I started The Flavour Files in 2012 and have added recipes celebrating our wonderful Irish produce ever since. My recipes show great produce is as much at home on our kitchen tables as on a restaurant menu. It's not just recipes though - there is news, reviews & other writing too!
August 18, 2020
Sometimes, I remember a dish from childhood and wonder if I could make it better. This dish is one of those, and yes, I really did make it better. It’s totally retro, and I’m totally cool with that… Mum was the queen of the diet pamphlet, and her favourite was for a “High Fibre Diet” […]
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August 18, 2020
In a departure from food, I decided there was another point of view about the ASAI banning THAT Tampax ad… This article was published in The Echo – read it online here. Have you heard of Michelle Wolf? She’s a US comedian who has a skit about periods that is probably one of the best […]
Read moreAugust 18, 2020
Necessity is the mother of invention, and having a garden full of different peas and beans means the creative streak is at peak these days! Broad Beans, or Fava Beans, are top of the menu at the moment. Serve them up with a nice Chianti, or some Feta – like in this simple salad! I […]
Read moreJuly 29, 2020
This article was published in the July 2020 edition of The Opinion Magazine. I just adore cooking and eating outside. The incredibly good weather of late has meant, here at Flavour HQ, that we are doing both a lot more and improving our low and slow cooking game, experimenting with different heat, charcoal and smoke […]
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July 28, 2020
Hooray for Blackcurrant season! It is REALLY difficult to get blackcurrants in Ireland … so imagine my delight when they appeared in a Fruit n Veg Box from Dunworley Cottage! Growing up, we had, what seemed to me, hundreds of Blackcurrant bushes in our fruit garden. I know because it was down to me to […]
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July 28, 2020
No matter what you think you know, there is always more to learn! This happened to me when a Greek friend responded to a photo of my Baby Broad Beans and said, I have a lovely recipe you can make with those… The recipe that followed was more a list of ingredients – a list […]
Read morePlanning a visit to West Cork and want the low-down on the best artisan foods in the region? Or maybe just keen to support local food producers? A copy of the Artisan Food Guide will be your invaluable resource, and ideal for planning an independent food adventure of your own too!
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July 28, 2020
This salad isn’t what you might be expecting. As much as a love a classic Greek Salad of juicy tomatoes, refreshing cucumbers, bitter olives and salty feta, this salad take the aniseed notes of tarragon and Ouzo for this salad packed full of summery flavours and crunchy textures! I’ve often said that my family tree […]
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July 28, 2020
A what? You might ask! Cobbler is better known in some parts of the UK but most popular in the US. They are distinct from a Crumble in the way the topping is put together, but essential Cobblers are a fruit base with a topping that is part biscuit, part crumble and part batter. That […]
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July 10, 2020
Earlier this year, I was interviewed by Anna Healy, business coach, for her podcast series on West Cork Women in Business. I love this interview – it really makes me realise how far I’ve come since starting Flavour.ie – both personally and professionally too! Pop the kettle on and access the Podcast here: https://anchor.fm/anna-healy/episodes/For-the-love-of-food–An-interview-with-Kate-Ryan-ee0972
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July 10, 2020
Earlier this year, I was interviewed by Katia Valadeau of ProperFood.ie for her brilliant series “Women of the Irish Food Industry” – thank you Katia for including me! Access the interview here: http://www.properfood.ie/kate-ryan/ Kate Ryan is a woman I admire.I first met Kate Ryan, just like I met Jennifer Opperman, around a table, on a […]
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June 23, 2020
This post is a review in two parts which I hope to seamlessly merge together into one engaging whole. If you’re coming to this post thinking that there is actually a recipe at the end, prepare to be disappointed, but maybe stick with it anyway because this is a review about one very amazing book […]
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June 3, 2020
Part of a collection of recipes I’m calling My Purple Passion I had been knocking around in my head the idea for this cocktail ever since I made the Cherry Brandy Brownie. There was something so heady about the combination of cherry and chocolate that sent me off in search of a cocktail that would make […]
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June 3, 2020
Part of a collection of recipes I’m calling My Purple Passion So, I hold a deep conflict when it comes to anything Goaty. If I ever have enough land to keep animals, the first thing on my list would be a goat. They are such lovely creatures – cantankerous but full of personality. When my parents […]
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June 3, 2020
Part of a collection of recipes I’m calling My Purple Passion Right back at the beginning of the pandemic, I, on purpose, installed myself on an almost permanent basis in the kitchen. Of course there was the day to day business of cooking enough food to keep up well fed and happy, including snacks, but […]
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April 8, 2020
So, for some reason everyone has started making Banana Bread! I think it must be because we all went out and bought a crate load of bananas at the beginning of the crisis and now their just too ripe to eat but oh so good turned into Banana Bread, (or awesome pancakes…more on that another […]
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April 8, 2020
Remo-what? I hear you cry… Well, a remoulade is a Danish chop salad or slaw, but takes its flavour notes from earthy, peppery tasting vegetables – usually celeriac. It is also usually creamy and speckled with wholegrain mustard, but in these times of making use of what you’ve got lying around and not travelling to […]
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April 6, 2020
Apparently, 6th April is World Carbonara Day, and I’ve just finished reading this wonderful article by Manuela Spinelli of Eurotoques Ireland on the heart pounding merits of a good classic carbonara, and also reminding us that the principle of Italian cuisine is “generally three ingredients that marry together and become a paradise of flavours.” I […]
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February 20, 2020
My love for Lassi knows no bounds. I’d sooner have a Lassi over a milkshake, and of course they can be sweet or salty but always delightful. It is currently Mango season, so I’m getting beautiful mangoes in my organic veg box regularly. And just like pears, rarely do they arrive in perfectly ripe condition, […]
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February 20, 2020
I’m one of those people who adore Brussel Sprouts. Mr Flavour refers to them as The Devil’s Vegetable, a non-compliment he bestows upon Cauliflower – also a favourite vegetable of mine. It’s a wonder how it is we have managed to be together for 20 years to be honest! Frankly, it’s all in the cooking […]
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January 22, 2020
A Food Writing Workshop and Food Tour in West Cork with Dianne Jacob and Kate Ryan … COME WITH US! When: 8th – 11th October 2020 Where: The Celtic Ross Hotel, Rosscarbery, West Cork, Ireland Early Bird Offer until 31st March 2020 – BOOK TODAY Food with a Story to Tell is a writing workshop […]
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January 17, 2020
Twas three nights before Christmas, and Mr Flavour and I palmed off our beloved Springer Spaniel onto our unwitting friends and heading to Cork for a night of food, drink, a Bag O’Cans and a gig in a Church. Rock and Roll! The gig in questions was Beoga, Live at St Lukes, an incredible live […]
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