We Love Cooking! [Search results for Industry] 

2009 has been a fairly spectacular year indeed, between the band, the book, and lots and lots of cooking I have never been so busy in my life, but it has been totally worth it! Here's my run down of 2009 highlights!

- Started the year flying high as Peter Pan in the Tivoli theatre's panto.
- Putting together plans for a mixed pop group.
- Forming Industry with Lee Hutton, Michele McGrath, and Morgan Deane!
Favourite Recipe: Roast Garlic Potatoes

- Going to Stockholm to record Industry's first single, "My Baby's Waiting".
- Received first draft of Good Mood Food, the book.
- Pancake season!
- Went to Stockholm to support my Swedish superstar buddy sing at the Swedish Eurovision selection.
- A name was finally chosen for Industry, thankfully 4DB was thrown out the window.
- Going to Stockholm again to record very first music video, for "In Your Arms".
- Doing first photoshoot as a band- very glamorous.
Favourite Recipe: Chocolate Chip Oreo Cupcakes

- Was busy working on what I thought were the final drafts of the book.
- Planned my very first attempt at a vegetable garden.
- Planted Dill, Fennel, Pak Choi, Broad Beans, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Red Cabbage, Cabbage, Cos Lettuce, Rosemary.
- Submitted last photos for the book.
- Made first public outing as Industry on the red carpet at the Meteor Irish Music Awards.
- Went for a walk on the cliffs every morning this month.
- Blog got 10,000 unique visitors in one day, was very excited.
Favourite Recipe: Bacon Avocado and Sundried Tomato Sandwich

- Got my very first blog/book press.
- Back to Stockholm to record more tracks with Industry.
- Flew to Spain to record music video for Industry's "My Baby's Waiting".
- Took a little break in Gothenberg with Sofie.
- Submitted what I thought was the last draft of the book.
- Fell in love with dried Mango... mmmm... mango.
Favourite Recipe: Red Onion and Garlic Focaccia

- Got the BBQ out early for Mays mini heat wave.
- Back to Stockholm again to record more tracks with Industry.
- Shot the final cover for the book with the help of Erica and Sofie.
- Performed with Industry at our press launch at The Sugar Club in Dublin.
- Industry's single got it's very first airplay on 2fm.
- Got a blackberry phone.
- Sang Kate Bush wuthering heights in falsetto on radio, not pleasant but very funny.
- Discovered Flahavans porridge pots which kept me alive and well on the road.
Favourite Recipe: BBQ Cajun Spatchcock Chicken

- Got to finally visit Cork's English Market.
- Went to Ireland's Eye with Morgan and Lee for my birthday.
- Found a brill table to shoot food on.
- My annoying but hilarious fight with the birds and the strawberries.
- Lee buying male Ugg boots.
- Got introduced to Dave Peelo, the toughest fitness trainer you ever did see.
- Industry's first single "My Baby's Waiting" went straight in at number one in the Irish charts.
- Performed at the Ms. Universe competition.
Favourite Recipe: Warm Chorizo, Red Onion and Baby Potato Salad

- Went to LA with James, Morgan and Sofie.
- Got upgraded on the flight over but had to slum it on the way back.
- Saw the massive amount of tributes to Michael Jackson at his house and his Hollywood star.
- Went surfing with my Uncle Niall on Santa Monica beach.
- Did a photo shoot for VIP magazine, blue steel was out in force.
- Went to outdoor yoga in Stephens Green in Dublin.
- Supported the Pussycat Dolls at the Killarney Summerfest.
- Sent off the final final final edits of the book.
- Visited the republics very first Ikea store.
- Recorded music video for Industry's second single "Burn" at the amazing Grouse Lodge studios.
Favourite Recipe: Sticky Mustard Chicken Drumsticks

- Went on a romantic little bank holiday break in a cottage near Carlingford.
- Co-hosted the South East Radio breakfast show with the brill Tony Scott and Industry.
- Became a regular contributor with Irish Tatler.
- Industry's second single "Burn" went to number one.
- Supported Tynchi Stryder in Tralee, as you do.
- Had a brill getaway anniversary weekend in Castle Leslie, massages all round.
Favourite Recipe: Asian Teriyaki Chicken Salad

