So rather than waiting until everyone is exhausted and passing bugs around the house, September is a good time to put a few simple health habits back in place.

One of my favourite autumn health challenges is to see how many different plant foods I can fit into a week. We all know that vegetables and fruit are good for us, but variety matters too. Plant foods provide us with fibre, vitamins, minerals, polyphenols and a huge range of other compounds, while different types of plants also provide food for different members of our gut microbiome.

The often-quoted target is 30 different plant foods a week. But don’t panic – we’re not talking about 30 different vegetables! Beans, lentils, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices all count.

Oats count. Chickpeas count. Walnuts count. Garlic, ginger and parsley count. Berries count. If you’re curious, try writing down every different plant food you eat over the course of a week. You might be surprised at how quickly they add up – or, equally, how easy it is to fall into the same handful of foods every week.

There is fascinating research around plant diversity and the gut microbiome, including work from the American Gut Project which found an association between eating a greater variety of plants and having a more diverse gut microbiome.

30 isn’t a magic number and it certainly isn’t a limit – my goal is to try and exceed it – and some weeks that’s really easy. But it gives me a focus on variety (particularly in terms of vegetables) and that feels like the right thing to be focussing on. 

A few extra vegetables in your soup, some seeds and berries on your breakfast, beans in your dinner and fresh herbs scattered over your meals can make a surprisingly big difference – both to flavour and to your health! 

If you want to add a little extra variety on a week that’s not flowing well, there are some interesting liquid preparations available in your local Health Food Shop 

One new one that has caught my eye is Salus One Essence, from the makers of Floradix. It contains 67 different aqueous extracts of herbs, fruits and vegetables, alongside added vitamins and minerals.

The ingredient list is certainly unusual. Alongside familiar foods such as broccoli, spinach and artichoke, there are ingredients that most of us probably don’t eat very often – including walnut leaf, gentian root, black carrot, lavender flower, rosehip peel and green oat herb.

Obviously, I’m not suggesting that drinking One Essence means you can tick 67 plants off your weekly list and forget about eating vegetables! But I do like the idea of a broad range of plant extracts as an addition to an already varied diet – a nice healthy top-up. 

And there are two other liquids I’ve been reaching for this autumn. Zell Oxygen Plus and Immunocomplex, from Dr Wolz, are liquid nutritional preparations containing combinations of nutrients and plant-based ingredients.

Zell Oxygen Plus is designed as nutritional support, containing vitamins, minerals and other nutrients involved in normal energy metabolism – this is a good one to think of if someone is recuperating and needs a ‘tonic’ to put some pep back into their step. 

Immunocomplex contains a combination of nutrients and plant-based ingredients, including beta glucans, and is aimed at supporting normal immune function – I reach for this one when I’m feeling under the weather and really don’t want to get sick. 

Of course, there’s no magic bullet. The basics still matter most – eating plenty of plants, moving your body, getting outside during daylight, prioritising sleep and making time for the people and things that make you feel well.

Which brings me neatly to another area of health that we’re becoming increasingly interested in: the relationship between what we eat and how we feel.

‘Food, Mood and the Amazing Gut-Brain Connection’ – Marilyn Glenville at Organico 

We are very excited to be hosting a new talk this year with renowned author and nutritionist Marilyn Glenville. Marilyn has been coming to Bantry to give talks on Women’s Health for many years. This year she is coming to give a different talk, one on using your diet to help balance mood and help us all to keep our brains as healthy as possible. 

We’ve always understood that food affects our physical health, but we’re learning more about the fascinating relationship between our diet, our mood, our energy, our concentration, our sleep – and the health of our brains.

At the heart of the talk is the fascinating gut-brain connection. Our gut contains trillions of microorganisms and researchers are discovering more all the time about the relationship between our gut microbiome, our nervous system and our mental wellbeing.

And this isn’t simply a subject for people experiencing mental health difficulties. It’s relevant to all of us. For teenagers, nutrition can be part of supporting energy, concentration and wellbeing during the pressures of school and exams. For busy adults, it can be about maintaining energy and resilience when life feels relentless. And as we get older, supporting memory and brain health becomes increasingly important.

Marilyn will also look at nutrition in relation to ADHD and autism, looking at how food and lifestyle can form part of an overall approach to supporting focus, energy and wellbeing.

She will explore the close connection between the gut and the brain, and how food can influence mood, energy and concentration. She will look at the effects of blood sugar highs and lows, hidden sugars in everyday foods and the key nutrients needed to support brain health. The discussion will also examine the relationship between food, stress, sleep and mood, what we are learning about gut bacteria and mental wellbeing, and the role of nutrition in ADHD and autism. Marilyn will consider why some diets may leave us feeling worse rather than better, while offering simple ways to support focus, energy and emotional wellbeing, as well as maintaining brain health and memory at every age.

There will also be plenty of opportunity to ask Marilyn questions during the evening, including one-to-one questions at the end.

Dr Marilyn Glenville PhD – Nutrition, Mental Health & Wellbeing: The Amazing Connection Between Your Mind, Body, Food and Mood: Monday, October 5, 6.30pm-9pm. Upstairs at Organico, Bantry. Tickets €20

Your ticket also includes €10 redeemable against purchases on the night, tea and coffee during the interval, and the opportunity to ask Marilyn your questions. There will also be 20 per cent off products purchased at the seminar.

Places are limited, so book your ticket through www.organico.ie and come along. We’d love to see you there.

by Niamh Cooper, Melissa Byrne & Gillian Hegarty

West Cork’s hedgerows are full of blackberries at the moment, ripening away in that seemingly endless sunshine we’ve just had. If you haven’t been out yet to pick them, grab your nearest bowl or bucket and head down the quiet country lanes. You should still find loads!

Blackberry-picking has been a rite of late summer for generations, and it inspired one of Ireland’s most famous poems, Seamus Heaney’s ‘Blackberry-Picking’. The poem captures that particular thrill of filling a container with fruit, and the small disappointment days later when the haul doesn’t keep as well as you’d hoped. It’s well worth reading if you haven’t come across it, especially when you’re out blackberry-picking yourself.

