A Taste of Ireland for Saint Patrick’s Day
It is hard to believe, but winter is pretty much over and Saint Patrick’s Day is upon us! St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated almost all over the world, but it has not always been that way! It was historically a religious and cultural holiday observed by the Irish as a way to celebrate the Patron Saint bringing Christianity to the region. Religious services in the morning followed by a feast at night was (up until recently) how many celebrated. The holiday was able to cross the pond to America when two Irishmen celebrated the holiday in 1600 in Saint Augustine, Florida which then prompted the first ever recorded Saint Patrick’s Day Parade just one year later in 1601. This would be the beginning of how many of us today would come to celebrate the holiday, which has now become a more secular celebration filled with parades, green beer, and parties.
Ireland is amazing to visit any time of year, however many visitors to the Emerald Isle try to time their visit to coincide with the holiday as many cities have a week long celebration of all things Irish! Definitely an experience everyone should try and enjoy at least once! Unable to make it the Emerald Isle this year, but looking to bring a little more Irish flare to your day? Well look no further because we have a few mouth-watering Irish breakfast recipes that you can make and truly embrace the holiday starting from when you first wake up!
We contacted Ariel House, a luxury guest house in Dublin, Ireland who serve up some of the most amazing
breakfasts in the area in a meticulously updated Victorian guesthouse. So amazing in fact that their food has won multiple awards (Best Breakfast in Dublin from Triage) (Ireland Guide Best Breakfast Awards) and has quickly become one of the top places to stay while visiting Dublin (Top 25 Romantic Hotels in Ireland from Trip Advisor) (McKennas’ Guide Top Places to stay in Ireland)
The charming Victorian house was once three separate Victorian buildings which now serve up homemade and local fare to their guests. Situated in the Ballsbridge suburb it is only a 35 minute walk into the heart downtown. Although after filling up on their scones, freshly baked bread and homemade butter you will wish it was a bit further!
For a full blown Irish breakfast try a couple of these recipes with some black pudding and fried eggs. We guarantee it will be a huge hit for the entire family!
Brown Bread Recipe
Ingredients
2 ½ Ibs Self Raising Flour
1 ½ Ibs Wholemeal Flour
12oz Porridge Oats
1 teaspoon of Sugar
3 teaspoons of Salt
150ml of Baking Powder
4 teaspoons of Baking Soda
Method
Mix all the ingredients thoroughly
Add 4 Eggs
Add 3 Pints of Milk
Consistency should be wet
Bake at 375oc for 35-45mins
MAKES
3 Loaves
Coffee & Walnut Traybake
Ingredients
225g butter
225g brown sugar
285g self-rising flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
2 tbsp milk
85g butter for icing
225g icing sugar for icing
1 tsp milk for icing
2 tsp strong coffee for icing
Walnut halves to decorate
Method
Preheat oven to 180 C
Grease a baking tin and line with parchment paper
Place all the sponge ingredients into a bowl and beat well for 2 minutes
Turn into prepared pan and level the top
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is firm but springs back at the touch
Leave to cool
In a separate bowl, cream the butter and icing sugar, milk, and coffee essence
Spread evenly over the cake
Cut into squares of equal size and decorate with walnut
MAKES 48 squares
Sweet White Scones Recipe
Ingredients
900g of White Flour
175g of Butter
3 Free Range Eggs
50g of Castor Sugar
3 heaped teaspoons of Baking Powder
450ml of Milk
Egg Wash
Granulated Sugar for sprinkling
Method
Preheat the oven to 250 C
Sieve all the dry ingredients into a bowl
Cut the butter into cubes and rub into the flour mixture
Make a well in the centre of the mixture
Whisk the eggs with the milk
Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients
Mix to form a soft dough
Turn out onto a floured board and shape into a round
Roll out to 1-inch thick and cut the dough into scones
Place on a baking sheet
Brush with egg wash and dip into granulated sugar
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown
Makes
18-20 Scones
Looking for more Ireland inspiration? Check out our 7 Reasons We Love Ireland Blog Post!
Seven Reasons Why We Love Ireland And Not Just on St Patrick’s Day
