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We're not sure who decided that a Mum's favourite food experience is Afternoon Tea (FYI every Dad's favourite food is steak in case you were wondering), but according to Instagram, a sugar coma is what Mums really wants this March. If that's the route you want to take you've got options, but also options of a more savoury/fine dining disposition, in case your Mum is more than crab salad than cake, seared striploin than scones, chicken liver parfait than cucumber sandwiches... Brunch / Lunch / Afternoon Tea Toonsbridge X Neighbourhood Wine Our favourite deli Toonsbridge has joined up with Neighbourhood Wine for the Mother's Day box of dreams (collection only from Leeson Street). For €95 you'll get cheese and charcuterie, five cannoli (the best), and two very good bottles of wine - Craven's Clairette Blanche and Selene's Beaujolais. Order here . Tang's Brunch Boxes Tang are delivering a Mother's Day brunch around Dublin (anywhere inside the M50) on Saturday 13th, with a choice of pancakes or shakshuka, and a bunch of dried flowers from Shop The Garden at the Powerscourt Centre. It's €49.50 and €6.50 for delivery. Alternatively it can be collected from their Dawson Street site. Order here . Network's Ultimate Mother's Day Box Network will fully sort you out for €50. Two days worth of brunch dishes for two, flowers, chocolate and even a card with your own message in it. You'll barely even have to lift a finger. It includes pancakes for two, a brunch bap and their famous 'notions on toast', and you can have it delivered on Saturday or Sunday. Order here . Póg's Afternoon Tea Póg 's deconstructed afternoon tea has sweet and savoury included. You can top your sourdough toast with smashed avocado, spicy hummus, or peanut butter and chia jam, then put the kettle on, pop the cork on the bottle of bubbles and crack into the chocolate brownies, raspberry friandes and chocolate chip cookies. It's €60 for collection from Howth or €70 for delivery. Email info@pog.ie to order. The Merrion's Afternoon Tea The Merrion 's Mother's Day Afternoon Tea is €35 per person, with the option to add on a bottle of supremely tasty Henriot champagne for another €55. You'll get a selection of teas, sandwiches, scones, tea breads and pastries, and they can deliver in the greater Dublin area for an additional charge. Call them on 01 6030600 to place an order (if collecting you'll be given a pick up time). The Shelbourne The Shelbourne have gone to the next level of Afternoon Tea with the option to take home all of the silverware, china and linen, as well as the tiered stand to serve it on. The standard Afternoon tea for collection is €100 for two, with increasing prices whether you want delivery, champagne and/or all of the equipment to serve it with (the whole hog is €240). See all the options here or call the hotel to order on 01 6634500. Baked Baked , who have locations in Dundrum, Citywest, Rathmines and Greenhills, are doing a sweet-only Afternoon Tea for €29.90 per person, including a selection of six cakes, scones, macaroons and cookies. Delivery is also available in Dublin and the surrounding areas for €9.90. Order here . Pudding Row's Mother's Day Comfort Kit ***SOLD OUT*** Pudding Row have given their Comfort Kit a Mother's Day makeover, and added in a scent diffuser and a "Máthair" card from Donegal designed Maggie Marley, that they'll even hand-write for you. In the box you also get Wall & Keogh tea, coconut macaroons, a caramel square, an orange and pistachio brownie, shortbread, and a large bag of their granola. It's €70 including nationwide delivery, and they're shipping on the 10th so it gets there in time for Mother's Day. Order here . Dinner Mamó Mamó 's supper club is back and available for collection from Howth or their new Barrow Street Market in the Docklands on Friday and Saturday. The Mother's Day weekend menu features jamon & Hegarty’s cheddar croquettes, a main of Thornhill duck with baked swede and pickled raisin, and treacle tart with whipped mascarpone and blood orange to finish. Order here . The Legal Eagle The Legal Eagle / Winding Stair have four Mother's Day feasts up for grabs, with five courses and the choice of smoked haddock, lamb, châteaubriand or wild garlic and ricotta dumplings for mains. It also includes a bottle of prosecco and a single flower, and you can add on wine and/or cocktails. Meals for one start at €50 (€100 for two) and delivery is an extra €10. Order here . Richmond Richmond are doing dinner for two for €70 including a roast celeriac and comté pie with truffle and hazelnut cream - and that's just the starter. It's glazed beef short-rib for main, lemon cheesecake with blackberry salted caramel for dessert, and chocolate for afters. Available for collection from Portobello on Sunday from 11:00 - 17:00. Old Street Old Street are doing a family meal to feed two adults and two children, with crab cakes and either roast chicken or beef wellington for the adults, and chicken wings and pasta for the kids. Everyone's having bread and butter pudding for dessert. Available for collection from 12:00 - 17:30 all weekend. Order here . Dax Dax 's €48 pp three-course mother's day menu is available for collection from Friday - Sunday, and features some of their greatest hits like Clare Island smoked salmon with dressed Clogherhead crab, Dublin Bay prawn raviolo with lemongrass and ginger sauce, and an opera gateau with dark chocolate and buttercream pistachio. Place your order here . Bang Bang have set menus available on Mother's Day for one, two or four people - this a really nice one if your Mum is having to cocoon solo. Options include rack of lamb and roast halibut, and you get snacks and three courses for €35 - €44 a head, depending on what you choose. Available for collection or delivery Dublin-wide. See the options and order here . Back To Dine Back to Dine 's latest collaboration with London-based Irish chef Anna Haugh went live last week and runs until the first week of April, and they still have availability for Mother's Day weekend. The seven-course set menu, including bread, snacks, sweet and a course for the following day, costs €99 for two, and can be collected from San Lorenzo's on George's Street or delivered to some areas - email them to see if they can come to you. See the menu and order here . Craft Craft in Harold's Cross are doing a pretty swanky five course (six if you include bread) menu for two or four people at €45 a head. There's wild garlic soup with cheddar dumplings, roast rump of lamb with a shoulder pie, and lemon meringue for dessert, and they've promised minimal cooking on anything hot. Collection times are available from 12:00 - 15:30 and you can order here . Bistro One Bistro One in Foxrock were teasing their Mother's Day menu last week and we now know there's going to be options including a fish box starter, slow-cooked short rib with champ laced with wild garlic and spring onion, glazed carrots and braised hispi, and a pink rhubarb, blood orange and Campari trifle for dessert. Order for collection only here . Bastible ***SOLD OUT*** Bastible have just unlocked their March menus and if you're quick you can get in there for Mother's Day. The set menu starts with sourdough and cultured butter and ends with blood orange curd doughnuts, and in between there's treacle-cured sea trout, Black Angus striploin, and buttermilk bavarois. It's €40 for one or €75 for two and you can see the full menu and order here . Harry Quinn Pichet head chef Harry Quinn obviously got fed up of waiting to get back to work, so has started offering a "premium at home dining experience" for collection from his home in Monkstown (all HSE-approved). The Mother's Day menu features a burrata salad with wild garlic and hazelnut dressing, a chicken, mushroom and bacon pithivier, and honey panna cotta with poached rhubarb for dessert. It's €40 per person and you can call him on 0838077598 to order, or send him a DM on Instagram .

Spring has sprung, buds are budding, and somewhere deep down in your dark little soul there's been a shift of mood as you're starting to see an injection of colour in your life, or at least on your phone. After what feels like an endless winter of scrolling through images of fried chicken, burgers, and sushi (possibly made in some randomer's bedroom), we're finally getting some virtual sunshine in the form of blood orange and rhubarb ev'ywhere. Here's all the fruity goodness you need in your life this week and where to find it. 1) Rhubarb and Vanilla Sponge from Two Boys Brew Life is all about balance - ying and yang, popcorn and Maltesers, hopeless crying resulting in helpless giggling. If cake has been a regular feature of your week lately, this one from Two Boys Brew topped with buttercream and rhubarb should inject some fruity balance after all of the chocolate/salted caramel/honeyed doughs that got us through winter. 2) Aperol Spritz Panna Cotta from Osteria Lucio One of our favourite things about food and drink, and it's a looooong list, is how evocative so much of it is. Aperol Spritz is the taste of a summer terrace somewhere in Dublin 2, shopping bags at our weary feet, watching people wander past while we get more vocal and even more hilarious with our friends sitting well within two metres. If you could put that feeling in a jar, you'd have Osteria Lucio 's Aperol Spritz panna cotta, loaded with fresh blood orange. Click and collect and delivery available on this bad boy. 3) Rhubarb Pie from No Messin' Bakery Buttery pastry, poached Ryan's rhubarb and poaching syrup all make for an epic pastry. No Messin' Bakery are no stranger to beautiful bakes and this one looks like it's earned its spot among the brown butter cookies and Cardi-B buns. 4) Blood Orange Cannoli from Woodruff Woodruff is not putting a foot wrong lately. They've been taunting us with cannoli for the past few months, all with imaginative and delicious fillings, and they've just added a blood orange version that's available to grab and go from their restaurant in Stepaside. 5) Vanilla, Rhubarb, Orange and Cardamom Cake from Clare Anne Taylor Creator of bespoke occasion cakes and confections, Clare Anne Taylor's gorgeous creations are available from her website , but Forest Avenue also stock some of her range. While this one is being made for Mother's Day, we think it's so stunning that it could turn any day into a special occasion. Bourbon vanilla sponge, rhubarb poached with orange and cardamom, all wrapped in an orange-kissed Italian meringue buttercream. It's available for pre-order only, and numbers are limited, so get in there fast. It's €65 and you can order here for collection on Saturday 13th.

It's the news that restaurant obsessives around the country have been waiting for - two more Dublin restaurants are launching nationwide delivery. As of today Bao House's Yumo Kits can be ordered to anywhere in the 32 counties, and Sprezzatura 's 'Pasta Club' goes live in the next two weeks. Sprezzatura have taken their time getting a pasta delivery service up and running, trialling various packaging options to ensure the food arrives cold and intact, but they finally think they've cracked it. Their pasta club will have a weekly changing pasta for two, four or six people, available as a one off purchase or an onoing subscription (we've already mentally signed up), and delivery nationwide will be included in the price. Packaging is sustainable and they're going for "simple and delicious". You can sign up for first dibs on orders by filling in the form on their website . Yumo Kits from Bao House, have been providing restaurant quality food and home entertainment since launching a few months ago, and the plan was always to expand to nationwide delivery. Now they're ready and as of today you can order any of their gyoza, dumpling, wonton or kimchi kits for delivery in Dublin and Wicklow for €6, and for anywhere else in the country for €8.50. Rejoice... Place your order here and see below for a special discount. Yumo Kits are giving ATF readers 10% off their first order using the code ALLTHEFOOD when checking out, valid from 2nd - 31st of March.

