an hour and stir. Return to the freezer and repeat, half an hour later, this time stirring in the Christmas cake. Return to the freezer, stirring once or twice until frozen. This will need a 10-15 minutes at room temperature to soften when you come to eat it..

Combine the sugar with 200ml of water in a saucepan.

Zest the clementines using a vegetable peeler and finely chop. Drop the zest into the syrup and poach for 20-30 minutes or until it starts to turn a caramel colour.

Remove as much of the pith as possible from the clementines and then slice into discs. Add the caramelised zest to the clementines and mix well.

You may need to add a few tablespoons of water to the caramelised zest over a moderate heat to make it liquid enough to pour over the clementines. Add the brandy and set aside.

At Superquinn Superquinn has a whole range of Christmas puddings including SQ Vintage Pudding. This is hand-crafted by an artisan family bakery in Co Carlow. The traditional recipe can be traced back to the 18th century. Premium ingredients, including French cherries, Turkish figs, sultanas and apricots, are mixed with triple-distilled Irish whiskey and stout.The pudding is then steamed in a specially built steam chamber which recreates the humid conditions used in Irish kitchens for generations.

In addition there is a range of core Christmas puddings in the following sizes 200g 450g, 900g and 1.3g. This year, for the weight conscious,we have introduced a low-fat 450g pudding.

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Sweet delights Choose from florentines, dark and white truffles, indeed any collection of chocolates arranged dramatically on a tray like this will impress.

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Simplicity The glamour of a cocktail party is hard to resist. Dressing up, choosing the music, deciding on the cocktails. Then there is the food.

Anne Marie Tobin gets creative with packets, pots and pouches.

C

ocktail parties are always a welcome addition to the festive season. Everyone is keen to go out and if you keep things simple there really isn’t much organising to do. The drinks can be as straight forward as a few bottles of wine, but don’t forget how much more fun a glass of bubbly can be. Cocktails too, add a whole other dimension. A shaker makes everything more stylish, but a jug can also be used.

As for the food, shop wisely and this really need not be a struggle. Keep things easy and go for bold flavours.

Remember you do not need to provide a full meal. As a rough rule, allow eight to 12 canapés per person.

The food need not all be different. If you have three canapés you can alternate through the evening. Timing depends on your party and how long you want it to be but a tour of canapes every 20 minutes is comforting.

Party range: Nut and raisin mix A selection of cheese and grapes Bellingham Blue whisked with a little creme fraiche and spooned on to leaves of little gem with pecans

Canapé rules Prepare as much as you can in advance but don’t make up until just before you serve or things tend to go soggy and stale Stick to a theme Think colour as well as taste

Coastal grazing Superquinn Ready to Eat Seafood Selection Blinis Creme fraiche Dill, picked Flat-leaf parsley, chopped Spread creme fraiche on the blinis and top with the seafood selection. Scatter over parsley and dill and garnish with lemons SUPERQUINN

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Retro chic Coronation chicken vol au vents 1 roasted Sillian or chicken, chilled and shredded 6 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 tablespoons mango chutney 24 vol au vent cases Combine the chicken, mayonnaise and mango chutney and mix so everything is well combined.

Fill the vol au vent cases

Spiced beef, horseradish mayonnaise and wild rocket crostini Olive oil 1 stick French bread 12 slices spiced beef 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 1 tablespoon horseradish handful wild rocket

Thinly slice the bread, drizzle with olive oil and grill or bake at the top of a preheated oven, 200C/gas mark 6, for about five minutes, watch it like a hawk, they burn easily. Allow to cool. These will stay crisp for a few hours as long as they are allowed to cool without steaming.

Combine the mayonnaise and horseradish and spread on the crostini, top with half a slice of the beef and a sprig or two of rocket.

Heat and dust A little spice is often welcome as a change from so much rich food over the holidays.

These samosas and bajis come from the Indian Selection pack.

Middle Eastern promise Finding unusual serving platters is one way of delivering difference. This is a tea tray, traditionally used to deliver drinks so they can be carried at arms length.

This photograph shows some of the products from the Superquinn party range including the mini potato skins selection and the filo parcels selection

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Cocktails Cosmopolitan 1 part vodka 1 part Cointreau 1 part cranberry juice dash of lime juice lime zest to serve Shake with ice and pour into a cocktail glass

Margarita 1 part Tequila 1 part Cointreau 1 part lime juice salt Combine Tequila, Cointreau and lime juice over ice. Salt the rim of a cocktail glass and pour the in the liquer.

Mojito 1 teaspoon sugar mint sprigs 2 parts dark or white rum 1 part lime juice soda water slice lime Mash the sugar and mint together. Add the rum and lime juice and pour over ice in a high-ball glass. Add sprigs of mind and the lime slice.

Daiquiri 3 parts white rum juice of 2 limes 1 teaspoon sugar syrup Combine over ice and pour into a chilled cocktail glass Sugar syrup: equal quantities of sugar and water. Heat until dissolved and then cool and refrigerate until needed.

At Superquinn We sell sugar syrup

A touch of glass Apart from the cocktail list in the box to the left, you could also serve Blin champagne, mulled wine or the new SQ’ clementine juice.

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Nice and easy Words: Isabel Hill Food styling: Sharon Hearne-Smith Photography: Cliona O’Flaherty Props: With thanks to Avoca and Debenhams

Family gatherings are about relaxing, not about spending oodles of time in the kitchen. The focal point should be one big, made-ahead dish, either main course or pud, then let everything else fall into place.

R

elaxed, unpretentious cooking lies at the centre of comfortable family gatherings in the lead-up to our annual winter festivities.

Such events are essentially a chance to catch up, gossip and, well yes, argue a little, with food designed to encourage rather than interrupt the genial social flow. A big dish prepared earlier avoids culinary tension and enables the host to participate fully in the cheerful atmosphere. Pick a recipe that is not timecrucial and allows for numbers to grow or shrink without too much hassle.

Robust, full flavours are to be found in great classic dishes: pies, pilaffs and roasts, or soothingly warm baked puddings to follow lighter main courses. When you want to put your elbows on the table and relax, what you really need is gutsy cooking of the oldfashioned variety, plus a well-chosen bottle or two.

The main dishes that follow are easily shaped into menus with a soup, pate or charcuterie to start and perhaps a couple of cheeses and a fruit plate to follow.

A selection of vegetables more than copes with a few extra in number, and a warm pudding will turn cold cuts and salad into a feast.

Beef, mushroom and stout pie Serves 6-8 Round steak is full of flavour and extremely tender but requires long slow cooking and lots of juice to keep the meat moist. Take care not to cook for too long or at too high a temperature or you run the risk of the meat becoming stringy.

4tbsp vegetable oil 1kg round steak, cubed 1kg large field mushrooms, stems trimmed 30g butter 4 onions, peeled and finely chopped 4 carrots, peeled and finely sliced

4 sticks celery, trimmed and finely chopped 600ml Guinness 1 litre chicken or beef stock 600g self-raising flour 300g shredded beef suet

Heat the vegetable oil and sauté the beef until well coloured. Do this in batches so the meat is not overcrowded in the pan, lifting each batch out and setting aside as it is done.

In a large pan, gently sauté onions, carrots and celery in butter for 10 minutes without colouring.

(It may be best to do these in batches too). Pour in the Guinness and boil gently to reduce by half.

Add stock, fried meat and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and simmer over the gentlest heat for one hour or until the meat is almost tender.

Check seasoning and adjust accordingly, this is your last opportunity. Strain through a colander set over a wide, shallow bowl and spread the meat on a plate to cool quickly, leaving the liquid should to cool too.

Preheat the oven to 220C/gas 7. For the top crust, sieve flour into a bowl along with 2-3 good pinches of salt. Stir the suet into the flour and add just enough cold water to form a firm dough. Rest for five minutes and then roll out to about 1cm thickness on a lightly floured board. The pastry should be about 3cms wider than your dish.

WINE MATCH Not surprisingly, a glass of Guinness or other stout will do very nicely here, but a robust rich red, such as an Australian Shiraz, a warming Rhône, or a Malbec from Argentina would also have the oomph to match the hearty flavours

Spread the meat in a large pie dish and add gravy to come almost to the top. Do not overfill.

Cut off the superfluous strip of pastry, dampen the rim of the dish and press pastry strip firmly into place round the rim. Dampen the pastry strip in turn and lay the pastry lid on top. Press down to fix the lid, then press all round with a fork dipped in water to seal edges. Plunge the fork gently into the pastry in two or three places to make steam holes. Transfer to the oven and bake 30 to 40 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.

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tips OTHER CUTS Please ask our expert in-store butchers for alternative cuts which can be used. They will be happy to assist you and help in your selection

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Roast rack of lamb with roast vegetables Serves 4

8 small potatoes 8 carrots (or 4 halved lengthways if large), washed 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and quartered 1 red onion, peeled and quartered lengthways

6tbsp olive oil 2 racks lamb, each with six cutlets 1 whole garlic bulb 2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary

Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6. Peel the potatoes, bring to the boil in a pan of salted water, simmer 2 minutes and drain. Combine the potatoes, carrots, fennel and red onion on a roasting tray. Season well with salt and pepper and drizzle with 3tbsp olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes.

Season the meat with salt and pepper and add to the vegetables. Return to the oven for 20-25 minutes, basting the meat at least twice. This will give you pink lamb, so give it another five minutes if you prefer you lamb a little better done. If the vegetables are not quite tender when the meat is done, return them to the oven for a few more minutes while the lamb rests in a warm place.

Around the time you put the lamb in the oven, start the sauce. Halve the garlic bulb horizontally, put cut-side down in a saucepan with the remaining 3tbsp olive oil and simmer over a low heat till the oil just starts to bubble. Remove from the heat, add the rosemary and leave in a warm place to infuse. Remove and discard the garlic to serve.

Carve lamb into cutlets and serve with the vegetable and the rosemary sauce.

At Superquinn SQ Extra Tender Lamb has been developed exclusively for Superquinn, matured for longer on the bone for greater taste and tenderness.

The cuts undergo a revolutionary method of maturing which achieves an increased level of tenderness and flavour

WINE MATCH Left Bank Cabernet Sauvignon: elegant ripe black fruits with a nice dry finish that would go perfectly with lamb La Baume Viognier, Vin de Pays d’Oc: a white with rich nectarines and peach fruits with a characteristic tangy finish Casa Rivas Merlot Reserva Especial: full ripe plums with a hint of spice to match those robust flavours

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Bread and butter pudding with vine fruits and nuts Serves 8

50g unsalted butter, softened 12 medium slices white bread, crusts removed 8 egg yolks 175g caster sugar + extra for final sprinkling 1 vanilla pod (or a spot or two of vanilla essence)

300ml milk 300ml double cream 25g sultanas 25g raisins 25g pine nuts 50g blanched almonds

Grease a baking dish with a little of the butter and butter the bread with what is left. Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together in a roomy bowl until thick and pale. Split the vanilla pod, scoop out the seeds and add to the milk and cream in a saucepan.

Bring to simmering point and pour on to the egg mixture. Add vanilla essence at this stage if that’s what you are using.

Layer the bread in the basin, sprinkling the fruit and nuts as you go. Pour over the custard and set aside while you preheat the oven to gas 4/180C. Put a baking tin on a shelf just above the middle of the oven, place the pudding inside it and WINE MATCH pour boiling water into Something sweet the tin to come halfway and rich to match all of those rich fruits is up the pudding dish. definitely required here Bake for 20-30 minutes, Don Antonia Ferreira or until set.

Port has rich caramel and plum fruits with a Sprinkle over a little sweet but never sickly caster sugar and glaze finish. Serve chilled under a hot grill until the bread just colours.

Fish pie Serves 4 WINE MATCH A more full-flavoured white with some oak would do nicely here; the Veranda Chardonnay from Chile, or the La Croisade Chardonnay from France. If you don’t include any smoked fish, an unoaked Chardonnay such as the Domaine Begude Le Petit Ange might prove better. If you fancy a beer, the crisp citrus notes of Pilsner Urquell would be perfect

tips There are fish counters in every store with deliveries twice a day and in-depth expertise on buying, cooking, storing and using every kind of fish OTHER FISH Fresh haddock, uncooked prawns, monkfish, gurnard, silver hake. For a lighter finish, top with breadcrumbs and dot with butter

500g floury potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped 1 onion, peeled and finely sliced bunch parsley, finely chopped, stalks reserved 1 bay leaf 1 stick celery, roughly chopped

500ml full-cream milk 300g smoked haddock 300g cod 3 eggs, hard-boiled 4 scallops, halved 60g butter, plus a little extra 20g plain flour

Bring the potatoes to the boil in a pan of salted water and cook 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain and mash.

Put the onion, stalks from the parsley, bay leaf, celery and milk in a saucepan. Lower in the cod and haddock, bring to the boil and simmer for a scant 3 minutes or until the fish is just cooked. Remove fish with a slotted spoon and set aside. Strain and keep the milk.

Combine 20g of the butter with the flour in a saucepan and stir over a low heat for one minute.

Remove from heat and add about half the milk a bit at a time, stirring vigorously to avoid lumps. When it thickens smoothly, return to low heat and continue to stir until sauce simmers, adding a bit more milk if necessary to maintain a thick, pouring consistency.

Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Roughly flake the fish into a shallow ovenproof dish. Shell and halve the eggs and arrange them and the scallops evenly among the fish. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chopped parsley to the sauce, stir and pour evenly over fish and eggs.