Turning your pickings into jam or compôte is how people have solved the problem Heaney wrote about – and that way, you’ll be able to eat blackberries well into the winter months. A great way to prepare for this is to pick small container-fulls at a time, and freeze the berries that day. Before you know it, you’ll have enough for a batch of jam or compôte.

You can make either compôte or jam with your haul of blackberries. But what is the difference?

Compote is chunkier, less sweet, and is cooked for less time, so the fruit holds more of its shape and flavour. 

Jam is cooked longer with a lot more sugar, often close to equal weight to fruit, until it sets and is firm enough to spread on toast. It keeps for months. 

Blackberry and apple compôte 

You will need an adult to help with the hot pan, the oven, and pouring the finished compôte into jars.

Ingredients

• 900g blackberries

• 450g cooking apples (Bramley apples work well)

• 450g granulated sugar

Method

Put a small plate in the fridge to chill. Sterilise your jam jars in the oven at 100ºC/gas mark 1/4.

Peel, core and slice the apples.

Stew the apples in a saucepan with two tablespoons of water until soft.

In a separate saucepan, cook the blackberries with 50ml of water until soft. Skip the water if using frozen berries.

Crush the blackberries with a potato masher if you’d like a smoother compôte. Add the sugar and cooked apple, and stir until the sugar has fully dissolved.

Bring the compôte to the boil and let it bubble for about 15 minutes.

Now it’s time to test it: spoon a little compôte onto your chilled plate and pop it back in the fridge for a minute. Push the compôte gently with your finger. If the surface wrinkles, your compôte is ready.

Stir in a small knob of butter to help clear any scum from the fruit.

Carefully ladle your compôte into the sterilised jars and seal with lids that have been boiled and dried.

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As the blackberry season is upon us, it’s time to take a walk, and don’t forget the containers. The blackberry season offers us the ideal opportunity to fill our faces with this juicy fruit ,as we wander along the hedgerows. I always think that if it’s a serious picking session, it’s best to eat before setting out, as this guarantees double the harvest, especially if there are small children involved. 

Blackberries are high in antioxidants and vitamin C. They have been used since Greek and Roman times as a remedy for sore throats, gout and whooping cough and are also claimed to reduce brain inflammation and memory loss. When you read the list of healthy attributes you realise we should all be out there picking, future-proofing our immune systems. Blackberries offer more vitamin C and antioxidants than blueberries, so it would be a good idea to  fill our freezers full for the winter, ready to make smoothies, muffins, cakes and so on. There’s an endless list of recipes. The other important fact is that they free!

Pick the best blackberries, nothing soggy or damaged. If they are perfectly ripe they will come away from the stem with a gentle pull. Containers work better than bags to put them in as this prevents them from getting squashed, which is quite important as, apart from spoiling the fruit, one thing I didn’t mention above is that they can also be used as a dye.

Folklore has it that blackberries shouldn’t be picked after Michaelmas day on October 11 as the devil (puca) has made them unfit to eat by spitting, stepping or fouling on them. I don’t know about the devil but it makes sense to pick them in good condition, so gather your containers and get out there while they are juicy and plump.

There are so many ways to use blackberries – apart from just popping them in your mouth – that we are spoilt for choice. When we had our restaurant, many moons ago, I used to make a blackberry delice, which was a posh sponge with blackberry mousse on top. The sponge is a bit of a faff so I’ve downscaled the recipe to just mousse, which makes a sublime dessert with less effort.

This recipe made eight small mousses, I fill small glasses, which look quite elegant but bowls would be good too. You could of course make bigger portions in bowls – I don’t think there would be any problem eating them, as we had no problem eating ours. They will keep in the fridge for two to three days. You can of course halve the amount of ingredients and make less.

Gelatine is available in leaf form in the baking section of most of the big supermarkets. It is easier to use than the powder form. The leaves I used were roughly 12cm x 7cm, which seems to be the standard size these days – they used to be much bigger so, just to avoid any confusion, I thought I’d mention that. Just soak the gelatine in cold water for a few minutes to soften it. Don’t use hot water as it will dissolve.

Blackberry Mousse

Ingredients

• 450g blackberries

• 4 eggs, separated

• 300mls cream

• 4 leaves gelatine

• 125g sugar

• Juice of half a lemon

Fill a bowl with cold water and slip the gelatine leaves in. Leave aside.

Put the blackberries, 25g sugar and the juice of half a lemon into a liquidiser, food processor or jug with hand held blender and buzz until smooth.

Pour the blackberry puree into a sieve and pass through with the help of a spoon or spatula. Discard all the pips.

Put the egg yolks into a bowl with 75g sugar. Whisk until the yolks become paler and the whisk leaves a trace. The cream should now be coming to the boil.

Put the cream into a saucepan then heat gently. When the cream reaches boiling point slowly whisk it onto the yolk mixture. Put the yolk/cream mix back into the saucepan and heat gently, stirring all the time. Don’t rush this. The mix will slowly thicken a little as the heat increases but whatever you do don’t let it boil as the yolks will scramble. Err on the side of caution. Take the mix off the heat and pour into a large bowl. Take the softened gelatine out of the water and stir it into the mix. The gelatine will dissolve. Stir the blackberry puree through.

In another large clean bowl whisk the egg whites to soft peaks (good and frothy but not solid) then add 25g sugar and continue whisking until the whites are stiff and hold up.

Tip one third of the whisked egg whites onto the blackberry custard and gently fold through with a large metal spoon or spatula. IT doesn’t have to be perfectly mixed, add the rest of the whites in two lots and gently fold through again. `Do not stir or you will knock all the air out. When properly mixed pour the blackberry mix into glasses or bowls. 

Chill for four hours to set before eating. 

Decorate with a splotch of whipped cream and a few blackberries.

