Carrageen moss, latterly known as Irish moss, is one of Ireland’s most powerful traditional tonic remedies. As an island/coastal culture, which for many centuries hacked a living out of the landscape with inherent and necessary frugality, we accrued a tremendous natural pharmacy – using our myriad herbs (nearly all now known as weeds!), mushrooms and […]
Salted caramel has become such a buzzword these days hasn’t it? Salted caramel chocolates, desserts, coffees, ice creams the list goes on…It feels like it’s everywhere we turn and yet the truth is, interestingly , that it hadn’t even been invented until the late 1970s! Try to imagine a world without salted caramel? We just […]
Tis’ the season to indulge with reckless abandon. To throw caution to the wind knowing that January is just around the corner and once we just string together these next 30 odd cheat days in a row, we’ll be back on the wagon, and our inner booze hound will be back on a short leash. […]
To celebrate the wonder that is chocolate 🍫 and our love of medicinal mushrooms🍄, we asked Ana (Sweet Nourishments) to create a delicious cake incorporating both of these wonderful ingredients… she didn’t let us down. Utensils Food processor 8’’ square baking dish (ideally with a removable bottom) Baking paper 2 Pots and bowls (for bain-maries – a bowl over a […]
Sick of pasta dishes? Stuck in a rice rut? Well then get thee to our latest piece of health advice – the very sagely Hopsack Guide to Cooking Grains. This little guide should see you gain confidence in the cooking of a whole host of grains – from buckwheat to bulghar. E-mail us your results!
National Organic Week Ireland 2009 is upon us. It runs from 14 September to 20 September inclusive but The Hopsack is offering you lip-smackin’ tastings for an entire fortnight! Sweet, eh? Whole Earth soft drinks; Koyu Matcha tea; toasty Clearspring seed snacks; and organic, fair-trade, sun-drenched mango are just a few of the treats chosen […]
It is time. Time to grow your own. Whether you live in a mansion or a mud hut there is little more satisfying than watching your babies turning their green shoots to the sun. What am I talking about? Sprouting, of course. And I don’t mean growing those mini-cabbages that leave our politicians well-sprouted after […]
A lovely simple recipe courtesy of Clearspring – purveyors, and suppliers to The Hopsack, of authentic Japanese cuisine. Chu-ka Udon Salad This colourful salad is a Clearspring alternative to a classic Japanese summer dish served from June to September. “Chu-ka” is in reference to the Chinese origins of ramen noodles, which are normally served with […]
Just discovered a couple of nice foodie blogs that are definitely worth sharing. Simple food is the name of the game. And the winners are protein packed salads. Early tries from seasonal fruit (ripe strawberries from Wexford) with a strong showing from mineral rich nuts (almonds from California) and man of the match goes to […]
…They’re gone!! Does that sort of advertising work? Â It sort of amazes me that it even might. Â I mean we have to be more intelligent than that. Don’t we…..? How and ever in the case of the powerhouse that is the chickpea sprout we need no such tricks or tomfoolery. Â For as […]