- Started tweeting 140 character recipes on my twitter.
- Appeared on RTE's Ice with Industry.
- Performed at the Barretstown Charity Bandana launch.
- Went blackberry picking with Maisie the cupcake queen.
- Picked up my copy of Good Mood Food!
- Recorded 3 new tracks with Industry at the amazing Grouse Lodge recording studios.
Favourite Recipe: Oriental Steak Salad

- Picked up my brand new camera, the Canon 5d Mark ii.
- Saw the book in shops for the first time, rearranged the shelves.
- Appeared on the front page of the Irish Examiner.
- Did lots and lots of radio interviews about the book.
- Went mushroom hunting with Aoife.
- Went back to school to do a cupcake demonstration at my old school.
- Interview on Tubridy with Ryan Tubridy about the book.
- Got a text from Michele to tell me she nearly fell over when she saw a giant poster of me in the window of Dubray Books on Grafton Street in Dublin!
- Did the official launch of the book in Dubray Books on Grafton street in Dublin.
- Appeared on RTE's The Cafe with Industry.
- Went to Gothenburg and visited a Swedish bakery.
- Interview with Ian Dempsey on Today FM.
Favourite Recipe: Blackberry Vanilla Cupcakes

- Upgraded my old desk, for a new fancy one from IKEA.
- Wrote my very first food column for the Irish Independent Weekend Magazine.
- Finally made a vision board.
- Became obsessed with one of the kitchens in IKEA.
- Heard that The Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten has a copy of Good Mood Food.
- Did a cookery demonstration at an all girls school.
- Assistant food stylist on a Christmas food shoot.
Favourite Recipe: Crispy Hasselback Potatoes

- All the brill Christmas food press.
- Feature in the lovefood magazine with fellow Irish food bloggers, Italian Foodies, Cheap Eats, and Daily Spud.
- Visit to a free range turkey farm.
- Massive Christmas baking session with Erica and Maisie.
- Getting a video of the book launch from Darragh.
- Visit to Sheridans cheese, I am now hooked on cheese.
- Skiing with Sofie in Gothenburg.
- Jul pa Liseberg.
- Christmas in Sweden
Favourite Recipe: Avocado, Parmesan and Rocket Pasta

Thanks so much to all who read this blog for all the support, comments and emails this year, and I hope I'll be keeping you cooking all through 2010!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I'm basically just going to throw this out there, just see what sort of interest it gets, but would any of the Irish food bloggers and foodies be interested in attending a Food Styling Demonstration from someone in the industry?

Erica Ryan is a professional food stylist and works with food across all forms of the media. If you've shopped in a supermarket here, you have probably seen her work, as it appears on many of the Irish produced packages! Apart from working closely with some of the industry's finest food photographers, bronzing chickens and beefing up beef burgers are just some of the fascinating things she does on a daily basis.

I have spoken to Erica about the amount of Irish food bloggers out there, and the fact that we all take our own pictures and style the food ourselves. She would love to give an insight into the world of food styling, if not just to reveal some of the special techniques she uses, but to maybe give us food bloggers, a chance to spruce up our own pictures! Potentially the demonstration would include a talk about food photography, composition, and then a demonstration of some of the interesting methods used.

Although I have no dates set, I would imagine sometime in August would work and it will rely totally on numbers, so if you would be in anyway interested please leave a comment below or email me. You don't even have to have a blog, if you have any sort of interest in food, this is really exciting stuff!

A quick break from the normal foodie proceedings here on The Good Mood Food Blog, just mention that I'm a member of brand new pop band, Industry and we have just released our debut single "My Baby's Waiting" today Friday the 19th of June.

I would really appreciate any help you can give, tell your friends, family, neighbours, cats all about us, and if there are any fellow bloggers who would be willing to stick up a little piece about us that would be amazing!

We really need as many people to buy the single as possible, and if you can spare 99 cent, you can get your hands on it!

Ok so here are the all important details- 5 easy steps to getting your very own copy of "My Baby's Waiting":

Step 1. Text 'music 3365' to 57501 on your mobile!
Step 2. Recieve a text with an activation code!
Step 3. Go to www.downloadmusic.ie and enter your phone number and pin code!
Step 4. DOWNLOAD "MY BABY'S WAITING"!!!
Step 5. Enjoy and spread the word!

*Please note the song is only available to Irish residents, but you can follow the band on www.industryofficial.com*

Here is the video to the single:

Eating porridge in the morning is one of the most perfect ways to set your body up for the rest of the day. It is high in complex carbohydrates and provides the body with slow releasing energy. In the last few years porridge has slowly become one of the hottest super foods, and understandably so, the oats have so many health benefits that they are often linked to long and healthy lifestyles.