Combine the mashed potato with the remaining 40g of butter. Whisk in enough of the remaining milk, to give a creamy but spreadably firm consistency. Spread over the fish mixture and dot with the extra butter.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden and bubbling.

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Spiced Christmas crumble Serves 4-6

500g eating apples, peeled, cored and cut into 4cm dice zest of one orange 15g butter, diced 100g soft brown sugar 1 tsp ground ginger 3 tbsp mincemeat 1 stick cinnamon

WINE MATCH Something fairly substantial required here to stand up to all those spices. A Sauternes, such as the Thomas Barton Sauternes would do very nicely, but a Madeira or Tawny Port would be perfect partners, as well as adding a festive note.

A lighter alternative from Australia would be the Brown Brothers Orange Flora Muscat

for the topping: 50g butter 25g brown sugar 75g plain flour 25g breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Combine the apples and orange zest in a baking dish and toss with the butter, sugar, ginger and mincemeat. Nestle the cinnamon stick in among the fruit and sprinkle on 5 tbsp water.

Combine topping ingredients and rub lightly with your fingers until you have a mixture similar to the consistency of breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the fruit and bake for 40 minutes or until brown and bubbling.

Serve with cream or creme fraiche.

Nowadays most wine-making countries produce plenty of easy-drinking, fruity wines that are perfect for informal suppers or buffet lunches and do not cost the earth. The trick is to find crowd-pleasers to suit most palates; wines that are not too alcoholic, have plenty of fruit, and an easy smooth finish It doesn’t have to be wine though: beer can be a great accompaniment to food, particularly the more traditional Irish dishes. For drivers and other non-drinkers there’s a good choice of grown-up, nonalcoholic drinks that will tempt. Like oldfashioned lemonade, or elderflower cordial

tips

tips

If you cannot get dried cranberries use fresh ones and add just before you put the lid on to cook everything

Allow 100g pasta per head for a main course, 60-75g for a starter

Turkey and cranberry pilaff Serves 4

WINE MATCH This dish presents an ideal opportunity to try out a few beers. The rich spicy flavours combined with the cranberries call out for a beer with a bit of fruit and depth to balance it. The Belgian beer Duvel, with its amazing power, delicate fruit and lightly malty spice would be ideal. So too would a bottle of the rich fruity Fuller’s London Pride.

Stout lovers should seek out Erdinger Dunkel, a dark beer with full hoppy and malty flavours

300g basmati rice 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped 3 tbsp vegetable oil tsp black mustard seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 4 cloves 4 cardamom pods, cracked tsp turmeric

tsp fennel seeds 6cm piece cinnamon 600g leftover cooked turkey meat, or cooked chicken pulled in long shreds 1 tbsp dried cranberries (see Superquinn tip, below)

Put the rice into a deep bowl with plenty of cold water and leave to soak for 30mins.

Gently sauté the onion in oil for 10 minutes, or until soft and just coloured. Add mustard and cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom pods, turmeric, fennel seeds and cinnamon and cook for a further 2 minutes or until the spices lose their raw aroma.

Drain and add the rice, stirring so it is well coated in the oil. Pour in enough boiling water to just cover, stir and put on the lid with a sheet of greaseproof paper between it and the pan to improve the seal. Cook for 10 minutes over gentle heat, then remove from heat and set aside without disturbing the lid. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before testing. As soon as the rice is soft and has absorbed all the water, stir in the turkey and dried cranberries, fluff up with a fork and serve.

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Rich bolognese for pasta Serves 4-6

2 onions, peeled and finely chopped 1 carrot, finely chopped 2 sticks celery, trimmed and finely chopped 2 slices dry-cured pancetta or streaky bacon, diced 2tbsp olive oil

500g minced beef few sprigs fresh thyme 6 sage leaves 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced 1 glass dry white wine 150ml full-fat milk 400g tin chopped tomatoes

Cook the onions, carrot, celery and pancetta or bacon in olive oil over a low heat for 20 minutes or until softened, stirring frequently. Add the beef, season with salt and pepper, turn the heat up and mash the meat with a fork, turning frequently until it breaks up and loses its raw colour. You want the meat the fry rather than stew.

Add the herbs and garlic and toss well for one minute, then add the wine and simmer until it has almost evaporated. Add the milk and continue cooking until it has reduced to almost nothing.

Add the tomatoes along with 400ml of water. Stir everything well, turn down the heat and simmer for 2 hours, adding more water every 20-30 minutes. The idea is to end up with a thick, but not too dry sauce.

Serve with penne or similar short-length pasta.

WINE MATCH Italian wine has improved out of all recognition over the last decade, with many lesserknown regions coming to the fore. Although this sauce is from Emilia-Romagna, I would head further south for one of the delicious full warm wines of Sicily to match this dish. Sicily is Italy’s largest wineproducuing area, with plenty of its own local grapes, such as Nero d’Avola and Inzolia

If time is too short to cook, one of the following dishes might be suitable

Irish stew pie

Chicken, leek, mushroom and bacon pie

Roasted Mediterranean vegetable and feta cheese pie SUPERQUINN

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Restaurant reviews Dublin gets a blast of fish, Kilkenny gets serious and Carlingford stays traditional.

Ivans

“Modern, slick, focused and perfectly situated”

Reviewed by Hugo Arnold Modern, slick, focused and perfectly situated on the west pier of Howth harbour, Ivans talks seafood and fish at every turn. No surprise coming from Beshoffs who have been doing fish for some considerable time now.

This is all very new-Ireland. Wood, steel, plain table settings and a menu of simple, well cooked starters like fish cakes, mussels and peppered squid are backed up by service that is efficient and charming.

The room is bright and airy with views out over the harbour, just. Being at the start of the pier you don’t really see the water, but feel it. Main courses stick to the piscine theme, leading off with the likes of Grilled halibut steak with lemon and capers, then Fish and chips or Fish pie, the latter with salmon, cod, prawns and smoked haddock. Those not of a fishy persuasion can tuck into Organic rib-eye or Free-range chicken with potato, rosti, green beans and truffle dressing.

The wine list favours old-world over new with good drinking and a sensible and welcome price spread. For more relaxed dining the oyster bar next door packs all the same seriousness but in a less formal New York style setting located as it is at the back of a store. So you can shop, eat and relax in an equally large space.

Ivans Oyster Bar and Grill 17-18 West Pier, Howth, Co Dublin 01 839 0285.

Fitzpatricks

Reviewed by Elaine Murphy Danny and Dympna Fitzpatrick have created the ultimate Irish welcome in this cute roadside tavern between Carlingford and Dundalk. The bar is filled with interesting bric-a-brac from times gone by and even the bathrooms have been lovingly put together with a mixture of old beverage signs and retail paraphernalia. The whole effect is one of a sweet, olde worlde parlour serving an array of sandwiches, snacks and more substantial fare for the weary traveller.

Choose from many Surf-and-Turf and Burger options or opt instead for one of the retro chicken dishes... Maryland, Kiev or a simple Chicken Salad.

Locals flock through the doors on Sundays to indulge in the renowned Crab claws and Open prawn cocktail sandwiches.

bursting with flavour and followed with a sensational Prawn Caesar salad, fat juicy prawns, smothered in a homemade dressing and served with a sprinkling of crispy, local Cooley Bacon. This was served with a freshly cooked cheese and ham scone, still hot from the oven. These are made daily with a different flavour. To finish, it’s hard to beat the simple Homecooked apple pie and cream with a steaming cup of tea… like Fitzpatrick’s, it’s an Irish institution!

Fitzpatrick’s Bar and Restaurant Jenkinstown, Co Louth 042 9376193

Chapter One

Reviewed by Elaine Murphy There was a time, not so long ago, when opening a restaurant north of the Liffey, was considered an act of unadulterated bravery, even madness. Many a northside restaurant were forced to endure media ramblings on the wisdom, nay, bravado, of their location choice, while the real business of good food was overlooked far too often.

Chapter One’s reservation book is full for dinner almost two months in advance but lunch is still a feasible option for a last minute booking.. The vaulted cellar is much improved by the change in colour and layout and what was previously a fairly austere room is now stylish and inviting.

A stunning amuse-bouche of fois-gras terrine was served with a mixed leaf salad, dressed with apple balsamic and hazelnut oil and accompanied with a little Beaumes de Venise jelly. The menu lists local producers, where warranted and the Ardsallagh goat cheese and beetroot tart was a delicate affair, infused, as it was with the faintest hint of orange and served with some crunchy sweet caramelised walnuts. The balance of sweet nuts, tart orange and pungent cheese was just right. In contrast, a duck sausage with poached egg hollandaise and lentils was a hearty and delicious dish, the egg, perfectly cooked, the lentil and sausage soaking up the runny yolk, with just the vague suggestion of fiery horseradish to cut through the richness.

To follow, ray Grenobloise (brown butter, capers, parsley, lemon) was a triumph. We also chose a breast of veal, a relatively cheap cut of meat, a little like beef brisket, perfect for braising and stuffing. Here, it was served with sage and caper jus and a baby pot of what was possibly the best macaroni cheese ever.

Desserts were just as good. A steaming plate of rice pudding came with an incredible pumpkin mousse and caramel jelly. The poached meringue was a sticky, delightful, sweet affair. It came lightly poached, not baked, with some Amaretto Anglaise and pistachios and was quite fabulous.

The lunch and pre-theatre menus are just ¤37.50, offering incredible value and lunch for two with water came to ¤87.50.

Chapter One 18-19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1 01 8732266

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Campagne

Reviewed by Dorcus Barry Much anticipation and excitement surrounded the opening of Campagne in Kilkenny and the enticing menu on the opening night didn’t disappoint, resulting in much deliberation on our part.

Starters include Gravad lax with pickled cucumber, Deep-fried haddock with poached egg, and a Terrine of foie gras and suckling pig, beetroot puree, and hazelnut dressing. The latter was a delicious mix of contrasting flavours and textures with the beetroot adding a clean earthiness to the richness of the meltingly tender meat.

Chef and owner Garret Byrne has serious pedigree, previously heading up the kitchens at Chapter One (see facing page). In the main courses Rump of spring lamb with herb-crusted potatoes, artichoke and shallot puree and rosemary jus, and Challans duck, polenta, celery, green olives and chorizo, were both beautifully cooked but the duck shone out as the unanimous star of the show for us, despite the portion being slightly on the small side. The combination of flavours between the duck, the creamy smooth polenta and a deeply savoury paprika spiked jus was the kind of dish that you remember and long to taste again.

Our desserts of Fig clafoutis with blueberry ice cream, unctious with velvety textured ice cream and Sauternes custard with Agen prunes and hazelnut biscuits, light, heavenly scented with an inspired accompaniment of prunes soaked in armagnac, were both wonderful.

Our bill, including three different glasses of wine from an excellent range and one glass of dessert wine, came to ¤125.00. Chef/proprietor Garrett Byrne is to be commended for his use of local small producers and for his creativity in balancing their produce into the French inspired menu. Much applause also goes for the spacious and comfortable interior with cleverly arranged spaces and relaxing muted shades.

Bentleys

Reviewed by Hugo Arnold The address is perfect, the entrance generous and the room a light-filled combination of muted tones and crisp linen. Richard Corrigan has come home in style.

The purchase of Bentley’s in London by Corrigan some years ago was a shrewd move. An old English institution majoring on fish with an esteemed clubby atmosphere was crafted into something at once modern and stylish. Where in London the restaurant is upstairs, the bar down, in Dublin the format is reversed, the main room being at street level with a bar to the rear. Upstairs is the champagne and oyster bar.

As to the food, this is classic, left-alone grub of the best kind. Oysters yes, but also fish soup, smoked salmon and for the carnivores, beef tartar (excellent).

A Seafood cocktail of grandness might cost ¤16.50 but delivers, as does Baby squid with chorizo and feta.

What delights about Bentleys is that for the first time Dublin has somewhere in the centre that does stylish simple straight-up food at a range of prices. You could drop in here for Fish pie at ¤17.50 on your way home from work perhaps and come back later in the week to feast on the Shellfish platter which at ¤40 might seem steep until your realise it is full of all the things you want to eat - like crab, oysters, langoustines and lobster - rather than those endless silly winkles.

At least you could if you could get in. The one snag about Bentleys is that its always full (except of course it isn’t). When I rang to book an early table on the

Campagne The Arches, 5 Gashouse Lane, Kilkenny 056 777 2858

“As to the food, this is classic, left-alone Tuesday night at 3pm (to be gone by 7.30) they were full.

We began with their famous Seafood chowder, grub of the packed with a variety of fresh and smoked fish. We agreed to four seat at the bar, but arrived to find the best kind” restaurant empty. When we suggested a table, they were full, or going to be. Eventually they relented.

Normal advice here would be just to turn up, but the officious door policy makes it difficult to pass go.

I hope things will lighten up soon. While service in the room is smart and willing the front desk needs a serious dose of charm applied.

The Fish pie was superior, the Squid packed with Spanish flavours and sunshine and the Fishcakes a snip at ¤15.75. For those keen on meat there is a Mixed grill, Irish Angus beef and Organic chicken with a foie gras ravioli.

We drank a reasonably priced Viognier which had sufficient weight for all our various dishes, skipped dessert and enjoyed some good coffees for just north of ¤50 a head. We’ll be back.

