food from an irish garden: the good life at hunters lodge

7/27/2019 Food from an Irish Garden: The Good Life at Hunters Lodge

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FIONA DILLON

THE GOOD LIFE AT HUNTERS


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For Eamonn

You are the measure of my dreams.

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PREFACE

Hunters Lodge Living The Blog

LIFE AT HUNTERS LODGE

Family Values Hunters Lodge My LarderYour Health Is Your WealthSize Doesnt Matter

The Time Is Ripe A Costly Exercise? Self-Sufficient? Eating Meat Food through the Seasons

Starting the DayIn the KitchenSpring Has Sprung The Noble SpudSummer Sensations Bee HappyAutumn Harvest Foraged FeastsWinter Wind Down Christmas Delights

OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS A BEGINNERS G

KEEPING CHICKENS

Good Idea, Bad Idea Why Do You Want to Keep Chickens? Where Do I Start?

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BroilersWhats Right for Me?

To Brood or Not to Brood?Time to Buy

Eggs, Eggs and More Eggs! Storing Your EggsEgg Issues

Chicken Husbandry

BeddingFeeding Your ChickensChicken BathsHealth IssuesMoulting Out with the Old and In with the

New FeathersWing Clipping

Hatching Chicks Broody HensIncubators and BroodersFrom Chicks to GrowersChicks: Feeding and Drinking

So, Where Do I Start?

READY, STEADY, SOW!

Quality Time Ready Home-Made Plant Sprays and Feeds

Home-Made Aphid RepellentHome-Made Plant Feed

Steady Hardening Off Sow Buy a Packet of Seeds and Get Going!

HerbsThe Tastiest TomatoesLeafy Salads

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Crop RotationSensational Spuds

What You Will NeedWhich Potatoes to ChooseChittingThe Nitty GrittyPotato Blight

A Garden Without Garlic?

Sowing and GrowingOnions and Shallots Sowing and Growing

Peas Endless Possibilities

Oldies but GoodiesHealthy Options

Mix It Up!Bee KindMemory Lane

A FRUITY TALE

Sweet Strawberries Planting StrawberriesGetting Down to ItHarvest TimeFree Plants

Irresistible Raspberries Planting Raspberries

Reliable Rhubarb Growing RhubarbForcing RhubarbHarvesting

Glorious Gooseberries

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IN THE KITCHEN COOKING AND HOME-MADE

Bread and Cakes Traditional Irish Soda BreadBrown BreadOne-Step Sponge CakeMadeira Cake

Breakfast and Brunch Granola

Baked EggsSweet Treats

Strawberry JamPerfect PavlovaCreamy CustardLemon Posset

Tea LoafSweet Strawberry Ice CreamRosehip SyrupCool Ice Pops

Pickles and Relish Sweet and Sour Cucumber PickleTomato Relish

Winter Wonders Pea SoupToms Spud and Scallion SoupOur Dublin Dinner (Beef Casserole Cooked in a Sl

A Little Bitta Butter Adults Only

Raspberry Gin/VodkaSloe Gin/VodkaThe Gift of Giving

Recycling and UpcyclingWhats Next?

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Busy Bees Geese

Its a Big Step, so Enjoy It

GIFTS FROM NATURE

Foraging for Food Wild Strawberries and BlackberriesThe BlackthornRosehipsDandelionsNettlesCrab Apples

The Healing Power of Food Honey

GarlicRosehip Syrup

EPILOGUE

GARDENING DIARY

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M AY HAV E BE EN BOR N in County Offaly and hadschooling in County Galway, but I was always a b

townie at heart. My father, from Ferbane in County and my mother, from Glenageary in County Dublin, their married life in the big smoke, but a new job oppofor my father meant a return to country life for my parethe time I was finished my Leaving Cert, I was ready foradventure. I quickly settled into life in Dublin. My lov

with our capital city had begun many years beforehand sunshiny summers spent with my grandmother in GlenTo this day, however, my father still says to me, Neveryoure a bog woman, something of which I am quite pro

The years passed, I met Eamonn, the love of my life, achildren arrived. We had a lovely home in the city,

children, a successful business and a property portfolio. I tthe only reason we would ever leave our beloved hoBallsbridge would be to move to a bigger house to accommour ever-expanding family. Well, I got that wrong!

