We visited the Merrion in Dublin for a couple of days last weekend. It was dry and sunny but absolutely freezing outdoors. Imagine our delight when a waiter there suggested that my daughter and I have a Hot Port each to help thaw us out.
Any Hot Port I’ve ever had consisted of Port, sugar, and a slice of lemon studded with cloves, so we were surprised when ours arrived with a thick slice of Orange and a Cinnamon stick for stirring. I have to say it was absolutely delicious, the orange and cinnamon really change the flavour.
Naturally, having pondered if we could feel our toes again, or whether we should have a second one for the sake of our health, I thought of passing this discovery on to Eating for Ireland readers. To those of you out there who may be ‘persuaded’ into the occasional Hot Port at this time of year, I’d definitely recommend that you try this method. Let me know how you find it..
I’m not going to insult you with ingredients, method etc., but here’s a picture.. and you can add a little sugar if you like 😉
I started writing down recipes in an old copybook when I was about 16. With 6 children at home, my Mother was always glad of a hand in the kitchen, and really allowed us to experiment - as long as we washed up afterwards, and left the kitchen immaculate! Having a tidy kitchen has followed me through my life, as has the habit of writing down my favourite recipes; except that these days I write them for my website, and add photographs when I can. The website really started when it occurred to me that my daughter might like to have these recipes when I've forgotten them. In my early days of cooking for family and friends, I used to phone my Mum all the time to ask her for the recipe for some of our favourite family dinners. She rarely had a recipe to hand - I think, like me, she made a lot of it up as she went along.. So welcome to Eating for Ireland - these are the recipes that my friends and family having been eating these past 40 years.. yes, I truly am ancient! They are tried and tested, and have worked for me for all that time - I have updated them as new ingredients became available - I really hope you'll find something that you can make into a family favourite of your own. You don't have to tell anyone where you found these great new dishes that you're serving up - it can be our little secret, but I'd really love it if you could give me a sneaky 'follow' on Facebook and Instagram.. So off you go - have a good rummage around, you're bound to find something new! My sincere thanks to all of you who have found a recipe that you liked and dropped me a line to tell me - I really do love to hear from you! Happy Cooking! Becks xx