Here are just a few benefits of porridge, it can help dieting, prevents childhood obesity, helps concentration, heals the skin, improves sex life, and can even beat depression!

I'm going to write a bit about my thoughts on milk and the whole dairy industry issue, but for now let me just recommend that you make your porridge with water and if you can't avoid milk, at least try goats, or soya.

Apple and Cinnamon Porridge

1. 1 Cup of porridge oats
2. 2 and a half cups of water
3. 1 Large apple grated
4. A good sprinkling of Cinnamon powder
5. A quick drizzle of honey

I know some of you may be thinking this is hardly rocket science, but porridge can get a bit boring to eat so, I always try and experiment a little to make it that bit more interesting. You can do this in the microwave or on a stove.

Microwave: Combine the oats and water and place in microwave for about 4 minutes or until you get the desired consistency. Then add the grated apple, sprinkle with cinnamon, drizzle the honey and serve straight away.

Pot: Combine the water and the oats int he pot and place over heat, stir continuously usually takes about ten mins to get the right consistency, Then add the grated apple, sprinkle with cinnamon, drizzle the honey and serve straight away.

A pretty simple and easy breakie with an interesting texture from the apple.

Renowned Irish chef Martin Shanahan is mad about fish! Or so the program title tells us. Martin has just recorded a 6 part RTÉ series which starts this evening on RTÉ 1. As the owner of the award winning restaurant Fishy Fishy in Kinsale, Co. Cork. Martin has years of experience cooking with seafood, and he believes that many Irish people are still afraid of cooking and eating fish. Throughout the series Martin’s determined to “take the fear out of fish” and show that anyone can cook simple tasty seafood at home. I spoke to Martin yesterday to have a quick chat about fish! Check out the interview below and make sure to tune in tonight!

Hi Martin, congratulations on the new series, the promo on youtube looks really fantastic! So how did you find the crossover from cooking in the kitchen to the filming process and cooking on camera?
A bit nerve wracking initially, I suppose number one I'd be a chef and obviously the biggest part of it was when I got in to the fish business first I had a fish shop for 7 years, and I wouldn't have cooked so much during that time, but I listened to the customers all the time. The biggest thing was that they all obviously loved fish, but they weren't able to cook it or they were afraid of the bones. That was the feedback all the time! I think a lot of people come into fishmongers and they are afraid to ask for the fish without the bones. So basically in the program I'm trying to educate people and to encourage them to go out and go in to your fishmonger and ask them to do those little jobs for you. Most fishmongers would be more than happy!

Can you tell me a little bit about how you got into cooking and how cooking fish became your passion?
I would have trained as a chef in Rockwell back 25 years ago and I would have worked by the sea quite a lot and I worked in San Francisco and anywhere I worked it would have been beside the sea, so I always loved cooking fish. It was always so simple and tasty. My experience in the restaurant is that you never get a complaint that the fish is tough. Fish is truly nature's fast food and it really is, it can be cooked so fast and so easy. That's why in the program I say that if you can fry a rasher or cook a sausage, you can cook a piece of fish! Again the techniques are really simple and that will definitely encourage people to get cooking.

People may know you as the owner of Fishy Fishy in Kinsale, but for people who haven't been to Kinsale could you tell us a little bit about the area and the food scene down there?
Well look, Kinsale is a great tourist town, and when I say tourist town, I consider someone coming down from Cork to be a tourist! People come down for an afternoon from Cork to get away from the stresses of their everyday life and it's only 20 minutes down the road but it's like walking into a different atmosphere. And the obvious connection I suppose is with the sea, you don't think of a cow, you want to eat prawns or you want to eat a bit of fish and chips!

What are some of the most successful dishes from the restaurant?
We'd have a couple of great ones but one of the most popular is probably the traditional fish and chips! We use fresh haddock and we take the skin and bone out of it and cut it into pieces, fry it in batter and you pick it up in your hand, put it in, close your eyes and you can be guaranteed no bone.