Poor Pancake Tuesday seems to have been all but forgotten this year. Between Covid and Valentine's Day stealing its thunder, our favourite holiday is at risk of fading into the wallpaper in 2021, but not if we can help it. If any of these places are within your 5km get down there today and pick up a pancake. It's bound to be the highlight of the week. Fable & Stey Fable & Stey in Blackrock seemed to be one of the only places talking about PT a week in advance this year - our kind of excitement. Their "all the trimmings" ultimate pancake set serves four and contains fluffy American pancake mix, fresh fruit, peanut brittle, mini marshmallows, salted caramel sauce, chocolate ganache, mini chocolate chips, orange juice, eggs and prosecco. At the time of writing they had very few left, so if you want to get your hands on one call them asap on 01 5610382. Lennox Street Grocer While they won't actually do the cooking for you, Lennox Street Grocer have lovely looking bottles of Jersey milk pancake mix ready to pour. They also sell organic maple syrup, dulce de leche and Murphy's sea salt ice-cream - you know what to do. Lilliput Stores, Stoneybatter Lilliput Stores in Stoneybatter are taking a slightly different (yet no less appealing) tack with this mill e crêpe c ake, sold by the slice with a tiramisu icing. Kerb, Foxrock Kerb in Foxrock will be topping their wholemeal stacked pancakes with berry compote, yoghurt, cashew caramel and granola. They're available from 10:00 - 12:00 and you can pre-order by calling them on 01 2896735. Honey Honey, Portmarnock Honey Honey in Portmarnock have three pancakes specials on the menu today - bacon and maple; chocolate and banana; and lemon mascarpone and berry. Pancakes on the beach - the actual dream. Five Points, Harolds Cross Five Points in Harold's Cross have five different pancakes to choose from today, including savoury with fried chicken and hot sauce, and sweet with chocolate hazelnut and salt caramel, but our pick is the pancake day special of apple, blackberry and almonds. Order for collection here . Monck's Green, Phibsboro Monck's Green in Phibsboro have crêpes to go tomorrow, including one with rhubarb and lime crème fraîche, AND there's free tea or coffee with every order. Order for collection here . Herb Street, Grand Canal Dock Pancake OG's Herb Street are going pancake crazy tomorrow from 09:00 - 15:00, with options including spinach and ricotta with smoked salmon, double chocolate and raspberry with cream and chocolate fudge, and apple pie pancakes with ice-cream and salted caramel sauce. Order for collection here . Le Chocolat de Frèd, Dun Laoghaire It's pancake day every day at Le chocolate de Frèd in Dun Laoghaire, but if you've been looking for an excuse to try the under the radar chocolate café whose customers couldn't possibly love it any more, Shrove Tuesday might just be the day. The only option here is a chocolate crêpe, clearly . Peperina Bistro Garden Peperina Bistro Garden in Ranelagh serve their pancakes every day with fresh berries, banana, yoghurt and maple syrup, and it's business as usual on Pancake Tuesday. Order in advance here . Tang, Dawson Street Pancake perfectionists Tang will be dishing up pancakes from their Dawson Street branch until 11:30 today, and their buckwheat versions come topped with homemade nutbutter, Greek yoghurt, baked pears, blackberries and honey. 31 Lennox Portobello café 31 Lennox will be serving up a FREE lemon and sugar pancake tomorrow with every Bell Lane coffee sold, and if there's anything better than a pancake, it's a free pancake. Alma, Portobello Argentinean café Alma in Portobello have kept the pancakes going year-round, with their dulce de leche pancake kit to finish at home. For €22 you get pre-cooked pancakes, homemade dulce de leche, brandy and orange mascarpone, seasonal fruits, orange zest, mint and toasted almonds, with bacon as an additional extra. Order for collection here . Aventura, Portmarnock Aventura Coffee House at Portmarnock train station are doing traditional Brazilian pancakes made from sweetcorn flour called 'pac pacs' (thicker and fluffier than most), with either bacon and maple, or berries and sour cream. We're intruiged... Social Fabric Café, Stoneybatter Stoneybatter's Social Fabric Café has three pancake options on the menu - chocolate ganache with raspberry and pistachio; butterscotch sauce with fresh fruit and caramelized peanuts; and maple syrup with streaky bacon. They're suggesting you have one each for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and we've definitely heard worse suggestions. Metro Café, South William Street The Metro Café on South William Street may be closed for people watching, but you can still get their buttermilk pancakes with honeyed butter for click and collect all day. Berry compote or nutella are optional extras, and you can order in advance here . Lemon Crepe and Coffee Co. Open for an amazing 22 years, Lemon on South William Street is Dublin's original pancake house and still going strong. We would usually expect queues all day on Pancake Tuesday, but with the city centre quieter than ever you'll probably be able to order one of their 56 different types of crepes pretty swiftly. Pick from sweet ones like the Chocolate Supreme with chocolate, strawberries and banana, or savoury ones like the Mexicano with cheddar cheese, guacamole, salsa and tomato. Worth it for the nostalgia apart from anything else. Eathos Baggot Street healthy eating café Eathos specialises in very brightly coloured food, and their pancakes are no exception. On Pancake Tuesday they'll be serving their regular buckwheat pancakes with blackberry compote, fresh berries and coconut whip, available for collection or via Deliveroo. Order here . Did we miss your favourite place for pancakes? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie.

It’s been a weird week. Netflix’s Prom got a Golden Globe nom, half the country has been hooked on a poor-quality recording of an online Cheshire Parish Council meeting (go you Jackie Weaver), and we’ve all been abnormally entertained by a lawyer cleverly disguised as a kitten. Hey, it’s 2021 and anything that makes us feel an emotion other than despair is fine by us. But you know what the internet is also great for? Showing us delicious food. Here’s the five things it's taunting us with this week. 1) Buttermilk Fried Chicken Burger from Bujo Bujo are the queens of tease when it comes to new products, such is their determination to get things unarguably perfect, and we've been waiting a long time since this picture of an up and coming chicken burger appeared on their Instagram page last September. So we take great pleasure in telling you that one of the ATF team happened to stumble into Bujo while they were doing taste tests and immediately sent frenzied texts about the "incredible" crunchy fried chicken with pink pickled onions, and zingy secret sauce, and a chicken to bun ratio that's "fantastic". While they're not quite ready to launch it yet, if it is on the menu on your next visit you know what to do. 2) Sugar Pit Rib Beef from Baste BBQ Consider this your official Baste BBQ klaxon, because they’re back with a meaty bang. They've got takeaway every Friday and Saturday plus an online store and at-home kits are available, but this short rib really caught our eye. Each one is over 300g of slow-cooked, smoky goodness. Insert Homer Simpson drooling gif right here. 3) Orange-Soaked Sourdough from Ground State Coffee Much like our brains at the moment, there’s a lot to unpack here - sourdough soaked in orange with a spiked crème anglais, labneh, poached pears, cinnamon, and nut brittle. Ground State Coffee say it’s their most popular brunch dish and we can see why. Available for click and collect or delivery via Deliveroo.. 4) Prawn Laksa from Soup Two In any other year, the announcement of the opening of a second restaurant from the gang in Soup Ramen would be grounds for excited text messages written ENTIRELY IN CAPS, but for now you'll have to make do with click and collect or local-ish delivery from Soup Two , their new digs on King Street North near Smithfield. This coconut-based laksa with prawns, glass noodles, cashews, and crispy onions looks like a great introduction to their menu. 5) All the Cookie Sandwiches from My Cookie Sandwich Rory Shannon from Bistro One set up My Cookie Sandwich late last year to really positive feedback, and now the online store is back open, this time with nationwide delivery. The cookie sandwiches are packed with flavour and incredibly moreish so we’d recommend ordering what you think you’ll need, then doubling it (maybe treble it for the loaded chocolate). It looks like they’re just about sold out now but keep an eye on their website for the next release dates.

