Soda bread is supremely straightforward to make, but like any bread recipe, it’s deceptive. Just flour, water and yeast? That’s it? Well most bread has a hidden ingredient that’s never listed: time. Measuring and mixing, kneading (‘elbow grease’ is rarely listed either), then proving, then proving again, not to mention the all important bake-time. Start at dawn, you might have something for lunch! Sodabread has the huge advantage that you can pretty much skip the kneading and proving stages and get it straight into the oven…mmm!
Ingredients
How to
Choosing a favourite castle in Ireland is a bit like choosing a favourite kitten from the window of a pet store. They’re all pretty cute! I can, however say that Clover Cove’s Sleagh Castle is inspired by the tower at Ross Castle in Killarney and also by Malahide Castle in Dublin, which is more like a stately home grown out of a castle – which is something like the history of Sir Charles Balcon’s family seat. The most romantic castle however has to go to Ashford castle on Lough Corrib. It’s magnificent (and huge!), but the romance for me came from the cruise I took on the Lough at sunset with the castle in the background when the whole sky above us bruised purple.
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There’s a great episode of The Simpsons where Bart gets adopted by next-door do-gooder Ned Flanders. It’s all funny, but the part which stuck in my mind was a sequence where Bart is hiding in a tree (don’t ask) and Ned makes him a late-night hot chocolate. He adds whipped cream, grates over chocolate, pops in a fudge-stick and puts a marshmallow on the end, which he toasts with a blow-torch. I have tried many times to recreate this screen delicacy and never quite managed to pull it off – but that’s no reason to stop trying, right?
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You may notice that in the Clover Cove series, the Cliffs near the harbour play a big part in the dramatic events of the books. Why? Because when the wind is whipping in off the sea, there’s nowhere more romantic. I have to say it’s also because of one particular set of cliffs: the Cliffs of Moher. I visited there quite young and I think the epic drama of the place had a big effect on me. That magic has only increased each time I’m drawn back. So why is Moher so romantic? Well, obviously because those sheer plunging cliffs are so epic, the focal point where the sea meets the sky and where the wind whips in off the Atlantic. But I think it’s also because the temptation is to inch up to the edge, clinging to your loved one (or even a prospective loved one) for safety and peek over, gasping and laughing. It’s like a fairground rollercoaster, but a lot bigger – and lot more pretty!
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One of my favourite things as a child (still is, actually!) was to sit on the seashore watching the wildlife. Seals basking on the rocks, otters floating on the waves and most of all, the noisy, constantly-moving community of seabirds swooping and diving. My favourite breed (after the Puffins, obviously!) are the Gannets. Snuggled against the cliffs, they are sleek and elegant, but it’s when they’re in the air that they really impress; the way they fold back their white wings and plunge into the water for a fish – so dramatic, you hold your breath, waiting for it to reappear. They always do, of course. Good for the Gannets, perhaps not so good for the fish…
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Sunshine and sand are, of course, the perfect combination when the weekend is stretching out before you and you don’t have anywhere else to be. But the beauty of Ireland’s West Coast is that the beaches can be stunning all year round. When the wind is giving your cheeks a pretty glow, the skies are slate grey and you have the whole bay to yourself (except perhaps a loved one – or loved dog!), there’s nowhere I’d rather be. Three of my favourites: Coumeenoole near Dingle, famously where Ryan’s Daughter was filmed. Sweeping and majestic. Barley Cove in Cork, right on the south west tip where there’s nothing to stop the waves from galloping in from the Atlantic. And Keem Bay, Achill Island, ‘up north’ (by Clover Cove standards, anyway!). Don’t worry, if you find anyone else on those beautiful deserted sands, there are dozens of other, equally stunning beaches just around the corner.
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