Bentleys 22 St Stephens Green, Dublin 01 638 3939 SUPERQUINN

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Salad of Bellingham Blue, pears and walnuts Serves 4 2 pears, cored and finely sliced 12 walnut kernals, roughly chopped 250g Bellingham Blue, roughly crumbled 3 heads of chicory, leaves separated 8 handfuls watercress 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar 6 tablespoons olive oil Toss the chicory and watercress and distribute on four plates. Season with salt and pepper. Scatter over the pear, walnuts and Bellingham Blue. Whisk the vinegar into the mustard and the oil into the mustard, you may need to add a little hot water if it is too thick. Spoon over the salad and serve.

Mushrooms, wilted cabbage and Bellingham Blue Serves 4 250g polenta 100g butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, peeled and finely sliced 1 small Savoy cabbage, core removed and finely sliced 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 1 teaspoon picked thyme leaves 1 dessertspoon finely chopped rosemary 300g large field mushrooms, sliced 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar 100g blue cheese like Bellingham Blue Combine 50g of the butter and olive oil in a pan large enough to take the cabbage. Over a moderate heat soften the onion for 10 minutes, then add the cabbage, tossing it well in the oil until it starts to wilt. Add the garlic, thyme and rosemary and toss well. Cover and cook for eight minutes or until the cabbage is tender.

Melt the remaining butter in a suitable pan and add the mushrooms, sauté over a moderate heat until just cooked. Add the vinegar and cook for a further minute.

Heat a ridged griddle pan. Cut the polenta into slices and for a few minutes on each side or until lightly charred.

Serve with the cabbage, mushrooms and a sprinkling of Bellingham Blue.

Bellingham Blue on toast Serves 4 15g butter 2 teaspoons white flour 2 tablespoons white wine 1 teaspoon mustard 1 tablespoon double cream 200g Bellingham Blue 4 slices of toast Combine the butter, flour and white wine and cook over a gentle heat of five minutes. Stir in the mustard and cream and then the cheese and stir so everything is well combined.

Spread right to the edge on the four slices of toast and bake under a preheated grill until brown and bubbling.

Belgian chicory baked with Bellingham Blue Serves 4 50g butter 4 chicory, trimmed and split length ways Tabasco 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley 100g Bellingham Blue 4 tablespoons bread crumbs 1 lemon Smear a little of the butter over the bottom of a shallow gratin dish just large enough to accommodate the chicory. Lay the chicory, cut side down in the bottom.

Season with salt and pepper and a few drops of Tabasco. Scatter over the garlic, parsley and Bellingham Blue and cover with bread crumbs. Dot with butter and place in a preheated oven, 200C/gas mark 6 for 30-40 minutes, or until brown and bubbling. Serve with a lightly dressed green salad and wedges of lemon.

WINE MATCH

WINE MATCH

Salad of Bellingham Blue, pears and walnuts: A well-chilled glass of the Thomas Barton Sauternes, with its complex flavours of lime, pear, peach and barley sugar, would be perfect here.

Belgian chicory baked with Bellingham Blue: A lot of flavours in this dish, so something with plenty of ripe fruit to keep it all in focus; try the concentrated richness of the spicy plumm Haselgrove Sovereign Series Shiraz.

Mushrooms, wilted cabbage and Bellingham Blue: The powerful and beautifully ripe Vacqueyras from Domaine Brunely is a wonderful wine by any standard. It also has the necessary oomph to match the powerful flavours of both mushroom and Bellingham Blue cheese.

Bellingham Blue on toast: Again something fairly robust is called for.

A glass of the richly fruity Grenache from Domaine Cristia would be the perfect companion.

tasting note Bellingham Blue is creamy and blue veined.

Tangy, nutty and slightly fruity.

Blue cheese can go amazingly well with Sauternes – those piqunat salty flavours are the perfect counterpoint to the rich sweetness of the wine – be sure to try it. Alternatively, if your taste is for red wine, go for something with plenty of flavour and power; it will need it to stand up to the intense flavours of the cheese.

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VIIP Very Important Irish Producer

F

or printer Peter Thomas the idea of working with milk was a way to change career. Butter was first up on his mind, a way to harness the milk from a herd of Friesian cows in Louth owned by his wife’s family.

Cheese had more appeal, not least a more attractive market. Research involved talking to punters in farmers’ markets and experts in the cheese-making field, like the makers of Cashel Blue, who helped the newcomer with the technical side, and insider advice.

Peter realised there was room in the Irish cheese world for an unpasteurised blue cheese. It took two and a half years to develop.

In 2000, he won the Nantwich best new cheese product and Sainsbury’s champion award.

In 2001 disaster struck when foot and mouth closed him down. Superquinn offered him a job working as a cheese monger which, literally, saved his business.

Photography: Peter Rowen

Did you know?

A portion of Bellingham Blue cheese (25g) provides almost one-third of your recommended intake of vitamin B12 (maintains a healthy nervous system and for healthy blood) and 15 percent of your recommended intake of calcium (for healthy bones & teeth).

D r Evelyn Hannon SUPERQUINN

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Pheasants may not be as wild as they once were. Yet being tender and tasting of autumn woods and the Irish countryside, they are the stalwarts of the autumn dinner-party circuit. Venison, quail and guinea fowl may also come to the aid of the party cook, or bring variety to the family’s Sunday-lunch menu. Jenny Lang gets cooking on the wild side.

Photography: Cliona O’Flaherty Food styling: Sharon Hearne-Smith

Braised guinea fowl and Savoy cabbage with chorizo Serves 6

T WINE MATCH Chaulkers Crossing Semillon or Bourgogne Rouge Fortin

tips Not surprisingly the richly meaty flavours of game generally call for a red wine with plenty of depth.

A roast or casserole can go perfectly with a Chianti, Bordeaux, or Burgundy or maybe a New World Pinot Noir. There are exceptions however; some recipes are much better served with a white wine, particularly those with more texture and fruit.

he extraordinary thing about game is its accessability. A brace of pheasants has long made a trophy dinner for the big houses and been a free treat for generations of poachers and their families. Your venison may have been shot in wild open countryside, or been carefully reared in the semi-wild conditions of an extensive deer farm.

Some game birds which once were wild are now farmed – sometimes, like SQ’s quail and guinea fowl, in France. Even pheasants are tamer than they used to be: raised from chicks and grain-fed in large pens, they are released into the wild as they reach maturity, and forage for grain in the post-harvest stubble. Pheasant shooting is prohibited in the summer when the birds traditionally raise their young so, unlike wholly farmed guinea fowl and quail, they remain seasonal.

Most game birds taste less gamey than they used to.

This and the fact that they are more widely available (and cheaper) has extended their appeal. Extreme gaminess results from long hanging required to soften the flesh of tough old birds. Now most game birds are shot while still quite young, and plucked before they reach the shops. Like farmed quail and guinea fowl they retain the mildly gamey flavour of their breed, without the “high” notes, which are something of an acquired taste. Game birds make fine oven or potroasts and braises, while venison makes a dark, rich and deeply flavoured stew.

1 large Savoy cabbage 2 guinea fowl 4 tbsp olive oil 2 onions, skinned, halved and cut lengthways into half moon slices 150g chorizo, thinly sliced (the salami type

rather than cooking chorizo) 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped bunch parsley, finely chopped 150ml fino sherry, or white wine 600ml chicken stock

Cut the cabbage into eight wedges, slicing through the core so each segment retains its shape. Blanch in plenty of boiling water for 10 minutes, drain and refresh under cold water. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 170C/gas 3. On top of the stove, brown the guinea fowl in olive oil in a roomy casserole, remove and season with salt and pepper.

Add the onions and chorizo to the casserole and gently sauté for 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and parsley and then the sherry, bubble up for two minutes, then stir in the chicken stock.

Add the cabbage to the casserole, gently squeezing out as much of the water as you can, and toss gently so everything is mixed together. Make a well in the centre and replace the guinea fowl, breast side down.

Season well with salt and pepper, gently bring to the boil and cover, first with greaseproof paper and then the lid.

Transfer to the oven and bake for 75 minutes, or until the bird is cooked. Remove the guinea fowl and cabbage and keep warm. Reduce the liquid by half, check seasoning and serve.

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Vension stew with mash Serves 6

800g diced venison 3 tbsp olive oil 6 carrots, peeled and finely diced 6 leeks, trimmed and sliced 4 onions, skinned and quartered 2 sticks celery, trimmed and finely diced 1 head fennel, trimmed and finely diced 200g bacon, cubed 15g dried ceps, soaked in warm water 1 head of garlic, split into cloves and peeled

for the mash: 300ml full cream milk 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled and smashed with a wooden spoon or knife 1kg floury potatoes 100g butter

Colour the venison in hot olive oil in a deep pan, turning pieces until lightly browned and seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. Do this in batches, transferring meat on to a dish as it is done.

Add the carrots, leeks, onions, celery and fennel to the pan with the bacon and gently colour over a low heat for 15 minutes. Return the meat along with the garlic cloves and ceps, straining in their soaking liquid, season again with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for an hour or until the meat is tender. Don’t overcook or it will become stringy.

If the stew looks a little too wet, strain the liquid into a smaller pan and boil to reduce to the quantity and consistency you prefer, then return the solids, heat through gently and check seasoning.

While the stew simmers, heat the milk with the 3 garlic cloves until almost boiling, then set aside to infuse. Peel the potatoes and cut, if necessary, to roughly equalsized pieces. Bring to the boil in plenty of salted water, cook until tender then drain and mash.

WINE MATCH Grangeon Chateauneuf-duPape 2006 or Falernia Syrah Reserva, Chile

Reheat the milk, whisk the butter into the potatoes and continue whisking while you strain in enough milk to give a smooth, thick consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Pot-roast pheasant, leeks, pears and paprika Serves 6 WINE MATCH Trimbach Pinot Blanc, Alsace or Challkers Crossing Pinot Noir, Australia

Game at Superquinn Please ask your Superquinn butcher for more information.

Superquinn offer a full range of game products, available in selected stores, during season.

These include: Guinea Fowl Venison Pheasant Rabbit Partridge Wood pigeon

2 pheasant 2 tbsp oil 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped 4 leeks, trimmed, green part removed and cut into 5cm sections 1 heaped tsp paprika

4 conference pears, peeled, cored, quartered and rubbed with a little lemon juice 200ml dry cider or white wine 200ml double cream

Season and lightly colour the pheasant in the oil over a medium heat. Remove birds and set aside. Add the onion to the oil remaining in the pan, lower heat and soften without colouring for 10 minutes. Add the leeks, pears and paprika and toss gently with the onion.

Return pheasants, breast side down, so they sit on top of the vegetables, season with a little more salt and pour over the cider or wine. Cover the pot with tin foil and then the lid and simmer over the lowest heat for an hour or until the birds are cooked (a skewer inserted into the thigh will produce clear juices when they are done).

Remove the pheasants and leave them to rest in a warm place. Simmer the leeks and pears over a moderate heat to reduce the liquid by half. Stir in the cream, check seasoning and serve with the pheasant and some plain boiled rice or potatoes to take up the rich sauce.

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Roast quails, rice and tzatziki Serves 4

bunch coriander 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 1 tsp ground cumin 8 quail 1 onion, skinned and finely chopped 5 tbsp olive oil 150ml dry sherry 400g tin chopped tomatoes

350g basmati rice, soaked for one hour in cold water and drained 400ml chicken stock 1 cucumber 2 garlic cloves 250ml Greek style yoghurt

tips Game is a great source of protein and is often lower in fat compared to other types of meat. Venison contains more iron than any other type of meat. 40% of Irish women and children do not eat enoughiron (important for energy levels) and venison and is a great way to increase iron intakes for less calories and fat compared to beef or lamb. D r Evelyn Hannon

Remove leaves from the coriander and put them into the fridge in a polythene bag. Roughly chop the stems and combine with the garlic and cumin in a mortar. Work to a paste with the pestle, working in 2 tbsp olive oil. Rub this aromatic paste all over the quail. You can, if you like, do this a day ahead and leave the birds overnight to develop flavour.

In a pan wide and deep enough to contain the quails, gently sauté the onion in the remaining 3 tbsp olive oil for 10 minutes without colouring. Arrange the quail breast-side down among the onions and fry for a few minutes to colour lightly, take care not to scorch the onions. Add the sherry, cover and pot roast over a gentle heat for 15-20 minutes or until the quail are cooked. Lift out birds with a slotted spoon, cover and keep them warm.

Boil the liquid down so it almost disappears, a few minutes. Add the tomatoes and boil these down until the oil starts to float to the top, about 15 minutes.

Add the rice, stirring to coat in the sauce and season. Pour over the stock, cover and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat but leaving the lid on and set aside for 10 minutes. Fluff up with a fork and serve with the quail and tzatziki.

To make the tzatziki, grate the cucumber and combine in a sieve with a teaspoon of salt. Toss and set aside for 10 minutes, rinse well and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Peel the garlic and grate into the yoghurt. Combine the yoghurt and garlic mixture with the cucumber and reserved coriander leaves and season to taste.

At Superquinn Superquinn own-brand range of rice includes: brown, white and basmati

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Food styling: Anne Marie Tobin Photography: Mike O’Toole

Simmer

Stews, curries, casseroles, hot-pots, call them what you will, there is a wealth of satisfaction and goodness in a pot. Hugo Arnold takes the slow road to satisfaction.

of hope

S

hort days can bring plenty of cheer. When the cold bites what better way to raise the spirits. A whole chicken, sausages and pumpkin can all be turned into a pot to feed many. Economy doesn’t have to play a role, but there is no doubting the value to be got from combining a few ingredients together over a gentle heat.