As much as we’ve loved seeing Eric, our trusty DPD driver, three times a day for the past six months, there are some knocks at the door that get us more excited, than others and the promise of alcohol is definitely one of those. Here’s our updated list of where to get cocktails in Dublin, most of them with delivery options, because staying in-in is never going to be the new going out-out, but at least there’s alcohol. Dublin Cocktail Lab Remember that feeling of being in a cocktail bar and the seemingly endless possibilities awaiting you in the leather-bound cocktail menu placed in your hands? We miss it too, so had raised eyebrows when. Dublin Cocktail Lab caught our eye with their unusual and aesthetically pleasing Instagram feed. Cocktails like Miso Grapefruit Bloody Marys and Rose Coconut Spritz are available for nationwide delivery, and the site also has loads of lovely add-ons like kombucha, pickle juice, and a hot whiskey syrup that sounds like it would go with pretty much anything. It's €5 for delivery and you can order on their website . Farrier and Draper As much as we’d love nothing more than to be sitting in a bar in Dublin 2, we’re settling for our sofas. Available for click and collection and delivery via Deliveroo, Farrier and Draper has a really big selection, including a Spice Bag Margarita. Might need a few lemon mojitos before we’re brave enough for that one. They also have a vegan range (aren't most cocktails vegan?) including this dairy-free pina colada. Order here . Craft Cocktails If you’ve kept an eye on our Insta stories over the past few months, you know that we’ve been working our way through lots of lovely drinks from Craft Cocktails . From the team at Bar 1661 , these drinks pack a serious punch, and the really cute packaging means they’ve been one of our go-tos for sending a little pick-me-up to friends. Delivery is nationwide through www.craftcocktails.ie but we’ve also spotted them in Baggot Street Wines and Neighbourhood Wine . Catch Events After a brief hiatus, Catch Events are back with their Quarantini boxes, and we were very relieved to hear it. Kits contain all you need to make four vibrant cocktails, plus you can add on a heap of extras if you’re feeling extra extra. Be warned, kits tend to get snapped up once they go up on www.catchevents.ie so don't delay getting our order in. Vintage Cocktail Club Another thing we miss is getting dressed-up and going out. Now, we’re not saying everyone has turned into a slob overnight, but we haven’t seen a pair of heels in almost a year, and lipstick is pretty much a distant memory. If you have a special occasion to celebrate at home, the cocktail kits from Vintage Cocktail Club is certainly a way to inject some instant glam into your evening and are available on Deliveroo. Order here . Fourth Corner We’re sick of winter and need some sunshine. We’re not getting it naturally, we can’t fly anywhere to find it, but we can get little glasses of sunshine delivered right to our homes from The Fourth Corner so it’s ok. Plus, where else in Dublin are you going to get a Mule inspired by actor Paul Mescal? The Mescal Mule, naturally... Order here . Hang Dai Hang Dai has been one of our to-go takeaways over the past year, and we would seriously recommend adding one of their cocktails to your order of sesame toast with yuzu mayo. As we’ve come to expect from the loud and lively Chinese restaurant, the cocktails pack serious flavour, often using Asian ingredients like yuzu and Szechuan peppercorns. Bottles of pre-mixed cocktails can be added on to click and collect orders, or delivered via Just Eat or Deliveroo. Order here . Mulberry Garden Mulberry Garden is doing a weekly home meal kit that’s available for collection or Dublin delivery every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Best thing is you can add on cocktails including their take on a Margarita or The Mulberry Old Fashioned which is laced with mulberry puree. Order here . Drop Dead Twice Drop Dead Twice on Francis Street has takeaway cocktails available for collection and delivery on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. In addition to American diner classics, they also have a Netflix and Chill range with cocktail and dessert options. Or, if you want to be really efficient, you can combine your alcohol and sugar intake for maximum dopamine surge in the form of a 'hard shake'. Order for collection or delivery here . The Blind Pig It feels kind of fitting that The Blind Pig , a speakeasy and prohibition era-inspired bar on Suffolk Street, gets the opportunity to do some bootlegging through home delivery. The cocktail menu is extensive and features extras like bar snacks and syrups for your home bar. They’re also doing a full menu for pizza, pasta, and sandwiches. Check out their website for details. Dillinger’s, 777, The Butcher Grill Frozen margaritas from 777 helped get us through the summer, and sister restaurants Dillinger’s and The Butcher Grill are also offering lots of delightful-sounding cocktails for collection and delivery to certain parts of Dublin, like the 'Easy Tiger' with pecan-infused Bulleit bourbon, maple syrup, disaronno and bitters. See each restaurant’s website for details. Wigwam The little bottles of Espresso Martini from Wigwam that graced pretty much every Dubliner’s timeline at some stage during the summer seem to be on hiatus for now, but you can still order Moscow Mules, Dark and Stormys, and Cuba Libres. In addition to click and collect, there’s local delivery (within 2kms) on Fridays and Saturdays, but Just Eat and Deliveroo give more opportunities for you to get deliveries from Thursday to Sunday. See all the details on their website . Krewe A popular spot for pre-pandemic group outings (remember those?), Krewe on Capel Street is now doing a full menu click and collect and delivery so you can get their extensive range of cocktails right to your door. Sizes start at single serve and go to mega portions - no judgement here. All the info is on their website . The Washerwoman of Glasnevin If you’re on the Northside and in need of a Cosmo or gin cooler (and we’ve never had a time when we didn’t need one of those), The Washerwoman in Glasnevin have them, and lots of others, available for collection. Check out their menus and order here .

It's official. There are only so many walks we can go on and so much Netflix we can watch before it all becomes a bit samey. Although we can’t spend time with most of our family and friends in person, anything is possible in a virtual world, and we've found upcoming events as a (somewhat) social alternative to the unending circle that is Netflix and Chill (followed by rage and worry). Sign up with some pals or fly solo for some much needed alone time. Cooking Classes From Airfield Estate There's a lot going on at Airfield estate with cooking demos for every age and skill level. On Wednesdays there's a free live ‘lockdown lunches cook along’ with Chef Lisa Davies (she's done pad Thai, butternut squash hash, frittatas, edible playdough and cake pops for the younger audience), with required ingredients posted on their social media channels the day before. They have a series of e-learning events scheduled for February including a four-part teen chef cook along (€70) and masterclasses in perfecting the fakeaway (Indian, Italian and Middle Eastern featured so far) costing €25 per class, and there are also free tutorials on their community food hub including meal planning, healthy eating on a budget and recipes to feed a hungry family on a budget. Get all the details on their website . Dublin City Brewing's Tasting Club Fancy brushing up on your food and beer pairings? Yup, us too, and doing it in your pj’s from the comfort of your own home has mega appeal. From Thursday February 25th, the newly opened Dublin City Brewing Company on Parnell Street launch their monthly tasting club with head brewer Fergal Murray and a guest food producer. First up is Kwanghi Chan of Bowls by Kwanghi Chan, and for a mere €20 you can register for the zoom event and receive a pack with three Dublin City Brewing beers, a branded glass and a jar of Kwanghi’s Chanchan Black Garlic & Peanut Rayu. The price also includes delivery. Bargain. Book your place here . An Online Wine Tasting Of d'Arenberg Wines By all accounts, d'Arenberg Wine's Chester Osborne is a bit of a character, being referred to as ‘the Willy Wonka of the wine world’, and this week you have the chance to be entertained and informed by the man himself, while drinking a lot of wine in the process. The tasting, hosted by Wine Online , costs €135, for which you'll get six wines from down under (RRP €170) delivered to your door, a wine and food pairing masterclass, and a booklet of Aussie recipes to compliment the wines, like seared scallops with parsnip puree, and slow-cooked lamb shoulder with gremolata and parsnip mash - not too shabby for a Thursday night during mid-term. You'll need to be quick for this one as orders close tomorrow at 12:00 (so they can get the wine to you in time), with the event taking place on Thursday evening at 20:30, but if you miss this one they have others coming up in March. Book a place here . The Blind Pig's Cocktail Masterclasses You may have missed the Valentine’s Day cocktail masterclass with The Blind Pig but there are still plenty of private masterclass slots available, and the next public one is scheduled for St. Patrick's day - shamrock shakes be gone. Participants are sent a list of required ingredients ahead of the class along with household suggestions to replace the more professional cocktail equipment, after all, not everyone has a bar cart crammed with pourers and jiggers to get the job done. You will also be sent a pdf to keep with step by step instructions. Private classes have the option to level up and have cocktail ingredients and/or equipment delivered, along with a hard copy of the manual. Prices from €20. See all the details here . Fermentation Classes From River Run Ferments Apparently fermenting is the new baking, and one thing's for sure, making our own miso, kimchi and kombucha would save us a small fortune (anyone else eating kimchi by the kilo? All about that microbiome...). If you could do with shaving a few hours off level 5 lethargy, and develop a skill that's actually useful, River Run Ferments in Co. Wicklow run monthly online workshops at a cost of €30 a pop. The classes are delivered via zoom on weekends so taking part won’t interfere with ‘working from home’ and each workshop is limited to 15 people. See what's coming up here . Cookery Classes From Sprig Cookery School Professional chef Eamon Lynch (formerly of Brother Hubbard and The Dublin Cookery School) has set up Sprig , a new cookery school that will be operating virtually for the moment, and moving into a real-life premises whenever possible - imagine being in a room with strange humans again, will we even cope. His classes are inexpensive and look educational while not taking themselves too seriously. Tomorrow from 18:30 you can learn to make three different types of breads, on Thursday it's pasta making (no machine needed), and other upcoming classes include brunch entertaining and a Mexican masterclass. See what's coming up here .

