Caitriona Redmond

Thrifty Tasty Bites

Category Archives: Reviews

28 Jan

Review: Grow Cook Eat

In late 2014, Michael Kelly got in touch to see if I’d like to review his new book; Grow Cook Eat. So I owe him an apology for taking so long to get this review done. Sorry Michael!

Mind you, it’s about the right time of the year to start considering growing  your own food. I know that the weather is cold, it may be snowing where you are, but in food-growing terms many of us who like to grow our own food are busy tending to our crops that last through the Winter, and have started to chit potatoes, and propagate seedlings for the Spring. Read More →

14 Nov

Food Blogging Tips & Tricks That I’ve Learned

Call this post a review of sorts, in effect it is. This is a review of a year in the life of an Irish food blogger, but it also a way of sharing some food bloggingtips and tricks I picked up along the way. This blogpost was originally written in December 2012, now 2 years later I’m updating some of the information. Read More →

10 Oct

A Lighter October

I’ve lost 17lbs since the start of September. This is a lighter October than last year or the year before.

I’ll rewind to a point last Summer where I watched “Fat Sick and Nearly Dead“; at the time I thought it was a great film (it’s available on Netflix) but I didn’t connect Joe Cross’ lifestyle to mine. After all, I’m “Wholesome” and I eat healthy food; why would I need to watch what I eat more closely? Then we went to the Aran Islands and I struggled with the climb up to Dun Aonghusa. I was out of breath, and then when I looked at photos we’d taken up the top I realised I couldn’t share them on the blog or social media.

I am so upset with myself. I am the only one who is in charge of my health and I let things get this bad. Read More →

28 Jul

Are Groceries More Expensive In Ireland?

I believed that grocery prices in Ireland are expensive; I felt they are steadily on the rise again, spurred on by the report from The Guardian published on Saturday, I’ve revisited my grocery shopping list from a few years ago to see how the prices differ. Read More →

16 Jun

Tea Biscotti & Teaology

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a tasting with Barry’s Tea and their master blender Denis Daly. I didn’t need to be asked twice. If there’s tea involved, I’m there with bells on. We were treated to tea based cocktails, iced tea and got to see some vintage stamps, order books and other items inside. I was particularly taken with these:
We ventured into the main room  and Mr Daly turned into a tea tasting and teaology machine. It was a lovely evening and I went home with a bag of specially blended tea from the master himself.Barry's Tea - Caitriona Redmond - Wholesome IrelandWhat do you do with a bag of specially blended tea? Apart from the obvious of course? It is a beautiful tea. Mam gave me a new teapot as a celebration present the day my book was published, it has a small infuser that sits inside so works perfectly with this robust, yet delicate blend. I figured why not up the tea content in my elevenses and come up with something that enhances the flavour.

All of the best instructions begin with:

First brew a strong cup of tea.

That is where my “tea biscotti” start. Read More →

13 Jun

Some News And Reviews

It’s a beautiful sunny day and I’ve some news and reviews to share.  Including Lidl’s new Nespresso compatible pods, Bellarom; a pint mug I found for sale (you will want one too); Bloom 2014, toilet training essentials and more! Read More →

04 Mar

Gluten Free Bargains In Lidl

I do try to eat a lower gluten diet than most. Simply because it doesn’t always agree with me.  Still, it is expensive to eat certain things if you’re on a gluten-free diet and Lidl have some gluten-free bargains this week that are well worth a look. Read More →

30 Dec

Mienas Handmade Nougat

Miena and I used to work together in an industry as unrelated to food as possible. Considering we both worked for a company that had less than 10 employees it’s pretty amazing that two of us have ended up following our passion for food. Read More →

16 Nov

The Irish Beef Book Review

A weighty tome for a weighty subject, The Irish Beef Book by Pat Whelan and Katy McGuinness evokes memories of much loved linen bound cookery books found in my Grandmother’s kitchen.

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25 Oct

Cooking With Kids

I’ll let you in on a secret; our ground floor is made up of only 2 rooms. The first is the living area which is North facing and has space for a sofa and a dining table and chairs at a squish. The second is my small galley kitchen, South facing, which is bathed with light the whole day through. This is the heart of my home and where I spend most of my day. The kids are part of the furniture in the kitchen, standing on chairs to peek at what’s on the hob; they stir, mix, peel and the 5-year-old chops to help me out. We come up with recipes together and eat together. Sometimes (often) the toddler climbs on the table, so at least the kitchen is small enough that I’m only 1 step away from being able to pop him back down to earth when required.

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13 Oct

Like Mam Used To Bake Review

If you’ve been following Rosanne Hewitt-Cromwell’s journey from blogger to published author over the past year you know how much of herself she has poured into this book. I received a copy of the book from Mercier Press a couple of weeks ago and now it’s time to give you the Like Mam Used To Bake review. Read More →

09 Oct

Flavours Of Fingal

I didn’t realise I took quite so many photographs when we visited Flavours of Fingal as guests of Fingal County Council last month. I’ve been going through my memory card and figured now would be as good a time as any to share them with you!

Local pumpkins and other produce.

Local pumpkins and other produce.

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