A good heavy pot is essential, something that will convey the heat gently. After that let time run its course.

The art of good stewing is to allow the ingredients to get to know each other. Which is why in most cases a stew is far better then next day.

Lamb curry Serves 4

1 tsp grated fresh ginger 1 tsp finely chopped garlic 6 tbsp vegetable oil 500g stewing lamb, diced 2 bay leaves 6 cloves 4 black cardamom pods, cracked

1 tsp salt or to taste 200g onions, peeled and finely sliced 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp red chilli powder (or to taste) 1 tsp cumin powder 230g tinned tomatoes to garnish: chopped coriander leaves

Combine the grated ginger and garlic with a little salt and mash to a paste.

Heat the oil in a deep sauté pan, brown the meat in batches and set aside. Add the bay leaves, cloves and cardamom pods to the oil in the pan and sauté until they crackle. Add the onions and sauté until softened and translucent. Add the ginger and garlic paste and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes. Add the ground coriander, chilli powder and powdered cumin and stir for 30 seconds before returning the meat to the pan.

Add the tomatoes, salt and just enough water to cover the mixture. Cook, covered, over a low heat for an hour or until the lamb is tender. Serve sprinkled with the coriander leaves and accompanied by plain boiled rice.

Serve with boiled rice and some chutney.

WINE MATCH WITH THE LAMB CURRY The rounded damson fruits of the Clos des Verdots will more than cope with all these complex flavours SUPERQUINN

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Chicken casserole with chickpeas and chorizo Serves 4

1 chicken, jointed, back removed and seasoned with salt and pepper (alternatively use 8 chicken thighs) 4-5tbsp olive oil 1 red onion, skinned and finely chopped 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped 2 slices pancetta, finely chopped 1 heaped tsp finely chopped rosemary

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley 2 cooking chorizo, sliced 2x400g tins chickpeas, drained and well rinsed 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 1 glass white wine (175ml) 250ml chicken stock

Lightly brown the chicken in 3tbsp olive oil, removing pieces to a plate as they brown. Add onion, carrots and pancetta to the pan and sauté gently for 10 minutes without colouring. Add the rosemary, parsley and chorizo and continue cooking for 2 minutes or until the chorizo just starts to release its rusty-red juices. Add the chickpeas and garlic, coat well in the oil and stir in the wine, allowing it to almost boil off before adding the chicken stock.

Return the browned chicken joints to the pot and bring to the boil, then cover and gently simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked.

Remove and keep warm while you boil to reduce the liquid in the pan by half. Serve with the chicken and a generous slick of olive oil.

tips 5 A DAY Adding vegetables to stews is a great way to increase fruit & vegetable intakes.

All of our stew recipes contain 1 of “5 a day” per portion.

Did you know?

3 heaped tablespoons of beans or pulses such as haricot beans and chickpeas count as one of your “5 a day”?

But remember they only count as 1 portion, no matter how much you eat!

WINE MATCH WITH THE CASSEROLE The rich spiciness of the chorizo calls out for something warming and Spanish like a Garnacha, Monte Maguillo for example WINE MATCH WITH THE PUMPKIN STEW The Reserva Syrah from Falernia has the requisite fruit to handle the herbs and cumin

Pumpkin, mushroom and stew Serves 4

1 tsp cumin seeds 1 heaped tbsp whole blanched almonds 4 tbsp vegetable oil 2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, trimmed and deseeded and cut into large chunks

12 brown-cap mushrooms, left whole 400g tin chopped tomatoes picked leaves from a bunch of coriander 2tbsp crème fraiche plain or fried rice, to serve

Toast first the cumin seeds then the almonds in a dry frying pan and grind them together with a pestle in a mortar. Heat the vegetable oil and gently sauté the onion for 10 minutes.

Add the garlic, cumin and almonds, cook for 2 minutes and then add the chilli, butternut squash, mushrooms and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Add 300ml of water, or light stock, bring to the boil and simmer covered over a gentle heat for 20 minutes or until the squash and mushrooms are tender. You may need to add a little more water towards the end.

Check seasoning, stir in the whole coriander leaves and serve with rice and a dollop of crème fraiche.

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Beef stew Serves 4

600g stewing beef cut into 10cm pieces 50g butter 3 tbsp vegetable oil 2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced

1 tbsp sweet paprika 350g button mushrooms, sliced 250ml soured cream lemon juice to taste

Cut the sirloin into thin strips and set aside. In a large frying pan, melt the butter in 1tbsp vegetable oil. Add the onion and cook slowly over a moderate heat for 10 minutes or until softened. Stir in the paprika and mushrooms and cook for a further five minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the pan and reserve.

Heat 1tbsp oil in the pan. Season the beef well with salt and pepper and fry half of it over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, stirring regularly to keep the beef strips moving so they fry rather than stew. Add to the onion mixture and fry the rest of the beef in the same way in the remaining tablespoon of oil.

Sausage, bean and chilli casserole Serves 4

Return the first batch of meat in the onion mixture to the pan, stir in the cream and lemon juice, bring to the boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the meat is cooked. Check every 10 minutes or so, you may need to add a little water if it looks like drying out. Check seasoning. Serve with rice or noodles.

WINE MATCH WITH THE BEEF STEW The rich plums and hearty alcohol of the Australian Shiraz from Haselgrove Soverign Series WINE MATCH WITH THE SAUSAGE CASSEROLE The chilli heat needs a bit of umph. Why not try the Domaine Christia from the Rhone

8 thick sausages 3 tbsp olive oil 2 red onions, skinned and chopped 2x400g tins haricot beans, rinsed and drained 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

2 red chillies (or to taste), finely chopped ½ tsp tomato purée 400g tin chopped tomatoes large sprig rosemary 1 head of garlic, unpeeled

Gently colour the sausages in olive oil in a deep pan for 10 minutes, turning every 2-3 minutes. Add the onions and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes.

Add the beans, tossing so they are well coated in the oil, and then add the parsley and chillies. Add the tomato puree, chopped tomatoes, rosemary sprig, the whole unbroken head of garlic, a seasoning of pepper and pour in enough water to cover the contents of the pan by 5cms. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, adding more water if necessary towards the end of the cooking.

Season with salt, allow to rest for 10 minutes for flavours to develop before you serve.

Serve with mustard and or Tabasco, lots of bread and salad.

At Superquinn

Creamy Mash

Turnip Carrot and Parsnip Mash

Creamed Spinach

Potato Gratin

Roasted Root Vegetables

Superquinn’s range of vegetable accompaniments are made in Ireland and available in all Superquinn stores.

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Perfecting a milky way Falling milk prices, uncertainty and a belief in quality were all drivers behind the Killowen brand.

Katy McGuinness looks at the white route taken by one Wexford family. Photography: Stefan Syrowatka

tasting note A clean tasting, gently lactic flavour with good mouthfeel. The fruit sits in the bottom of the jar and is in good balance with the yogurt whether you mix it all together or choose to dip into the fruit occasionally.

Flavours in the SQ Yogurt range include Blackcurrant Strawberry Rhurbarb Blueberry and banana Honey, cinnamon and pecan Orange, lemon and ginger

F

ive years ago, with milk prices falling and their income from dairy farming suffering, the Dunne family took a brave step towards independence and stability by buying a local yogurt brand called Killowen.

Nicholas, the eldest of nine children, inherited the family’s Green Valley Farm in 1990 from his parents Tom and Mary. They still live on the farm in happy retirement. But the business was not particularly profitable and Nicholas and his wife Judith could see trouble ahead. The farm had been in the family for four generations “at least”. The challenge was to diversify but keep the farm at the core of what they did.

When the opportunity to take over the longestablished Killowen yogurt brand from retiring producers, Paula and Lorna Kinsella in nearby Crossabeg arose, Nicholas saw the potential to diversify and to develop a business that would be complementary to the existing farm. The Kinsellas had set up Killowen 20 years previously but, with none of their own children interested in continuing the business, were keen to pass the mantle for their yogurt production to someone who would devote the same care and attention to quality that they had themselves.

“Killowen was a local, probiotic yogurt with a good name and a reputation for high quality,” explains Pauline Dunne, Nicholas’s sister, who is now responsible for marketing of the Killowen brand.

“It was very well-established in Wexford and we

Did you know?

WH A T ’S T H E D I F F E R E N C E B E T W E E N A PROBIOTIC & A PREBIOTIC? Probiotics are live bacteria (also known as friendly or good bacteria!) that provide health benefits to people when eaten in sufficient amounts. They help increase the number of good bacteria in the gut which is important for a healthy digestive system.

Prebiotics help encourage the growth of good bacteria in the gut.

Fibre is an example of a prebiotic.

felt that we would be able to grow the business and at the same time protect ourselves from some of the unpredictability associated with farm incomes.

Instead of being entirely reliant on milk prices from the creamery it was a way to make ourselves less vulnerable, to seize a greater degree of control.”

When Superquinn’s Carolyn White, in charge of new product development for the stores, contacted the Dunnes to see if they would be interested in developing an exclusive new range of SQ yogurts, it was a vindication of all the hard work they had put into their Killowen yogurt operation over the last five years.

“We have worked hand in hand with Superquinn to come up with the new range,” says Pauline. “We are delighted with the results. There are six flavours now – strawberry, blackcurrant, orange lemon and ginger, banana and blueberry, rhubarb and honey cinnamon and pecan. I’ve been doing the tastings in the Superquinn stores – something I love doing - and have been getting a fantastic reaction from the customers.

You can’t cater for every palate in one flavour, but there is something in the range for everyone.”

Nicholas took charge of moving the business from Crossabeg to Courtnacuddy and apprenticed himself to the Kinsellas to learn the production process.

At Courtnacuddy, stone buildings adjacent to the milking parlour were converted into production and packaging plants, a cold room and dispatch centre.

Five people are now employed in the business, with Nicholas concentrating on production and packaging, Judith on accounts and distribution and Pauline on new product development, marketing, tasting and promotions. Nicholas and Judith’s three young children – Charlie 7, Martha 6, Anna 2 – form the taste-testing panel and take their responsibilities very seriously.

There are currently about 150 dairy cows on the farm, and between 10 and 15 percent of milk production goes to making the yogurt. The balance goes to the Wexford Creamery for milk and cheese. If demand increases, the Dunnes are able to increase the percentage of milk production going to yogurt production.

“Quality is king,” Pauline explains. “We use no additives, preservatives, artificial flavourings or

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“Quality is king,” Pauline explains.

“We use no additives, preservatives, artificial flavourings or colourings.” colourings. People are looking for a top-class product and that’s what we have to offer. Superquinn has the same reputation for quality and high standards as we do. It has been a pleasure collaborating with them.”

The original Killowen brand of yogurt was mainly sold locally in Wexford and the surrounding

counties, but can now be found in farmers’ markets around the country, the Mater hospital canteen and some independent stores and supermarkets. The Dunnes also supply yogurt for smoothies to Itsa Bagel. Pauline acknowledges that the success they have achieved with Killowen owes much to the help that they have had from several government agencies.

“Eddie O”Neill, the artisan specialist at Teagasc Moorepark, works closely with us to get the products right, and he’s been heavily involved in the development of the SQ range. We”ve also had excellent help from Bord Bia. Their training programmes are superb. We attend their meetings regularly and have participated in various trips abroad. I went on one to Paris recently where the theme was premiumisation – all about quality – and also traveled to a food fair in Germany. It’s great to meet other people and find out what’s going on in other countries and other markets. We”ve also had terrific help, including grants, from the Wexford Enterprise Board and from the Wexford Organization for Rural Development.”

Of course there have been tough times, and the work has been demanding and often physically exhausting, but the Dunnes have risen to the challenges they have met and overcome their difficulties. “Sometimes it’s very hard – say when Judith is up at four in the morning to get on the road with deliveries – but the lovely feedback that we get keeps us going. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing the product selling, and hearing how much our customers like what we do.”

Pauline Dunnes’ tips for success • Make quality your number one priority and everything else will follow • Don’t isolate yourself: get out there and meet people and find out what’s going on outside of your own area. You can learn as much from salad and meat producers as from people in the same business as yourself • Look for help – there is plenty of it out there, you just have to ask • Visit other producers and specialists: see how they do it • Be prepared to work very hard – success demands 100 percent commitment SUPERQUINN

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What to drink with turkey, the best partner for smoked salmon, interesting drinks for those avoiding alcohol?

John Wilson provides the answers, along with a few beers to sip along the way.

10 great wines to drink this Christmas Turkey goes well with a very wide range of wines, including both red and white. With reds wines it is wise to avoid anything with too much tannin or the turkey will taste very dry. This rules out most Bordeaux, unless it is in the lighter style. But a Rioja, a light, easy Pinot Noir, or something more fullbodied such as a Ripasso from Italy, Châteauneufdu-Pape or Aussie Shiraz will all partner your bird perfectly. If you are a white-wine drinker, go for something with plenty of flavour and body. A big rich Chardonnay, oaked or not, or possibly a Viognier would do very nicely. If you are having goose, a rich textured Pinot Gris, an off-dry German Riesling or once again a Pinot Noir (mature if possible) offer the best choices.

What to drink with smoked salmon A good-quality Chardonnay, such as the Fortin Saint Véran 2006 (¤15.99), with its lightly buttery clean fresh fruits will go perfectly with smoked salmon.

Alternatively, to create a real sense of luxury, partner it with some Champagne, such as the elegantly fruity Champagne Blin NV (¤29.99).

