It’s a truth universally acknowledged that Mr Saturday Night has had a fair few birthdays.. (shameless theft of one of Jane Austen’s best lines, right there..)
However, this year’s must be the weirdest one ever – no day out in a favourite spot; no dinner in a posh restaurant; cards and presents at the mercy of the over-stretched postal service; no friends or family popping in for a chat and wee drinkies.. Of course he’s got this in common with virtually everyone who’s had a birthday in the past 7 weeks or so, and truthfully he’s not complaining – we know when we’re lucky..
Summer scenes..
This is one of Mr Sat. Night’s own pictures, from Peatlands Park, Co Armagh
Our beloved Titanic..
The past few months have changed all our lives – I go shopping once a week; we get deliveries from local businesses, and we’ve been so lucky with the weather – we’ve been able to walk everyday, and have discovered local gems that were overlooked in the days when we travelled to various beauty spots in this lovely country of ours. Sometimes the real gems are at home..
When we were children, our birthdays were marked with presents, a cake, and our favourite dinner, and I’ve always run family birthdays like that too. This year I actually gave himself a choice of what he wanted for his Birthday tea and I thought his choices might be useful for your family Birthday teas as well..
To begin: There’s usually a bottle of fizz hanging about, and today will be no different!
Starter: Chicken Liver Parfait with toasted Sourdough
https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/my-chicken-liver-pate/
Main: Lizzie’s Chicken with Champ, and whatever veggies I can find..
https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/lizzies-dreamy-creamy-chicken/
Dessert: And I have to admit I was surprised at this: Rhubarb Slump – that’s the one with oven-roasted Rhubarb topped with a scone-like mixture – It’s delicious, but not the request I was expecting.. I’m hoping I’ll be able to put the candles into the crust!
That’s my humble offering for today’s Birthday Boy! For your own ‘lockdown’ event, don’t forget that there are a few great family-favourite cakes and dinners over on Eating for Ireland!
See you soon – and stay safe! 
x
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