Christmas digestifs: buckle up for the strong stuff once dinner is done
Port and dessert wines are always delicious options but don’t miss some of the best drinks from Irish producers
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Interviews, travel, recipes, fashion, gardening, advice columns, and more from the Irish Times Magazine supplement
Tasty vegetarian options for Christmas dinner that can be prepared ahead of time
Amid the traditional meal prep, non-meat diets can get overlooked. These two dishes will hold their own on any Christmas table
Sorcha is standing at the island with a boning knife in one hand and an espresso in the other, grinning at us like a serial killer
She’s preparing a 15-bird roast for her old pair the week before Christmas, and I can already feel the tension coming off her
‘One Christmas Day my brother set me on fire’: seven writers spill their most bizarre Yuletide yarns
John Boyne, Ann Ingle, Michael Harding, Caitríona Ní Mhurchú and others on testing a mother’s limits, a marriage-threatening event, the Santa conspiracy and a misplaced bird
Sweet and sour pot-roasted turnips with star anise, maple syrup and toasted hazelnuts
This is one you can pull out of the bag at the last minute
Amanda Coogan: ‘Belfast is a great city to be an artist. I pay the same rent here as I did in Dublin in 1992’
Performance artist Amanda Coogan on growing up as a child of deaf parents, embracing her love of performance, and the Irish fear of the avant-garde
Our restaurant reviewer’s top takeaway picks of 2024
Corinna Hardgrave’s favourite food to grab and go, from the best baked goods and jollof rice to fluffy falafels and passion-infused pizza
Still time to pick up a brilliant beauty buy for a last-minute Christmas gift
Guaranteed to impress even the most discerning beauty lover – no wrapping required
Here are my worst Christmases to help you feel better about your own
I worked in festive retail for many years and have a few tales to tell
Restaurant of the year, best value and Michelin predictions: Our reviewer’s top picks of 2024
Corinna Hardgrave’s favourite restaurants of a year that, despite the prevailing gloom, brought many pleasant surprises
The great trifle revival: ‘Two creamy, delicious things on top of a boozy, fruity, delicious thing’ - what’s not to like?
Baker Gerry Godley delves into the origins of trifle, that most celebratory of Christmas desserts, and combines the very best ingredients to assemble the ‘ultimate’ one
Ultimate sherry trifle
Breadman Walking’s trifle is the perfect Christmas dessert for plum pudding refusniks
Fashion in 2024: Simone Rocha’s Gaultier show kicked off an exceptional year for Irish designers
Irish fashion had an outstanding year, at home and internationally. We take a look back on 2024's many highlights
John Wilson: The ultimate gift guide for the wine-lover in your life
How to Drink Better: It is always better to buy one bottle of good wine than three or four average bottles
Plane-spotters unite: A trip into the high-altitude universe of ‘AvGeeks’
The aviation industry might have lost the heady glamour of its early years but new technology has only fuelled Irish plane-spotters’ passion for flight
‘I’m gay and I started a relationship with a very closeted man last year. He’s a nice guy but he’s doing my head in’
Four readers seek advice on life problems including comparisons with others, having a closeted partner and revisiting an old relationship
Daughter Number Four has been sucked into the slimosphere. We naively enabled it
Seán Moncrieff: Despite her earnest promises to be careful, it of course got into every nook and corner
New poetry: Works by Niall Campbell, Elisa Gonzalez, John McAuliffe and John Fitzgerald
Reviews: The Island in the Sound; Grand Tour; National Theatre; and Long Distance
Classic wines to serve with your Christmas dinner
Starting with bubbles invariably puts everyone in the mood, after which these perennial favourites will go down well
Coping at Christmas: ‘Not being a mother hurts more at Christmas, when a large part of the world is focused on a birth’
Not everyone likes the festive season, but there are ways to light up what can be the darkest time of year
Samantha Barry: ‘There’s not a moment where I’m not representing Glamour. I don’t get to switch it off’
As global executive editor of Glamour, the Cork woman is one of the best known media people in the United States
Christmas dinner with a twist: Classic beef Wellington and honey-glazed duck
Two show-stoppers that are easier to prepare than you might think. Much of the work can be done in advance
From root to tip: the best gardening books of 2024
In search of some great gardening books to entertain, inspire and inform you over Christmas? Fionnuala Fallon offers her top choices
The old dear goes, ‘I don’t want my vital work on the campaign Move Funderland to the Northside to die with me’
Before she falls asleep in the nursing home, she whispers a secret in my ear
‘Act disgracefully, if necessary’: Advice for all ages, from Siobhán McSweeney, John Boyne, Tony Cantwell and more
People aged from their 20s to their 90s share life lessons for their younger selves
Duck breast glazed in honey and lavender with red cabbage and sauce à l’orange
A cost effective and delicious meat synonymous with the festive season
Personally, I find it really hot when men are nice to women
Danny Dyer becoming the sex symbol of 2025 was not on anyone’s bingo card but it proves how radically the female gaze swerves from its male counterpart
Simone Gannon’s six most-used beauty products in 2024
No products have justified their cost per use quite like these, some of which are Irish
Diwali takeaway review: Nepalese vegetarian specialties shine but meat dishes fail to impress
Signature offerings at this Dublin 2 outlet include dishes cooked in a traditional clay oven and biryanis
Three make-ahead cocktails and one mocktail that will add punch to any Christmas party
How to Drink Better: These ‘fridge door’ cocktails are perfect to make ahead of time
I need to book a restaurant for Christmas dinner with friends. Am I too late?
