Each October, Ireland welcomes the tradition of baking Barm Brack, a fruit-filled tea bread. This sweet tea bread was traditionally eaten on Halloween, when a token is baked into it to be used as a form of fortune-telling. The eater may find a ring (predicting impending marriage); a button or thimble (portents of bachelor or spinsterhood respectively); or a coin, (presaging wealth). In earlier, less sensitive times, items may have included a rag or dried pea, (for poverty); or a matchstick, (for an abusive spouse). These days, the tokens aren’t always included, but the tradition of eating brack at Halloween remains. {if you buy a brack at the supermarket or bakery that is labelled “Halloweeen Brack” there still will be a ring or another piece hidden inside}

As I have noted before, my magnificent mother-in-law still insists on preparing an enormous roast lunch with plenty of boiled potatoes, gravy and fresh vegetables for everyone who is working each day. There is always a hot cup of tea afterwards and something sweet like an apple tart baked on a plate or a fruity brack to accompany . Often, she will make one of her favorites, “Railway Cake”, which is basically a tea brack that is bespeckled with black currants (each currant symbolizing a train stop, of course).

In the spirit of Autumn on our farm, I would like to share the “Farmer’s Sunday Cake”, which is essentially a Barm Brack risen with soda instead of yeast. It could also be considered a dressed-up version of Peggy’s Railway Cake. I like it fresh out of the oven in the morning with a little butter and a cappuccino, but most would have it with a cup of afternoon tea.

I know everyone on the farm will love a loaf of this today and I hope you will enjoy it too…

Farmer’s Sunday Cake

From” The Country Cooking of Ireland” by Colman Andrews

6 ¼ cups/625 g white flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 cup/200 g sugar

¾ cup/170 g butter, softened. Plus more for greasing

1 cup/150 g sultanas {golden raisins}

1 cup/150 g dried currants

2 tbsp candied orange or lemon peel finely chopped

Grated zest of 1/2 lemon

2 farm fresh free range eggs, beaten

2 ½ to 3 cups/600-720 ml buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 F/230 c {Gas mark 8}

Lightly grease 2 loaf pans

Sift flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and sugar together into a large bowl and mix well..

Rub butter into the flour mixture with your hands until the mixture resembles course bread crumbs. Add sultanas, currants, orange or lemon peel and lemon zest. Mix well.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the eggs and 2 ½ cups/600 ml of the buttermilk. Stir liquid into the flour mixture, working in a spiral motion from the middle toward the sides of the bowl, and adding a bit more buttermilk if necessary to make a moist but cohesive batter. Do not overmix.

Spoon batter into the loaf pans and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce over temperature to 400 F/200 C {Gas mark 6} and bake for 20-30 minutes longer.

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Photo by Imen McDonnell. Assisted by Master Geoffrey McDonnell

Tags: Barm Brack, brack, Colman Andrews, food, foodie, Halloween, ireland, Married an Irish Farmer, tea

It was exactly three autumn season’s ago that I had my first delicious taste of genuine sloe gin. A group of friends from the local chapter of the International Women’s Organisation were preparing for their annual holiday batch and asked if I wanted a sample from the previous year. I remember curiously asking, “what on earth a sloe was”, because I honestly had no idea there was such a berry in existence. Ironically, I soon discovered that there was no shortage of sloes in our farm hedgerows and I vowed to go sloe picking the following year and make my very own mixture.

The sloe + gin infusion creates a complex flavour, perfectly sweet and fruity, yet slightly tart at the same time. It is not to be confused with the syrupy, commercially produced sloe-flavoured gin that is on the market which is far different.

Sloes grow on the branches of the black thorn tree. They look a bit like a blueberry, but can be slightly more oblong in shape.  Unlike their close relative, the damson or wild plum, you’d be best advised not to eat them raw as they are extremely bitter and can make your mouth quite dry. They are ripe in the month of October to early November. Really, (to our delight) sloes seem to be most useful when steeped in alcohol. The process of making sloe gin has been going strong since the 1800’s in this neck of the woods and the odd bit of folklore has it that sloes should only be pricked with the thorn from the branch itself and never a metal fork, unless it is silver.

I love the idea of using the various fruits of hedgerows for mixed drinks and martinis. These cocktails are quite popular here in Ireland and the UK. Sloe, elderflower, raspberry, plum, blackberry, blackcurrant and gooseberry infused with gin or vodka will all make a lovely “Hedgerow Martini”.

Having planted 55 lavender plants in our front garden beds this week, I got to thinking about creating a sloe + lavender gin infusion…or more to the point, how a lavender + sloe gin martini would taste {surely I deserved one after all my hard work, right?} I decided that if I tucked a few sprigs under the berries perhaps it would give the gin a subtle and complimentary lavender essence.

