End of Chapter One.

Five years ago a friend asked me if I would like to take part in a Christmas craft fair selling some of my chutneys and jams. I had never thought about doing anything like this before and so I jumped at the chance.

That evening I met a few stallholders from our local farmers market where I was also a customer and one thing led to another and it was decided :- I was going to take a stall. Low and behold shortly afterwards I fell off the second last step of the stairs and broke my wrist.

By the time I was able to drive and work in the kitchen again another lady had started selling jams. So I resigned myself to making chutneys, relishes, dressings and pates. It was so exciting to experience selling my own produce and to get compliments about what I was doing.

A couple of months after I had taken my stall the cheese lady - Mary - told me she was leaving. I jumped at the chance of taking on the cheese stall having had a long obsession with all things cheesy.
This is when "The Cheeseboard" began.

The last few years have enriched my life and that of my families hugely. My children have seen hands on trading - learning rapidly about the connection between hard work and earning money.
I have met a vast array of people from the community and have become a  member of my local community in a way that can often take a "blow in" decades!!!
I have made an incredible amount of friends which has brought many happy occasions to our lives and I've even bought an 'oul dress or two along the way !!

However over the last few months I've been yearning for a change.  I need a new challenge.

And so .....

Today was my last day as a stallholder in Gorey Farmers Market. I say this with a certain amount of melancholy but also with great expectations of other things to come......

I am thrilled to say I am handing over the reigns to a now ex- customer but still a very firm friend Aidan Clince. I can only hope the stall brings him the same amount of happiness that it has brought me over the past  few years.

And me .... Chapter 2 starts today. First I'm going back to college (again) to do a Maths degree and concurrently I have plans to formulate for my new (ad)venture.

In the meantime I'll still be cooking, eating and reading about food and bringing you an ocassional recipe.

Always  "The Cheeseboard" Gwen xxx

Shakshuka Irish Style

So its 2013 and I'm full of good intentions and resolutions like I will eat less, I will lose two stone, I will exercise more and most especially I will do more food related activities like add recipes to the blog, attend food festivals regularly etc.  - Does anyone see a problem with this?

However another resolution is to make use out of my cookery book collection and on this note I promise I have started well. I currently have an obsession with all things middle eastern  or to be more precise Yotam Ottolenghi.

I have all three of his books and have gone and bought lots of lovely spices, pomegranate molasses and preserved lemons. I really love the freshness of the recipes. I particularly like Shakshuka which is basically eggs poached in a spiced tomato sauce. So one Sunday morning recently I decided to give it an Irish makeover! The results were delicious although I can't see some of my other resolutions being realised successfully if I indulge in this too often. Having said that everyone in the family enjoyed this thoroughly.

Shakshuka Irish Style

1          Onion diced
1          Can cherry tomatoes
1Kg     Ripe tomatoes chopped in big chunks
454g    Sausages
6          Slices streaky rashers cut inot lardons
1 tsp    Cumin seeds lightly roasted
1tsp     Harissa paste (or to taste depending on your tolerance)
1         Red pepper diced
150ml  Water
1 tbsp  Olive oil
6         Eggs
Bunch Coriander


Saute the onions until golden for a bout 5 mins then add the cumin and harissa and cook fro a minute or two. Then add the lardons and sausages chopped into bite sizes and allow to brown for a few minutes. Next add the peppers and allow to soften for a minute or two. Then add all the tomtoes and the water and allow to come to a simmer for about ten to fifteen minutes until its  bubbling and thickens up a little. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. Then make little nests for each egg. Crack the eggs into the nest and swirl the egg white slightly in the sauce. Allow the eggs to poach gently leaving the yolks golden and runny. Sactter fresh coriander leaves over the top and serve. Perfect on a cold morning.

A Quick Fix - Wholemeal Cheese Scones

I love baking but I don't always have the time to go to a huge amount of trouble (or washing up) so its great to be able to put something together quickly without making a mess.

Scones are the ideal answer to this. So yesterday morning (Sunday) I was enjoying a leisurely lie in when my brain had a vision of breakfast that included brown bread. Then the next light bulb went on I a) hadn't made any, b) hadn't bought any and c) hadn't taken any out of the freezer. So out of the bed with me and down stairs to feed my brood who seem to be forever starving! 

It was 11am and I had an incredible amount of housework to do to be ready for the week. I decided a nice wholemeal cheesy scone would be the perfect answer to my brains vision. So on went the oven and a tasty breakfast was on the table in 35 minutes! They also keep well for a few days because of the fat content in the cheese.

Wholemeal Cheese Scones

300g Stoneground Wholemeal Flour - I use Uncle Aidans a lovely Wexford flour

300g Plain Flour

200 g Cheddar Cheese

400 ml Buttermilk

1 tsp Bread sSoda

1 tsp Salt

Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Grate the cheese and add 150g into the flour and mix in gently. Make a well in the centre and add the buttermilk. Using your hand like a claw mix well. Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured worktop and quickly shape the mixture into a round. Then flatten it gently to about an inch. use a medium cutter to cut out the scones. Put them onto a lightly floured baking tray. Brush them with egg wash and sprinkle the remaining cheese over them. Place them into the oven fpr 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.