3 Champagnes and sparkling wines to consider From the north of Italy, there is Lunetta Prosecco (¤13.49), fresh rounded and fruity, perfect for parties and any mini-celebration. Rosé Champagne has become deservedly popular in recent years; the Champagne Blin Rosé (¤29.99) is a class act with its clean raspberry fruits and elegant dry finish.

Drink on its own, or with seafood. Lastly for the ultimate treat, try the Dom Perignon Vintage Champagne (¤136.99).

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Non-alcoholic drinks to see you through the season With our stringent drink/driving laws, you can be sure that guests will be looking for a non-alcoholic alternative to drink this Christmas. Superquinn SQ freshly squeezed clementine juice is a bright, tangy drink to consider as is the Superquinn fresh lemonade. There are now a number of alcohol-free beers, including the excellent Erdinger. There are also a range of apple juices, including Copella Apple and Mango, as well as the complex, spicy flavoured Kombucha, or maybe Shloer or Amé. It is now possible to find plenty of grown-up sophisticated lemonades; Lorina offers No Calorie Lemonade for the diet conscious, Traditional Orangeade, and a delicious Pink Lemonade.

A question of Sherry, Port or Madeira After dinner, there is nothing nicer than a glass of fortified wine such as Port, Sherry or Madeira. They are the perfect end to an evening, either with dessert, with blue cheese, or maybe just by themselves.

Port is probably the best-known of the three; there are various styles available.

Unusual beers There is now a huge range of interesting beers on offer, each with their own individual flavour. Instead of buying your normal beer, why not buy a selection from around the world, and try a different bottle each time you fancy a beer? You will find a world of flavours and styles, some of which are bound to appeal to your own tastes. You might start with Budejovicky Budwar, a pilsner with plenty of flavour, then move on to Innis & Gunn Original, an oak-aged beer with flavours of vanilla and toffee. Then maybe a bottle of refreshing, spicy Hoegaarden, or the Australian favourite, Cooper’s Sparkling Ale. Superquinn now has a range of over 35 beers from around the world; there will certainly be something there to satisfy your tastes.

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Small producers are leading Ireland’s culinary revolution. But are there enough of them? Haydn Shaughnessy not only wants more, but he knows how to get them

C

hristmas is bonus time for Ireland’s speciality food producers. While extending a warm seasonal greeting to all 320 of them, I also want to report the missing 3,000 that we still need.

Ireland is short of at least that many professionals in the niche food sector.

The idea of “speciality” food is something of a misnomer. Is it really a “speciality” to make cheese, smoked salmon or chocolates? In continental Europe the idea of speciality or artisanal food would be deemed slightly ridiculous given that high-quality food is everybody’s concern.

Take the case of Germany, a country whose cuisine has been the subject of derision just as Irish food might have been a couple of decades back. There are more than 1500 different types of sausage in Germany, with additional variety thanks to a strong tradition of homemade sausage production. Among fish, the freshwater varieties, trout, pike and perch, are all commonly eaten. Eating different kinds of poultry (duck and goose as well as chicken and turkey) is the German norm, and game – boar, rabbit, venison - would be considered only slightly outside the mainstream.

These food items are not in any sense “speciality”.

They might be thought of as niche in that the market for goose is smaller than the market for chicken but … that’s the way people eat. My great concern regarding the Irish market for good and nutritious food is two-fold. First that we tend to think of good eating in terms of novelty, a special, niche, or even marginal activity. Speciality…. So rare, exotic, unusual.

Take our farmers’ markets. Farmers’ markets are a sign of our growing interest in food, yet at the two markets I visit most often there are very few farmers to be seen. There is, perhaps, one organic stall, and many of the vegetables on sale come in French boxes. That’s not to belittle the stallholder’s efforts rather the opposite - but let’s get the farmers’ market in perspective.

The real emphasis in Irish food retailing is on ready-prepared meals – meals to eat there and then, or meals for the home microwave – and of course snacks. Farmers’ markets are, in reality, an alternative source for convenience eating.

My second concern is one of scale. If what we mean by “good food” is a majority of households having easy access to high-quality ingredients, locally reared or grown without pesticides, sold by caring retailers as wholesome ingredients for the home cook to turn into appetising and nutritionally rich meals, then good food in Ireland is still in its infancy.

Three years ago I interviewed Julie Duffy who had just started a meal preparation company in Chicago.

Dinners by Design allowed families to purchase ingredients online and then go into a Dinners by Design shop and prepare the ingredients under supervision.

The reason Duffy started the business? She was a working mum whose own mother was also a working mum. The two had never spent kitchen time together.

When Duffy gave up her job to be a stay-at-home mother she found herself actually scared by the kitchen. She had no idea how to cook, and she also had no idea how to enjoy kitchen culture. She was ill at ease. Far from recreating the family-table culture she yearned for, she bolted straight back into business.

Is it far-fetched to think there are many Irish women and men who feel the same? Or worse, don’t realise their inadequacies and think it is the norm to take ready-prepared dishes out of a packet?

My thought for Christmas is there needs to be a step change in the number of people who commit to food as a career, and that’s only going to happen with

“There is clearly a role for supermarkets in bringing such products to our attention” Government support. After all, the food system we have now is the most subsidised part of the modern economy. The subsidies have to go into training bakers, chefs, drinks specialists, market gardeners, kitchen gardeners and a myriad of food-related trades.

In the meantime we have a few good supermarkets which are at least capable of broadening our minds and encouraging us to sample a wider range of food. I sampled smoked garlic this autumn, for the first time in my life. I had to travel to Belgium to get it, but the garlic has a wonderful aroma and lasts for months in a semi-fresh state.

There’s clearly a role for supermarkets in bringing such products to our attention, as well as a role in seeding the food economy so that new producers will be attracted in. They have, after all, brought us a growing range and variety of wines over the past decade. Seeing them put that same expertise to use in food sourcing is top of my Christmas wish list, and I know there are people other than Santa out there listening.

Niche work if we can get it SUPERQUINN

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CHRISTMAS 2008

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HOW TO ORDER YOUR TURKEY, HAM, SEAFOOD AND DESSERTS.

NAME ADDRESS

CONTACT

IT IS SO SIMPLE…FIVE EASY STEPS! PLEASE MAKE SURE TO ORDER YOUR TURKEY, HAM, SEAFOOD OR DESSERTS AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE TO SECURE THE BEST SELECTION. WITH A ¤10 DEPOSIT PER ITEM YOU CAN SECURE YOUR PRODUCTS AND SCHEDULE A COLLECTION TIME THUS MINIMISING QUEUING TIME.

Step 1: Place your order for turkey, ham or seafood at the butchery department.

Place your order for desserts at the Patisserie Department anytime between Monday 17 November and Thursday18 December 2008.

ORDER NO’s

Step 2: You will receive a handy ordering wallet with your order, along with your collection details.

Select a pick up day and time which is convenient to you.

Step 3: At the checkout, hand in your ordering wallet with ¤10 (per item) deposit.

Step 4: You will be issued with a collection card, which fits neatly into the ordering wallet.

This voucher serves as the record of your deposit. Please retain this.

Step 5: Go to the collection point on your collection day and hand in your ordering wallet – the wallet will be retained.

Proceed to the checkout with your collection card and we will deduct the ¤10 deposit from your total shopping bill.

ORDER FORM: PRODUCTS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR COLLECTION ON THE 22, 23 AND 24 DECEMBER 2008.

PLEASE FIND BELOW THE FULL RANGE OF PRODUCTS FOR CHRISTMAS TO ORDER IN ADVANCE. PLEASE SEE INSTORE FOR INDIVIDUAL PRICES. PRODUCT

WEIGHT

ORDER FROM

PRODUCT

WEIGHT

ORDER FROM

Easy Carve Turkey

3.5 kg

Butchery Department

Boned & Rolled Ham Pale

5 - 6.5 kg

Butchery Department

Turkey Breast On The Bone

3 - 5 kg

Butchery Department

Pale Ham On The Bone

3.5 - 5 kg

Butchery Department

Turkey Crown

1.4 - 1.8kg

Butchery Department

Whole Ham Pale Large

5.5 - 7 kg

Butchery Department

Turkey Breast Joint

QTY

1.4 - 1.8kg

Butchery Department

Smoked Centre Cut Ham Fillet Large

2 - 2.5 kg

Butchery Department

Free Range Turkey Breast Joint

0.6 kg

Butchery Department

Premium Ham Fillet

2.5 kg

Butchery Department

Free Range Turkey Crown

1.9 kg

Butchery Department

Centre Cut Ham Fillet Small

1-1.5 kg

Butchery Department

Bacon Lattice Turkey Joint

1.3 kg

Butchery Department

Centre Cut Ham Fillet Large

2 - 3 kg

Butchery Department

Superior Quality Ballotine Of Turkey, Duck And Chicken

3.5 kg

Butchery Department

Centre Cut Ham Fillet Extra Large

4-5.5 kg

Butchery Department

Ultimate’ Stuffed Irish Turkey

4.2 kg

Butchery Department

Half Smoked Ham On The Bone

3.5 - 5 kg

Butchery Department

3.5 kg

Butchery Department

Reduced Salt Ham Fillet Small

2 - 3 kg

Butchery Department

Organic Turkey

4.5 - 7.5 kg

Butchery Department

Pale Half Ham On The Bone

3.5 - 5 kg

Butchery Department

Turkey Boned & Rolled

2 - 2.99 kg

Butchery Department

Reduced Salt Centre Ham Fillet Large

4 -5 kg

Butchery Department

Turkey Boned & Rolled

3 - 3.99 kg

Butchery Department

Easy Carve Ham Fillet With Wholegrain Mustard

2 - 3 kg

Butchery Department

Turkey Boned & Rolled

4 - 4.99 kg

Butchery Department

Easy Carve Ham Fillet With Clove

2 - 3 kg

Butchery Department

Turkey Boned & Rolled

5 - 5.99 kg

Butchery Department

Roasting Loin With Apricot, Ginger & Cranberry (Winter)

1 - 1.5 kg

Butchery Department

Superquinn Fresh Irish Turkey Crown

2 - 2.99 kg

Butchery Department

Easy Carve Ham Fillet With Wholegrain Mustard

1 - 2 kg

Butchery Department

Superquinn Fresh Irish Turkey Crown

3 - 3.99 kg

Butchery Department

Easy Carve Ham Fillet With Clove

1 - 2 kg

Butchery Department

Superquinn Fresh Irish Turkey

3 - 4 kg

Butchery Department

Easy Carve Ham Fillet With Plum

2 - 3 kg

Butchery Department

Superquinn Fresh Irish Turkey

4 - 5 kg

Butchery Department

Easy Carve Ham Fillet With Cranberry

2 - 3 kg

Butchery Department

Superquinn Fresh Irish Turkey

5 - 6 kg

Butchery Department

Easy Carve Applewood Smoked Ham Fillet

2 - 3 kg

Butchery Department

Superquinn Fresh Irish Turkey

6 - 7 kg

Butchery Department

Superior Quality Dry Cure Ham Fillet

2.5 - 3.5 kg

Butchery Department

Superquinn Fresh Irish Turkey

7 - 8 kg

Butchery Department

Festive Stuffed Roulade Of Irish Salmon

0.71 kg

Butchery Department

Superquinn Fresh Irish Turkey

8 - 9 kg

Butchery Department

Festive Salmon Encroute

0.6 kg

Butchery Department

Superquinn Fresh Irish Turkey

9 - 10 kg

Butchery Department

Centre Piece Dressed Stuffed Whole Salmon

1.4 kg

Butchery Department

Fresh Turkey

10 - 11 kg

Butchery Department

Ready To Eat Seafood Platter

440g

Butchery Department

Superquinn Fresh Irish Free Range Turkey

3 - 4 kg

Butchery Department

Side Of Dressed Fresh Salmon

1 kg

Butchery Department

Superquinn Fresh Irish Free Range Turkey

4 - 5 kg

Butchery Department

Stuffed Free-Range Guinea Fowl

1.3 kg

Butchery Department

Superquinn Fresh Irish Free Range Turkey

5 - 6 kg

Butchery Department

Stuffed Duckling With Orange And Prunes

1.4 kg

Butchery Department

Superquinn Fresh Irish Bronze Free Range Turkey

3 - 4 kg

Butchery Department

Banoffi Pie

1.7 kg

Patisserie Department

Superquinn Fresh Irish Bronze Free Range Turkey

4 - 5 kg

Butchery Department

Gateau Du Chocolate

1.7 kg

Patisserie Department

Free Range Fresh Goose

4.5 - 7 kg

Butchery Department

Irish cream liqueur cheesecake

1.5 kg

Patisserie Department

Boned & Rolled Ham Smoked

5 - 6.5 kg

Butchery Department

Whole Ham Smoked Large

5 - 7 kg

Butchery Department

Smoked Ham On The Bone Small

3.5 - 5 kg

Butchery Department

Double Stuffed Irish Turkey Saddle & Legs

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01

Superquinn Bronze Free Range Irish Turkey Our free range Irish bronzed turkeys are slow growing and reared on specially selected farms with freedom-to-roam

SEAFOOD NEW

green pastures. This traditional bird has a fantastic flavour and firm texture.

02

NEW

03

04

05

NEW

06

07

02. Coquille Saint Jacques: A combination of scallops and prawns in a creamy sauce with a potato topping that finishes to a golden crisp.

03. Centre piece Dressed Stuffed Salmon: Irish whole salmon stuffed with a combination of assorted fruits and fresh herbs.

