Dinnéar na Nollag

Ireland is well-known as a “food island” both at home and abroad. This Christmas, we can make our favourite meals and snacks while still supporting as many Irish food producers, chefs and farmers as possible.

The canapés

While Christmas is definitely the time to break out the brie and Mont d’Or – and we will never blame anyone for wanting to indulge in gorgeous international cheeses – you know that at Irish Country Living we love an Irish farmhouse cheeseboard.

The general rule for a well-rounded cheeseboard is “something old, something new, something stinky and something blue”, but when it comes to cheese you can also just throw the rule book out the window and serve whatever you enjoy.

This year, we will be including indulgent Irish cheeses like Drunken Saint from Co Wicklow, Corleggy from Co Cavan, the multi award-winning Cashel Blue, Leitrim Hill Creamery goat’s cheese and Coolea from Co Cork alongside some sliced Irish apple, Irish honey and some Irish-made chutneys (check out Folláin and Wexford Home Preserves). You can find all of these things, as well as Irish-made crackers, in-store or online from Sheridan’s Cheesemongers.

While you’re at it, why not include an Irish charcuterie board alongside the cheese? Cured meats like Gubbeen chorizo, Tom Durcan’s spiced beef and The Wooded Pig’s salami range are perfect with some toasted sourdough crostini, mustard from Brigid Brophy (The Lodge Barna Mustards) in Co Galway, and a variety of pickles.

Irish smoked salmon, trout and seafood are abundant, and oysters can be delivered fresh nationwide from a number of Irish oyster farms. They are the perfect show-stopping canapé and need little more than a squeeze of lemon or some Irish blackberry balsamic vinegar to serve. Try the Sligo Oyster Experience or Achill Island Oysters at your next party.

The starters

A creamy vegetable soup always goes down a treat, especially when made with Irish celery, potatoes, parsnips and carrots from local vegetable growers. Use Carol’s Stock Market vegetable or chicken stock, cook ‘til the veggies are tender and blitz until perfectly smooth. Add some Irish cream and you are ready to go (for some extra pizazz, make homemade croutons for garnish).

Mushrooms on toast anyone? Cook down some lrish mushrooms, like Garryhinch Exotic or Ballyhoura, in butter until soft. Add a glug of white wine and let the liquid reduce before splashing in some good-quality cream. Add some fresh thyme, chives and parsley, a squeeze of lemon and serve on toasted sourdough. If you’re brunching, add a poached egg. Perfection!

Instead of the usual prawn cocktail, try Dublin Bay prawns – they are large, sweet and delicious. Cook them the same way you would regular prawns and serve with garlic butter and bread, or de-shell them and serve chilled with Marie rose sauce made with Builin Blasta’s Smoked Onion Mayo and Three Men in a Trailor ketchup.

The main event

Christmas dinner is everyone’s favourite annual meal and using locally produced ingredients will ensure it is extra-delicious this year. Ireland is not self-sufficient in turkey and we rely on imports to help meet annual consumer demand. Your local butcher can tell you where your turkey is coming from. Some supermarkets also promote local Irish-reared turkeys, so keep an eye out for the Bord Bia Quality Assured mark when you’re doing your “big shop”.

You can’t have the turkey without the ham, and while some shoppers, again, head straight to their local butcher to source great quality Irish ham, supermarket buyers beware – there are still plenty of ham imports coming into Ireland. Again, the Bord Bia mark will help you here.

If you want to directly support a pork farmer this Christmas, smaller farmers often sell their pork locally at markets. You can also buy your Irish ham online from James Whelan Butchers in Tipperary, Andarl Farm in Co Mayo or Fiorbhia Farm in Co Laois.

Goose and duck are a bit more old-fashioned, but still popular (and delicious) options. In west Cork, Skeaghanore Farm produces Pekin duck, which roasts evenly with juicy meat and nice, crispy skin. If you want to try Irish goose, The Village Butcher in Dublin delivers nationwide; it sources its free-range goose from Mary and Tom Walsh in Co Kilkenny.

Christmas is a great time to invest in a local vegetable box to support farmers. At this time of year, expect to find potatoes, carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and beetroot – basically everything you might need for your Christmas dinner.

Green Earth Organics delivers nationwide and includes its own vegetables, as well as veggies from other organic local farmers, in their boxes.

Finally, we can’t forget about the stuffing – at the Irish Country Living test kitchen, we use local batch loaf to make our own breadcrumbs. Irish sausage meat combined with sauteed onions, fresh sage and thyme, a bit of white wine and some hot chicken stock, makes for a deliciously savoury stuffing.

The dessert

For some Christmas dessert inspiration, you can check out our whimsical Christmas desserts (page 8), featuring plenty of local Irish producers. However, if you’re not into baking, Christmas is a great time to splurge on some locally-made desserts.

Check your local cafes, bistros and farmers markets to see who is taking Christmas dessert orders. You can order desserts to cover the few days around Christmas and simply collect them on Christmas Eve morning – job done. Try Praline in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, who take online orders or What’s for Pudding? in Co Meath, who sell their luscious desserts in shops nationwide.

The snacks

That week between Christmas and New Year’s is often a blur of couch time, family films, board games and an endless array of snacks.

There are great Irish options for crisps – Keogh’s crisps, for example, are in north Co Dublin and O’Donnell’s crisps are based in Tipperary.

Another Tipp producer is Blanco Niño in Clonmel, a tortilla chip brand which offers a range of completely addictive flavours. If you’re looking for something a bit more farm-focused, Joe’s Farm Crisps are delicious and they are made from veggies grown by Joe and Sandra Burns in Killeagh, east Cork.

There is no shortage of Irish chocolate options at Christmas. Áine’s Handmade Chocolate is widely available throughout Ireland, while other speciality chocolatiers, like Bean & Goose in Co Wexford, Grá in Co Galway and NearyNógs in Co Down, ship nationwide.

The drinks

Irish grown grapes go into a beautiful wine made in Lusk, Co Dublin, by David Llewellyn. His Lusca Sparkling wine is made with rondo grapes, which are well-suited to the Irish climate.

If spirits are more your thing, The Pooka Irish Poitin flavoured with hazelnut is a delicious locally-made offering. Get brewing, as this will take your Irish coffee from “just ok” to “wow”.

In Co Cork, Killahora makes a delectable apple ice wine, perfect for finishing a holiday feast and pairing with a fruity pavlova.

Let’s not forget about the plethora of local ciders and craft beers available locally – cans of craft beer make great stocking stuffers, so this is a good time to discover a local craft beer maker near you.

Try Mescan Brewery in Co Mayo or Whitefield Brewery in Co Tipperary. In Donegal, Kinnegar have a great range of IPAs and stouts.

Sure, there’s nearly one in every parish.

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