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IT Sunday: 10th annual Food Month kicks off at The Irish Times with new columnist

In political world, Coalition gets boost from latest poll while possible Christmas election looms in North

November will see expanded coverage of all things food and drink, in print and online. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónáill

Sun Oct 30 2022 - 09:13

Welcome to this week’s IT Sunday, a selection of the best Irish Times journalism for our subscribers.

The 10th annual Food Month at The Irish Times kicked off this weekend with the introduction of our new cookery columnist Gráinne O’Keefe. O’Keefe is the woman behind Mae restaurant in Ballsbridge, Dublin, and this week she brings readers three eggy brunch recipes for the long weekend.

Food Month runs until the end of November with expanded coverage of all things food and drink, in print and online. A programme of reader events, dinners and discussions is also in place, with details laid out here.

On Friday, November 4th, you can pick up a copy of our Winter Food & Drink magazine, distributed with the newspaper. The 52-page glossy magazine will include a useful list of 100 Great Value Places to Eat, as well as interviews, recipes and food features. Daily “Frugal Feasts” recipes will also be published online in the coming month, along with a host of reviews, recommendations and other tips and tricks to keep you inspired this November. Make sure to keep on top of it all here.

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In other news, this week saw a post-budget boost in an Irish Times/Ipsos poll for the three Coalition parties, and political turmoil in Northern Ireland as a Christmas election remains on the cards amid a political stalemate.

In his poll analysis, Pat Leahy says “the Government parties have staged a perhaps unlikely comeback in the latest Irish Times/Ipsos opinion poll, adding six points to their aggregate support since July despite the continuing cost-of-living pressures, sky-high fuel prices and signs of a slowing economy”.

Despite Sinn Féin falling one point in the poll, it is still the most popular party and its leader Mary Lou McDonald’s individual rating rose. In her column this week Justine McCarthy cast a cold eye on former minister Shane Ross’s description of McDonald’s house as a “mansion in Cabra” in his new book.

In an analysis of the energy crisis, Barry O’Halloran examines why, despite a fall in gas prices on European markets as demand for the fuel eases, homes and businesses are still facing high bills?

David McWilliams looks at the shift in geopolitics which sees China and the United States squaring off against each other in a complete redrawing of the global map. “China will use Russia as its petrol station. This is Russia’s – and maybe Putin’s – lifeline,” he writes.

With household bills still high, Arlene Harris has 20 energy-saving tips from small steps, such as buying an energy-efficient fryer or sealing draughty windows, to larger ones, such as installing solar panels. Meanwhile, Ciara O’Brien looks at the tech gadgets you’ll need to help you stay cosy, from smart heating and duvets to heated jackets and seats.

It was not a warm atmosphere at tech giant Twitter as “chief twit” Elon Musk’s takeover finally happened, with reports of many top executives being fired. In her column Kathy Sheridan asks what will happen to Twitter under a megalomaniac.

In a world recovering from a pandemic, and which seems to swing from crisis to crisis, Joe Humphreys in his Unthinkable column speaks to psychoanalyst and author Stephen Grosz, who says that human contact is more important than ever. Meanwhile, Michael Harding ponders on the human contact at the Ballinasloe Horse Fair: “They served pizzas, burgers, chips and kebabs. We sat with strangers because the place was so full,” he writes.

Despite all the geopolitical storms ablaze, Miriam Lord writes about one brewing a stone’s throw from Kildare Street. “Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael heavyweights are slugging it out in the battle to save Dublin’s live animal crib, which was suddenly cancelled this week in a shock move by the mayor. There is a striking colour co-ordination to this decision. It was taken by a Green politician who is now being compared to the greeny old Grinch who stole Christmas.”

And finally at a time of cost concerns for individuals and small businesses, a €250 restaurant cancellation fee caused a stir online. Corinna Hardgrave asks if it was the right things to do. “No-shows and last-minute cancellations rank among restaurateurs’ top complaints, and many have put deterrents in place,” she writes.

As always, there is much more on irishtimes.com, including rundowns of all the latest movies in our film reviews, tips for the best restaurants in our food section, and sport news and analysis. There are plenty more articles exclusively available for Irish Times subscribers here.