Here’s my recipe:

1lb/454gm of washed sloes

4 ozs/112gm of white granulated sugar

75cl bottle of medium quality gin

Sterilized 1 litre jar or wide necked bottle

2-3 sprigs of fresh lavender (no flowers)

Method:

Wash sloes well and discard any bruised or rotten fruit. Place lavender sprigs on

bottom of jar or bottle.

Prick fruit several times with a fork and place sloes in either your jar or

wide-necked bottle.

Using a funnel, add the sugar and top up with gin to the rim.

Shake every day until the sugar is dissolved and then store in a cool, dark place

until you can resist it no longer (leave for at least three months and it’s best if left

to mature for a year).

Strain the grog and enjoy on the rocks, with a splash of tonic or as a martini.

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Photo by Imen McDonnell. Assisted by Master Geoffrey McDonnell.

Tags: farmer, food, foodie, gin, ireland, Irish country living, martini, sloe

It’s been some time since I’ve featured an inspiring Irish individual on this blog, and when I recently came across Pamela Farrell of Farrell & Chase, I knew instantly that I had to share her magnificent work with you all. Many who know me personally also are aware of the fact that I have an absolute love for all things printed. I am positively enamored by ARTCRANK, the printed bike poster show, and I make a point to always have beautiful personalised stationery and note cards on hand. When we designed our lovely wedding invitations, I was literally in cardstock and ink heaven!

When I happened onto Pamela’s website, Farrell & Chase, I was thrilled to discover her clean and refreshing take on bespoke letterpress designs for wedding, baby + kids, lifestyle and stationery collateral. Impressed and curious, I spent nearly an hour looking at everything and wondering what I must order for myself. (at the very least, I will need new note cards and possibly some invitations made for our farm supper clubs coming in spring, right?!) I also found some stylish bits and pieces on her sweet blog which is linked to her website.

So without any further adieu, I give you Pamela Farrell.

Thank you for agreeing to be featured on my wee blog, Pamela. Where/how did you spend your Irish childhood days? And where in Ireland do you reside now?

I grew up in Dublin as a only child. My mother was a fashion designer and a huge inspiration to me. We are very close and always have been. I remember sitting underneath my mother’s work bench amongst the huge rolls of fabric content to draw pictures and wrapping myself in the fabric ‘designing’ dresses for hours on end. Saturdays were spent in town, starting with breakfast in the Penny Farthing Cafe, then we’d while away the hours walking around town, window shopping and feeding the ducks in St. Stephen’s Green. We lived in Terenure and everyone knew each other, all the children played together, ate dinner in each other’s houses and stayed over at weekends, there was a great sense of community. School holidays and Christmas were spent with my cousins on a farm outside Navan, a big contrast to life in Dublin. My cousin Claire and I were more like sisters growing up and would spend hours playing in the fields. I really did experience the best of both worlds growing up!

After living in Dublin for many years, my mother moved back to Co. Meath when I was in my final year of college, and with no money I had no choice but to move with her. Although I spent alot of time in Navan growing up it was still a big change. I remember the first few nights in our new house, it was so dark and quiet I couldn’t sleep, but I soon got used to it. I have a lot of friends and family in Navan and my boyfriend Alan, now fiance, is also from Navan, so they all helped me settle in.

I did move back to Dublin as soon as I left college. I lived in Christchurch for a few years which I loved, the buzz of city center living is like nothing else. Gradually though, I found myself spending my weekends in Meath again with friends and family. I took the plunge and moved to Meath permanently when I was setting up Farrell & Chase. Myself and Alan are now building a house near Slane, on a site with amazing views over Meath and we hope to move in this Spring before our wedding.

I do miss Dublin from time to time so I try to spend a day in the city every couple of weeks researching ideas, catching up on city life, and generally soaking up the atmosphere.

What motivated you to pursue a career in design?

I always knew I would pursue a design career. I grew up in a very creative family, and was inspired by design and fashion from an early age. I think the creative streak runs through the women in our family. My granny was very artistic, although she never studied design she had a great eye and was a genius with a needle and thread. My mother is a very talented fashion designer and she was always sketching, painting and sewing when I was growing up and we did a lot of arts and crafts together at home.

I was always drawn to graphics and strong, bold shapes and colours so graphic design seemed like a good fit. I studied Visual Communications in DIT and completed a four year degree. I loved every minute of the degree, we studied a vast range of subjects including photography, screenprinting, graphic design and illustration. I was really drawn to screenprinting and was lucky enough to travel to the USA to represent Ireland in a print exchange. I was also very inspired by one lecturer in particular, Jacques, who suggested I print by hand with old wood type for a poster project and he kindly lent me his old letterpress wood type to experiment with.

