Sheridans Food festival

Yesterday was Sheridans Food Festival
there were so many things I was looking forward to
and it did not disappoint

This really is an exciting time for food in Ireland

I was blown away by not only the quality but also the quantity of
incredible food producers here

The cheese selection was amazzzzzingggg
and I love my cheese

There were also fantastic breads

good coffee

a new to me tea label

Some of them smelled so good I could have worn them as perfume
I purchased the Morrocan mint....... delicious

There were Food "celebrities "
including Donal Skehan 
and the Doyenne of the irish food movement herself

If you don't already own her book then you must go and buy it
Indeed any of her books, they are all must haves and ones you will go back to again and again

As well as food there were a small number of non food items
including my Friend Vanessa from
Very Pure soap

I use the face oil and oil cleanser and they are really great products
especially if you have sensitive skin

THE Highlight of the day though had to be finally meeting
Imen
from
I Married an Irish Farmer
......and her son

Imen did a cookery demonstration
chicken with honey dressing
and little potato and cheese tartiflettes
(not really sure what to call them )
But they were both YUMMY
the recipes will be up on her blog soon

I also purchased some of
Keogh's  hand cooked crisps = yum
A pottery bowl
some Dunany Rye bread (kicking myself for not getting some of their flour too) 
Coolea cheese
Killeen cheese
and
Clonmore cheese
as I said I like cheese

we all do

So good job Sheridans
I will be back again next time 

x x

Food Blogging baking

The loveliest thing about having a few free days 

Is having some time to bake 

The first thing on my list was 

Imen from

I Married an Irish Farmer's

Irish Brown Bread

and I can attest that this is a perfect brown soda bread

moist and crumbly

and full of flavour

I added sunflower seeds to mine

Imen has been nominated for the

Saveur food blog awards

you can vote for her here

It would be a much deserved win in my opinion

Yesterday evening Imen tweeted about 

a baking blog that is also nominated for an award

Call me cupcake

What a beautiful blog!

Maybe you already know about it

and if so .... why didn't you tell me !

The photography is stunning

so late last night I just had to try the recipes

-as great photography is all well and good but if the recipes don't work? 

pufh! well I wouldn't like to send you there and 

not be able to back up my recommendation.

So, in the spirit of blog research and authenticity 

I fired up the stove yesterday evening

As I had an abundance of chocolate left from Easter

I decided to make the 

Perfect chocolate espresso cupcakes

(actually there is no chocolate in the cake, but there is in the frosting)

Oh goodness these were delicious

so moist 

I couldn't believe that I had made them myself

I halved the frosting recipe and still had way too much 

but they were truly delicious cupcakes 

NOTE* in call me cupcake recipes 1dl = 100 ml 

and is a volume measure

in case, like me, you had no idea what is was 

all images Helen James