Happy St. Patrick’s day! I won’t be crushing a Guinness tonight because my workload won’t allow it. Fortunately, with an Irish family and an Irish squeeze, I frequently get to sup enough of the black stuff to see rainbows! 

Controversially, my boyfriend does the best Irish stew I’ve ever tasted (sorry mum!) He always instinctively knows when to make it for me- usually when I’m ill and knackered. He likes it with boiled spuds, I like it with crusty bread but one thing we’ve pinched from Liverpool is our love of pickled red cabbage as the ultimate accompaniment! 

Before I share that recipe, I would like to share St. Patrick’s prayer. If you can read this and not giggle (year in year out) then you’re more mature than myself or anyone else I know!

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, 

Christ on my right, Christ on my left, 

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, 

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, 

Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me, 

Christ in the eye that sees me, 

Christ in the ear that hears me. 

Take a Guiness or two to absorb that prayer and look at this recipe:

Niall’s Irish Stew

• 1kg stewing beef
• 1 or two chunks of oxtail
• 1 tbs oil 
• 3 carrots
• 3 sticks of celery
• 2 onions
• 1 pack of button mushrooms
• 1 pint/bottle/or can of stout
• Bay leaf
• Beef stock (500ml)
• Salt and pepper

1. Chop and sauté the carrots, onions and celery in a heavy bottomed pot. Sweat down for 10 mins with the lid on. 
2. Brown the meat in batches so it has time to caramelise.
3. Put the beef (and oxtail) in with the vegetables and add the stout (let the alcohol to burn off for a minute).
4. Add the stock and bay leaf. Bring to the boil and then simmer gently for about 2-2 1/2 hours.
5. Before the last half hour, fry the mushrooms whole until caramelised and add to the pot to take in the stew flavours. 
6. Take out the oxtail and siphon off some of the fat to leave a nice meaty stew!
7. Serve with boiled potatoes, crusty sourdough bread and lashings of pickled red cabbage!

Secret tip- while Niall goes the toilet I always sneak in some Worcestershire Sauce; it adds some much needed piquancy! 

Thank you my Irish love for the stew! 💚Here are some nice pics from the mainland:

Dublin   

 Better drank closer to the source!    A beautiful Irish rainbow- Bantry  You even chop Irish!