Children eat for free with the new Sunday lunch menu at the Harbour Hotel

Thu, Jan 12, 2012

Bring the whole family together for a relaxing Sunday lunch at the Harbour Hotel in the heart of Galway. Enjoy a fabulous four-course lunch for only €19.95 per person, including a glass of Prosecco. Children under 10 years eat for free, and customers can avail of two hours’ free parking.

On the Wine Shelf

Thu, Jan 12, 2012

Olivier Ravoire Côtes du Rhône (All good wine shops, €10.99)

Made from 80 per cent Grenache and a 20 per cent equal mixture of Syrah and Mourvèdre, this is a well-priced bundle from the vineyards around Vacqueyras and Cairanne in the southern Rhône. Rich raspberry fruit on the nose, that follows through on the palate, and along with some spice and pepper give a rugged honesty to a wine that works really well with a roast sirloin dinner or a plate of Roquefort or something a little funky like grilled sardines.

Not so happy customers

Thu, Jan 12, 2012

I have received quite a few emails recently from readers who feel that the standards in many local eating establishments are declining. Service, cleanliness, and food quality are all areas of concern for many. I mentioned this to several people over the holidays and just about everyone exploded with their various negative comments and anecdotes. On a personal note I feel that the once famous Irish welcome is a thing of the past other than in exceptional cases, and it makes me feel very uneasy for our tourism future. This is also true in many shops where you feel like you would need permission to ask a question. Before I put pen to paper I thought about possible reasons for this situation, and it may be that staff are being treated poorly, or perhaps they are under personal hardships, or lack good management, but whatever the reason, it is still no excuse.

Detox with the help of 2,000 years of wisdom

Thu, Jan 12, 2012

Christmas overindulgence can leave you feeling intolerant to certain foods, constipated or irregular, congested, ill, sluggish, and tired. What you need is a good internal cleansing programme to get your system back to its best.

Spend small on insulation, save big on heating costs with EcoSeal

Thu, Jan 12, 2012

“You put a hat on your head and keep your body heat in,” says Claire Nic Grianna from EcoSeal. “Thermal insulation in your roof will do the same for your house.”

If you do not have insulation in your roof, up to 30 per cent of heat could escape, costing you money. Insulating the 50sq m (540sq ft) attic space of a typical house costs around €450 and could save approximately €225 a year (up to 20 per cent of your fuel bill) so it would pay for itself in about two years.

The Parlour Tea Rooms, Athenry

Thu, Dec 29, 2011

There must be something in the air that has prompted the recent spate of tea rooms/cafes. Maybe it is a hankering after a slower pace of life and taking the time to relax rather than grabbing a paper cup of your favourite beverage and drinking it on the go. Maybe it is simpler? During my visits to eating establishments over the past year or three, it is impossible not to notice the fact that the female population dominates. With that in mind, any clever restaurant proprietor should be catering to this sector and that is why in my humble opinion we are seeing the growth of places like the Corrib House Café I visited a couple of weeks ago, and now this new one in Athenry.

Feasta Bia food ambassador of the year

Thu, Dec 29, 2011

This award was presented to Cait Curran earlier this month in recognition of her work in producing, training, and supporting local organic foods. Cait Curran has her own stall at the Saturday Galway market and she has been the project manager for Garrai na Oileain, an association promoting organic market gardening in offshore islands. She is also involved in the slow food movement and is editor of Organic Matters, a magazine dedicated to all things organic. The award was presented by Minister for Agriculture Food and Marine Simon Coveney. Feasta Bia is all about local food production and consumption, and through various initiatives it hopes to help increase these areas by 20 per cent over the next few years.

GMIT Hotel School to host first national food forum

Thu, Dec 29, 2011

The Hotel School in GMIT will host the first national Foodie Forum on Thursday February 2. The event will be an interactive one-day experience which will showcase the abundance and variety of excellent local and artisan produce available in Ireland. The event aims to support local food businesses and promote consumer sustainability.

Support local food when holidaying or eating out this New Year

Thu, Dec 29, 2011

Good Food Ireland calls on the Irish public if eating out or holidaying this Christmas to eat in restaurants and stay in hotels that are committed to using Irish food.

Love your tummy this New Year’s

Thu, Dec 29, 2011

With two out of every five adults experiencing symptoms of digestive discomfort at least once a week according to a poll of some 1,000 people conducted by Danone Activia Ireland, a significant proportion of Irish adults could be facing into a festive season of digestive discomfort. In order to help prepare your tummy for the New Year excess, Danone nutritionist Kellie O’Connor has developed a number of top tips for the festive season.

All you need to know about surviving Christmas… from drinkaware.ie

Thu, Dec 22, 2011

For all you need to know about surviving Christmas check out the drinkaware.ie Christmas Survival Guide, packed full of essential tips for lasting the pace this festive season.

Tasty treats

Thu, Dec 22, 2011

Smoked salmon rolls with cream cheese and red onion

A safe and happy Christmas with safefood

Thu, Dec 22, 2011

Christmas is a time for enjoying those traditional foods which make the time of year so special. And whether cooking for yourself, your family, or friends and relations, safefood has some tips to help you out this year for the safest, tastiest Christmas.

Things that really annoy me

Thu, Dec 22, 2011

There are certain things that I regularly encounter in the world of restaurants which just seem to make no sense, and when I mentioned a few of them to some friends they immediately had several to add, so if anyone is guilty perhaps you might consider the following.

Stylish winter cover-ups

Thu, Dec 22, 2011

A great coat is a must this Christmas season to take you from church to friends to family to town. Invest in a gorgeous, timeless, coat to last you for many Christmasses to come.

On the wine shelf

Thu, Dec 08, 2011

Jacob’s Creek Reserve Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2007 (Widely available, €12.99)

On the cookery bookshelf

Thu, Dec 08, 2011

Catherine’s Family Kitchen
As Seen On TV

GMIT Hotel School to provide gourmet giveaway in aid of Galway Lions Club

Thu, Dec 08, 2011

Hotel school students in the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology have volunteered to prepare, cook, and serve a gourmet dinner for 30 guests which will be auctioned off to the highest bidder during the Galway Lions Club ‘live’ Galway Bay FM auction tomorrow (Friday).

Finnerty’s champion craft butchers and Corry’s Loughrea

Thu, Dec 08, 2011

Finnerty’s butchers, which is located on the ground floor of the Eyre Square Shopping Centre and in Oughterard, has just scooped a top award at the All Ireland Craft Butcher Product competitions. It won supreme champion in the sausages and puddings section, quite an achievement when you think that there are about 500 butchers in the association and about 300 in the competition. Nevin Maguire was the main judge at the event so we can assume that the winners were all pretty impressive. I had often passed by the shop but never shopped there, so I decided to call in and try some of the award winning products. The main shop is in Oughterard and it has been supplying locally sourced meat for the last 50 years and supplies many of the main Connemara hotels like the Abbeyglen, Renvyle House, and Cashel House.

Your health is your wealth

Thu, Dec 08, 2011

Are you still thinking about what kind of gift you could give to your family members or friends for Christmas? Why not give them a healthy and relaxing gift -- a treatments gift voucher for traditional Chinese medicine?

Traditional Chinese therapies such as acupuncture, acupressure/massage, and herbs, which have been practised for thousands of years in the Orient, have become well known as a medical treatment for pain relief and many other conditions including sinus, headache, frozen shoulder, weight loss, arthritis, IBS, and women’s and men’s health problems. Some of the benefits include immune enhancement, an increase in energy, and an overall feeling of wellbeing. Traditional Chinese medicine and herbal medicine are proven to be among the gentlest therapies and are free of side effects.

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