04. Festive Stuffed Roulade of Irish Salmon: This salmon loin is stuffed with a light salmon and cream-cheese filling and the outer skin is coated with a mixed spice and juniper berry glaze.

05. Side of Dressed Salmon: Dressed with a combination of smoked salmon, fresh salmon mousse, tiger prawns and fresh dill.

06. Smoked Salmon: There are a whole range of smoked salmons to choose from. Please see instore for further details.

07. Hot-Smoked Salmon: This is a new product which combines the joys of traditional smoked salmon with the satisfaction of cooked salmon.

Treat as you would normal salmon and serve with potatoes and vegetables.

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HAM AND ACCOMPANIMENTS

08. SQ Superior Quality Baked Ham: Full-flavoured, succulent

NEW

and easy to carve, this boned out leg of ham is an ideal cut for parties and large numbers.

09. Cranberry Sauce: Fresh cranberries slowly simmered in fresh orange juice, cinnamon and cloves and finished with a splash of red wine.

10. Vol Au Vents: Filled with a mixture of salmon or chicken and bacon both in a creamy sauce.

11. Party Platter: A selection of Superquinn fresh party food including brie and cranberry filled filo pastry parcels and

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filled mini potato skins.

12. SQ Superior Quality Dry Cured Ham: Our ham is dry-cured in the traditional manner using sea salt for up to eight days. This process ensures the sweetness of the meat comes to the fore.

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13. Ballotine of Turkey, Duck and Chicken: This Ballotine, or

POULTRY AND ACCOMPANIMENTS

parcel, is an Irish turkey crown

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encasing an Irish duck and an Irish chicken. The birds are completely boned, stuffed with a delicious winter fruit stuffing, rolled and tied. This is garnished with fresh orange, apricots, prunes and a sprig of rosemary.

14. Double-Stuffed Turkey Saddle and Legs: Breast stuffed with parsley, lemon and thyme stuffing and garnished with bacon and a bay leaf. The de-boned turkey legs are stuffed with sage and onion stuffing and sprinkled with parsley.

15. Rooster Roasting Vegetables: A combination of

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red-skinned potatoes, celeriac, carrots, turnips, onion wedges

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and tossed in olive oil.

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16. Irish Brussels Sprouts: Irish grown so they are fresher when they get to you. Christmas would hardly be the same without them.

17. Easy carved Stuffed Turkey: Hand prepared with a fully deboned breast this still retains the traditional shape of a turkey as the legs are left on the

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bone, but is remarkably easy to carve. A sage and onion stuffing which complements the meat, comes packaged in a ready-touse foil tray.

18. Stuffed Duck: The traditional partnership of orange and duck combined with prunes to give a sweet, succulent roast.

19. Stuffed Chicken: Irish chicken stuffed with cranberries, raisins, apricots and apple.

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The stuffing is seasoned with rosemary, thyme and cinnamon.

20. Guinea Fowl: From the beautiful Landes region of France, these guinea fowl are very like a firmer-fleshed chicken and come stuffed with prunes and Armagnac (a traditional French recipe).

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MEAT AND ACCOMPANIMENTS NEW

22. Winter Roasting Vegetables: A combination

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of carrots, shallots, beetroot wedges, parsnips which are garnished with sesame seeds, rosemary and a honey dressing.

23. Butternut Squash and Feta Roasting Tray: A striking combination - both colour and flavour - makes this an easy and dramatic dish to serve either with the turkey, other roast

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meats, with a stew or casserole.

The assembly is finished with olive oil and pumpkin seeds.

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24. Roast Parsnip: Roasted Irish parsnips which only need time to warm through in the oven.

25. Spiced Beef: Marinated using a 30-year-old recipe this Irish beef is a perennial Christmas favourite and only available during the festive season.

26. Rib-eye Roast: Irish beef matured on the bone for up to 28 days to give excellent taste

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and tenderness. The joint is hand-finished to make carving easy and waste minimal.

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27. SQ Superior Quality Plum Pudding: Made to a

CHEESE AND DESSERTS

traditional recipe, this plum

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pudding is everything you expect; mildly spiced, deep and rich in flavour and deliciously moist.

28. Cheese Boards: Superquinn has a range of hand-packed cheese boards with a variety of classic cheeses including; Gortnamona, Vintage Cheddar, Old Dutch Master, Brie de Pays, Cashel Blue, Cooleeney,

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Payson Breton Camembert,

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Bellingham Blue, Wensleydale

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with Cranberry.

29. Tirimisu: A heady concoction of chocolate, coffee and cream cheese. Success is all in the balance and this delivers plenty of flavour and satisfaction too.

30. Winter Berry Tart: A crispy sweet pastry encases a classic winter collection of fruits and some gentle spicing.

31. Cake Selection: These

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cakes are available through customer order or, from

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Monday 8 December, from the Patisserie Department; Gateau au Chocolate, Irish Cream liqueur Cheesecake and Banoffee Pie. Three choices but how to decide?

Made in the heart of Dublin and handfinished, these cakes are available exclusively for Christmas.

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H

o t Hosw aveey n well o md eat an

ow to eat well but not spend too much money? The question is on many people’s minds at the moment. Clever shopping and a little more time in the kitchen is one way of riding out the storm. Feast on 20 ways to cost-effective satisfaction. Good eating just doesn’t get better.

Cheaper cuts

Talk to your local Superquinn butcher about cuts of meat other than steak, loin and roasts. They will show you the various options as well as giving recipe suggestions. The less expensive cuts are the parts of the animal that do the most work, like the shin and the shoulder. This means muscle, which needs careful, long, slow cooking to render them tender but they are full of flavour. While some might consider them inferior to more expensive cuts this is far from the case. When cooked properly they give rich, sublime flavours, are meltingly soft and make ideal comfort food for winter.

If you have an Aga or a Rayburn, leaving a pot stewing in the slow oven is perfect. If not, a conventional oven will work equally well.

Plant seeds

Many vegetables can be sown in autumn and winter so their tasty little leaves spout in the spring, especially in very mild areas. You can then serve up fresh salads all summer.

Wine by the case

Buying wine by the case saves on costs, but also means you are lugging bottles home less often.

At Superquinn you get a five percent discount on every six bottles purchased.

Lentils and pulses

Lentils and pulses go hand in hand with Indian cookery. They are cheap, nutritious but delicious and keep for ages in your cupboard. Spices can be expensive, but if they are properly stored in airtight containers they will last. Rather than waste leftover chilli, ginger and coriander, chop them and freeze for quick curries another time.

Plan ahead

Times may be tough but there is plenty of good eating to be done. Sharone Hearne-Smith goes in search of culinary bargains and comes back with a basket full of deliciousness.

When you shop, try to base your shopping list around a planned series of meals. That way, you lessen the odds of impulse-buying food that you don’t need or that might go off. What’s more, planning ahead increases the chance that you’ll deliberately seek out a less expensive choice. These meals can be just as full of flavour, be healthy and because they are home-made, will be fresh.

Bulk buying

Buying by bulk can offer genuine savings, especially if you share out the produce among friends and neighbours. A sack of potatoes, divided up among a couple of households, is a cost-effective way to buy.

Keep an eye out for great special offers including ‘buy one get one free’. Used strategically these really can offer value. Take advantage and remember to use your Reward Card to accrue points. These can be used to advantage later.

Veg out

Soya mince is a lot cheaper than minced meat, and is a good source of protein. Not every meal needs to be meat and two veg.

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The appliance of science

Use all those small appliances. Toasters can be souped up by using a ‘toaster bag’ to make cheese sandwiches saving you turning on the grill or washing up the pan, and cutting your electricity bill and carbon foot-print, making you simultaneously righteously eco-friendly, richer, and full of melted brie and turkey.

Season’s greetings

Buy fruit and vegetables when in season. There are times when the supermarket is practically giving certain produce away when others cost a fortune.

Learn to enjoy fruits and vegetables that are available year-round at a low cost, such as bananas and carrots.

If you have the time, you can buy when produce is cheap and prepare and freeze it for later use.

Waste not want not

Be creative with leftovers. Consider every morsel of food that is heading for the bin and think again about using them instead. Celery leaves are delicious in salads, meat and fish bones make tasty stocks for use in soups and sauces and if stale bread is not for crumbs then make panzanella – a chilled salad from Italy made with stale bread doused in vinaigrette that is both refreshing and delicious. Why trim and discard that broccoli stump when it is the tastiest bit when stir fried or used for a soup?

Lavish feasting Bread making is good for the soul. Either bake the conventional way or dust off that bread machine.

Once you get the basics, experiment with a different flavour for every day of the week. Baking ingredients are not expensive and the task is hugely satisfying.

Dinner parties don’t have to break the bank. Cuts of meat like loin of pork, belly or lamb shanks are impressive, don’t break the bank and taste meltingly delicious. Desserts can be dressed up with a splash of booze to make them more luxurious. Besides, just by staying in with friends rather than eating out not only makes it more intimate but will save you money too.

Coffee to go

Cooking the books

Best before and sell by

Eat some, save some

Lunch take-out

Buy whole

Bake bread to save dough

Why watch your precious money being finely ground with coffee beans for take-out coffees? It’s easy to make your own good coffee at home or in work.

Spend a little on a decent cafetiere or bialette, or even buy individual cup coffee filters. Whichever method you choose, you can still use good quality beans to make a coffee to rival a high street one, in flavour as well as cost.

Think about the difference between ‘best before’ and ‘sell by’ dates. Items that are nearing their sell by date are often reduced to clear. However they will keep for another few days in the fridge at home, and freezing them makes sense too. So why not buy those luxury products you wouldn’t normally splurge on?

Make your colleagues jealous by bringing a packed lunch to work, made with tasty leftovers from dinner like chicken and stuffing sandwiches or an oriental noodle salad. Or include your colleagues and start up a round robin cook-off where everyone takes turns to bring in a big dish they have made. This obviously works best if every one in the group can cook.

Keep the money you would have spent on lunch normally in a jar and treat yourself to something nice occasionally. It quickly adds up.

Instead of buying ready-made meals, open the pages of those dusty cook books and get cooking.

You can still eat your favourite fast foods like pizza, curry and burgers but at a much cheaper cost.

Cooking from scratch means your meals are likely to be more nutritious and have less fat and of course they will be more satisfying knowing you have made them yourself.

‘It’s not worth cooking for one or two’ is only an excuse. To make it more worthwhile, cook in large batches and save or freeze food for another time.

Make a big pot of Bolognaise sauce on a Monday for pasta for example and add kidney beans and chilli to it on Thursday for a delicious chilli con carne.

A whole chicken can be very cost effective. Roast on day one but allow enough meat to cling to the carcass for a salad or sandwiches the next day. If you add vegetables and make stock you can either enjoy soup or risotto on the third occasion.

Vegetarians have a point

Cooking vegetarian food can take a little longer but not only is it good for you, it is also often less expensive.

A winner occasionally, even for meat eaters.

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Munch on a Hunch Not all meals over the holidays need endless planning. The Savour team tick the boxes for those occasions when quick and easy, no fuss and little work are called for.

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ured meats need little more than bread, a pork pie needs chutney or mustard, a quiche can be whipped up quickly, or bought and partnered with a salad. Why feel guilty when there are other things to worry about?

There are plenty of occasions over the holidays when you want and need to eat but cooking a number of dishes from scratch just seems like too much of a chore. Why bother when there are so many alternatives to choose from?

As tempting as overflowing boxes of chocolates and tins of biscuits are, they just can’t compete with more substantial and delicious seasonal treats. This doesn’t have to mean lots more time spent in the kitchen so be clever and marry home-made with shop-bought.

With a bit of thought and careful planning you can fill the fridge for all to feast on while still leaving time to deck your rooms with bells and holly.

Christmas granola Makes 8-10 portions

225g clear honey 500g rolled oats 100g desiccated coconut 1 tsp ground cinnamon 100g mix of your favourite nuts like

walnuts, almonds or pecans, roughly chopped 100g mix of your choice of dried fruits like cranberries, cherries or apricots, roughly chopped

At Superquinn

SQ Festive Salmon Roulade There is no greater pleasure than freshly baked salmon and a pot of mayonnaise.

The salmon roulade will smell like Christmas when baking in your oven with its exhilarating smell of festive spices. While this is baking why not blend up a homemade mayonnaise and then carry onto make a tarragon and wholegrain mustard potato salad to serve with it.

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

Warm the honey through in a large pan for a few minutes to soften a little and stir the oats, coconut, nuts and cinnamon through. Spread the mixture evenly onto a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes until golden. Remove and leave to cool and set.

Once cool enough to handle, break the granola into a large bowl and stir the dried fruits through. Store in an airtight container for up to a month.

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Piccalilli Makes about 1.5kg

1 large cauliflower, broken into small florets 4 shallots, diced 1 cucumber, diced 500ml white wine vinegar 200ml malt vinegar 250g caster sugar

1 dried red chilli, roughly chopped 2 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed lightly 50g mustard powder 50g corn flour 25g ground turmeric salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the cauliflower and shallots in a large bowl and sprinkle liberally with salt. Cover and leave to sit for 24 hours.

The next day, salt the cucumber in the same way and leave aside for 10-15 minutes. Rinse all of the vegetables together, dry well and set aside in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, bring the white wine and malt vinegars to the boil with the sugar, dried chilli and coriander seeds. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat, leave to infuse until cool and then strain.

Mix the mustard powder, corn flour and turmeric together in a bowl and whisk the strained vinegar in gradually, until smooth. Pour into a pan, bring to the boil and reduce to simmer for 3-4 minutes until thickened slightly.

