Russ Parsons

Contributor

Russ Parsons, a contributor to The Irish Times and a former food editor of the Los Angeles Times who is currently living in Waterford, is the author of How to Read a French Fry and How to Pick a Peach.

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Behind the scenes at Ireland’s leading trout farm: ‘The drive is not just money. For us it’s a little bit different’

The pens at Goatsbridge Trout Farm hold a beauty that’s easily appreciated. The farm has long been a pioneer in freshwater aquaculture in Ireland

Tue Aug 12 2025 - 05:00

The story behind roadside strawberry stands – one of the heralds of Irish summer

The quaint Wexford strawberry stands that herald the new season in Ireland are part of a very modern and complex business

Mon May 26 2025 - 05:00

This low-key Wicklow cheesemaker is quietly producing the best cheddar in the world

Tom Burgess’s award-winning Coolattin cheddars are made in a small dairy farm in west Wicklow

Sat Apr 19 2025 - 05:00

‘They see Paddington eating it, it must be good’: Wexford marmalade makers on ensuring it’s not just the preserve of the old

Wexford Home Preserves produces more than two dozen jams and marmalades, and has increased production from 800 to nearly 4,000 jars a day

Mon Mar 10 2025 - 05:00

The Waterford beekeeper: ‘I got four or five stings on my face today, but you wouldn’t know it’

Real Irish honey is a glorious thing, richly flavoured from whatever flowers the bees that produce it were feeding on ... industrial honey is often little more than sugar water

Tue Nov 05 2024 - 07:00

Moving to Waterford: ‘After 30 years in Los Angeles, Ireland feels like a balm’

Five years ago this Christmas, the former LA Times food editor and his wife came to Ireland for a year... now they call Waterford home

Wed Oct 23 2024 - 05:00

Smoked fish might not be exotic in Ireland, but what’s not rare is still wonderful

Sean Nolan’s parents started smoking fish for themselves in retirement, and soon the Union Hall institution was born

Mon Sept 09 2024 - 05:00

From farmer to artisan cheese maker: ‘Raw milk was an object of fear. But to me it’s the flavour of the land’

Taking on industry giants and using raw milk in the 1980s proved to be two big hurdles for the Waterford producer

Tue Jul 30 2024 - 05:00

Several farmers had a notion to grow ‘something different’ in west Cork in the 1980s. The idea took off

Russ Parsons: In the 1980s a simple idea to grow ‘something different’ took off for Colin Whooley’s father and a few other farmers in west Cork

Wed May 29 2024 - 10:00

Irish seaweed explodes with that undefinable savoury flavour the cool kids call umami

Russ Parsons: Marie Power is one of Ireland’s foremost seaweed evangelists, guiding regular foraging forays

Tue Apr 30 2024 - 05:00

Ireland is a cabbage wonderland: take it from this blow-in chef

The first time I saw Savoy cabbage here, it was a thrill. And pointy cabbages might as well have come from another planet

Wed Mar 13 2024 - 05:00

Russ Parsons: Some of the best oysters I’ve tasted are Irish but why are they so rarely for sale here?

Like great wine, oysters distil and amplify the essence of the place they come from

Tue Feb 13 2024 - 05:00

Spiced beef is back on the menu – and it is not just for Christmas

This Cork specialty is made by ‘corning’ beef in a salt and spice brine. Butcher Tom Durcan shares his secrets

Mon Dec 11 2023 - 05:00

The Tipperary bakery known all over Ireland for its fabulous brack

Autumn and the holiday season are the busiest times of year for the bakery. The barmbrack is definitely the star of the show

Sun Nov 19 2023 - 05:00

The two secrets behind Ireland’s ‘best’ artisan butter

Russ Parsons: Irish Gourmet Butter has quickly become a favourite among bakers and chefs

Wed Oct 11 2023 - 05:00