As much as we don't overly buy into Valentine's Day it's been such a rough 12 months that we think everyone deserves a treat at every possible opportunity for the foreseeable future, so the heart-shaped holiday is just an excuse to buy more food and drink. If you've predictably left your present buying to the last minute, here are some things you can order online that an be collected or that should (unforeseen circumstances aside) arrive before V-Day. Brunch / Afternoon Tea / Grazing The Cake Café Maybe you don't want to do dinner, or maybe you want to have a day of eating. Either way there are some really nice brunch and afternoon tea options available this year. The Cake Café have a very pink Valentine's 'Love Lunch', available for collection or delivery on the 14th. It's €65 and includes sandwiches, crostinis, cakes, cookies, salads, teas and prosecco cocktails. Order here . Brunch From The Divine Foodie The Divine Foodie deliver their brunch boxes across Dublin on Saturdays. For €32.50 you get homemade sausage rolls, chilli chutney, North Wicklow free range eggs, homemade brown bread, Belgian waffles with chocolate sauce, granola with yogurt and fruit compote, and optional extras including Kilmullen Farm Apple juice and smashed avocado. Order a brunch box here . Anduma's Cheese And Charcuterie Box Anduma 's Valentine's box contains four different cheeses, Spanish ham, salame milano, crackers, Ferrero Rocher, mini honey pot, Sheridan's chutney, dried fruit and nuts. You can also include an optional cheese knife. It's €29 and another €5 for delivery, which they'll be doing on Saturday 13th. Order here . Eatyard's Wine & Cheese Box Eatyard 's Valentine's wine and cheese boxes are available to purchase from their sites at The Bernard Shaw in Drumcondra and The Lighthouse in Dun Laoghaire. For €40 you'll get Irish cheeses, charcuterie, crackers, chutney, Bean & Goose chocolate and red wine. Available from Thursday 11th. The Valentine's Box From Baa Baa Baa Baa in Chapelizod have sweet and savoury covered with their Valentine's Boxes containing an Irish cheeseboard, red wine, homemade cheesecake brownies and homemade love heart chocolates with rose petals and sea salt. It's €70 and available for collection on Saturday 13th, or delivery to certain areas for an extra €10. Check them out here . Sweet Teeth The Bean And Goose Tasting Club We love a good food club, and we love chocolate, so the Bean and Goose tasting club is right up our street. Each month members receive two bars, a one off from their Bean Lab and another from their core range. Both come with tasting notes and it starts at €45 for a three-month subscription. Sign your lover up here . The Cupcake Bloke's Valentine's Treat Box The Cupcake Bloke 's Valentine's treat boxes went on sale for postal delivery last week and sold out straight away, but they can be purchased directly from the bakery on Friday 12th and Saturday 13th. For €21 you get a red velvet cookie stack, a chocolate and Irish cream liqueur truffle cake, a heart-shaped raspberry and coconut mikado, a white chocolate and raspberry bakewell bark, and a brown butter triple chocolate brownie. Serious sugar coma potential, but totally worth it. Póg's Valentine's Boxes Póg 's Valentine's boxes are €35 or €53 with a bottle of bubbly (we presume prosecco or similar), and include brownies, caramel chocolate popcorn, loveheart cookies, rose cupcakes, chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate bombs and heart-shaped marshmallows. Collection only. DM them on Instagram to order. Valentine's Alfies From Gordita We love Gordita 's Argentinean alfajores - two soft biscuits sandwiched with dulce de leche caramel - and they're delivering their pink boxes across Dublin on Saturday 13th. Choose any combination of flavours from chocolate, white chocolate, ruby, gold, Italian meringue and vanilla (our favourites were gold and vanilla), and order by sending them a DM on Instagram . Butlers Valentine's Chocolates Butlers have a whole range of heart-shaped/pink/floral themed chocolates to choose from, and it's a good time to stock up as the Christmas chocolate has probably just run out. There's a gifting bundle for the serious chocolate lover, loads of different sized boxes, tins and trays, and our personal choice, the cocktail menu, with flavours including whiskey sour, passion fruit margarita and an espresso martini. See the range and order here . Kale + C0co's Chocolate Fondue Box For the sweet toothed vegans/coeliacs, Kale + Coco have a vegan and gluten free chocolate fondue box, with fruit, banana bread, dates, granola, coconut chips and rose petals for dipping. It comes wrapped up in a gift box with a red rose for €25, and is for collection only on Saturday 13th. Order here . Krispy Kreme's Love Heart Doughnuts If you have someone in your life who happily gets in the drive-through queue for Krispy Kreme , they'll probably be into their Valentine’s Day collaboration with Swizzels Love Hearts. The limited-edition heart-shaped (obvs) doughnuts come with messages like "I love you" and "BFF", and all the sherbet flavours (as well as chocolate). They're €2.95 each or €18.95 for 12, and you can get them through their click and serve, via the drive-through, or delivered on Uber Eats, Just Eat and Deliveroo. See the range and order here . Food Hampers & Booze The Hen's Teeth Gift Box "The world's in bits but you're not" gift box from Hen's Teeth has so many of our favourite things in there we're tempted to order it as a gift from me to me. For €80 you get a bottle of pet nat, a two-person Pornstar Martini from Irish Craft Cocktails, Harry's nutbutter extra hawt, Kold hot sauce, coco caramel hazelnuts and a Wary Meyers soap, as well as a card and the best gift box we've seen in some time. Order for collection or delivery between 11th - 13th February here . Nan Wang's Sauce Selection Chefs Alan Wang and Adam McCloskey started Nan Wang 's a few months ago selling Chinese condiments to spice up your meals, and these have a big fat ATF seal of approval - running out of their black bean sauce has been the most devastating thing to happen in 2021 so far. The sesame chilli oil has a smokier, spicier kick than rayu, and the Asian tomato chutney is made for curry. Jars are €6-€7 and you can add a gift box for €2. Order by DMing them on Instagram . Union Hall's Food Box West Cork smokehouse Union Hall 's €50 food box contains all of their smoked fish products, like whiskey infused smoked salmon and smoked mackerel paté, as well as cheeses, biscuits and other treats. Boxes come packed with ice to keep them fresh, and you can order your own taste of West Cork here . Jamon From Spain Iberico Let's be honest. One of the main reasons we return to Spain time and time again is to bring back copious amounts of jamon, and we're found this new 'no-flying anywhere' normal particularly hard to take from a food standpoint. So when we stumbled across Spain Iberico recently, set up by people like us , for people like us who are struggling to find the good stuff on home turf, we wasted no time placing an order. It was dispatched the same day with delivery due a few days later, and because they're EU based there's no custom-related issues to worry about. You'll also get 15% off your first order by signing up to their mailing list. See their range here . Valentine's Cocktails From Craft Cocktails Is it really Valentine's Day if you haven't had a cocktail? This year take all the stress, shaking and stirring out of it by ordering a Valentine's bundle from Irish Craft Cocktails . They've re-packaged some of their pink and purple classics, and added Cosmopolitans to the line up, and a set of four will set you back €60 with free delivery. Order here . The Green Man Wine Club's "Love" Edition If wine is more your bag, sign your lover up to Green Man Wine 's wine club this week and your first box will be themed "Love of the land", exploring the theme of love in wine. Uber romantic. A three month subscription is €199, and you can sign up here .

With 11 days to go you'll want to be quick if you plan on grabbing yourself a restaurant meal for V-Day. Lots have already sold out (including Bastible, The Butcher Grill and The Cali Kitchen), but there are plenty still available. Just don't dawdle too much on this one. Note: lots are available for collection or delivery on Friday 12th or Saturday 13th, but will stay good until the 14th, so don't worry if you can only get one of those dates. Also PSA: This article contains a LOT of steak, which appears to be our national Valentine's Day dish. Allta Allta 's Valentine's Day offering goes on sale on Monday the 8th at 12:00 and you'll need to be on the ball for this one. It's €130 for two people but includes two killer bottles of Gobillard 1er Cru Champagne and Le Grappin's red Beaujolais, as well as the usual sourdough and shiitake miso butter, charcuterie, pickled veg, dressed leaves, shortrib cassarece to share, chocolate fondants and miso caramels to end. There's a vegetarian option too. You can collect from Allta on Friday 12th or they're delivering to Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare and Meath on Saturday 13th for €9.95. Boxes go on sale here on Monday at midday. Neighbourhood Wine New Leeson Street wine shop Neighbourhood Wine have put together a 'Hopeless Home-Antics' box for two, which can be collected from the shop on Friday 12th or Sat 13th. For €89 you get a John Stone Côte de Boeuf, David Bradshaw’s (ex-Potager / Lyle's in London) dauphinoise, Young Buck blue cheese sauce, long stem broccoli, a Bread 41 Loaf for two, Allta's shiitake miso butter, and a bottle of that same Le Grappin 'Saint Amour' Beaujolais. Stretch to €149 and you'll get a bottle of Bollinger Champagne too. Order one here . Back To Dine Back To Dine 's collaboration with JP McMahon has just opened up for Valentine's Day. It's €99 for seven courses and dishes include venison pithivier with Jerusalem artichokes, whiskey and oyster mushroom sauce and potato gratin, pavlova with lemon curd and forced rhubarb, and ham hock and egg terrine with Durrus cheese & linseed crackers for the next day. It's available for collection from San Lorenzo's on George's Street, and they can sometimes do delivery - email them to check. Order one here . The Legal Eagle The Legal Eagle have a really wide range of options available for your Valentine's Day feast, including mains of Châteaubriand, smoked haddock, and a vegetarian option of Jerusalem artichoke and Crozier Blue cheese pancakes. They even have meal options for one - ideal if you and your partner are being kept apart by Covid/quarantine/travel restrictions. They're available for collection only on Sunday 14th and you can see all of the options here . Overends Kitchen, Airfield Estate Overends Kitchen have an excellent value meal box available for collection on Friday 12th or Saturday 13th, for €55 for two people. A celebration of the estate's produce, it includes gildas, taramasalata and brown bread, grilled purple sprouting broccol with a miso dressing and sliced pancetta, potato and parmesan gnocchi with Cashel blue cheese and a rosemary sauce, Airfield Estate Lamb served two ways, with Jerusalem artichoke and cavolo nero, a craquelin choux bun with beetroot molasses and sweet woodruff pastry cream to share, and petit fours. Probably the bargain of 2021 so far. Order yours here . 777 777 have a Valentine's dinner for two for €80, and it's one of the few options on this list that doesn't involve steak. Instead you're looking at a main of braised pork belly with red mole sauce, and lots of other lovely things like totopos with salsa and guacamole, chicken liver paté with mango salsa, and elotes. It's available for collection from Thursday 11th - Saturday 13th, or delivery on Friday 12th for an additional €7. Order here . Bang Bang is another restaurant with multiple Valentine's meal options at €50 a head, with a choice of fillet steak from Peter Hannan, côte de boeuf for two, roast halibut, or a vegetarian option of parmesan triangoli with Jerusalem artichoke & crème fraiche sauce. There are snacks, starters, sides and desserts too, and optional add-ons of cocktails and wine. It's available for collection and delivery from Friday 11th - Sunday 13th, and you can order here . Casper & Giumbini's Casper & Giumbini's in Dun Laoghaire are doing a four-course menu with cocktails featuring dressed crab, rib-eye steak, chocolate fondants and petit fours for €100. You can also add on wine from a limited selection for €20. Collection only. Details are on their website . The Port House The Port House haven't opened their orders yet but you can register your interest on their website and they'll email you when boxes are live. Their four course menu comes with wine or cava, a candle, Spotify playlists, a video to create the Port House atmosphere, and a 20% discount card to use at one of their restaurants when they reopen. They'll also deliver free within the M50. No price yet but you can register your interest here . Le Perroquet Le Perroquet on Leeson Street have made their Valentine's dinner boxes available to order for collection or Dublin-wide delivery (€5), over Valentine's weekend (Friday 12th - Sunday 14th). Main course options are striploin, salmon or a vegetarian option o f Mushroom and Leek Pitivier, and there's lots of other lovely things like s ourdough and whipped duck fat butter, chicken and black pudding terrine, and homemade chocolates to finish. Order here . Peploe's Peploe's have three simple Valentine's options available, of a main course and a dessert for €80 for two. The choices are a Rick Higgins 30 day dry-aged côte de boeuf, a JJ Young Beef Wellington, or pan-fried black sole, which all come with sides and sauces. Order here . Dax Dax is opening their collections service as a one off on Sunday the 14th (it's usually only available Friday and Saturday nights). The food comes ready to eat and collections are usually between 17:00 and 20:00. No word on the menu or price yet but it goes live on their website this Sunday the 7th. Asador/Prado Asador (Ballsbridge) and Prado (Clontarf) have a dinner box available on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th for collection or delivery to most parts of Dublin. It's €79 for two and contains a four-course menu which includes a chargrilled monkfish & mooli salad, a dry-aged chateaubriand for two, comté with crackers and chutney, and Valrhona chocolate hearts to finish. Order here . Sophie's Sophie's on Harcourt Street are doing a three-course cook at home meal kit, containing the ingredients for roasted butternut squash, pine nut & goats cheese cannelloni, Irish beef wellington, and a chocolate and strawberry dome for dessert. There's also a chocolate box with bon bons, macaroons & Bailey’s chocolate truffles. Kits are €85 and can be ordered for collection or delivery on Saturday 13th. Order here .