Pour over the vegetables, mix well and leave to cool.

Store the piccalilli in several air-tight jars in the fridge for up to a month.

Tarragon and wholegrain mustard potato salad Serves 6-8 people

500g baby potatoes 2 shallots, finely chopped 75ml port 125ml mayonnaise 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

2 tbsp capers, rinsed and roughly chopped 2 tbsp chopped tarragon juice ½ lemon salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water for about 20 minutes until tender, drain well and leave to cool.

Place the shallots in a small pan with the port and simmer gently for a few minutes until the port has reduced to almost nothing. Leave aside to cool.

Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise and wholegrain mustard together in a large bowl. Stir the capers, tarragon and lemon juice through and season to taste.

Toss the cooled shallots and potatoes through and toss well to coat evenly.

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Hot-smoked salmon and leek tart Serves 8-10

Pastry 225g plain flour pinch salt 150g cold unsalted butter, diced (plus extra for greasing) 1 egg, beaten 25ml water

Filling 1 medium leek, diced and washed 2 eggs plus 1 yolk 150ml double cream 150ml crème fraiche tsp paprika 25g unsalted butter, melted and cooled 300g hot smoked salmon, flaked salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sift the flour and salt together and rub the butter in to resemble fine crumbs. Add the egg and a little water at a time to make a smooth dough. Halve the dough, cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Blanch the leeks in boiling salted water for 1 minute until tender. Drain and leave to cool naturally.

Meanwhile, prepare the remaining filling ingredients.

Whisk together the eggs and yolk, double cream, crème fraiche, paprika, cooled melted butter and season well. Once cooled, stir the leeks through and then gently fold in the hot smoked salmon flakes.

This mixture can easily be made in advance.

Roll one piece of pastry (see note above regarding second piece) out to line a greased 20cm flan tin, leaving excess pastry hanging over the edge. Line the pastry case with parchment paper and fill with baking beans or dried pulses. Refrigerate for a further 20 minutes to relax before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4 and bake the case for 15-20 minutes. Remove, leave to cool and then discard the parchment and beans. Trim the excess pastry around the top edge of the tin using a sharp knife.

Reduce the oven temperature to 160C/gas mark 3.

Pour the prepared filling mixture into the cooked pastry case and transfer to the oven to bake for about 35-40 minutes until just set.

If you can resist, it is best to leave this rest for about 10-15 minutes to set a little. Serve with a crisp green salad.

At Superquinn Superquinn quiches are all made in Ireland and include Mediterranean Ham, leek and mushroom Quiche Lorraine Chicken and broccoli

SQ Yoghurt Start off the days grazing in the delicious way you mean to continue by tucking into an SQ yoghurt for breakfast.

The only problem is deciding which of the gorgeous flavours to choose. Why not make a large batch of Christmas granola to complement your choice?

Pork pie With pork pies the decision is never easy.

Will it be pickle, relish or maybe chutney?

Sometimes it has to be all three. Either serve your own homemade preserves or buy jars of picked onions, red cabbage and walnuts. Even a jar of cornichons and a pot of mustard is hard to beat. If you are out to impress, then a home-made crunchy and fiery piccalilli is sure to be a winner. Piccalilli is also delicious with cold ham, or turkey, or even cheddar.

Broccoli quiche Quiche is great to have tucked in the fridge or freezer as a quick and tasty lunch, snack or supper over Christmas time. Either stock up on shopbought or make your own, being creative with flavour and filling combinations. Every great quiche should be accompanied by a crisp fresh salad. Here are some suggestions for tasty dressings.

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Yoghurt and soured cream dressing This would be great to dress a salad to serve with the salmon and broccoli pie below. This makes plenty to toss salad leaves for about 8-10 people.

100ml natural yoghurt 100ml soured cream

juice of 1 lime salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk the yoghurt and soured cream together in a small bowl with the lime juice and season to taste.

Store in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Lemon and walnut dressing Makes enough to toss leaves for about 8 people

Juice of 1 lemon 2 tsp Dijon mustard 6 tbsp walnut oil

1 tbsp olive oil salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk the lemon juice and Dijon mustard together and then slowly add the walnut and olive oils to emulsify. Season to taste. Store in a jam jar in the fridge and shake vigorously before use.

Mayonnaise Makes about 450ml

3 egg yolks (use the whites to make some meringues for your festive Eaton mess on page12) 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard 300ml light olive oil good squeeze lemon juice salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk the egg yolks, vinegar and mustard together in a large bowl to combine. Slowly add the olive oil, bit by bit, whisking continuously. This should give you a thick mayonnaise that stands in peaks. Add a good squeeze of lemon juice and seasoning to taste. Store in the fridge for up to a week.

Nectarines, Pink Lady Apples and Blackberries This ready prepared fruit mix is a fantastic quick and healthy snack. If you need some winter comfort then simply bake them in a hot oven (200C/gas mark 6 for about 15-20 minutes until softened and just catching colour.

Or go all out and make a crumble mixture to sprinkle on top before baking. Either way, this is wonderful served with cream or your own, or shop-bought, custard or ice cream.

New at Superquinn Range of Superquinn SQ Ultimate ice-creams includes Madagascar vanilla Strawberry Chocolate

Crumble topping This quantity of topping is enough to sprinkle over three trays of the above fruit with each tray providing enough crumble for 4-6 people.

100g unsalted butter, diced 175g plain flour 75g Demerara sugar

50g chopped almonds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6.

Simply rub the butter and flour together to resemble fine crumbs. Stir the sugar and almonds through and bring the mixture together into clumpier pieces.

Scatter over the fresh fruit evenly to cover and bake for 30-35 minutes until crisp and golden on top.

Cinnamon maple butter 227g unsalted butter, diced and at room temperature

1 tbsp ground cinnamon 3 tbsp maple syrup

Simply blend the butter, cinnamon and maple syrup together either by hand or in a processor until smooth. Store in the fridge for up to about 7-10 days, remembering to leave a little at room temperature for ease of use.

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Boxing clever Shopping for presents is never easy. So why bother, says Sharon Hearne-Smith, when you can have so much fun making your own. Make, wrap and give something edible and let your inner creativity shine

Photography: Kieran Harnett Food Styling: Sharon Hearne-Smith

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pend less, impress more, is a motto tailor-made for these challenging times. The following pages are full of ideas to inspire you with gorgeous gift ideas for your friends and family. And why not ease your eco-conscience a little also, by reusing packaging to present your goodies in fabulous ways.

Don’t be put off if you’re not confident in the kitchen, as there are plenty of cheat’s ideas too. These gifts are not just for Christmas, but can also work well for year-round occasions too.

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Mini Christmas Fairies Makes 24

125g unsalted butter 125g caster sugar 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 tsp vanilla extract 125g self-raising flour 2 tbsp milk

200g ready to roll icing selection of edible goodies to decorate like stars, silver balls or glitter

Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5. Fill two 12hole mini-muffin tins with mini muffin cases.

Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the beaten eggs, a little at a time, until well incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Sift in half of the flour and fold in gently. Add the milk and then the remaining flour and fold in until well combined. Divide the mixture evenly between the paper cases.

Packaging You can buy plain, coloured or patterned mini muffin cases from any good cakemaking or kitchen shop. Save empty half-dozen or dozensize egg boxes. Fill the holes with your favourite colour of florist’s sisal to create a nest for the cakes to sit in. Arrange the mini Christmas fairies inside and close the lid to protect. Wrap in paper or tie with a large ribbon bow

Festive Flapjacks

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden on top and cooked through. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes on a rack before removing from the tin and leaving to cool completely.

In the meantime, prepare the decorations. Roll the icing out to about 2mm in thickness. (You will need to work quickly and keep unused icing covered with cling film to avoid it drying out). Using a small pointed sharp knife, cut out 48 star shapes the same diameter as the top of the fairy cakes. Next cut out 48 slightly smaller stars and then 48 even smaller again. Stack the stars on each cake, starting with the largest and working up to resemble a small Christmas tree. Decorate with your bought edible goodies.

Candied Walnuts 100g walnut halves 75g caster sugar

flaked sea salt

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

Lay the walnuts out in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 4-5 minutes until just catching colour. Remove and leave to cool.

Melt the sugar in a medium-sized heavy based pan and continue to simmer gently, without stirring, until the colour is medium amber. As soon as this happens, add the walnuts, stirring to completely coat.

Quickly pour them on to a baking sheet lined with a non-stick mat or parchment paper. Use two forks to separate the walnuts from each other (being careful as the caramel is extremely hot).

Sprinkle the nuts with a little salt and leave to cool completely. These will keep stored in an air-tight container for up to a week. Good with cheese, these are also delicious in winter salads or simply as nibbles with drinks.

Makes 12 bars or 24 squares

Some sweet ideas Simply cut nougat bars from Superquinn into several finger pieces and arrange in pretty glasses decorated with ribbons. (like the ones shown in photo which are from Laura Ashley.

See www.lauraashley. com for store locations and online ordering).

Either use them to dress your party table for guests or wrap them in cellophane tied with ribbon for a classy Christmas gift.

Wrap luxury truffles individually in coloured tissue or crepe paper (from any good stationers) for a simple decorative touch to the Christmas table.

zest and juice of 1 orange 25g dried cranberries 225g unsalted butter, cubed ( extra for greasing)

250g caster sugar 200g golden syrup 500g porridge oats 25g pecan nuts, roughly chopped 1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Grease a 23cm square non-stick baking tin with a little butter.

Warm the orange juice and cranberries through in a small pan for a few minutes and set aside.

Place the orange zest, butter, sugar and golden syrup in a large pan over a gentle heat and stir until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved.

Remove from the heat and add the oats, pecan nuts, cinnamon and cranberry and orange juice mixture and mix together well.

Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared tin and bake for 25-30 minutes until deep golden around the edges (the mixture should still be very soft in the centre).

Leave in the tin until almost cold before turning out onto a board and cutting into 12 bars or 24 squares.

These will keep in an airtight container for up to a week (if they last that long!)

Goodie pack: Package the flapjacks or other shopbought goodies like Superquinn’s yoghurt bites, rocky roads or cornflake bites, in a nice cookie jar or gift box. Decorate with ribbons, net fabric and then name tags or labels. Try haberdasherys, ribbon and craft shops and stationers for materials.

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top tip

top tip

Homemade crackers

Old-fashioned sweet jars

Repackage luxury chocolates into homemade Christmas crackers. These are a lot of fun to make (get the kids involved) and the chocolates are a lot more pleasurable than the usual plastic combs and rings. Collect lots of toilet roll insides and cover them with a sheet of white A4 paper secured with sticky tape. Pop the chocolates inside (with a fun joke too of course) and twist the ends. Cover with anything from fabric or doileys to wrapping or wallpaper, twisting the ends again to secure. Tie ribbons around the twisted ends and either scatter around the Christmas table or pack into a pretty box as a gift.

Homemade hampers They are easy to buy but can be exceptional when made. For an extra-special gift, why not put together an Italian hamper. Make some fresh pasta, dry it out and package in cellophane or buy some artisan pasta and repackage. Add it to a selection of home-made flavoured oils, a bottle of wine and maybe a hunk of Parmesan.

Jars of sweets are really fun and simple gifts for kids to make for their friends (ok, and grown ups to make and receive also).

Keep used glass jars and their lids from foods like jams and mild sauces but nothing that smells too strong (like pickled onions). Soak the jars in soapy water to help remove old labels. Sterilise them with their lids in a pan of boiling water for about 10 minutes and dry well.

Sticky Ginger Loaf Cake Makes 4 medium sized loaves

125g black treacle 125g golden syrup 175g molasses or dark muscovado sugar 175g unsalted butter, cubed (extra for greasing) 225g plain flour, sifted 125g plain wholemeal flour 1 tsp ground mixed spice

2 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 medium cooking apple (about 175g) 2 eggs, lightly beaten 150g preserved stem ginger in syrup, thinly sliced 4 tbsp ginger syrup (from ginger jar)

Preheat the oven to 170C/gas mark 3. Grease 4 x 450ml loaf moulds and line with parchment paper before greasing again. (Cardboard cartons from Artisan Cookies available in Superquinn are ideal for this).

Put the treacle, golden syrup, molasses or sugar and butter in a medium pan and heat gently until the butter melts and sugar dissolves. Leave to cool slightly.

Collect fabrics and ribbons, either from clean unused clothes, maybe a stained tablecloth or linens you were about to throw out or else buy them new from a ribbon shop or haberdashery store (watching out for remnants which will be cheaper). Use a sharp scissors or pinking shears to cut out circles of fabric about 4cm wider than each jar top.

Stock up on sweets like bon bons, pear and apple drops, liquorice allsorts, jelly babies and fruit jellies, marshmallows, flying saucers, toffees and fudges, gob-stoppers and cola bottles.

Arrange the sweets in the prepared jars, either one type per pot, a tossed mixture or obvious layers of each sweet (which would work well with a selection of colours). Screw the cap on tightly. Pop a piece of double sided tape, a glue dot or a little fabric glue on the top and press a circle of fabric on to stick (see your stationer or haberdashery store for these). Secure the fabric with a ribbon tied around the edge in a nice bow. You might like to label the jars with tags or stickers printed with rubber letter stamps and ink (These should all be available from a good stationer also).

Another idea: Alternatively, arrange the sweets in pretty shop-bought glasses and cover with clear or coloured cellophane (from a florist or stationary shop), secured with ribbon or florist’s raffia. The spotty glasses in the photo are from Avoca (see www.avoca.ie for store locations and online ordering).

