There’s always something special about the first day of the year that you can comfortably sit outside with your coffee. :)
Rowallane has some lovely new benches, but they have these old, rather rickety ones too – I rarely come home without taking a picture of at least one of them.
If you like bluebells, then Rowallane is the perfect place for you in April/ May – they’re everywhere!
This stunning flower has about 5 names, according to the information plaque beside it, but I can’t even remember one of them! You might have to go yourself to find out..
The Bandstand peeping through the trees..
Just one of the many, many varieties of Rhododendron in flower at Rowallane in springtime
Saturday’s a great day to visit National Trust properties – it’s like Sunday, but not as busy! You tend to find that you have a little more space to yourself, but the café, bookshop and pottery are open . Here are a few pictures I took today (towards the end of June) of the formal garden at Rowallane. There are lots of wilder bits for you to discover yourself, and as always, the seasons bring their own pleasures – Bluebell woods in May, glowing Rhododendrons from April onwards, the Christmas fair in the Courtyard, frosty mornings in November, Snowdrops in January – they’re all there to be discovered. I hope you’ll go and see for yourself.
The door from the Walled Garden
A view of Rowallane House from the Walled garden
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