Summer potato recipes from salads to creamy cheese croquettes
Ah, the humble potato. It's easy to take for granted, but it has a rich and fascinating history – especially in Ireland. Between 1845 and 1852, the Great Famine struck, when disease wiped out the country's main food source, leading to mass starvation. Amid this tragedy, a French chef named Alexis Soyer, who was something of a celebrity in London for cooking for the upper classes, travelled to Dublin and set up a soup kitchen that fed 100 people an hour.
He also published affordable cookbooks filled with budget-friendly recipes. I'm lucky enough to have a couple of early editions in my cookbook library, sitting proudly alongside the works of Eliza Acton, Hannah Glasse and other culinary legends.
Potatoes truly deserve a starring role on our plates. There are so many incredible varieties available, each with its own flavour, texture and charm – not to mention some fantastic names. French varieties such as Ratte and pink fir apple made their way to Britain in the late 1800s. The knobbly pink fir apple, with its waxy texture and nutty flavour, is a standout. You don't even need to peel it – just give it a good scrub, or boil and then scrape off the skin if you prefer a smoother finish.
And then there's the legendary Jersey Royal, which has its own origin story. Hugh de La Haye bought two enormous potatoes with 16 eyes, chopped them up, and shared them with his friends to plant. The following year, on a steep slope by the sea, little kidney-shaped spuds emerged. The Jersey Royal – once nicknamed the Jersey Fluke – was born. I've been lucky enough to see them growing on those steep hills, known as cottles, covered in seaweed that gives them their signature flavour.
That waxy, earthy taste makes them ideal for a salad – like my one with creamy cuttlefish and salty samphire. Simple, elegant and bursting with freshness.
There are floury potatoes such as Maris Piper, Desiree and King Edward. These fluff up beautifully when cooked, making them perfect for chips, roasties or anything that needs a bit of crispiness. They're great all-rounders too, which makes them spot-on for a rösti.
Speaking of which, rösti is one of those underrated potato dishes that deserves more love in UK kitchens. Originating in 16th-century Switzerland as a breakfast dish for farmers, it's traditionally made from grated cooked potatoes. Golden, crispy and comforting – it's a real winner.
So next time you reach for a potato, remember – there's a whole lot of history and flavour packed into that little tuber.
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Sky News
38 minutes ago
- Sky News
Opening 'the pit': Dig for remains of 800 infants at former 'mother and baby home' in Ireland begins
A long-awaited forensic excavation at a former 'mother and baby home', where the remains of almost 800 babies and children are believed to be buried, will start today in County Galway. Many of the children who died at the institution in Tuam are believed to have been dumped into a former sewage tank, known as "the pit", according to local historian Catherine Corless. It was her painstaking research that uncovered the deaths of 798 children at the home for unmarried mothers between 1925 and its closure in 1961. Of those, just two were buried in a nearby cemetery. The remaining 796 are, it's presumed, buried at the site. "I'm feeling very relieved," the historian told Sky News as the excavation begins. "It's been a long, long journey. Not knowing what's going to happen, if it's just going to fall apart or if it's really going to happen." It exposed the dark underbelly of a mid-century Ireland heavily swayed by Catholicism and its cruel attitudes towards illegitimate children and the women who bore them, often sent to mother and baby homes before being separated from their offspring. A decade later, a team of investigators led by Daniel MacSweeney is embarking on a forensic excavation that could last for two years. The goal is to identify as many of the remains as possible through DNA testing, and to give all a dignified reburial. It's a glimmer of hope for people like Annette McKay, who now lives in Manchester. Her mother Margaret "Maggie" O'Connor gave birth to a baby girl in the Tuam home in 1942 after being raped at 17. The girl, named Mary Margaret, died six months later. Annette remembers her late mother recalling how "she was pegging washing out and a nun came up behind her and said 'the child of your sin is dead'." Annette now hopes her infant sister's remains can be exhumed at Tuam and laid to rest with Maggie. Margaret O'Connor reunited with her child. "I don't care if it's a thimbleful, as they tell me there wouldn't be much remains left; at six months old, it's mainly cartilage more than bone. I don't care if it's a thimbleful for me to be able to pop Mary Margaret with Maggie. That's fitting." For Annette, now 71, Tuam is emblematic of a different time in Ireland. "We locked up victims of rape, we locked up victims of incest, we locked up victims of violence, we put them in laundries, we took their children, and we just handed them over to the Church to do what they wanted," she said. "My mother worked heavily pregnant, cleaning floors and a nun passing kicked my mother in the stomach. And when that place is opened, their dirty, ugly secret, it isn't a secret anymore. "It's out there. And we need to know from that dirty, ugly place what happened there. So first and foremost, we want answers to that place." The Irish government made a formal state apology in 2021 after an inquiry found an "appalling level of infant mortality" in Ireland's mother and baby homes, concluding that around 9,000 children had died in the 18 institutions investigated. Taoiseach Micheal Martin said at the time that "we had a completely warped attitude to sexuality and intimacy, and young mothers and their sons and daughters were forced to pay a terrible price for that dysfunction". The Sisters of Bon Secours, which had run the Tuam home, offered their "profound apologies", admitting the children were "buried in a disrespectful and unacceptable way", and offered financial compensation. 12:55 As the dig - which could last up to two years - starts at the Bon Secours site, the people of Tuam are still grappling with the contempt and neglect that occurred in their town. "I'm still trying to figure that out," said Ms Corless. "I mean, these were a nursing congregation. "The church preached to look after the vulnerable, the old and the orphaned, but they never included illegitimate children for some reason or another in their own psyche. "I never, ever understand how they could do that to little babies, little toddlers. Beautiful little vulnerable children."
