What a glorious Summer we had in Ireland this year! Day after day of unremitting sunshine and high temperatures.. it was great, wasn’t it? We’ve all forgotten about the minor vexations of a hot, dry Summer – the hose-pipe ban, the difficulty of trying to sleep in that heat, the Farmer’s concerns for their crops in this agricultural country of ours.. need I go on?
However, that’s all behind us now – as the end of September approaches, Mr Saturday Night and I are discussing:
a) Putting the winter-weight duvet back on the bed
b) Turning the heat on in the mornings (we’ve been sticking it on in the evenings for a while now)
c) Wondering how soon we can light the fire/have Irish Stew for tea/start stockpiling logs for the inevitable freeze..(3 bags for a tenner, anyone?)
This past week or so, I’ve been drifting, almost unconsciously, towards comfort food.
We’ve had a few new one-pot recipes,( https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/chicken-tartiflette/
and One Pot Enchilada https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/one-pot-beef-and-rice-enchilada/
They’re well on their way to becoming firm favourites this year..
We’ve picked blackberries, and bought straight-off-the-tree apples and plums from the ‘Lady from Armagh’ at St George’s Market.
Upside-down Plum cake https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/up-side-down-plum-cake/ ;
Apple – or any other fruit you care to mention – Crumble https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/apple-and-raspberry-crumble/ ;
Plum jam (two kinds!) https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/plum-jam/ ;
Blackberry Liqueur https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/blackberry-liqueur/– they’ve all been enjoyed by us this past few weeks.
Some of us are ready for the days getting shorter, for temperatures dropping, for the first frost.
Others are being dragged, kicking and screaming, into the new season.
Personally, I love the change of seasons. I love the change to the food we eat; I love the abundance of local produce that’s available at this time of year..
But most of all, I love the fact that my local Garden Centre has opened their Christmas Shop Go Hillmount!!
There! I said the ‘C’ word! But first, Halloween..
Enjoy this wonderful season!