The children were growing up and the prospect of lithe country started to appeal more and more. Eamonn

were also looking for our next challenge. One day in 19had a picnic with the children in fields of barley in KCounty Carlow. This land had been in Eamonns family fotime, and, on that sunny day, the decision was madf ll i d l k k d b l H


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trees. The blackest night skies seemed to bmillion stars a far cry from the beeping horn

and crowds we had lived with in Dubliimmediately. Luckily for me, my totally citifieenamoured as I was, thanks in no small part tonow had an acre of gardens in which they cou

Sound idyllic? Well, yes, it was, except forEamonn and I had arrived in Carlow to work not to get back to basics in the country. Ovyears, we transformed those barley fields picnicked into an 18-hole championship golhotel, spa and clubhouse. And we were burn

Our life had quickly become a pattern of w

sleep, work, children and sleep. Between us, Eworking up to eighteen hours a day, six or sRidiculous! And how the years were flying byour fourth child was born). We had never knit. Our responsibilities were enormous, the dewere relentless, and the financial pressure was

this day I find it hard to think about all the slthe worry that was permanently etched easygoing husbands eyes. I try not to dwell ruthless people can be towards each otherbusiness. Having said that, the experience tauvalues, and it is one of the reasons I am so co

husband and children are healthy and happmuch that can stress me these days.

By 2008 we had walked away from thewithout a penny between us. But after yeaevery which way we knew that our priority


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During my working years, I had hired a nanny and housekeeper. At any given time I knew the house was cle

the children were well fed and never short on love or attBut now the time had come for me to do it all myself. I caunderstand how the prospect of domestic bliss could senda woman fleeing back to the corporate world, but I do challenge!

I made myself a promise: if I was going to cook dinnerwere going to be the finest dinners my family could eat. Awasnt going to be going out into the workplace and earliving it was now my job to produce those family meconomically as possible. I already kept a few chickens anan acre of space at my disposal, I figured why not grow som

as well?Its true that no plan is straightforward, but finding seriously ill in hospital in January 2009 certainly wasnt agenda. The diagnosis? Graves Disease, an auto-immune brought on by years of relentless stress. No surprise therThats when I made a promise to myself I will die of an

but stress. Anything!I left hospital revitalised and more determined than egrow my own food. I attended organic vegetable growing cin the nearby village of Ballon, and they transformed mymay sound a little dramatic, but its true. I was so fortuhave the most wonderful tutor (a Carlow woman nam

Brown) and, to this day, she remains my hero. She got meright path. I went from knowing nothing to having no fearit comes to growing food. Whats the worst that can hapnow had chickens for eggs and fantastic fresh vegetablestime soft fruits apple trees pigs turkeys and bees were


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mama!) is because the people involved in thfellow parents, competitors, etc.) witnessed mfrom business woman to Barbara Good. Tconstant questions from my family prompted


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was even crazier! Nowadays, I write in their stand-alonemagazine, Irish Country something I am very proud of

But other opportunities arose from blogging. I was invdo a guest slot on a local radio station, and I now preseown show on Community Radio Kilkenny City. I lomedium of radio and, back in 2012, I had the opportutake myself to college to do some PR and media studies. this time I also became a certified trainer so I could showhow they, too, can get back to basics. The opportunitihave arisen from blogging have been endless and really goFilm crews and radio shows have recorded here at HLodge, Ive made some amazing friends, and we Dillohaving a ball! But the most exciting point so far was, wdoubt, being approached to write this book.

JNmLACFbcjklNo experience is required to recreate our back-to-basicsHunters Lodge in your own home. If I can do it, anyon

Believe me, my KISS (Keep It Simple Silly) motto hasme in good stead throughout the years. Nobody needscomplications in their life.

And on the off-chance you may be thinking that ovyears I transformed into an all-singing, all-dancing Irish vof Martha Stewart, I must point out that I have nevergo

grips with the housework element of my plan!

Fiona DillonHunters Lodge, Ballintrane, County CarlowA


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food from an irish garden: the good life at hunters lodge

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