Telegraph
9 hours ago
- Telegraph
Summer potato recipes from salads to creamy cheese croquettes
Ah, the humble potato. It's easy to take for granted, but it has a rich and fascinating history – especially in Ireland. Between 1845 and 1852, the Great Famine struck, when disease wiped out the country's main food source, leading to mass starvation. Amid this tragedy, a French chef named Alexis Soyer, who was something of a celebrity in London for cooking for the upper classes, travelled to Dublin and set up a soup kitchen that fed 100 people an hour. He also published affordable cookbooks filled with budget-friendly recipes. I'm lucky enough to have a couple of early editions in my cookbook library, sitting proudly alongside the works of Eliza Acton, Hannah Glasse and other culinary legends. Potatoes truly deserve a starring role on our plates. There are so many incredible varieties available, each with its own flavour, texture and charm – not to mention some fantastic names. French varieties such as Ratte and pink fir apple made their way to Britain in the late 1800s. The knobbly pink fir apple, with its waxy texture and nutty flavour, is a standout. You don't even need to peel it – just give it a good scrub, or boil and then scrape off the skin if you prefer a smoother finish. And then there's the legendary Jersey Royal, which has its own origin story. Hugh de La Haye bought two enormous potatoes with 16 eyes, chopped them up, and shared them with his friends to plant. The following year, on a steep slope by the sea, little kidney-shaped spuds emerged. The Jersey Royal – once nicknamed the Jersey Fluke – was born. I've been lucky enough to see them growing on those steep hills, known as cottles, covered in seaweed that gives them their signature flavour. That waxy, earthy taste makes them ideal for a salad – like my one with creamy cuttlefish and salty samphire. Simple, elegant and bursting with freshness. There are floury potatoes such as Maris Piper, Desiree and King Edward. These fluff up beautifully when cooked, making them perfect for chips, roasties or anything that needs a bit of crispiness. They're great all-rounders too, which makes them spot-on for a rösti. Speaking of which, rösti is one of those underrated potato dishes that deserves more love in UK kitchens. Originating in 16th-century Switzerland as a breakfast dish for farmers, it's traditionally made from grated cooked potatoes. Golden, crispy and comforting – it's a real winner. So next time you reach for a potato, remember – there's a whole lot of history and flavour packed into that little tuber.
BreakingNews.ie
17 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Irish people avoid chats about religion, politics, and money, research reveals
Despite loving gossip and a chat, some topics still stay firmly off the table for Irish people, with the top three being religion, politics, and money. New research from Lyons Tea has revealed that religion tops the list of most avoided topics, with 43 per cent of people saying they actively avoid it in conversation. Politics follows at 36 per cent, with money and finances close behind at 35 per cent. Advertisement When it comes to a chat over a cuppa, it is all about family, friends, and a bit of gossip. More than half of Irish people (53 per cent) say their favourite thing to talk about over a cup of tea is friends and family, ahead of news and current affairs (30 per cent), travel plans (26 per cent), and hobbies (26 per cent). Over a quarter also admit their go-to tea time chat is catching up on the latest local gossip (26 per cent). The research also found that while Irish people are fluent in small talk, they are far less likely to open up when it comes to mental health and personal issues. Advertisement Nearly one in three (30 per cent) avoid discussing personal struggles, and 21 per cent steer clear of conversations around mental health altogether. A nation of talkers Despite this, Ireland still stands out as a country that prioritises real-world connection. While people in the UK and US average just 33–35 minutes of face-to-face chat a day, Irish adults clock in at nearly 2.27 hours—almost four times more. Head of Marketing IRL at Lyons Tea, Fiona Collins, said: 'Ireland has always been a nation of talkers—and our research shows we still prefer face-to-face conversation more than most. "But even so, we're not talking nearly enough, especially when it comes to the things that really matter. Between busy lives and digital distractions, those meaningful chats are happening less than they should. 'With our 'Puts the Talk Into Tea' campaign, we're on a mission to encourage people to make time for proper chats—topics big and small. "A cup of tea has always acted as a way to check in, sit down, and say what's on your mind. We've been putting the talk into tea for decades, and we're proud to continue that legacy.'