Enjoy the autumn.

by Niamh Cooper, Melissa Byrne & Gillian Hegarty

The weather in July has been nothing short of spectacular, and many of us have lived outside for the last few weeks. Even when the weather decides to take a turn – and it will, eventually, because this is Ireland – this is the season for food you can eat with your fingers. And nothing on any picnic blanket, or kitchen table, will be as spectacularly pink as this beetroot dip. It looks like something a unicorn might eat. And it tastes even better.

If you haven’t tried beetroot yet, zapping it into a dip might be one of the best things you’ve done this summer. You can buy beetroot in a packet, or fresh – and you can eat it, leaves and all! Just a note though: don’t use the pickled beetroot as it won’t work in this recipe!

First, a word about the leaves. When you buy fresh beetroot between June and October, it comes with its beautiful stalks and leaves attached, and they are delicious too. Strip the leaves from the stalks and wash everything. Cut the stalks into roughly 2cm pieces and cook in boiling salted water for two minutes, then add the leaves and cook for one minute more. You can also steam them. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Ingredients

• 250g cooked beetroot

• 50g feta cheese

• 2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh mint

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

If using fresh beetroot, cut off the stalks, leaving about an inch on the beetroot. Wash gently without damaging the skin, place in a saucepan of cold water, and then ask an adult to help you: Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 to 2 hours, depending on size. The beetroot is cooked when the skin comes off easily and a skewer slides through with no resistance. Remove the skin and stalk, roughly chop, and place in a food processor with all the other ingredients. Blitz until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning; you may like more lemon, salt, pepper or mint. The dip looks beautiful, garnished with marigold petals. One warning: beetroot juice stains everything it touches, including you, so wear old clothes. 

A few ways to eat it:

Serve it on bread, with crackers or on toasted pitta; eat with a rainbow of raw vegetables such as carrot sticks, cucumber and peppers; dollop onto a hot baked potato instead of butter; spread inside a wrap; have on a burger instead of ketchup, or whatever way you fancy eating it.

Turn it into a salad. Cut the cooked beetroot into wedges and place in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, add a few rocket leaves and tear in some mint. Mix the oil and lemon juice together and pour over the beetroot. Transfer to a serving bowl and crumble over the feta. Garnish with edible flowers from the garden if you have them, such as violas, marigolds, borage or cornflowers. Broad beans are a lovely addition as well, and they are fantastic right now – if you can get your hands on them.

So there you have it: a dip (or salad!) that is bursting with goodness, looks amazing and is totally delicious. Make a batch, share it with someone, and see if you can convince them it came from a unicorn. 

Did You Know?

• Beetroot has one of the highest amounts of antioxidants of any vegetable? They help protect the cells in your body.

• The amazing colour comes from natural pigments called ‘betalains’, which scientists are researching for their cancer-protective and other effects.

• Beetroot is packed with nitrates, which widen your blood vessels and help oxygen move around your body more efficiently. That is why athletes drink beetroot juice before races. Scientists are also studying whether it may help lower blood pressure, improve breathing and keep our brains healthy.

• The ancient Greeks ate only the leaves. It took hundreds of years before anyone thought of eating the root!

I have a dream holiday destination, and,  like many dreams,  it can’t be bought, planned or booked online. It just has to happen, out of the blue, and that is a sunny Irish summer. We all remember those legendary ones, like 1995 when we had a small baby and spent a glorious week on the Aran Islands. I come across the photos every so often and they are like scenes from Santorini – the blue sky, deep azure sea and stone walls shining white in the sun. 1989, living in Dublin and cycling out to the Forty Foot every day after work for a swim, a can of beer and a sandwich in my pannier. The rarity is what makes it, and why we value it and treasure it when it comes along. Of course, there is a darker side to the current heatwaves all over the world, but in the moment, basking in the manageable high 20 degrees, I’m making the most of it while it lasts.

West Cork is wonderful at any time of the year, but in the sun, it’s pure magic, with a wild and wide variety of beaches to explore, and plenty of beautiful sea-facing cafés, pubs and restaurants in which to refresh afterwards, shaking sand from our feet. 

Last Sunday, an Instagram post from St. Francis Provisions in Kinsale, telling of a South American food pop-up, was all the encouragement we needed to head eastwards for the day. From her kitchen set up in the little courtyard outside the restaurant, Francisca from La Latina served enpanadas, ceviche and croquetas, with beer, wine and homemade lemonade on hand from the restaurant. Spicy Chilean beef empanadas with Blacks of Kinsale lager was the perfect street food snack, sun filtering through  brightly coloured parasols. 

After a gorgeous swim at the Cove, the holiday feeling in Kinsale needed to be kept going, so we headed for the balcony in All Apologies cocktail bar, overlooking the marina. This is a great spot to watch the comings and goings from the 200-odd yachts moored in the harbour, while sipping a martini infused with hand-foraged botanicals. 

For me, a trip to Kinsale usually revolves around a meal in The Black Pig wine bar. Gavin and Siobhán were among the first of the new generation of Kinsale restaurateurs, opening their stylish restaurant in 2013, and two seats at the bar here had our names on them. There’s a cosseting, cobbled-lane-in-a-warm-city feel to the place,  food which celebrates the best of local ingredients with all kinds of exotic touches, and a wine list with over 100 wines by the glass.  Yes, 100. 

We rounded off the evening in the cool, book-lined interior of Prims. It’s a bookshop by day and wine and sherry bar by night,  with dark wood, sheepskins and chill tunes to go with our nightcap and good coffee. 

Kinsale is a great shopping and browsing town. Mamukko is a personal favourite, making bags from recycled boat and aeroplane materials. I have one of their creations featuring an aeroplane seat buckle, whose satisfying ‘clack’ I used as therapy during the grounded days of a few years ago. 

Many a Sunday morning sees us in OHK, an arty, quirky café, buzzy and full of character with a warm welcome, amazing brunch (maybe a glass of pet-nat) and top-notch coffee. Michelin starred Bastion restaurant is an understated, calm room, in which to treat yourself to a full tasting menu, or just grab a small, delicious bite at the bar with a glass of champagne. Of course, if you’re in the mood for fish and chips, a tasty snack from a food truck by the river, or fresh Italian panini from the Wednesday market, casual, on-the-go dining is sorted too.  