The recent weather is just the icing on the cake when it comes to the tyranny that 2021 has brought us so far. It’s beginning to feel a bad remake of Groundhog Day with little to brighten the mood and depressing talk of restaurants being kept closed until early summer. One small ray of light however in this fog of samey days, is the increase in drive-through places to go for decent coffee without having to brave the weather or have a run in with the person behind you who's forgotten that social distancing was ever a thing - although some of these spots will still involve jumping out of the car to order and pay. Sometimes, walks are overrated. 1) Aventura, Portmarnock/Malahide With an excellent sea-facing location at the car park of Paddy’s Hill in Malahide, and another in the train station car park in Portmarnock, Aventura is perfectly positioned for those travelling by car, with plenty of space to pull up, order and hop back in. Coffee is their own house blend from Koffy in Newry and the treats from Mud Bakery, The Carrot Cake Lady and Medialuna Croissanterie are even more reasons to visit. The sandwiches are top class too. 2) Thru The Green, Windy Arbour Thru the Green , in Windy Arbour near Dundrum village, is the ideal pit stop for those who want to limit their interaction with the outside world, whether for health reasons or just because of a bad hair day (which most of us are having too many of lately). The coffee on the bar is from Roasted Brown and there are sandwiches and cakes for take away too. One of the owners is Australian so it’s no surprise that last year on Australia Day (January 26th) there were Anzac biscuits and lamingtons on the go which we hope to see repeated this week. 3) Cheeky Rascal Coffee, Howth Junction Industrial Estate While not primarily a drive through, Cheeky Rascal have been known to serve customers directly through their window if the situation presents itself, but parking nearby is ample anyway. Coffee is the shiringa blend from Blue Butterfly Coffee in Waterford, and this is the only place in town to drink it. Treats are handmade by The Middle Child, and pre and (hopefully) post Covid, they're available as a pop up horsebox bar/cocktail bar for events and parties, when we finally have something to celebrate. 4) The Coffee Kid, Sallynoggin Another coffee kiosk making use of a lonely parking lot is The Coffee Kid (aka Alex Flynn) in Sallynoggin. Located in the car park of M Kelly Interiors (between Lidl and Woodies) there is tonnes of space to do a park and dash for your daily dose. Coffee is from 8th Corner Coffee in Dun Laoghaire and there are freshly baked vegan cookies, biscotti, fudge and sage and apple sausage rolls to go. 5) Grindstone, Balally Luas With their own dedicated house blend from 3fe and more Kombucha than you can shake a stick at, Grindstone seems to have it all going on. There are homemade jambons and sausage rolls, teas from Wall & Keogh and salads and sandwiches for lunch. Located at Balally Luas stop, you can pick up your coffee to go while reminiscing about the good old days when you had to trudge in to work in a cramped carriage. Guest roasters are featured monthly with PS Coffee Roasters and Bell Lane just a couple that have made an appearance. If you're walking (or the passenger) they also serve Baileys coffee and hot chocolate to go. 6) Morilles, Stillorgan & Rathfarnham If you thought park and ride car parks were eerily empty, spare a thought for the pub car parks throughout the county, with all that prime space and not even a lone ‘I’ll drive and collect the car tomorrow’ vehicle hanging around. Not so for the car parks of The Yellow House in Rathfarnham, The Ballinteer House and The Mill House in Stillorgan with the arrival of Morilles drive through coffee at all locations. Coffee is from JJ Darboven, roasted in Dun Laoghaire, and there are lots of freshly baked breads and pastries to go. 7) Mint Coffee, Blackrock If your weekends used to involve traipsing children around muddy rugby and football pitches in the rain, you may well feel slightly nostalgic with a pit stop at Mint Coffee , located just inside the gates of Blackrock Rugby Club. Coffee is from Eighty9, also roasted in Dun Laoghaire, and there's an extensive hot chocolate menu and toasties that look pretty good. This one is completely drive through also so feel free to go in your pj’s with full confidence that you won’t be spotted. 8) Goat's Gruff, Strawberry Beds Another lockdown success story, Goats Gruff is perfect for that 5k Sunday morning drive. Perched on the banks of the Liffey in the car park of The Strawberry Hall, this is another fully drive through option. The sandwiches are wood-fired, the coffee's from Imbibe and the pastries and bread are from Tartine. The queue can be brutal at the weekends but with surroundings (and coffee) as good as this, who are we to complain. In the evenings, they do wood-fired pizzas which are also worth queueing for. 9) Fools and Horses Coffee Walkinstown Roundabout used to be the stuff of nightmares for learner drivers (or any drivers), and while the advent of the Red Cow roundabout helped, it’s still busy. The arrival of Fools and Horses Coffee has probably not improved the traffic, but these days it’s not that much of a worry. The horse box/coffee box serves coffee from Upside and there are mascarpone cookie sandwiches. They also have a pitch in Dundrum but it’s on pause for now. 10) Bean Box, Greenhills While not exactly a drive through, there is plenty of parking at Bean Box for a quick coffee refuel. One of the few places to offer local delivery, Bean Box also do crepes, cakes and most importantly, the coffee is Ariosa. 11) Smack Drive Thru Coffee Another true drive (or walk) through, Smack Drive Thru Coffee is located on the Sandyford Road in Dundrum, beside Ballawley Park. The oldie of the gang, Smack has been going for over 5 years and Red Rooster Loco Leghorn is the coffee of choice. One of the few places to open early, coffee is on the go from 07:00 for the early risers. 12) Galloping Green, Stillorgan Galloping Green at Byrne's pub in Stillorgan is not just a drive through coffee shop, it's also a drive through off-licence - so you can pick up a tandoori chicken ciabatta, a delicious flat white from Two Fifty Square , and grab a bottle of tequila while you're there. Unfortunately the off-licence is temporarily closed due to the current restrictions, but under normal circumstances click and collect is available online , where you'll also find their sandwich and coffee menu. 13) Cob Coffee Company, Rathfarnham In Rathfarnham, Cob Coffee Company have found a new home adjacent to Mulch Garden Centre (also a garden waste recycler) on Nutgrove Avenue. This is one to watch with coffee from relative newcomers (and apparently Ireland’s most sustainable coffee brand) Woodland Coffee in Dublin 24, treats from The Cupcake Bloke and tea from Nik’s Teas. There's loads of space to park and drive through is also an option. 14) Dash Container at the Hole in the Wall, Dublin 7 On Blackhorse Avenue, beside the Phoenix Park, Dash Coffee serve their own Triangle coffee signature roast, in collaboration with Khanya Craft Coffee in Dublin 11, along with monthly guest roasts. Dash has a full takeaway menu for breakfast and lunch including pastries, porridge, overnight oats, sausage rolls, soup and smoothies along with some sweet stuff too. They also host running tours of the Phoenix Park (when permitted) and Dog Days on Thursdays which involve free puppy-cinos for your four legged friend. Open later than most, you can get caffeinated at Dash up until 20:00 and there is loads of parking. Pre–ordering is on the way too. Know any other drive-through coffee spots? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie

