Hopefully it won’t be long until travel to Ireland can resume, but in the meantime you can still enjoy a taste of the island by trying out some of its great regional dishes and recipes.
One of the best known traditional Irish dishes is champ. Thought to originate in Ulster, you can easily whip up this delicious comfort dish with mashed potatoes, scallions (spring onions), and copious amounts of butter and milk. There are variations across the country and champ can be known as ‘poundies’, ‘cally’ and brúitín in the Irish language, depending on where you go.
Related traditional potato dishes include colcannon, a mash using kale or cabbage instead of scallions; boxty, a potato pancake often associated with County Leitrim; and coddle, a potato, sausages and bacon dish most linked with Dublin.
With international chefs proudly featuring it on their menus, grass fed Irish lamb is one of the world’s finest. The likes of Glenarm Redspark Lamb will taste subtly different to Achill Mountain Lamb, and different again will be the highly prized Connemara Hill Lamb.
The best way to try this Irish lamb of course is in a traditional Irish stew. The authentic recipe calls for mutton, potatoes and onions, but these days most people use their lamb of choice, with carrots and pearl barley added for extra colour and interest.
The Irish love their breads, and traditional recipes such as potato bread available as ‘farls’, as well as fruit loaves, treacle bread, barmbrack and wheaten bread are only the tip of the Irish bread iceberg. Regional specialty breads include the ‘blaa’, a large, soft, and fluffy roll exclusive to Waterford city, while the similar but more crusty Belfast bap is a top seller well beyond the city limits.
Yet soda bread is widespread in Irish tradition and the one that will bring a true taste of the island into your home. Try this soda bread recipe from Darina Allen, chef, writer, TV presenter and founder of the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School.