In the promo you mention you are on a mission to get people eating fish, and from my experience people seem to be quite nervous when it comes to cooking fish, have you any sure fire winning dishes that always win over even the pickiest eaters?
The very simple one we do is a pan fried piece of cod and people would be nervous about a piece of fish like cod, or haddock, or hake, because they have a line of bones around the top of them, but in the program, I cut a piece of cod, I show them exactly the piece they should look for in the fishmongers and we just roll that in a little seasoned flour and pan fry it. I add a little knob of butter near the end and a little drop of water and by the time the water has evaporated, the butter has melted into it and you finish it off with a squeeze of lemon and on to the plate, I tell you can get nothing better! The one thing I would always say to people is to season fish, although it comes from the sea people think it might be salty but it's not, it's quite mild in itself, so you have to season it! The other thing is to make sure is that you have a good solid pan, you can't cook a fish in one of these omelet pans because they just don't hold the heat and the minute you put on the piece of fish the pan goes cold and starts to stick.

There are some great shots of you doing some cooking at a local kids school, how would you recommend getting kids to eat more fish?
At that demo we actually made fish fingers in the school and we shot some back in the studio to show people at home how to make them. Fish fingers are great because they involve the kids and I would encourage parents to go to the fishmonger, ask for a pound of nice white large fish, it can pollock, it can be hake, it can be cod, it can be haddock, but again no skin and no bone, and I would encourage them to ask the fishmongers to cut them into fish fingers for them. Then you bring them home and do your flour, a dip in egg and breadcrumbs and pan fry them. That way the kids can do it with you, and it gives them a great connection with the food. You'll see in the program the reaction of the kids when they eat the fresh fish as against the processed fish and what we find is kids never lie. You know they say it as it is, you can't tell them "don't say that", they just spit it out. You will hear some of the comments from the kids and they know there stuff even at that young age.

What was the reaction to you filming locally?
We got a great reaction! When the lads from RTE approached me, I wouldn't be one for the camera, but they said they would love to make a program and I said no lads the only way we could make it, was if we were to make it in Kinsale and they asked me why and I said well I know everyone in the streets, so I'd feel comfortable around them and I can have a chat with them! But the reaction overall with people has been super and everybody local just can't wait to see it. We're involving people on a day to day basis and get great feedback from people and so we understand their fish fears!

What are some of your favourite dishes from the series?
I couldn't pick just one, but what I am hoping will come out of this more than anything, is that we'll keep the fishing industry that we have here in Ireland. My business wouldn't be successful without the product the local fishermen are catching. If we lose the local fishermen, and they are under pressure between quotas and costs, and people aren't obviously eating enough fish in Ireland, and we end up exporting a lot of it. So hopefully this program will highlight it and we'll make people realise it is a great product, it's a local product and you couldn't get anything more natural, it's not grown, it's not fed fertilizer, it's not mass produced at the push of a button, so hopefully people will see that and taste it and think that was lovely!

Martin's Mad About Fish airs tonight on RTÉ 1 at 8.30, make sure to tune in!

Hi guys,
Just thought I would stick up a little post about what I have been up to. I am now one part of a four piece pop group called "Industry" with Lee Hutton, Morgan Deane, and Michele McGrath. We are releasing our debut single, "My Baby's Waiting" on the 19th of June in Ireland and Sweden. We will be releasing in the UK later this summer. You can check out the video for the single below, if you want a little music while you're cooking!

You can follow our progress on our website, www.industryofficial.com, new recipe coming up!

Cheers,

Donal

Hi guys,

Just a quick note to say I have been so busy with the band that I haven't had a chance to stick up any new recipes this week, but the hard work has paid off as I am so proud to announce that we just went number 1 in Ireland!

Thanks so much for all the support!

Cheers,

Donal

Ps. New post coming on Monday!

Wow! What a week it's been, I have seen 14 record stores and been on 17 radio stations with Industry throughout the country! I finally arrived home Saturday afternoon and have been in bed since. Myself and Sofie woke up late this morning and decided to go for a walk down to the farmers market in Howth, to pick up something for breakfast.

By the time we had finished looking around the market, breakfast became brunch and we ended up in the new Seafood Tapas bar, Octopussy, which is the latest little eatery to appear on Howth's west pier. It's a pretty funky cafe/bar which serves tapas sized seafood dishes, such as calamari, crab claws, paella, Dublin bay prawns, and Thai prawn curry. The dishes are all fairly reasonably priced for what you get, all under €10, and will definitely leave you full. I ordered the Dublin Bay Prawns, which were simply griddled in a little butter, they were a little messy to eat, but totally worth it.