One of the few things that's made us optimistic in the middle of Ireland’s COVID-19 crisis is seeing the ingenuity and adaptability from so many restaurants, producers and suppliers. While we know it’s not possible for everyone to turn themselves into an artisan Amazon overnight, we’re heartened to see that more and more delivery services are being launched, and we now have so many new ways of getting quality products to our doorstep. Here's our updated list of the suppliers currently delivering to Dublin, though many are now operating nationwide delivery. Meat, Fish, Dairy Higgins Butchers Probably best known for steaks, Higgins Butchers in Sutton have a huge range of beef, lamb, pork and poultry all with nationwide delivery and arriving in a very well insulated cold box. They also did a recent surf 'n' turf collaboration with Michael's that saw people outside of Dublin finally getting their hands on the goods we've been talking about for the past four years - more collabs, please. See their online shop here . Kish Fish Kish Fish are delivering their fresh fish and smoked salmon with a €12 delivery fee. Details are available from www.kishfish.ie where you’ll also find lots of great recipes. Sheridans Cheesemongers Judging by the amount of orders Sheridans are managing online it looks like we’re not the only ones seeking solace in a slab of Brillat-Savarin at the moment. Their online shop is packed full of cheeses, meats, wines, crackers, dips, sauces, pretty much everything you could hope for during a global pandemic. Delivery is €5 but free on orders over €100. Demand seems to be high, and some delivery times can be a bit long so check the website and plan accordingly. On The Pigs Back On The Pigs Back are operating a collection service from their premises in Cork but a flat delivery fee of €15 will give you ample opportunity to have French and Irish cheeses, charcuterie, meats, meals and pâté delivered to your door. See their selection here . Andarl Farm We’re not sure if we’re allowed to get excited about anything at the moment, but hearing that Andarl Farm, home of that amazing velvet pork chop that’s been blazing across Dublin restaurant menus, are now delivering was a welcome distraction. Their full range of bacon, pork, ham and sausages, delivered nationwide, is available from www.andarlfarm.ie . Cashel Irish Farmhouse Cheesemakers The folks at Cashel Cheesemakers are not only allowing us to purchase entire wheels of their lovely cheeses, but they've also teamed-up with other Tipperary suppliers like The Apple Farm and Cooleeney Farm to create boxes containing cheese, juices, yogurt, meats, and preserves. Hamper prices start at €58 and delivery is free. See www.cashelblue.com for the details. Burren Smokehouse While they’ve had to close their visitor centres, Burren Smokehouse are still supplying their smoked Irish organic salmon, trout, and mackerel for delivery. Details are on www.burrensmokehouse.com . The Little Cheese Shop The Little Cheese Shop has long been one of our favourite places in Dingle, and the world. It's like a treasure chest of amazing Irish cheese. While we haven't been able to get there as frequently as we would like, one of the best things about 2020 was that they found a way of bringing their cheese to us thanks to nationwide delivery. You can shop the entire range online at www.thelittlecheeseshop.ie or really treat yourself with a subscription to their selection of the month, which single-handedly made our January. James Whelan Butchers Lots of products and recipes are available from James Whelan Butchers where delivery is €10 or free on orders over €100, and if money (and freezer space) is no object right now you won't beat their salt-aged meat hampers. See www.jameswhelanbutchers.com for info. The Whole Hoggs You can order pretty much every pork product you can think of (and also duck eggs) from The Whole Hoggs - cured ham, lots of varieties of sausage, pork burgers, fillets, chops, loins, basically the whole hog... Details are on www.thewholehoggs.com with delivery available to Dublin, Louth and Meath. Silverhill Duck Based in Monaghan, Silverhill Duck have launched www.duckshop.ie that sells pretty much everything the duck-lover in your life could ever need, from mixed hampers to bumper packs of hoisin duck pancake kits. Nationwide delivery is a very reasonable flat rate of €7, and the perfectly cooked half roast duck and confit duck legs have really been livening up our midweek meals, so it's worth stocking up if you have the space. Fruit and Vegetables Hussey Fruit & Veg While Hussey Fruit and Veg seem to be supplying many retailers at the moment, they’re also delivering boxes of fruit and veg to homes. As well as their usual A-grade suppliers like Ard Mhaca Shiitake, Ryan's Rhubarb and Drummond House garlic, they've also teamed up with people like Velvet Cloud and St. Tola so there's lots to browse. Currently, their fruit and veg boxes are available for collection or Dublin delivery only, but lots of products are available for nationwide delivery. Check www.husseysfarm.com for info. The Green Grocer, Stoneybatter Home delivery of fruit, vegetables, groceries, eggs, and cupboard staples is available from The Green Grocer in Stoneybatter. Next day delivery around Dublin is free. See www.greengrocerathome.com . Grocery/General Toonsbridge If you've been in either of the Toonsbridge shops in Dublin or Cork, you'll know that they're really well stocked with fantastic cheeses, charcuteries, dips, pantry staples, and of course, lots of olives. Their pesto is unbeatable, their feta dip perfection, and their 12-year aged balsamic a steal at €10. While the Cork store is closed currently, you can order online for nationwide delivery from their website www.therealoliveco.com . Weekl.ie Online grocery store Weekl.ie has an impressive selection that covers everything from fruit and veg, meat, fish, poultry, dairy, baked treats, wine, flowers, cheese, condiments, pantry supplies and just about everything else your greedy little heart could want some from of Ireland's favourite suppliers. They also have a curated selection of 'Nosh Boxes' if you're planning a special event. One-off or subscription deliveries to Dublin and North Wicklow are available from www.weekl.ie . Avoca Avoca is doing what it does best - keeping us well-stocked with basics, meals and lots of treats. Delivery is available if you live within 20kms of selected Avoca stores (Monkstown, Kilmacanoge, Ballsbridge,or Malahide). Details are on www.avoca.com . Mr Bell's Global Food Emporium Mr Bell , in Cork's English Market is your one stop spice shop, as well as a great source of noodles, sauces and hard to get ingredients like miso, freekeh and orange blossom water. Nationwide delivery in the ROI is €6.95 for packages up to 25kg. Details are on mrbells.ie . Fallon & Byrne In a similar vein to Avoca, Fallon and Byrne are offering fruit, veg, prepared meals, meat and fish, breads and cakes, cheese, charcuterie and grocery items with nationwide delivery for orders over €75. Details on www.fallonandbyrne.com . Asia Market Wondering where on earth to get gochujang, black rice vinegar or frozen dumplings right now? Praise the Lord, Asia Market on Drury Street delivers. It's long been one of our go-to spots for pretty much any ingredient you could need to create fantastic Asian meals at home, and delivery is a flat fee of €7.50. You can see everything in stock on www.asiamarket.ie . Cakes and Chocolate Mud Bakery We really loved our all-too-frequent deliveries from Mud Bakery over the summer and showered our outside-Dublin friends with Mud boxes when they were launched for nationwide delivery. Keep an eye on www.mudcakeaway.com for details of stock releases and deliveries. Lorge Chocolatier One of our favourite small producers of luxury chocolates is Lorge Chocolatier in Kerry, who deliver across Ireland for €5 and offer free delivery on orders of over €50, so it really does make fiscal sense to stock-up. If you’re quick, you may even be able to grab an Easter egg. If not, we’re big fans of the Reglise – a box of 48 handmade chocolates. Check out www.lorge.ie . The Chocolate Garden of Ireland If you ever get a chance to visit The Chocolate Garden of Ireland workshop in Co. Carlow, you really should. However, from the comfort of your own home, you can order their products online. From novelty items (chocolate sliotar and hurley anyone?) to hampers and boxes of chocolates, there’s a huge selection on www.chocolategarden.ie . Hazel Mountain Chocolate We first took notice of Hazel Mountain Chocolate when Rory Shannon (of Bistro One) launched My Cookie Sandwich and we spotted it was an ingredient. Intrigued, we did extensive taste testing and can confirm that Hazel Mountain Chocolate is good - oh Lord is it good. Post-Christmas, stock seems low but we're hopeful of a restock very soon on www.h azelmountainhocolate.com . My Cookie Sandwich Speaking of which, My Cookie Sandwich is on a little break but keep an eye on www.mycookiesandwich.net as deliveries, including nationwide, should be back soon. Le Patissier Le Patissier is turning-out amazing cakes and pastries for collection. Delivery is county Dublin only, and slots tend to fill up fast. Details on www.lepatissier.ie . Tea & Coffee For coffee check out Proper Order , Cloud Picker , Imbibe , Soma , Roasted Brown , Upside Coffee and 3FE , who are all delivering to Dublin currently, whereas Clement and Pekoe and Suki Tea have you covered for tea. Did we miss anywhere you love? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie.

It’s January, it’s cold, and we’re now in what feels like the 348th month of Covid-related restrictions; we’re pretty much all over the place emotionally. The highlight of our evening is an update on the “What’s New” section on Netflix as it gives us more stuff to mindlessly scroll past for an hour before settling for The US Office, again. Jannui (January ennui) has truly set-in and we’re having all the feels, but none of the culinary motivation. Worry not though, we’re here to guide you through finding the perfect meal, whatever your mood. Anger Mindfulness has really come to the fore in recent years as a way to calm a chaotic mind. If you need to calm down, you can definitely do some guided breathing exercises, but, when you open your eyes, you’re still going to be hungry. Our top tip is to do something that involves using your hands and concentration, but ultimately results in beautiful food, and Yumo Kits from the Bao House team on Aungier Street fit the bill. There’s a selection of different kits meaning you can make authentic dumplings, wontons, or bao at home. If you’ve ever made dumplings, you’ll know the feeling of getting lost in concentration as you pull and fold the sides. Kits are available for collection, or delivery across Dublin, Meath, Wicklow, and Kildare with the promise of nationwide delivery coming soon. Browse their meal kits here . Happy Hey, if you can find happiness in all of this, you do you, but please tell us your secret. Unsurprisingly, great food makes us happy, and our love of Allta Box is set to continue into 2021 as their first box of the year went on sale yesterday and no shock, sold out in jig time. Each week’s menu goes lives at noon on Mondays for nationwide delivery at the weekend and you'll need to set an alarm for happiness of the Allta kind. Check it out here . Sad It’s impossible to be sad while eating fried chicken. Fact. While chicken joints seem to be popping-up around Dublin faster than Bernie Sanders memes on our Twitter timeline, one we’ve tried lately and really liked is Happy Endings , a pop-up based out of the Dorset Lounge with collection or delivery (via Deliveroo). Crispy buttermilk fried chicken fillet burgers and tenders teamed with sauces and dressings bursting with flavours of ramen and gochujang set these faaaar apart from anything you’ll get in a greasy bucket. Topped fries and sides like chicken toast (their take on the ubiquitous Chinese take-away prawn version) will get you through the saddest of days. Fearful There’s a lot to be fearful of right now, and sometimes the best way to face the unknown is to remember the familiar. While we’re really missing our favourite cafés and not all are open for business, many are still operating on a more limited take-away business. If you’re able to get to them, a walk to your local café will clear your head and you’ll be rewarded with friendly smiles and baked goods; win-win. Currently, lots of your favourites are open, including ALMA , Two Pups , Laine My Love , BaaBaa by Blacksheep , Fia , Noshington Café , and Two Boys Brew . Frustrated Had lots of plans for the 2020s? Feel like repeatedly hitting your head off a wall and smashing things? We hear you. Take the pain-free option and have a smash burger from Dash Burger on Kevin Street instead. Definitely our preferred way to release some pent-up frustration right now.

Dede in Baltimore, Cork, from chef Ahmet Dede, is the only new one-star Michelin restaurant in Ireland, after this evening's Michelin awards. Dede was formerly head chef at Mews in Baltimore, which also won a star under his cooking before announcing they were closing 12 months ago. Dede opened during the summer, and we loved the Turkish take on barbecue when we visited in August. In a night much less eventful than last year's, there were no new two or three stars, but also no deletions of stars - much to restaurant teams across the country's relief. New Bib Gourmands for Dublin (awarded for both good quality and good value) were given to Volpe Nera and head chef/owner Barry Sun (formerly head chef at Etto where he also won a Bib), and Stephen McAllister's Spitalfields in Dublin 8. Two more Bibs went to Goldie in Cork and Table Forty One in Gorey. Barry Sun/Volpe Nera Spitalfields Six Irish restaurants have lost their Michelin Bib award, including Clanbrassil House in Dublin 8, Circa in Terenure, and Two Cooks in Kildare (Circa and Two Cooks were both given a 'plate', for "very good food"). Three others, Giovanelli in Killorglin, Dillons in Timoleague and Browne's in Tuam have permanently closed, also losing their Bibs. Circa's ex-chef/owner Gareth Naughton left the restaurant during the first lockdown which may have something to do with the decision, but restaurants can also lose their Bib due to their pricing - you must be able to eat a three-course meal for under €40 (£28 in the UK), which is getting harder and harder to do in Ireland, and particularly in Dublin. Clanbrassil House / Circa A new "Mentor Chef Award" for 2021 was awarded to Ross Lewis from Chapter One who called it "very emotional", and another new "restaurant service award" for 2021 went to Saul McConnell of Noble in Holywood, Co. Down, whose service we were very impressed with when we visited for our guide on where to eat in Belfast . The Michelin Guide's first ever green stars for restaurants "committed to sustainable gastronomy" were awarded to Inis Meáin Restaurant and Suites , Kai and Loam (all in Galway). Loam Here's hoping for a bit more excitement in 2022.