Place the flours into a large bowl and add the mixed spice, ground ginger, and bicarbonate of soda. Peel and core the apple and grate into the bowl, tossing to mix. Add the melted mixture, eggs and three quarters of the ginger pieces. Beat well to combine.

Pour the mixture into the prepared containers, spreading to the corners. Bake for 35-40 minutes until firm to touch. Pierce the loaf cakes with a skewer in several places and drizzle the ginger syrup over.

Arrange the remaining ginger slices on top and leave to cool.

Wrap the loaf cakes in fancy paper or cellophane, both of which you can find in a good stationers or craft shop, and tie with ribbon or florists raffia.

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Chocolate shots Makes 750ml

200g dark (at least 70%) chocolate, chopped

60g caster sugar 200ml double cream 300ml whole milk

Place the chocolate, sugar, cream and milk in a pan over a low heat and stir until the chocolate has melted giving a rich thick chocolate drink. Remove and leave to completely cool.

At Superquinn included in the photograph is a range of hand-decorated festive Superquinn cookies

Christmas cookies Makes about 35

200g unsalted butter, (extra for greasing) 200g light muscavado sugar 1 egg, lightly beaten

300g plain flour, (extra for dusting) 60g cocoa powder 200g white almond paste (white marzipan)

Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5. Lightly grease two large baking sheets.

Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well.

Sift the flour and cocoa together into a small bowl.

Add to the creamy mixture bit by bit, stirring through after each addition. When almost all the flour has been added it may be easier to use clean hands to bring the mixture together into a soft dough.

Divide the dough into quarters and roll out one piece at a time to about 5mm in thickness. In the meantime, reserve the remaining dough pieces covered in cling film in the fridge. Alternatively, the dough freezes well and so can be stored for another time.

Using Christmas-themed cutters, stamp out two of each shape for every cookie you are making. Lay one shape from each pair on the prepared baking sheets, using a palette knife to lift them as the dough is quite soft. Roll a piece of white almond paste into a ball the size of a maltezer, lay it in the centre of each shape, flattening it down a little. Lay the partner of each shape on top, pressing down the edges to seal.

Bake for 10–12 minutes until the cookies are cooked.

Leave on the tray for a few minutes before removing and leaving to cool completely before packaging in a gift box lined with tissue paper.

Blin Bling Who wouldn’t love to receive a bottle of bubbly and a very flash hangover cure as a Christmas gift?

Pick up a bottle of Blin Champagne and Bling spring water (encrusted with Swarovski crystals to justify the price!) instore at Superquinn now.

top tip Present the bottles in a home-made modern ice bucket. Buy a clear Perspex CD or DVD box from a storage or office supplies store.

Make up what looks like crushed ice (but without the melting!) using florists water crystals. Pick them up in any good hardware store or garden centre and follow the pack instructions.

Divide between 6 small pots or jars (clean glass yoghurt pots are perfect). Cover with plastic jam pot covers and secure with an elastic band (You can buy a jam pot cover set in a good kitchen shop).

Decorate the chocolate shot pots with festive coloured star stickers (from a good stationers). Add a name tag with instructions on the back which read: Keep Refrigerated. To warm through, sit a shot pot in a heatproof jug or deep-sided dish and pour in enough boiling water to come half way up the sides. Leave to sit for 3-4 minutes until melted and warmed through. Shake gently and remove the plastic cover. Adults can add a dash of crème de cassis or other favourite liquor before reapplying the lid and shaking again before shooting!

Arrange the pots on a small tray from a storage or home store like Muji (see www.muji.com for store locations or online ordering) and send with a bottle of liquer like Crème de Cassis, Tia Maria, or Cointreau or Boozeberries berry liquors.

Fiery tip: Add 1 deseeded and finely chopped red chilli to the pan with the rest of the ingredients to add a kick to your shot.

Fill the box with the fake crushed ice.

Decorate the bottles with ribbons and nestle inside. Pop a label on the ice bucket stating: The fake crushed ice should be disposed of.

The container can be used as a DVD or CD holder after this use.

Enjoy the party!

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up C

hristmas should be all about catching up with friends and family, relaxing over gently spiced glasses of mulled wine and sitting back to enjoy sumptuous feasts with lots of laughter and cheer. Instead, we too often end up tying ourselves in knots and feeling stressed dealing with endless tasks: shopping trips for gifts and food, Christmas parties, decorating the house and sticking ourselves to wrapping paper.

Follow these guidelines from the initial preparations through to cooking on the big day and enjoy a smooth and relaxed Christmas to sit back and relish.

Clean up

tips Why not take away the strain and order your ham and turkey well before the big day. See page 78 for more details

Dress the house

Make your Christmas cake and pudding Dare we say it but it’s best to make your Christmas cake and pudding well in advance, ideally around the end of the summer. If you are reading this now however, take action and go ahead this week. The time between now and then will be well spent with all the ingredients getting to know each other.

Christmas gift shopping You can get stuck into Christmas gift shopping and wrapping as early on as you like. The challenge for most of us is to contain it so it takes a few days rather than weeks. If you can face making the decisions now there is the option of the internet and home delivery.

Don’t forget making your own gifts is also a fun, money savvy option. There are plenty of ideas to inspire you in the edible gifts feature on page 90.

Christmas is as good an excuse as any to get rid of clutter. Make way for all those new toys, gifts and general Christmas paraphernalia. Pass things onto others through your local charity shop or refuge or a recycling website like www.jumbletown.ie or www.gumtree.ie. A good spruce up will also motivate you to stock up in advance on domestic essentials like cleaning products and general ‘under the sink’ materials.

tips Numbers in the stores soar during the last two days before the holidays. If you want to beat the queues consider shopping outside of traditional hours (each store advertises these on posters) and well before the last two days before Christmas.

After all that hard work de-cluttering it’s now time for the fun part. Rediscover all of those gorgeous decorations you had forgotten about and gather family and friends to dress the house in Christmas decadence.

Inspiration comes from Christmas issues of interiors magazines which are packed with gorgeous ideas. It’s also fun to make your own decorations, particularly edible ones (see the Christmas cookie decorations on page 93). Bear in mind the amount of time needed to even find the decorations.

Stocking up So much of the rush and hassle is made up of items that really can be thought of ahead. Add a few festive treats to your normal trolley over the coming weeks and sit back and relax. Here are some things to start your list:

Red & white Wines Bubbly Liquors Brandy, port, sherry and Madeira Soft drinks and mixers Nuts and dried fruits Spices

Flours and sugars Jars of sauces, chutneys and relishes Crackers and crisp breads Candles and tea-lights Christmas crackers Napkins

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Christmas So much seasonal cheer lies in the planning.Sharon Hearne-Smith and Jenny Lyons think ahead so you can chill out and enjoy the festivities.

Get cooking before Christmas day 1. Make, bake and freeze several dozen mince pies (defrost them in batches and simply pass them through the oven as required).

2. Use any stale bread to make crumbs and prepare and freeze your stuffing.

3. Keep some bread crumbs in the freezer for your bread sauce.

4. Make cranberry sauce. Why not make some extra while you’re at it and give to friends in jars as a gift?

5. Ice and decorate your Christmas cake.

Christmas Eve 1. Weigh the ham to calculate the cooking time. It will take 20 minutes per 450g for a boiled ham plus 30 minutes to glaze in the oven. To get rid of excess salt, immerse the ham in cold water and leave to soak for 24 hours, changing the water occasionally.

2. Make a rich stock with the turkey giblets. Drain and leave to cool before refrigerating.

3. Prepare vegetables and store in the fridge in ziplock bags rather than bowls to save space.

4. Peel the potatoes and leave immersed in water in the fridge.

5. Defrost your home-made stuffing, breadcrumbs and mince pies.

6. Organise the drinks, refrigerating the white wine, bubbly and soft drinks.

7. Gather all serving plates, dishes, cutlery and table linen and dressings.

8. Choose baking trays and arrange the shelves of the oven to fit the turkey, ham, stuffing and potatoes.

9. Prepare the turkey, starting with a good wipe inside and out. Rub butter under the skin and pop any flavouring’s like lemons or herbs in the cavity.

10. Weigh the bird to calculate the cooking time.

A turkey weighing up to and including 4.5kg will take 45 minutes per kilo plus 20 minutes extra. If between 4.5kg – 6.5kg then allow 40 minutes per kilo and finally if weighing 6.5kg or more it will take 35 minutes per kilo. Leave the turkey in the roasting tin out of the fridge to come to room temperature overnight.

Christmas day 9.15 Preheat the oven.

9.30 • Season the turkey and place in the oven to roast (depending on your cooking time calculations) • Put the ham on to boil (depending on your cooking time calculations)

11.30 • Rope the family in to help lay the table.

• Parboil the potatoes and transfer to the oven to roast.

• Uncork the wine and pop the bubbly.

12.00 • Fill the steamer with boiling water to come half way up the sides of the pudding and simmer to warm through.

• Place the stock for the gravy over a low heat to warm through.

• Remove the ham from the water and glaze ready for baking.

12.30 • Put pans of water on to boil for the vegetables.

• Reheat the stuffing in the oven.

• Make the bread sauce

1.00 • Remove the turkey from the roasting tray and leave to rest in a warm area. Turn up the oven temperature to crisp the potatoes.

• Put the ham into the oven to bake.

• Make the gravy using the warmed stock.

• Cook the vegetables.

• Remove the glazed ham, potatoes and stuffing from the oven.

tips Be inventive with any leftover turkey. Make some sandwiches and a winter salad to take on a crisp Stephen’s Day picnic or boil the carcass up with leftover vegetables and pearl barley for a hearty stew.

Recycle all those empty bottles, wrapping paper, packaging and cards.

Save any wrapping paper which you can reuse for other gifts and cut cards up to make home-made gift tags.

If you can contemplate shopping for Christmas again so soon, then stock up on Christmas cards, candles and decorations in the sales. As well as saving money it means you are prepared for next Christmas already!

1.30 • Carve the turkey and ham, serve with all the trimmings, breath a sigh of relief and enjoy!

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Me and my

Christmas Monica Superquinn, Kinsella Swords

I

“I’m a real people person; I could have a conversation with anyone”

’ve been working in Superquinn in Swords at The Pavilions for the last eight years – I’m a blow-in compared to some of the other girls. There are a few who’ve been there 16 years.

I work as a cashier sometimes but mainly on the customer service desk. I love my job – it’s perfect for me because it involves talking to people all day long and I never have to shut up.

I’m a real people person; I could have a conversation with anyone – I could have a conversation with the table.

I don’t get bored at work ever because there’s always someone looking for help with something – they come to me if they’ve got a wonky trolley (which of course happens very rarely) or if they can’t find something in the store, or if they want to know about the special offers. I do my best to sort out whatever it is.

I’ve a lot of regular customers who stop by for a chat. Some of them would come in every day to see me. Sometimes I think I’m like a counsellor – people drop by and tell me about their problems, and ask me to say a ‘Hailer’ for them if they’re having a hard time.

Generally people are in good form and polite but if someone ever comes along in bad humour I see it as my job to send them away with a little bit of a smile on their face. They’re always slagging me off at work because I go around the store singing, I can’t help myself.

The atmosphere in the store is brilliant coming up to Christmas, particularly the last week or two with everyone getting their shopping in and preparing for their family gatherings. You might get the odd person cribbing but I put that down to stress.

I love decorating the customer service desk and you might find me wearing a Santa hat some days.

There are lots of lovely new products coming in for Christmas – we get to see them as they come through the tills and we all talk about them and which ones we’re going to try.

Joe Rock in the wine department keeps us posted on all the good deals and tips us off whenever there’s a sale coming up so that we can stock up for Christmas. I don’t know that much about wine but I know the ones I like and Joe is great for suggesting new ones that he thinks I’d enjoy.

I usually do a few extra shifts coming up to Christmas but I don’t really mind because the store is so busy the time passes quickly.

Last year we had our staff party after Christmas – I think that was a good idea because everyone has so much else on coming up to Christmas itself that it’s nice to have something to look forward to after. We went to one of the local pubs for a few drinks and a bit of a sing-song. I’ve made some terrific friends in Superquinn – they’re a great bunch of people.

Last year I had Christmas dinner in my house. In my family – I’m the eldest of five - we usually take it in turns and I’m hoping someone else will do it this year. I wouldn’t be the best cook in the world so I keep things simple but I do like to use good fresh Irish produce whenever I can – and I’ve no excuse, seeing where I work.

One of my son-in-laws, Michael, is a great cook and he gives me plenty of help. A few years ago I had 18 for Christmas dinner – we hired a marquee and put it on to the back of the house because there wouldn’t have been room for everyone inside. We had a fantastic day.

I have two daughters, Jennifer and Aoife, and three grandchildren – Chloe, who’s three, and two babies born this year, Sean and Holly May. I’m always texting the girls backwards and forwards and I’ll definitely be seeing a good bit of them over the Christmas; it’s a special time for family.

I’ll go to Midnight Mass and I’ll probably go out for a few meals with friends too – I like Lally’s on the seafront in Portmarnock and the Pink Elephant in Swords. I’m mad about musicals and going to concerts – this year I loved Mama Mia and Celine Dion – and I’m dropping hints to anyone who’ll listen that I’d be thrilled to find tickets for Tina Turner in my stocking on Christmas morning!

In conversation with Katy McGuinness

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Seasonal Scents for an extra cosy Winter