Kinsale has a holiday feel to it all year ’round, and is justly popular with tourists. In the last 15 or so years, I feel it has shed its somewhat stuffy ‘gourmet capital’ label, and is now a place you’ll find really exciting, creative food and drink. 

When this all happens on a sunny Sunday afternoon, spicy, smoky aromas wafting in the warm air, that’s the dream right there.

My mother comes to visit me every year in Clonakilty for a gorgeous week in O’Donovan’s Hotel. The trad session in the bar is one of the highlights for my mam, both for the music and the chats with locals and visitors. It was one of these random encounters, which inspired our recent trip to France. We met a couple from Wexford, celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary, and learned that the husband regularly took off on the boat from Rosslare, to France and back, just for the spin. Tim and I had also met a group of sea- and bird-life watchers on the ferry from Bilbao, who were on an overnight trip, bringing little else but a camera  binoculars, and a toothbrush. 

My mam, Dee, doesn’t fly, has always had a fear of it,  but loves to travel by boat. My family have taken the Brittany Ferries Cork-Roscoff ferry many times, but always en route to the rest of France. It occurred to me that we could make it a trip in itself, and the mammy was game ball.

Roscoff is a small town on the north-west coast of France. It’s very pretty, right on the sea, with ancient granite buildings housing creperies,  bakeries, cafés, shops and small hotels. Everything seemed to be owner-run – it reminded us of Clonakilty, just in French. 

We didn’t take the car, as we were just staying one night in Roscoff, which is a five-minute taxi ride from the ferry port. There was plenty of help available, which you can request when booking, for Dee getting on and off the boat,  as the pedestrian ramp is fairly long and steep. The staff at the Brittany Ferries terminal are well geared up for helping those with mobility challenges, having wheelchairs with designated staff to push them,  elevators and a car to take you on and off in Roscoff,  where the terminal building is a bit further from the boat. 

I had chosen our hotel based on a few criteria: it had to be in the centre of town, easily walkable to everything, a sea view was a must, and we needed a lift. I also wanted a small hotel with a bit of character. The Mercure Hotel fit the bill perfectly, and the friendly, warm staff were the extra the bits you can’t see on the website.

Our trip started on a Wednesday afternoon, with a four o’clock departure from the ferry port in Cork.  Help arrived to wheel Dee on board, with plenty of good-humoured banter. Safely delivered to the door of our cabin, all we had to do was drop our bags and head to the bar for our first taste of France – you’re in Brittany once you board the ferry. This is one of my favourite things about travelling by boat, the holiday starts right away. Sitting in the gorgeous bar on the boat, sea views all around, having a cold glass of Muscadet, I always feel a calmness washing over me. It’s a very different experience from the stress of air travel – longer, more expensive, yes, but definitely calmer.

There is great food on board, the Pont Aven having a particularly beautiful dining room. The food in the more casual setting on the Armorique was varied and tasty, and I went straight in with the cheeseboard and a nice bottle of red. 

There’s entertainment in the bar if you fancy that, with live music and a pub quiz, and activities for the smallies. There’s a cinema and a pool,  playroom and games room, but nothing was taking me away from my cheese. 

We arrived early on Thursday morning, and the hotel had arranged a taxi, so we were having breakfast in Roscoff overlooking the sea, by 9am.

Our hotel was in the middle of town, so, although we couldn’t check in till later, we left our bags and headed out to explore. It’s a beautiful town to wander around, just enough to spend a couple of days in, with a good variety of shops for my retail-loving mammy. 

Checking out the Breton food was a joy: crepes, savoury galettes, all manner of fish and seafood, really good ice cream, and the insanely tasty kougn amann, a Breton pastry soaked in caramel. The most famous wine from this region is Muscadet, just perfect with the oysters and mussels which are served everywhere.  

We just stayed one night,  with two full days on either side, as the ferry left at 11pm on Friday night. A gorgeous dinner, lunches, breakfast watching the seagulls swooping and the tide coming in, ice-cream stops, and coffee and kougn amann mid-morning filled the days easily, with the obligatory shopping in between.

This trip isn’t for everyone, I know. Firstly, you have to like boat travel, and not suffer from sea-sickness. It’s also more expensive than flying, and slower, but for us, the whole trip was the experience, not just the destination. There’s weather to contend with,  which can’t be planned around, but that can affect any holiday plans.  

I am a lover of slow travel, and the overall dropping of tempo which comes with it. For my mother, whose mobility is fine for short walks, planes and airports are hard work. The pleasure and ease of this boat journey gave her the joy of realising that she can still travel to foreign parts, and the journey is all part of the fun.  

• brittany-ferries.ie 

• Hotel Mercure, Roscoff 

by Niamh Cooper, Melissa Byrne & Gillian Hegarty

Salad is so much more than soggy lettuce and a squirt of salad cream. We have three easy, tasty salad recipes, and a secret weapon, just for you: the best salads start in the garden, and growing them is easy-peas-y! 

Grow your own

Lettuce shoots up fast and barely takes up any space. It is not too late to plant your favourite lettuce, in fact, the more varieties the better! Keep your lettuce watered, and most importantly, pick those slugs whenever you see them – unfortunately they love lettuce, too. When it’s ready, just pick the outer leaves (be careful not to tug too hard and take out the root) and the plant will keep growing. 

Why not plant a few radishes in between the rows of lettuce, while you’re at it. Radishes grow quickly and you can slice them straight into your bowl for some lovely colour. You can add some herbs too: parsley, mint, chives and basil all love growing here, and each one gives your salad a completely different taste.

Here are a few great and easy recipes you can try to make at home:

French Green Bean Salad

Ingredients:

• a handful of green beans

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 6 tbsp olive oil

• a pinch of salt and pepper

• grated parmesan

• roughly chopped parsley

• a few edible flowers (marigold, viola or cornflower)

• your favourite salad leaves

Method: Boil the beans in salted water for 3 to 4 minutes.