Chilli, Garlic and Lime Dublin Bay Prawns
I use a microplane grater to mince the garlic and chilli, its a really handy kitchen gadget. To butterfly a Dublin bay prawn, run a knife from the head to tail, being careful not to cut all the way through, then gently flatten it out.

Serves 2
8 Dublin bay prawns or langoustines, butterflied
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red chilli, minced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
juice of 1 lime
lime wedges and chopped coriander, to serve

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and toss the prawns to coat.
Heat a large griddle pan, and add the prawns.
Cook for 2-3 minutes either side or until cooked through.
Transfer the prawns to a serving plate, sprinkle with a little chopped coriander and serve with some lime wedges.

If you follow me on twitter, you will probably be sick of me talking about it, but we (Industry) are currently on tour with JLS for their tour dates in Ireland. It makes a stark contrast to all the cooking I have been doing lately! The one question I have been asked the most since the book came out is which I prefer, the singing or the cooking, and to be honest after Saturday night, when we performed in Dublin's o2 arena, the singing gives the cooking a good run for its money! Though I think I will always have that hunger for performing on stage, it is just one of the most amazing feelings to stand in front of a crowd that size and sing! All the excitement and nerves aside, I have been managing to eat really well despite the lack of time, and these noodles are just one of the dishes which have kept the band well fed the last few days.

Crunchy Peanut Satay Noodles
I am a huge fan of Asian flavours, and I absolutely love exploring Asian supermarkets to find new weird and wonderful ingredients. Noodles are one of my favourite things to buy there, and there are so many varieties to choose from thin rice vermicelli to the thick chunky udon noodles I use in this dish. You can use whatever noodles you can get your hands on for this recipe, and don't be afraid to experiment with the veggies, just use what you have, Chinese cabbage, carrot, or bok choy all work really nicely here. The beauty of this recipe is that it is just basically combining all these fantastic flavours with noodles and fresh veg which gives it that extra crunch factor!

Serves 2
400g of udon noodles
1/2 cucumber, sliced thinly
1 red pepper, sliced thinly
5 spring onions, sliced finely diagonally
A handful of salted peanuts, roughly chopped

For the peanut sauce:
1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1 small thumb sized piece of ginger, finely minced
1 small chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
200ml coconut milk
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter

Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the pack, rinse under cold water, drain and set aside.
Heat the oil in a small sauce pot, add the garlic, chilli and ginger and fry for about 30-40 seconds stirring continuously.
Add in the coconut milk, lime juice, peanut butter and soy sauce. Bring to the boil, stirring to melt the peanut butter, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Add the cooked noodles to a large mixing bowl and add in the spring onions, red pepper, and cucumber. Pour in the peanut sauce and toss all the ingredients together until combined.
Serve with a sprinkle of chopped peanuts and some extra sliced spring onion.

We (Industry) just started our radio tour for our brand new single, "Burn" which is due for release on the 21st of August, so we have been travelling all over Ireland visiting all the radio stations. It is quite hard going, early mornings and late nights, but after the last single going to number 1, it's well worth it! The one thing I have been finding difficult is eating on the road. Unless you plan ahead you are at the mercy of petrol stations at the side of the road where the choice ranges from a hot deli counter to plastic wrapped sambos- not really my cup of tea!

My quick solution is to make my own healthy salads, and somehow I got roped into making one each for the other three! Now I say roped, but really I offered and totally enjoy making them, plus I have this thing for praise... Anyway, this is the favourite salad so far and I can see why, it's pretty darn tasty if I do say so myself! Try it out, give it a whirl, let me know how you get on!

Asian Teriyaki Chicken Salad

I make this salad to go, if you want to do the same, keep the dressing separate and add it when you are ready to eat.

Serves 4
4 chicken breasts
4 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 small Chinese cabbage, finely chopped in shreds
A large handful of sugar snap peas, finely sliced
2 red peppers, sliced finely
1 red onion, sliced finely
1 tablespoon of sunflower oil

For the dressing:
3 tablespoons of sunflower oil
1 tablespoon of teriyaki sauce
Juice of 1 lime
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
½ a thumbsized piece of ginger, finely minced

Combine the teriyaki sauce and garlic in a bowl and add the chicken breasts.
Toss to combine, cover and then place in fridge while you chop the salad ingredients
Heat a griddle pan over a medium heat with a little oil and fry the chicken breasts for 4-5 minutes either side or until hey are cooked through. Remove the breasts from the pan set on a chopping board to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the salad dressing.
Add the Chinese cabbage, red peppers, red onion and snow peas to the bowl. Toss until the vegetables are nicely coated with the dressing.
Serve the salad in large deep dishes and sprinkle with a little shredded coriander.
Slice the chicken thinly and arrange on top of the vegetables.
Serve straight away.