2020 was the year of the pivot, the pirouette, the tailspin, and 2021 looks like it's going to be more of the same. With so many people in the food and drink industry out of work or faced with on and off employment, we've seen a whole new level of creativity this year, from pop up takeaways to food trucks, bottled cocktails to brand new condiments, borne out of boredom-filled bars and kitchens, so this year's Food Works programme couldn't be coming at a better time. The initiative, set up by Bord Bia , Enterprise Ireland and Teagasc , supports innovative Irish food businesses and helps bring their products to global markets, so if your side (or full-time) hustle has been doing well but you're ready to go to the next level, get your application in before Friday 29th January. So far they've helped over 90 Irish food entrepreneurs scale their business, including some ATF favourites like Clinton's crisps, Bean and Goose chocolate, vegan meal company FIID, Wicklow Wolf beer, Kilbeggan Oats and Beekon Batches. The programme is worth over €50,000, with access to feasibility grant funding of up to €35,000 for each company. Food Works will provide applicants with the support they need to develop their early stage product into an investment ready food and drink product with international potential, along with business supports including consumer market research, research & development expertise, investor ready business plan development, technical advice and commercial viability planning. Participants in last year's programme include Beekon Batches, The Proper Dairy Company, Soothing Solutions, Vegan Sandwich Co and Brady’s Coffee Company, and past participants say it totally transformed their business. " Two years on and we've achieved milestones beyond what I could have imagined for a small Irish startup. "We went from a team of 1 to 7, hit seven figures in retail sales in our first year with all of Ireland's key retailers and expanded internationally ... I can't stress enough the positive impact Food Works had on me as an entrepreneur as well as for fiid and would recommend it for anyone with ambitious goals to disrupt the food industry not just in Ireland but internationally." Shane Ryan, FIID "If you are truly serious about succeeding with your food or beverage venture, Food Works is a must. From Financial, Marketing, Strategy, Commercial, Category, RTM, Production, Export, Personal Development, you name it, it’s provided. There was not one area of our business that wasn’t affected by this program." Karen O'Neill, Beekon Batches “This hands on programme gave us peer to peer practical, mentored and supported guidance to enable us to grow our business, and gave us the confidence to see its potential.” Sean Clinton, Clinton's Crisps. With everything happening at the moment the team at Food Works think 2021 could be the most interesting year yet, with Nicola Nic Pháidín from Enterprise Ireland saying, “The challenges now facing business owners have never been greater and we are here to support and guide Irish food and drink entrepreneurs to scale their businesses and become successful brands. Often in times of crisis comes creativity and this year we are looking for businesses that are demonstrating innovation and resilience despite the impact of Covid-19.” If this sounds like you (or someone you know), applications can be submitted here until 17:00 on Friday 29th January. 2020 may have been a write off, but 2021 could be the year you take lemons and make internationally successful lemonade. This article is in partnership with Food Works , an initiative from Bord Bia , Enterprise Ireland and Teagasc to help Irish food and drink business scale and reach international markets. Find out more about the Food Works programme on their website .

If ever there was a year to send your favourite food-lover a little something special for Christmas, this is it. Not only will you make their week, but you’ll be helping to support Irish businesses too. Sure, you can send a voucher (and we recommend throwing a few in the bag), but if you’re looking for something that shows just how much you’re thinking about them when you can’t actually be with them, the gift of food is what Christmas is truly about. Please note that prices below are excluding delivery - you’ll need to check out the websites for delivery costs depending on where you’re sending the goods. What to Get The Work Colleague You Really Miss Months of Zooms, virtual team building, and seeing more of your colleagues’ cats (and babies) that you’d ideally like, can mean that some workplace relationships are a little terse. However, if you’re genuinely missing your lovely workmates and want to start their Christmas off on a happy note, you might want to arrange a surprise delivery to say thanks for all the whatsapp voice notes this year. Cheese from St. Tola Because friend don’t let friends run out of cheese, top of our list is a cheese selection from goat's cheese gurus St. Tola , starting from €35. Order on their website . A Dumpling Making Kit Yumo meal kits spun out of Aungier Street restaurant Bao House a few months ago, and we've been properly impressed at the quality of dumplings we can now make at home. We've been known to not let our stash of frozen dumplings from the Asia Market run dry, but these are a big jump up (crispy, chewy, juicy and full of filling) - plus you have the fun of actually making them. They've also added bao and wonton kits, and deliver in Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow. Order one for you and one for your colleague, and hit up zoom for (hopefully) the last time this year. Get your meal kit here . A Mud Box For something sweet, the Mud Boxes from Mud Bakery are hard to beat. You can add up to four of your friend’s favourite Mud goods, including their famous cookie sandwich, Oreo biscuit cake, and the gooiest brownie on record. Prices start from €32, and we already have our order in for their Christmas selection box . Order here . Christmas Hampers From The Cupcake Bloke The Cupcake Bloke's hampers are filled with lovely contents like their Earl Grey, cranberry and orange tea brack, 'funky' chocolate biscuit cake, and homemade granola, and cost from €40 - €60 plus postage. You can see the three hamper options here , and email orders to thebakeryrialto@gmail.com. A Cocktail Making Kit From Catch Events Catch Events started out over the summer delivering weekly cocktail Quarantini Boxes to mix at home, and have grown their range impressively. Cocktail kits start from €35, but you can add on glasses, party items, and even cheese and wine pairings. It's the most fun you can have at home alone on a Saturday night. What to Get Your Best Friend While anything above is bound to tick the box, a first tier friend deserves a first rate present. The White Mausu Collection You can now order a six-pack of your favourite White Mausu sauces. Get one for you, one for a friend, and enjoy a heated Zoom snacking session. Priced at €36 for six jars from www.whitemasu.com . Pro tip: buy these for a friend who can cook, and invite yourself over for dinner when restrictions allow. The Harry's Nutbutter Collection More lovely stuff in jars from Harry’s Nut Butter , where €41.40 will get your friend six jars of the salty, sweet and a little bit spicy peanut butters, and the really great news is they've just launched two new flavours - Coco Buzz with cacoa nibs and coffee, and Extra Hot with added heat. That should keep most people going for about a year, but this stuff is hard to stop shovelling into your mouth so we’d recommending stocking your bestie up as much as you can. A Box Of Cookie Sandwiches Friends send friends cookie sandwiches, so it's a very good thing that chef Rory Shannon (Bistro One) has started My Cookie Sandwich , making organic, wholegrain biscuits stuffed with buttercream. They come in four flavours - coffee, honey and hazelnut, oatmeal and raisin, and loaded chocolate (our personal favourite), but friends send friends all of them. Order here . A Coffee Subscription A Cloud Picker Coffee subscription (www.cloudpickercoffee.ie) will mean your friend is thinking of you fondly each morning. They're priced from €55 with options for monthly or weekly deliveries, or if you’re not looking for a long-term commitment, you can order coffee directly from the website, including a Christmas Coffee with tasting notes of roast chestnut, nougat, and truffle. Sign them up here . Ice-Cream Sauces One for the big kids, if your friends are as obsessed with Scrumdiddly’s Kinder Bueno sauce as ours are, you can help them recreate all the missed ice-cream opportunities of 2020 in their own home. Starting from €19, you can have any of Scrumdiddly’s sauces or toppings delivered all over Ireland. All they’ll need is a spoon, and possibly some ice-cream if they’re feeling fancy. Order online at www.scrumdiddlys.ie . Luxury Chocolate If you really want friendship brownie points, you can’t go wrong with luxury chocolate gifts. Lorge , Grá Chocolates , and Erik Van der Veken’s Arcane Chocolates are all a serious step-up from a selection box. Hazel Mountain Chocolate are a boutique chocolate factory based in the Burren, Co. Clare. There’s lots of gift options on the website, but we think the Hot Chocolate Kits complete with chocolate covered marshmallows is the perfect hug in a mug for your favourite pal. Details are on their website . Something Special for Your Parents It’s been a tough year for families. If you’re not going to be able to see yours this Christmas, or can visit but want to help out with a present to really take the load off after a stressful year, any of the Christmas Food Boxes from this list is bound to be a luxurious time-saver. A Hamper From Fallon & Byrne Fallon & Byrne have just launched an online shop which is going to make it way too easy to spend far too much money on luxury food and wine items. They've designed a range of hampers especially for Christmas and we can think of no better box of food to see arriving on your doorstep. There's a very wide range to choose from including wine, cheese and meats, the best of Irish, and one especially for truffle lovers, and prices start at €40 for wine and chocolate, going up to €500 for 'The Extravaganza Extra'. Check them out here . A Comfort Kit From Pudding Row If your parents are facing a Christmas with fewer visiting offspring around the table, the Comfort Kit from Pudding Row in Sligo is stuffed with bagels, brownies, flapjacks, jams, granola, and lots more to make them happy that they don’t have to share. There’s also a Christmas version with mince pies and pudding. Comfort Kits start at €60 and are available for delivery nationwide. Order here . Free-range Pork From Andarl Farm If you’re not going to be with your family on Christmas Day but still want to contribute to dinner, Andarl Farm has been one of our favourite direct suppliers that we’ve discovered this year. They have everything your family need for a Christmas morning fry-up, their famous Velvet Pork for a welcome alternative to turkey, plus great quality ham, bacon, lamb, steak, and offal. Order directly from www.andarlfarm.ie and your order will arrive vacuum-packed and ice-cold. A Cheese And Meat Platter From Anduma If making any sort of (purchased) contribution to Christmas dinner means your mother will never forgive you for trying to steal her thunder, you can always ease the load in the days before or after by sending a cheese and meat platter, perfect for picking at in the storm of kitchen activity before the big day. Argentinean couple Matti and Sole started Anduma (meaning 'let's go') earlier this year, hand-delivering beautiful platters around Dublin containing charcuterie, Irish cheeses, dried fruits, nuts, chutney, honey and crackers, and they come wrapped in a big gold bow. Christmas platters are available in two sizes and start at €30. Order here .

