New Cookbook Celebrates The Fabulous Community Of Irish Food Bloggers In Aid Of A Good Cause

Goodall’s of Ireland have launched the country’s first-ever bloggers cookbook and it hasn’t disappointed the Her.ie girls.

Filled to the brim with gorgeous pictures and in depth recipes A Modern Irish Cookbook is a delightful read that makes you want to hit the kitchen the second you put it down.

The book is a true celebration of the close-knit online community of Irish food bloggers who have built friendships through Twitter based on their shared love of all things delicious.

Lucky for us, Her.ie met many of the book’s interesting and dedicated contributors and we were thrilled with whispers of recipes and the chirps of tricks and tips that were heard over a glass of Prosecco and a delicious lunch at the Cellar Restaurant in Dublin’s Merrion Hotel.

The first foodie friend of the afternoon came in the form of Zack Gallagher founder of the website IrishFoodGuide.ie, who revealed that the event was a huge one for the featured bloggers, many who were meeting each other for the first time.

“We all know each other from Twitter but many of us are meeting for the first time today to celebrate the book,” he said.

Zack, who hails from Co. Donegal, told the Her.ie girls that he quit his job in a restaurant in order to pursue a different career avenue and revealed his ambitions of publishing the first online-only cookbook.

A Modern Irish Cookbook is the perfect gift for the foodie in your life

Zack was only the first of many passionate foodies we were to come across throughout the afternoon and it was not long before we ran into Ethna, who juggles a love of food with a career as a burlesque performer. Having only launched her food blog Ethnacookseverything.com mere months ago, the chef-in-training said the appearance in the cookbook is thrilling.

“I only started my blog a few months ago, but the response I have received is amazing. I really enjoy doing it and having a recipe in the cookbook is great,” she said.

Food blogging is a hobby for most, but couple Brian and Rachael have turned it into a thriving business Nobó, which supports 100% Irish made, dairy free and natural products. Their delicious recipe of Apple, Celeriac and Horseradish Soup is one of the cookbooks many gems.

Since getting our excited hands on the cookbook we have been hitting the kitchen hard, trying and testing the recipes, bubbling, sautéing, stirring and of course eating and perhaps our favourite of the bunch is the Tagliatelle with Smoked Trout, Lemon and Peas submitted by mum-of-three Paula.

Paula revealed that her favourite place to be is in the kitchen cooking for her family and said naming her blog PaulasKitchenTable was an easy decision.

“I just thought the centre of the family home is at the table. We eat there, the kids do homework there, it is essentially the heart of my house which is why I named the blog what I did,” she dished.

Evin's Blackberry Apple Quick Jam features in the cookbook

While the shiny recipes in A Modern Irish Cookbook take centre stage it can not be forgotten that all proceeds from the sale of this gem will be donated to the Cork Penny Diners and Crosscare charities on behalf of Goodall’s.

Roisin O’Shea, Marketing Manager of Goodall’s of Ireland said: “This book was born out of a conversation that we had about how we would describe what is Irish food to an international visitor.

“ There’s no doubt about the quality of our produce or the level of talent in our best restaurants but what is our culinary identity…does it need to be redefined now that we have moved away from traditional meat and two veg meals?

We can't wait to make FQCheffess's Spiced Beef and Horseradish Croquette with Irish Stout Gravy

“We decided to ask a group who have lots of ideas about Irish food – our food blogging community - to help create this book.  These are their tried and tested recipes, that we feel best represent modern Irish home cooking today. This has been a wonderful project to work on, made all the more enjoyable by knowing we are raising money for two great charities.”

This colourful cookbook is the perfect celebration of Irish food to fill the Christmas stockings this December and will bring creativity and fun to your family dinners in the New Year.

A Modern Irish Cookbook is available for download for €2.99 or in hardcopy for €12.99. Log on to Goodall's website to support an excellent cause this holiday season.

In the meantime, stay tuned to Her.ie tomorrow for a sneak peak!