Shake the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper together in a jar until well mixed.

Tip the still-hot beans into a bowl and immediately top with parmesan and toss.

Mix in some of the dressing.

Serve on salad leaves, and decorate with parsley and edible flowers.

If you prefer to try a different dressing, why not give this one a go:

French Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

• 2 fl oz vinegar

• 6 fl oz olive oil

• 1 tsp honey

• half tsp Dijon mustard (opt)

• a pinch of salt and pepper

Method: Put all the ingredients into a clean jar. Make sure you have a close-fitting lid!

Screw the lid on tightly and shake well.

Pour over your beans, or any salad you like.

Tip: Write the date on the jar. It’ll keep in the fridge for up to four weeks.

If you love peas, we know you’re going to adore the next one. It can be made so easily with frozen peas. Give it a try, and why not invite your friends over to help you make it (and eat it!).

Pea Guacamole

Ingredients:

• 450g frozen peas

• 2 tbsp lime juice

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• ½ a red chilli, chopped

• 1 tsp toasted ground cumin

• 2 tbsp coriander

• 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley

• a pinch of salt and pepper

Method: Boil the peas in salted water for 2 to 3 minutes.

Cool them in cold water straight away.

Add in the rest of the ingredients. Blitz everything together in a food processor until smooth.

Taste it and adjust with salt, pepper and lime juice if it needs it.

Did you know?

Peas have been grown in Ireland for hundreds of years

Peas actually are sweetest as soon as they’re harvested, and start losing their sweetness once they’re picked. Frozen peas are frozen as soon as they’ve been picked, which is why they often taste better than fresh ones that have sat in a shop for days.

Parsley is a great source of iron and it has more vitamin C in it than an orange!

Edible flowers like marigolds and violas aren’t just pretty, they’re full of antioxidants that help your body repair itself.

So next time someone asks if you want more salad, say yes. And tell them you know the perfect recipe.

The Kids’ Food Revolution is a community-led initiative. Our recipes are tried and tested with kids. Our Eat! Grow! Cook! pilot is funded by the Lidl Green Fund Community Prize, where the Kids’ Food Revolution won the top prize of €25,000. You can find out more on kidsfoodrevolution.ie. Sign up for our newsletter.

I was sitting at my computer last week watching the clouds move across with hints of blue tucked in and wondering which way the weather would go. No such problem this week, as we’ve had glorious sunshine every day. Just what the doctor ordered for our courgettes, which had been battered by the previous heavy rain  and vicious winds. I had regretted our decision not to put any courgettes into the tunnel, as they were looking yellow, battered and generally worse for wear. Hopefully this good weather is just what the doctor ordered and they’ll pick up and start producing. 

Gardening is a funny thing, so much time spent waiting and then, when everything kicks off, we’re wondering what to do with it all.

Summer Parmigiana is a recipe that will help solve that problem, as it takes quite a lot of tomatoes, courgettes and aubergines to make one dish. This is summer comfort food, which is enjoyed all over Italy and in the many Italian communities around the world. 

Funnily enough – or what I had always assumed, the name Parmigiana doesn’t have anything to do with Parmesan cheese, nor does it come from Parma. The word actually relates to the Sicilian word ‘parmiciana’, which describes the wooden slats of window shutters. This is similar to the overlapping layers of vegetables that make up this dish. 

It is a real crowd-pleaser and a great recipe for entertaining, as not only can it be prepared ahead, set aside ready to bake in a pre-heated oven, it also benefits from resting after coming out of the oven before serving. Molten Parmigiana are not only hazardous to put in our mouths, they are also difficult to serve. Allowing the dish to relax for at least 10-15 minutes makes it much easier to cut and portion. 

The tomato sauce could be from a jar or something you make yourself. The important thing is to not drown the parmigiana in tomato sauce, a scanty spread of sauce between the layers is what’s required. Too much sauce makes a sloppy parmigiana, which makes it difficult to manoeuvre from dish to plate. I always make plenty of sauce as a) I have a fear of running short and b) it’s multipurpose and can be used for many other dishes, just store it covered in the fridge or freeze for another time. The mozzarella can be fresh – just drain it properly otherwise it will be too wet, or it can be the pre-shredded mozzarella bought in packs in the supermarket. My preference is for fresh, as it has a creamier result but both ways work equally well. 

If you would like a crunchy top, scatter with toasted breadcrumbs, or try my dad’s old trick, which was bashed-up cheese and onion crisps, before baking.

This makes a large dish. You could of course halve the recipe or freeze the remainder for another time.

Summer Parmigiana

Ingredients:

• 2-3 large aubergines

• 5-6 courgettes

• Olive oil to fry or grill the aubergines

• 2 balls fresh mozzarella, drained and grated or chopped or 1 bag shredded mozzarella

• 200g parmesan cheese, grated

• Fresh basil

• 1kg fresh ripe tomatoes, chopped or 3 tins tomatoes

• 1-2 onions

• 2-4 cloves garlic

• 100mls olive oil

• Salt and pepper

• Fresh or panko breadcrumbs for the top – optional

Method:

First make the tomato sauce. 

Peel and chop the onion and garlic. Heat a pan with the olive oil then add the chopped onion. Cook gently for about five minutes until the onion melts down then stir in the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes – roughly chop them if they are whole. Rinse out the tins if you are using them with a little water and add to the pan. Season with salt and pepper then bring to the boil then reduce the heat and cook gently for about 30 minutes or until the oil rises to the surface. Check the seasoning.

To prepare the aubergine, slice them into slim 1cm slices, sprinkle with salt then put them aside for at least 10 minutes. Pat dry with a clean t-towel. Do the same with the courgettes

Now you can either pan fry in a little olive oil, grill on a grill pan or bake in the oven. To pan fry take a large frying pan, add enough oil to cover the bottom and load up a single layer of aubergines or courgettes. Drizzle in a little more olive oil if you need it. When golden on one side flip them over, adding more olive oil to the bottom of the pan then fry the other side. Put the fried aubergines/courgettes onto kitchen paper to absorb excess oil. 