After graduating, I worked for a few years as a graphic designer in Dublin, and although I was passionate about design I missed the craft of printmaking. I decided to merge my two passions, and inspired by the project I worked on in college using wood type, I traveled to London to complete a course in letterpress. I instantly knew I had made the right decision. I fell in love with the letterpress process and the very unique results it gives. I returned home from London with a determination to launch my own design and letterpress business. I immediately purchased a vintage Adana press and Farrell & Chase was born! That was over two years ago and I have never looked back.

Describe your process.

I always begin by sketching rough ideas on paper, I find that sketching an idea can develop it into something totally different, something which wouldn’t have emerged by designing on the computer. Once I have a good feel for the design I start working it up on the computer, considering colours, sizing, placement and style. When I’m happy with the design the next step is to produce the printing plates, mix the rubber based inks and order the cotton card stock. I print all of my designs on 100% cotton card as it takes an impression perfectly.

I currently have three printing presses a 15×10 Arab Press c1894, an 8×5 Cropperette Press c1888 and an 8×5 Adana Press c1955. Once the chosen press is inked and set up I hand-feed the luxurious 100% cotton paper through the vintage press, one sheet at a time, impressing the artwork into the soft pillowy paper, one colour at a time.
Because all printing is done on antique printing presses, each piece printed is subtly unique. Small variations in inking, color, impression and position are to be expected, but I believe that these small variations are part of what makes letterpress so beautiful.

Who or what creatively inspires you?

I find inspiration from my surroundings, whether I’m in the city or in the countryside the colours, shapes and imagery that I’m surrounded by affects what I’m working on. When I lived in Dublin, I always walked everywhere, I loved taking in the sights and sounds, something as simple as a torn poster could spur an idea instantly. I think sometimes you just have to turn off from the distractions-TV, music, the computer and get away from it all to think clearly. Now my walks are in the countryside and I try to make a point of getting out every day. As a result I’m much more inspired by nature which I think shows in my designs. I’ve just returned from a trip to Rome, a real feast for the senses, and no doubt all that I saw and experienced will influence my next project.

I see you are getting married very soon, will you be designing your own invitations?

Yes, myself and Alan are getting married in Rome next summer and we will honeymoon in the South of Italy. The wedding planning trip to Rome which we’ve just returned from has my head buzzing with design ideas. I’m planning on designing my own wedding stationery over the next couple of weeks, I just need to find the time. I do have a design in mind, but haven’t started working on it yet. Watch this space!

What type of profession would you pursue if you weren’t a designer?

I really can’t imagine not being a designer, it’s part my identity. I could possibly see myself as a fashion designer since fashion was such a huge influence throughout my life and remains so.

What things do you love about Ireland?

I love that you can drive to the opposite side of the country in less than a day, wake up in Dublin and have a nightcap in Clifton!  I love the scenery, standing on the top floor of our half built house at the weekend looking out over the green fields as the sun was setting, I couldn’t help but be mesmerised by the beautiful view. Most of all I love the people, Ireland is where my friends and family are, it’s where I was born, it’s part of who I am and it’s home. I know it’s such a cliche but, the craic, the banter between Irish people is so passionate and humorous, whether it’s over a cup of tea or in the pub enjoying a pint, there’s nothing like it anywhere else in the world.

Do you have a favorite quintessential Irish dish?

My granny’s recipe for home made brown bread with real Irish butter and homemade raspberry jam, delicious!

What items would we currently find laying about your desk?

My brown leather Bridge diary which was passed on to me by my mother when she retired as a Fashion Designer. A 21.5 inch iMac, I love the big screen, a must for any designer, coupled with a Wacom tablet and pen. My iPhone. Paper notes, everywhere, I’m always sketching out new ideas and writing to do lists. Pens, pencils and markers for sketching. A picture of myself, my mother and my granny. Sadly my granny passed away a few years ago and didn’t get to see Farrell & Chase up and running. She really would have loved it.

Are you a Coffee or Tea?

I am a green tea drinker, I drink three cups a day at least, and I love hot chocolate, but only indulge on occasion, it’s a real treat on a winter’s day. I have never liked tea or coffee, but I do love the smell of coffee, there’s nothing better than the smell of coffee and freshly baked bread in the morning!

Anything new in the coming up for Farrell & Chase that you’d like to share?

The months ahead are set to be a very exciting for Farrell & Chase. I am currently working on expanding our product range to include a collection of screen printed textile products, including tote bags and tea towels. I will also be introducing some exciting new stationery designs including celtic inspired wedding stationery ready for launching in the new year. January will see the start of the wedding planning season and a busy spring for Farrell & Chase.

You can find Farrell & Chase online at http://www.farrellandchase.com or contact Pamela on +353(0) 87 686 922 or by email hello@farrellandchase.com

Slan Abhaile,

Imen