400 posts, four years and an awful lot of potatoes. Yes, as of next Friday, the Daily Spud will be four years – and also, rather neatly, 400 posts – old and is, I think I can safely say, now firmly out of blogging nappies.
I do still like to play with my food though, and that has lead to all sorts of things on this blog and beyond, including, most recently, a part in this:
John & Sally McKennas' indispensable Irish Food Guide,
in a brand spanking new 10th edition
And that would be me, loitering amongst the Irish food guide editors
It’s not an understatement to say that, back when The Daily Spud was little more than a glint in my eye – and considerably less than a speck on the internet – I would little have imagined seeing my name on the list of contributing editors for John and Sally McKennas’ guides. John and Sally have been shouting about the good stuff in Irish food for well over 20 years and their highly respected and opinionated guides, which were sponsored by Bridgestone for much of that time, have become nothing less than the definitive word on where to find the very best of Irish food (and if you don’t care to take my – admittedly biased – word for it, the New York Times has called them “Ireland’s leading food critics,” so they seem to think so too).
John and Sally McKenna at the Irish Food Guide launch, where it was all about beer, bread and bacon.
There is no recession in Irish quality food, says John:
craft beer, sourdough bread and rare breed pork and bacon are most especially on the up
The latest edition of their Irish Food Guide is a hefty little number, its 700 pages criss-crossing the country in a grand culinary quest to find both what’s good to eat and drink and to highlight who we can thank for bringing it to our tables – from farmers to chefs, and brewers to bakers and all others in between. The editors for their part (and I can speak from a certain amount of personal experience) left no plate untouched while on their respective missions. The resulting book tips the scales at 1.5lb and, even if you were to purchase your dining advice by weight alone, the €15 price tag would represent a bloody good deal. As it is, and given what you’ll find inside, the new Irish Food Guide is probably the best value all-you-can-eat offer you’ll see anytime soon.
The Irish Food Guide Dublin crew:
Caroline Byrne, Leslie Williams, John McKenna and that's yours truly, looking less potato-like than usual
Dear Spud, it’s nice to put a name and a face to the writer and writings I look forward to weekly. Well deserved recognition, well done.
The staff at irelandfavorites.
Thanks Brian, much appreciated and I look forward to your comments weekly too!
Many happy returns to the potato patch.Four years and 400 posts, must be a record?
Thanks Tom – it must be something like that alright. Sure don’t I know the drill at this stage.
Happy blog-day, Ms Spud! It’s been great getting to know you over food online and in the real world. Long may it continue! Cx
And likewise Caroline! Long may it continue indeed x