To bake or grill the aubergines/courgettes brush the slices with olive oil then lay then on baking trays  and bake in the oven (180°C) for around 20 minutes, until tender or lay the slices on a pre heated grill pan then grill until soft and golden on both sides.

To assemble the parmigiana take large oven proof baking dish or tin (whatever you make lasagne in would be ideal) then spread a ladleful of tomato sauce over the bottom. Not too much, just enough to sit the aubergine onto or it will be too wet. Put a single layer of aubergine on top.

Sprinkle with a little parmesan then scatter some of the mozzarella  and some torn basil leaves on top. Cover this with another scanty layer of tomato sauce then a layer of courgette, mozzarella, parmesan, basil. Repeat this until you have ideally four or five layers.

Scatter the top with breadcrumbs if you are using them.

Put the dish into the oven, then bake for 30-40 minutes until golden on top.

Leave to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy the sunshine!

There are meals you enjoy and then there are dining experiences that transport you entirely. Mary O’Brien’s recent visit to Terre, the two Michelin-starred restaurant nestled within the historic Manor House at Castlemartyr Resort, was firmly in the latter category.

For a few wonderful hours on a recent rainy Thursday evening, we escaped everyday life and immersed ourselves in a culinary journey that will stay with us for a long time.

Our invitation to dine was to mark the launch of ‘Friends of Terre’, Executive Chef Lewis Barker’s exciting new guest chef collaboration series. Fresh from retaining Terre’s two Michelin stars within his first six months at the restaurant, Barker welcomed his longtime friend Michael Wilson of Singapore’s Michelin-starred Marguerite for a unique collaborative menu showcasing both chefs’ distinctive styles.

From the moment we arrived, every detail was carefully choreographed. Our evening began in the elegant reception room with two exquisite opening bites. Belfego Akami tuna was paired with delicate hints of melon and fennel pollen, while beautifully dry-aged Shanagarry beef delivered a memorable finish of Japanese spice. It was an exciting introduction that hinted at the creativity to come.

Before dinner, Kevin O’Shea, who manages the Terre Kitchen Garden, shared some of the history of Castlemartyr Resort, as we made our way through a beautifully designed passageway, where the backlit shelves lined with preserved foraged ingredients sat opposite Executive Chef Lewis Barker’s collection of Michelin Guides, subtly reinforcing Terre’s philosophy of respecting both tradition and innovation.

One of the evening’s highlights was taking our seats at the Chef’s Table overlooking the striking open kitchen. Softly lit and quietly theatrical, the open kitchen allowed us to watch the calm precision of the team at work. Beside us, a glass cabinet displayed carefully ageing fish and game, offering a glimpse into the craftsmanship behind the menu. We were served an impossibly beautiful Skeaghanore duck creation before being introduced to the exceptional ingredients featured throughout the nine-course tasting menu.

Much of the produce comes from the surrounding area, reflecting Terre’s deep connection to the Irish landscape. Beef sourced from just across the road, specially reared milk-fed lamb from Ladysbridge, Ballycotton blue lobster, vegetables from the restaurant’s own kitchen garden and Skeaghanore duck from Ballydehob all showcased the very best of local provenance. International influences were equally evident through ingredients such as Lough Neagh smoked eel, Australian truffle and citrus-cured Hamachi, demonstrating Chef Lewis Barker’s global culinary experience while never overshadowing the exceptional Irish produce.

A delicate pea tartlet with goat’s cheese perfectly captured the essence of summer in a single bite.

The experience then moved into Terre’s beautifully appointed dining room, where warm wood tones and rich chocolate hues created an intimate yet understated setting. Here, dishes were elegantly finished tableside without unnecessary theatrics, allowing the quality of the ingredients and the technical brilliance of the cooking to take centre stage.

Service throughout the evening was faultless. Every member of the team was warm, knowledgeable and effortlessly professional. Rather than feeling overly formal, the experience felt genuinely personal, as though every detail had been created especially for us.

The wine pairing elevated each course beautifully. The citrus-cured Hamachi was matched with a crisp, juicy Fritz Haag Riesling that perfectly complemented the freshness of the dish.

Lough Neagh smoked eel topped with Kaluga caviar was another first for me on both counts, and an unforgettable combination of richness and refinement. This was followed by a naturally sweet and tender Ballycotton blue lobster dish.

Further pairings included two outstanding white wines: the 2023 Ocampo Listán Blanco from Tenerife and the beautifully mineral 2022 Hatzidakis Aidani from Santorini.

An elegant 2020 Baron de Brane Margaux introduced the rich flavour of beautifully cooked lamb served with local wild asparagus.

Dessert was every bit as memorable as the savoury courses. Accompanied by a fragrant White Tea Chai from Fujian, China, a delicate garden strawberry tart celebrated the season, before the evening concluded with what was perhaps my favourite dish of all – a theatrical chocolate gâteau infused with truffle that delivered indulgence without being too rich. This was served alongside a luscious 2018 Dobogó 6 Puttonyos Tokaji Aszú whose notes of dried apricot, tobacco leaf and dates provided the perfect conclusion. My glass was quietly and discreetly refilled, one of many thoughtful touches that defined the evening.

Finally, we returned to the salon, sinking gratefully into comfortable armchairs to enjoy beautifully crafted petits fours with tea and coffee while reflecting on the remarkable journey we had just experienced.

Chef Barker and Wilson’s shared commitment to precision, ingredients and storytelling was evident throughout the evening, blending Irish provenance with global influences to create something very special at this wonderful restaurant. 

To book go to www.terre.tablepath.com/reservations or email info@terre.ie for more information.

This September people in West Cork will have the opportunity to step back into the 1930s and let loose on the dancefloor with Edwina Guckian and The Big Gralton Band, who will bring their performance ‘The Devil’s in the Dance Hall’ – a powerful, joyous live show celebrating jazz and Irish music from the era – to Bere Island during the island’s annual arts festival. Mary O’Brien hears more about the dances of yore from Edwina Guckian and some of the older generation in West Cork.

