I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling like this year has flown. How on earth is it almost November already? And then on the other hand, I was in Amsterdam in February just before all the madness started, and that seems like an age ago. I know that officially winter does not start until December, but we treat November as the first month of winter just like the Celts did: with our climate here in Ireland and the cycle of the year with the sheep, it makes sense to us here on o

For me, a vital part of running a family, home and farm is looking ahead: anticipating what is coming down the line and being prepared for it. My goal is to minimise last minute panic, because when you’re on a farm, I’ve found that there are so many things that can happen (and do happen) that you simply have no control over. A homestead is no different. Many years ago when we started farming, my mother-in-law pulled me aside to tell me that my days of ‘planning’ were over. ‘T

Many years ago, when I was being taught to cook, this was the first savoury recipe I learned. Having gotten my instructions, I lined the ingredients up on the worktop, found a chopping board and knife and off I went. Serving dinner to the family that evening, I felt so proud of myself! Marinara, a classic Italian sauce, is made by pairing the main ingredient, tomatoes, with onions, garlic, some herbs and seasonings. So simple but also so adaptive, this is a core savoury recip

Well, here we go again. If you’ve just joined us in 2020, it’s really been one for the books. One star. Would not recommend. Proceed directly to 2021 and cross your fingers that things will improve dramatically. Having deliberated at length, the Irish Government has decided that we are going back to Level 5 restrictions from tomorrow night. Thankfully, some amendments have been made that will allow schools and a selection of businesses to stay open. While this is a disappoint