All is not lost, here’s our guide to grabbing that last-minute booking
Christmas party cocktails: How to make an alcohol-free mulled wine
A flavourful and headache-free party drink
Seafood Café restaurant review: A Sunday lunch seafood feast is a wonderful thing, especially at this price
It’s not often a cocktail is included in a fixed-price menu, but the turbot for two is a bit on the small side
Great restaurants around Ireland for a cosy dining experience
Intimate spaces, wide-open culinary possibilities – eight places for an informal bite
A father-son ski trip: Swiss bliss carving up the Alpine slopes
This ski trip to Switzerland had the dual purpose of practising for the Junior Cert French exam (honest) and having some father-son fun
Erin Flynn on creating Ireland’s newest skiwear brand: ‘I take skiing and looking good seriously’
RuaNua, a new skiwear brand, promises style as well as pragmatism
Translated fiction: A round-up of the best recent foreign-language books
Illness, marriage, colonialism, animals, Swiss wealth and Eritrea feature in works by Johanna Ekström, Astrid Roemer, Abdelaziz Baraka Sakin, Jean Giono, Christian Kracht and Baalu Girma
Actor Edward Norton on environmental activism: ‘If you find it inconvenient, I think that’s precisely the f**king point’
Norton might be best known for his blockbuster Hollywood roles, but the actor is also a committed environmentalist and successful entrepreneur
An A to Z of Christmas gifts for gardeners: Trees, tools, calendars, furniture and more
Searching for the perfect Christmas present for the gardener in your life? Here are our top suggestions
I’ve rearranged our books based on colour and height. Apparently this is controversial
How else would you end up with Marian Keyes sandwiched between My Life and Loves by Frank Harris and Naomi Wolf’s biography of the vagina?
Chocs away: three Irish artisans offering an immersive chocolate experience
These Cork, Limerick and Wexford chocolatiers not only create their own chocolate recipes, but visitors also get a chance to see how it all happens
How do I find love while still living at home in rural Ireland?
Ask Roe: ‘Living in a rural area, without my own space, I feel stuck in a rut in terms of meeting people’
Some wine bottles have labels with scores. What do they mean?
How to Drink Better: Scores can be a useful aid to buying wine, but remember they are often based on the opinion of one person
‘I remember Past Ross thinking, you need to stort being nicer to Future Ross. He’s a genuinely good bloke’
I’m absolutely sure I wrapped the Christmas lights last year, and didn’t just fock them into the same box
How to add zing to your Christmas party: ‘Hosting is all about being generous and looking after your guests’
What makes a great party, for guests and host? Private chef Tracy Rennie has some suggestions
Christmas gifts: Eleven last-minute presents for the home
All hosts will appreciate a tasteful, fun addition to their kitchen or diningroom
Christmas is their business: Meet the people who do a roaring trade in turkeys, trees and double entendres
Five Christmas workers talk about their trades, from turkey and tree farmers to a panto dame. We even hear from the main man himself
Eilish Fisher on how a winter morning walk in the isolated hills around Glenmalure inspired her to write for children
Fisher’s award-winning book for children, Fia and the Last Snow Deer, was inspired by the wilds of her Wicklow home, and her love of poetry and mythology
Christmas dinner wines to get the table talking
Dare to be different this year with these alternatives to the tried and trusted favourites - you won’t be disappointed
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