“It’s a night for all ages to come and dance and laugh…and nobody gives a hoot what you’re doing because they’re all too busy dancing themselves,” shares dancer and artistic director Edwina Guckian, whose aim is to revive social dancing in Ireland.

“A lot of the younger generation, particularly the under-20s, aren’t dancing. They’ll go to the nightclubs or pubs where the music is blaring but everybody just stands around,” says Edwina.

Her immersive three-hour theatre and dance experience is designed to change that. “It’s music that just makes you want to move,” she says passionately.

 Centred around a fictional 1930s big band, the performance is inspired by the true story of Jimmy Gralton and the suppression of Ireland’s rural dance halls in the early 20th century.

The 1930s brought jazz and swing to Ireland but following the Carrigan Report (1934), which blamed “moral degeneracy” on motorcars, dance halls, and the “creeping in of jazz music”, the Public Dancehall Act of 1935 made unlicensed dancing illegal and was aimed primarily at controlling house dances and crossroads gatherings.

Jimmy Gralton was a socialist who was deported from Ireland for running a community hall on his land that promoted free thinking, music, and dance. Today, Edwina is part of a local committee that has bought the site of Jimmy Gralton’s original hall and is fundraising to rebuild it.

“He was a fighter for the working class people and really stood up to church and state,” she shares.

The dance project grew out of Edwina’s research into women in 1930s-40s Ireland during which she gathered stories from the older generation, including her own grandparents who shared how they cycled to dancehalls. “They’d all meet up at a local crossroads beforehand and there would never be enough bicycles, so people would be carrying, you know, like two or even three people on a bicycle…I have a lovely image of my grandmother on the crossbar holding on to grandad, you know, cycling to a dance,” says Edwina.

Another anecdote recounts how some men would put a dab of petrol on their collar. “As aftershave,” says Edwina. “So when they were dancing with a woman, she’d think that they had a car.”

In West Cork, Tim Joe Whooley started Lisheen Dance Platform near Skibbereen in the early ‘60s, along with John and Timmy Whooley and Jerry Minihane. Up to 350 people, many arriving by bicycle or on foot, would attend the dance sessions on the concrete platform at the side of the road next to Minihan’s pub in Lisheen. Entry was a shilling. Tim Joe recalls with humour a headline in his local paper at the time that read something like ‘Judge cuts short holiday to issue licence to Tim Joe Whooley for Lisheen dance platform’. Other popular dance spots included Crowley’s Hall in Union Hall, The Lilac in Enniskeane and the Town Hall in Skibbereen, where Tim Joe first met his future wife Eileen.

Pascal Hurley, 80, who grew up in Castletownbere, started attending dances in parish halls as a teenager in the 1950s. She met her husband, Danny Hurley, at a dance hall in Glengarriff. She recalls the etiquette in those days was to ask early on in the night if you wanted to dance with someone. She also remembers the excitement of getting dressed up for the dance even though most people just had the one “good dress”, which they would have made or bought locally.

Ninety-seven-year old Eileen Collins lives in Drimoleague and has always loved to dance. She recalls going to the ‘four penny hop’ and ‘Cinderella dance’ in Hannah Gurrane’s hall in Drimoleague every month and attending crossroads dances (known as ‘The Pattern’) west in Inchingerig every Sunday evening in summer. There were also ‘all night’ dances with big show bands that ran until 2am every three months. While working in London in her 20s, she visited the famous Galtymore dance hall.

Her memories include set dancing, waltzes, foxtrots, quicksteps, and dancing the ‘paraglide’ (to the tune of ‘Underneath the Spreading Chestnut Tree’).

“They were good times,” she says nostalgically. “I was often the first in and the last out of the dancehall.”

Eileen bought her first bicycle on hire purchase and cycled to dances in Drinagh.

She recalls how at dances the men would stand on one side of the hall and the women on the other until the music started. “Then the men would fly across the room!” she adds with a smile.

There was the ‘Kiss Me Waltz’ where you’d have to kiss whoever you stopped in front of,” she recalls. “Some people used to run off to the bathroom,” she says laughing.

At Christmastime there were ‘turkey balls’ – dances held in people’s homes where men played cards for turkeys while others danced in the kitchen.

In Summer there were threshing balls with dancing and singing in the house that night and “plenty of porter for the men”. “We’d come home across the fields at two or three in the morning and you’d hear the corncrakes singing.”

Edwina and The Big Gralton Band want to reignite that joy and sense of freedom on the Irish dancefloor. “We’ll also be setting the scene,” she shares “so you’ll come away knowing a lot more about that era.”

Dancers of all ages are encouraged to dress in the style of the 1930s and get ready to be swept up in the frenzy of jazz. There will also be sean nós, shim-shamming, lindy hopping, set-dancing, surprises and scandal. No experience necessary, as Edwina will teach you all the dance moves.

The Bere Island Arts Festival runs from September 17-20. For more information and to book tickets go to www.bereislandartsfestival.ie.

by Niamh Cooper, Melissa Byrne & Gillian Hegarty

We know them as something we get in our local takeaway. But making your own spring rolls is actually so easy – and fun – a four-year-old could do it! It’s actually the perfect food to make at a party.

Spring rolls are one of those dishes that look amazing and are surprisingly simple to put together. They are incredibly nutritious, bursting with nutrients and so full of flavour. Everyone gets to make their own, with ingredients they love. Perfect for a party or playdate. Kids love them and it encourages everyone to try new foods.

Fresh Spring Rolls

You will need:

• 8 rice paper wrappers*

• 1 carrot, peeled, cut into matchsticks

• 1 small red or yellow pepper, thinly sliced

• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced

• 4 leaves of butter-head lettuce, torn

• 1 small cucumber, thinly sliced lengthways

• 1 mango

• 1 avocado

• 100g vermicelli rice noodles, cooked and cooled

• Fresh herbs: mint, basil, coriander, chives 

• Edible flowers: chive flowers, marigold, cornflowers

• 1 chicken breast**, cut into 1cm pieces

• 2 tbsp soy / tamari* sauce

• 2 tbsp mirin*

* Most supermarkets have these in the oriental foods aisle.

