Food File: Joey O’Hare delivers on ‘Masterchef’ and Morton’s delivers for Christmas

TAKING THE DRUDGE OUT OF CHRISTMAS DINNER

Anything that makes Christmas preparations easier is a good thing and, in the absence of a gang of willing kitchen elves, those who share that perspective might be interested to learn that you can delegate all the boring peeling, chopping and stirring to someone else.

Morton’s family-run food store in Ranelagh, Dublin 6, is selling a “Christmas Trimmings” box with everything – except turkey – you’ll need to serve six: potatoes parboiled and dipped in duck fat, Brussels sprouts peeled, stuffing made, gravy and cranberry sauce ready to pour, and carrots and parsnips cooked and pureed, for €25.  They also include six mince pies and brandy butter.

Order in advance by Sunday, December 20th, emailing

[ info@mortons.ie ]

or telephoning 01-4971254, for collection in store at 15-21 Dunville Avenue, Ranelagh, on December 23rd or 24th.

A nice idea other retailers might like to copy.

O’HARE WOWS JUDGES ON MASTERCHEF

If you have been watching MasterChef The Professionals on BBC2, you can’t but have been impressed by Ballymaloe- trained Joey O’Hare whose seasonal, natural, deceptively simple food saw her waltz through the quarter-finals.

Her star quality was evident from the get-go, when she impressed judges Marcus Wareing and Monica Galetti with a faultless crab and salmon raviolo, cooked in just 15 minutes. Later, her passionfruit tart had the taciturn Wareing in raptures. “It was Myrtle Allen’s sweet short crust in the tart . . . I know it by heart and wouldn’t use any other,” said the 28-year-old Londoner, who also did a culinary arts degree at Westminster Kingsway College, Jamie Oliver’s alma mater.

Catch her back on screen next Tuesday, December 8th, and check out her recipes at

[ josephinescooking.com ]

GETTING WHISKEY TREATMENT

Teeling Irish whiskey is finding its way into all sorts of food products, and you can taste lots of them at the distillery’s Christmas fair in Dublin 8 today (11am-5pm). Check out Oriel smoked sea salt with Teeling whiskey, Mannings Bakery Christmas puddings with ... guess what; and Munroe’s jerk seasoning too. Purple Pantry marmalades, O’Hanlon’s Smokehouse salmon and Jack McCarthy puddings and rashers also get the Teeling treatment. Look out for the chocolate truffles, made for the distillery by Skelligs Chocolate.

[ teelingwhiskey.com ]