Last month we stayed at Grouse Lodge, (the recording studios Michael Jackson used while he stayed in Ireland, don't you know!) to record Industry's new material which will be released in the UK. Now, when I'm "on the road" with the band I am usually fairly starved for foodie delights, however the lovely folks who own Grouse prepare the most amazing homecooked food! Not only that but they also have their own apple orchard, vegetable garden, and even a giant pumpkin patch. Not to mention the ducks and chickens which roam around keeping an eye on everything!

As you can imagine, I was fairly excited and spent every opportunity out taking pictures of the amazing garden! We had breakfast, lunch and dinner all freshly prepared, but one of my favourite meals was the delicious risotto which made a really tasty lunch. This is my version of it!

Pumpkin and Crispy Pancetta Risotto

I absolutely love this recipe, it is a real cosy dish, which leaves you full, satisfied and warm. Risotto may seem a little tricky, but it's just a case of giving it your full attention and slowly incorporating the liquid, so give it a go! If you can't get your hands on pancetta slices, use smoked streaky bacon.

Serves 4
850g pumpkin, cut into slices
A few fresh sage leaves
3 garlic cloves, roughly sliced
4 tablespoons olive oil
8 slices of pancetta
1 litre of chicken stock
150g butter
1 red onion, finely chopped
300g risotto rice
75ml white wine
150g parmesan freshly grated
A good pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 220oC/425oF/Gas Mark 7.
Peel and gut the pumpkin and cut into slices. Make sure to save the seeds they are super tasty roasted with a little butter and sea salt.
Place the pumpkin on a roasting tray with the garlic, sage, salt and pepper, toss together.
Cover with tin foil and bake until soft for about 50 minutes.
10 minutes before the pumpkin is ready remove from the oven, lay the pancetta over the pumpkin and place bake in the oven till crisp.
Melt 75g of the butter and the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the onion until soft for about 15 minutes.
Add the rice and off the heat stir through until it is totally coated with the onion mix.
Return to the heat, add enough stock to cover the rice and simmer stirring until the rice has absorbed nearly all the liquid.
Continue to add a little more stock at a time until it is all absorbed. This should take about 15 minutes, until the rice has a creamy coating.
Add the remaining butter, roast pumpkin, white wine, garlic and parmesan. Gently stir though.
Serve immediately.

One of the things I have learned in my discovery of food so far is that, people who are passionate about good quality ingredients are more than enthusiastic about expressing this passion and filling you up with information. Gerry McEvoy, who runs his farm of 800 free range bronze turkey's is absolutely no different. We were introduced via the magic of twitter last week when I tweeted asking whether anyone knew of a turkey farmer. Within a matter of hours the meeting was set and the following day I was all set to head up to the farm to see all those turkeys!

I arrived at Gerry's house in Sallins in Co. Kildare on a beautiful bright winter morning and was greeted first by his 3 dogs and then by the man himself. Not wasting anytime, after our brief introduction and a quick chat about our fine feathered friends, we got straight down to business! Before I could even say "turkey" I was decked out in my very own pair of wellies and we were heading towards the field.

Now to be honest growing up I wasn't exactly the most outdoorsy kid and wouldn't have ever dreamt of standing in a field full of turkeys had I not been dragged in kicking and screaming! I have over the years, of course, become a little more adaptable and so although a tiny bit of apprehension may have been running through my mind I was following Gerry through the gate and into the field.

The moment the gate was closed they came for me! I think they sensed my fear, either that or it could have been that Gerry was throwing a bucket of food for them. Either way I was surrounded by these highly inquisitive birds who were not afraid of me in the slightest! The first thing you notice close to the field is the sheer noise of the birds, just to have a normal conversation we were practically shouting across to each other! The beauty I learnt of allowing the birds to roam the fields meant they had a somewhat varied diet, Gerry told me that the birds have a major love for nettles and one of his fields which had been completely covered in them had been devoured in a matter of weeks.

