Lose your heart to Connemara this Valentine's Day

Renew your acquaintance with Connemara

Romantic Getaway

Abbey Glen Castle Hotel for champagne romance, music & a gift for the ladies
Renvyle House Hotel where Yeats spent his honeymoon has turf fires champagne & gourmet food prepared by chef Tim O' Sullivan

Clifden Station House enjoy complimentary Prosecco & a special Valentine Menu prepared by local chef John O' Toole

For your own little hideaway Connemara Coastal Cottage have some special offers

If the way to your heart is through your stomach...then

Going out
EJKings Clifden offers a Love at First Bite 6 course menu for €27.50

O'Dowd's Roundstone Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide

2 courses from €19.50

The Twelve in Barna offers an I love you menu

Starting & ending with a kiss with foreplay in between from €50

Staying In
Pick up some Honey Smoked Tuna or other smoked products from Connemara Smoke House (not open Sat Sun) in Ballyconneely or pop into McGeough Butchers in Oughterard for some speciality foods to enjoy at home.

Suggested Taste of Connemara Menu with recipes from local chefs & producers

Honey Roast Smoked Tuna Toast

Abalone Chowder

Connemara Lamb with a Herb & Mustard Crust

Passion Fruit & Vanilla Creme Brulee

Gift Suggestions

Life is grand in Con O Mara's world -Say it with his & hers T-shirts

Buy her or him a rock (connemara marble jewellery)

Romantic Strolls
Produce your own diamond after a walk up Diamond Hill at Connemara National Park

Enjoy Sunday lunch at Kylemore Abbey followed by a stroll through the grounds. Mitchell Henry built Kylemore for his wife after they visited Connemara on their honeymoon.

Watch the sunset from the Sky Road -check the forecast first

Stroll on the beach at Dog's Bay or Renvyle Glassilaun Beach

If you can't get to Connemara then why not imagine yourself there!

Here are a couple of suggestions to get you in the mood

Movies

'The Matchmaker' or Tristan & Isolde or the original Connemara romantic masterpiece The Quiet Man

Music

Dessie O' Halloran Say you Love Me or Courtin in Kitchen

Books

Star of the Sea Joseph O' Connor

Malina -Penny Perrick

An Afterglow -Connemara Poems edited by Des Lally & Peter Fallon

Conamara Blues -John O' Donoghue

A couple of Connemara Poems

Connemara Images Virginia O' Malley

In Connemara George William Russell

Irish Proverb

Níl leigheas ar an ngrá ach posadh

There is no cure for love only marriage

Christmas Baking -It's a great tonic!

Ginger, Cinamon, Cloves, Nutmeg...all smells that will be wafting from the kitchen this weekend as I make the goodies for the gift boxes that I make for friends & family every year. I made our Christmas Cake sometime ago and have been regularly adding uisce beatha to it for the past few weeks. Christmas Baking reminds me of living in Germany and the great Christmas baking traditions they have there. Stollen,Zimt Sterne, Vanillekipferln, Lebkucken and the aroma of Gluhwein! All delicious! I have a few recipes from my time spent there but I also like to use a few from Irish Cookbooks. Who can forget making Christmas Logs in Home Economics Class? Will save that recipe for another day! We have some great baking traditions here in Ireland as well and I thought I'd share some recipes with you from Maura Laverty's Traditonal Irish Cook Book Full & Plenty 1

I found this book in a Charlie Byrne's bookshop a few years ago. It is a fascinating book with over 300 bread and cake recipes but the most interesting thing about it is the stories, food folklore & helpful hints! There are some great down to earth recipes in this and the stories are great. A great insight into Ireland's past. Its was published in 1960 with a reprint in 1985. One story is about a widow who was delighted when her son started courting a domestic economy instructress. She invited her to Sunday Tea to meet her for the first time but following a conversation with one of her neighbours she was anxious that her home cooking wouldn't reach the standard of a 'high falutin' lassie & college trained cook! But all was well when the domestic instructress at Sunday tea praised the widow's soda bread much to the disgust of the interfering neighbour.

In Laverty's intro she says that cooking/baking is the 'poetry of housework' and that rubbing butter into flour for scones is a 'better tonic for neurotic people than anything their doctors could give them'!! So escap the Christmas panic and do some baking...it's a great tonic!
Here are a few samples of her Christmas recipes..simple ingredients, straightforward instructions but they taste good. I have experimented a little by adding spices, grated orange rind or other flavours to them.

Chankele (Christmas Candles)

• 3 eggs
• 50z icing sugar (150g)
• 6oz ground almonds (175g)
• 4oz flour (110g)

1. Beat the eggs until light.
2. Add the sugar gradually and beat until thick.
3. Stir in the almonds and enough flour to make a soft dough.
4. Turn dough on to a floured board and form into rolls the shape of a very small candle.
5. Fry in deep hot fat for 2 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Drain, cool and roll in more icing sugar.

Christmas Biscuits

• 8 0z flour (225g)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 8 0z castor sugar(225g)
• 4 0z butter (110g_
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 egg whites
• 2 oz chopped nuts(50g)

1. Sift together flour,baking powder and sugar
2. Cut in the butter finely
3. Stir in the egg yolks and vanilla and work dough until smooth
4. Leave in a cold place for a couple of hours until firm
5. Roll thinly on a lightly floured board and cut as desired.
6. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with chopped nuts.
7. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 10-12 minutes in a 375F oven (gas mark 5)

Christmas Shortbread

• 8 oz butter or margarinee (225g)
• 8 oz icing sugar (225g)
• 1lb flour (450g)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

1. Cream the butter,beating in the sieved icing sugar.
2. Gradually work in the flour which has been sieved with the baking powder.
3. Knead well, roll out about 1/4 inch thick and cut into strips about 2X3 inch.
4. Bake for 45 mins in a 300F Oven Gas Mark 2 taking care not to brown the shortbread.
5. When cooked, coat each piece of shortbread evenly with icing sugar.