** You can use tofu, prawns, beef, or any other meat you fancy, too. 

Place the tofu/meat in a bowl with the soy/tamari sauce and the mirin, and leave to marinate for at least 10 minutes. Cook slowly in a bit of oil in a frying pan or oven until cooked through, then leave to cool completely.

Slice all the vegetables you have chosen to use into thin batons, no longer than the width of the wrapper. Lay them out on a plate.

Fill a large bowl with water. Submerge one rice paper wrapper at a time for a few seconds until it softens and becomes flexible. Lift it out carefully and place it on a damp tea towel.

Lay a few pieces of lettuce horizontally across the centre of the wrapper, leaving about an inch free on each side. Add your chosen fillings on top: a little of everything, or whatever takes your fancy.

To roll: gently lift the bottom of the wrapper up and over the filling, pull it snug, then fold in the two sides and continue rolling until your spring roll is fully wrapped. The tighter you roll, the better it holds together.

Peanut Dipping Sauce

• ½ cup peanut butter

• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

• 1 tbsp soy or tamari sauce

• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce

• 1 small clove garlic, finely grated

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together with one-third cup hot water until smooth. Add a little more water if you prefer a thinner consistency.

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nuoc Cham)

• 3 tbsp lime juice

• 2 tbsp fish sauce

• 2 tbsp caster sugar

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1 small chilli, sliced (optional)

• ¼ cup water

Stir all ingredients together until the sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust, depending on your taste.

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by Melissa Byrne & Gillian Hegarty

One of the tastes of summer is most definitely that of a fresh strawberry, eaten in the (hopefully!) West Cork sunshine. In West Cork, we are so lucky to have Union Hall and Bushby’s strawberries on our doorstep. What makes our local strawberries special is not just our rich West Cork soil, but the way they are grown. Instead of using harmful pesticides to manage pests that might damage the crop, Bushby’s uses other beneficial insects in a preventative role. This means what ends up on your plate is as clean and natural as it gets. Hotels, restaurants and food lovers across West Cork all make local strawberries their preferred choice, for that exact reason. And if you’ve ever tried them, you’ll know what we mean. 

Strawberries are packed with Vitamin C, so one small bowl gives you more than your daily dose. They are also full of fibre, which is great for your gut, and they have natural sugars that give you energy.

This summer, keep an eye out for the Alpine strawberry, a tiny wild strawberry, which you might know as sú talún fiáin in Irish. It grows in hedgerows, along woodland edges and on grassy banks .These are much smaller than the ones you buy, but the flavour is intense and sweet in a way that is hard to describe until you have tried one. Top tip: you might find some near the playground in Dunmanway! Wild strawberries are perennial, meaning they come back every year in the same spot once established.  

Strawberries are one of the easiest fruits to grow at home: in a garden bed, a pot on a windowsill, or even a hanging basket. They like sunshine and well-drained soil. Plant them in spring and you could be picking your own by June or July. Once the plant finishes fruiting, it sends out runners, which are long thin stems with a baby plant at the end. You can pot those up and they will grow. So one plant can become many.

Strawberry frozen yoghurt pops

We have a tasty – and healthy – recipe for you! These frozen strawberry pops are brilliant on a warm day and they could not be simpler to make. You will need ice lolly moulds, which you can find in most supermarkets or hardware shops.

You will need:

•  250g strawberries

• 120g natural yoghurt

• 1 tablespoon of honey

There are two ways to make these: You can either just blitz the strawberries in a blender and freeze in moulds – these are delicious on their own, and great for teething babies, too.

Or, combine with the ingredients above. If you don’t have fresh strawberries, frozen is fine! Mix in the yoghurt and honey and stir until combined. Pour into your lolly moulds, insert the sticks, and freeze for at least four hours, or overnight. To release, run the outside of the mould briefly under warm water.

Tips: Strawberries freeze beautifully on their own too. Take out the stems, and freeze in a bag. Frozen strawberries are perfect for smoothies, porridge toppings, or blitzing into a quick sauce for pancakes.

Fruit skewers with chocolate dip

Thread chunks of strawberry, banana, apple, and whatever fruit you have, onto wooden skewers. For a dip, melt a bar of good dark or milk chocolate in a bowl set over hot water, stirring gently until smooth. Dip and eat immediately.  

Chocolate-covered strawberries

Wash and dry a punnet of strawberries and set aside. Line a baking tray. Melt good quality dark chocolate (we like 70pc cocoa). Dip strawberries into it and lay out on a baking tray to harden. Pop in the fridge or freezer and enjoy once chocolate has set.

Did you know?

Unlike most fruits, the seeds of the strawberry are on the outside. If you’ve ever bought a packet of strawberry seeds, you’ll know that they are tiny: those tiny yellow specks you see on the skin. A strawberry is not actually a berry at all, in the botanical sense. Bananas and avocados are true berries. The strawberry, meanwhile, belongs to the rose family, which perhaps explains why it smells so good.

We love the surprises Irish holds: ‘sú’ is from Old Irish, meaning juice or berry, and ‘talún’, comes from ‘talamh’, meaning earth or ground. So strawberry means ‘berry of the ground’ or ‘ground berry’.

Fun Facts

• The average strawberry has around 200 seeds.

• Strawberries were used in medieval times to treat everything from fevers to sore throats.

• The world’s heaviest strawberry on record weighed 289g, roughly the same as a small tin of beans.

• In Japan, strawberries are so precious that a single perfect fruit can sell for several euros.

Follow us for more news about our cooking and gardening workshops in West Cork schools: Instagram: @kidsfoodrevolution. Newsletter: kidsfoodrevolution.substack.com. Website: www.kidsfoodrevolution.com.