Although I was taking in all this brilliant information and we were having a great chat, I was very conscious that there was about 400 turkeys around me and some of them were getting a bit cheeky, even giving my legs a peck! Gerry told me that the birds are attracted to bright colours and red was their favourite, which did not bode well as my camera comes with a bright red strap, which explained their interest in me! Walking through the field, Gerry was able to tell me the weight of each bird just by looking at it and although he offered for me to hold one I had to say no, but that didn't stop him picking up a 12 pounder to show me the quality of their amazing feathers. There is an oil in the feathers which allows the rain to run right off!

As I got a bit more relaxed I got busy snapping photos of the birds. They very diligently posed for shots and some even hopped up onto a bail of hay for the perfect picture. Gerry has them well trained! Apart from the slightly smaller female birds, the massive males were incredibly dramatic looking with strange droopy bits of skin falling from above their beaks. The kind of deformity which would have made for a fantastic Disney film's evil bad guy! While I was snapping away, all of a sudden an eerie silence came over the field and all the turkeys loud gobbling reduced to silent murmur. I looked to Gerry to ask what was going on and he pointed to the sky where a airplane was flying overhead, he filled me in telling me that they are very perceptive and there silence in the presence of "bigger birds" was a regular occurrence!

We headed towards what I christened the "turkey house" which was a large building at the top of the field where the turkeys could roam in and out of. Gerry showed me the wheat which he fed the turkeys and the huge machine which ground it, so it was easier for the birds to digest. Inside the building he showed me where the birds slept and the brilliant watering system that refilled itself when it was empty. The other interesting thing he pointed out was the chains he had hung from the ceiling which are said to keep the birds brains active! Gerry said the minute he turns off the lights at night the birds go completely silent and head straight off to sleep. Just in case you were wondering what radio station the birds groove to during the day, KFM is played on the little radio which is perched on the wall. I like to think they are all big fans of Industry!

Now I do apologise if I have lulled you into some sort of pleasant denial, here is where it gets messy. The turkeys are picked up on the 18th of December ahead of their Christmas dinner date with many Irish families across the country and are taken to be prepared for pick up. Gerry mostly sells the birds from the farm itself and over a three day period sets up shop for people to pick up their purchase ahead of the big day. I was so impressed with the birds our family have ordered two 12 pounders which I have named Francoise and Hernrietta and I will be calling live from Sweden to check how they go down.

If you want to read more about Gerry and his free range bronze turkeys check out his website here. As far as I know he is still taking orders so give him a shout and he will sort you out for Christmas dinner! Sure he's your only man! :)

One of the things I mastered last year, was preparing healthy dishes which are easy to have with you on the go.
We (Industry) were on the road everyday during the summer when we released our first two singles so I made sure we all ate well in between our fairly tight schedule.
Healthy salads were normally on the cards and went down the best, but if we were stuck for time quick and tasty wraps sorted us out!
As I mentioned we were on tour with JLS all week, and the wraps below kept us full on the road up to belfast! We have been debuting our new tracks which you can hear over here, and here, so I hope you don't mind that I have stuck up a few photo's from the gig on Saturday night. We were very excited to perform in the O2 in Dublin, but I want to brace yourselves for the photos below, because a momentous occassion took place where I got my first pair of knickers thrown at me! Knickers on a food blog, who'd have thought! :)

Quick Fresh Veggie Wrap With Crispy Prosciutto
Wraps are extremely handy for a quick and tasty lunch! The best thing is that you can really go wild when it comes to the ingredients. There are so many variations on this recipe which I make regularely, like avocado and bacon, chicken and chickpea, or even tuna and rocket!
Find your favourite combo and experiment. If you can't get your hands on proscioutto just pick up some streaky bacon instead.

Serves 2
6 slices of prosciutto ham
2 large wholemeal tortilla wraps
2 tablespoons of mayonaisse
2 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves
1 carrot, grated
1/4 of cucumber, sliced thinly
5-6 spring onions, sliced thinly
A good pinch of ground black pepper

In a large hot frying pan fry off the slices of prosciutto until crisp and golden. Remove and set aside on plate with a piece of kitchen paper.
Spread 1 tablespoon of mayo on one of the tortilla wraps.
Arrange the slices of cucumber, carrot, and spring onions down the centre of the wrap. Add the spinach leaves and then place 3 slices of the crispy prosciutto on top.
Roll up the wrap and enjoy! Repeat with the second the second wrap.