It's no big shock that we're not ones to deny ourselves when it comes to food and drink year round, but some things are worth saving up for your Christmas list - if for no reason other than to limit the amount of Boots gift sets and Penney's pyjamas under the tree. Send this to your other half/siblings/parents and get something you'd really like this year. The Mister S Larder Box We've been working our way through the Mister S larder box over the past couple of weeks and have a few observations: their rayu is our new favourite condiment, their dill oil takes seafood to the next level, and their bacon butter should be illegal (we've had it on pancakes, fresh sourdough, omelettes, we just can't stop). In there you'll also find charcoal ketchup, spice rubs for all types of meat, onion salt and fermented hot sauce, and it's the perfect way to up your kitchen game with someone else having done all the hard work. It's available for nationwide delivery (€65) or collection from the Camden Street restaurant (€60) and can be ordered here . The Sidecar's Special Edition Gin If you're missing cocktails in The Sidecar as much as we are, you can now take a bit of the cocktail bar home, as they've launched their first special edition gin with Dublin's Stillgarden Distillery. It costs €50 (or €90 with two balloon glasses) and there's only 300 bottles up for grabs so you'll need to get the hints in about this one fast. The Sidecar will also be serving it (on request) with 1724 tonic, orange, juniper and mint, and you can buy it in The Westbury's Christmas shop, or through their online store . Nigella's New Book Queen Nigella can do no wrong, and her new book 'Cook, Eat, Repeat' might be her best one yet. Filled with not just recipes but stories and musings about her relationship with food, it's immediately become a cook book no collection is complete without. Buy from any good book shop (the smaller the better). A Wine Club Subscription Who wouldn't love the thought of excellent wine arriving on their doorstep every month? Two of our favourite wine shops, Green Man Wines and 64 Wine have just launched wine clubs, and we can guarantee that both will be a treat. Green Man's has a minimum three-month subscription for €199 giving you three bottles per month, while 64 Wine's is €150 a month for six bottles. You can sign up for the Green Man one here , and 64 Wine's here . Upside Coffee's Christmas Pack A few weeks of being in closer proximity to your family than is generally recommended, plus lots of booze-fuelled late nights, means you're going to need a lot of good coffee to get through the festive season. Fairview based roasters Upside are selling gift packs containing a Christmas blend, their classic espresso, and an Ethiopian for €30, and they're available whole bean or ground. They also come with the most beautiful illustrations by Alex Mellon on the bags which will definitely cheer up your hungover head when you open the kitchen press in the morning. Get them here . The Cocktail Selection From Irish Craft Cocktails Irish Craft Cocktails launched a few months ago selling a selection of hand-mixed cocktails from the bartenders at 1661 Bar, in one of the best pivots of the year. They start at €12.50 for two servings and it's hard to imagine pre-bottled cocktails being this good, but 2020 has brought all kinds of surprises. Our homes (and weekends) are no longer complete without them, and we are dying to try their two limited edition Christmas specials - the Belfast coffee and the Christmas Old-Fashion. Order here . Glasses From Industry People who like nice drinks need nice glasses to drink them from. Industry are selling the most beautiful, hand-blown glasses, with options for wine, champagne, cocktails and water, and we can think of nothing else but owning the whole collection. Buy them from Industry's website , or we've also spotted them in Neighbourhood Wine on Leeson Street. A Sourdough Making Class 2020 was the year we dabbled in sourdough, 2021 should be the year we perfect it. For those of us still struggling with kneading, proving and scoring, getting a masterclass from one of the professionals should be on your New Years to-do list. At the time of writing Bread 41's monthly classes were sold out until May, so all the more reason to get a date in the diary now. Book a place here . 777's Margarita Boxset Something else a lot of us attempted to master during multiple lockdowns was making our favourite cocktail at home, and none seemed to be as popular as the margarita. If your marg-making still isn't hitting the spot, you can now get a lesson from the masters at 777 with their at home margarita boxset. For €199 you'll get a bottle of Don Julio tequila blanco, a bottle of triple sec, limes, salt, margarita glasses, and all the equipment you'll need to juice, shake and strain a lot of margaritas, as well as the all important instructions for how they make theirs. Available here . Cocoa Atelier Chocolate We have a not very secret love affair with Cocoa Atelier 's at home hot chocolate (made using bags of their milk and dark chocolate and topped with marshmallows), and the launch of their online shop has made gifting the good stuff that much easier. Hot chocolate sets are €35.95, while boxes of handmade chocolates start at €12.95 for a box of nine. See the full shop here . A Sheridan's Cheese Club Subscription For a gift you'll be enjoying way past Christmas, a Cheese Club subscription from Sheridan’s can be purchased from anything from one month up to a full year with prices starting at €45. It's a great way to up your cheese knowledge and something to look forward to each month. Sign up here . All The Spanish Food One thing we've badly missed this year are holidays, and if you're anything like us you return home from every destination with a suitcase weighed down with food and drink. During each trip to Spain we pack enough jamon, boquerones and sherry to last a good six months, but as we're not likely to get there or anywhere else any time soon, we'd be happy waking up to the tapas Christmas gift box from Heart of Spain , filled with chorizo, jamon, morcilla, roasted peppers, cheese, olives, almonds, paprika, olive oil and wine. See the full selection of hampers here .

One of the main perks of the festive season is the excuse to eat way more than we normally would, and the Christmas sandwich is one of those things we like eating throughout December - leftovers or no leftovers. The competition is particularly fierce this year but these are 15 of the best options out there if you can't wait till St. Stephen's Day. Carb coma guaranteed... 1) The Happy Cheesemas Toastie, Meltdown First up it's the 'Happy Cheesemas' from Meltdown , who know a thing or two about making toasties worth travelling for. Stuffed with turkey, crispy bacon, homemade stuffing, brie, mature white cheddar, mayo and fresh cranberry sauce this one will keep you going until dinner. 2) The Christmas Special, Hush Over in Rathmines, Hush are keeping it simple with a classic Christmas Special with roast turkey, glazed ham, homemade stuffing, cranberry sauce and gravy. 3) The Ultimate Christmas Sambo, Urbanity In Smithfield, the chefs at Urbanity are being challenged to create the ultimate Christmas sambo with the winner decided by their customers. Contenders include the 'Turkey Xmas Sandwich' with turkey, fennel, leek and orange stuffing, lemon & thyme aioli, O’Neill’s bacon bits and gravy on Firehouse white bloomer, or the 'Duck Xmas Sandwich' with confit duck, orange stuffing, braised red cabbage, with duck fat and citrus tarragon mayo on a Firehouse white brioche bun. Life is full of difficult decisions and this one is a real pickle. 4) The MC, Joe's Tartine sourdough, Wicklow brie, turkey, ham and cranberry sauce – what’s not to love about this festive feast from the Kemp sisters' stable, Joe’s Coffee at Arnotts. 5) The Christmas Croissant, Bread 41 Bread 41 have gone in a slightly different but no less delicious direction with their Christmas croissant stuffed with Wicklow brie, Irish baked ham, sourdough stuffing and cranberry sauce. Flaky, buttery croissants are one of life’s simple pleasures and this one looks extra special. 6) The Crambo, Griolladh T he folk from Griolladh upped their toastie game last week with the introduction of the Crambo. Crammed with their home baked marmalade ham⁠, shredded turkey, roast potatoes soaked in gravy,⁠ cranberry, walnut and herb crispy stuffing⁠ and Christmas veg pickles on Tartine sourdough with a house cheese blend. There's even a cranberry feta dip on the side. Available in all of their locations. 7) The Christmas Sandwich, Tiller + Grain Focaccia lovers will appreciate the Christmas offering from Tiller + Grain filled with roast chicken, homemade stuffing, homemade mayo, spiced braised red cabbage and slow cooked ham hock. Like everything else from this kitchen you know this one will be good. 8) The Turkey & Stuffing Sambo, Fable & Stey In Blackrock, Fable and Stey are doing a roaring trade with their turkey and stuffing sambo filled with roast turkey crown, bacon, herb and onion stuffing, Gubbeen cheese and cranberry sauce. 9) The Christmas Special, Legit Coffee Co. If the gingerbread latte isn’t a good enough reason to make your way to Legit on Meath Street, the Christmas special should be. Cranberry roast chicken with onion stuffing, brie andhoney glazed ham on sliced sourdough is comfort food at its finest. 10) The Christmas Sandwich, Provider Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and mayo is the recipe at newly opened Provider in Harold's Cross, and if you manage tto nab a quadruple chocolate fudge brownie with Maldon Sea Salt on your way out you'll be all the better for it. 11) The Christmas Special, Póg It’s not just all about the pancakes at Póg , the Christmas sandwich looks like a strong contender in this category with more Brie than any person realistically needs, but hey, it’s Christmas. 12) The Sambo Clause, The Sambo Ambo Located at The Guinness Storehouse for December, The Sambo Ambo is serving up Christmas sambos to hungry patrons and the 'Sambo Claus' looks worthy of a trip. Roast ham and roast chicken are soaked in gravy, with sage and onion stuffing and cranberry sauce. 13) The Christmas Special, Soup Ramen Something a little different, but everything we've eaten in Soup has been A1 so we're expecting no different with this. Roast turkey and ham are paired with glazed carrots, gravy and kimchi tare, and let’s face it, kimchi makes everything better so why would things be different with a Christmas sambo. 14) The Santa Baby, Goat's Gruff Apart from their excellent coffee and phenomenal pizza, Goat's Gruff have recently expanded their menu to include wood fired sandwiches, including the obligatory Christmas offering. The Santa Baby has all the requisite components for an epic Christmas toastie with the added special touch of being wood fired. Turkey, ham, stuffing, cranberry sauce on a sourdough ciabatta sounds like it would give Monica’s a run for its money. 15) The Christmas Burger, Chimac Trust chicken sandwich slingers Chimac to come up with the goods whatever the season. Their Christmas burger features a free-range chicken breast in stuffing spice breadcrumbs, with brussel sprout kimchi, sriracha candied bacon, cranberry mayo and house pickles, and comes with a side of adobo gravy for dipping. They're only doing a limited amount each day so get in early if you want one. See you there.

*Updated 8th December 2020* We’ve had to cook a disproportionate amount of our own meals this year and we’re tired, probably a little emotional, and hungry… always hungry. For a lot of people Christmas is the time to make reservations before the onslaught of New Year’s resolutions but, like everything in 2020 this one is shaping up a bit differently. The one upside to this *sweeps hand* whole situation is the fact that restaurants are making it so easy for us to eat quality meals from their kitchens in our kitchens. These are some of the Christmas meal boxes that have caught our eye so far, and we’ll keep this list updated as more make their way onto our feeds and wish lists. Christmas Roast Kits From Michael's If your idea of cooking on Christmas Day is to do as little actual cooking as possible (and it really should be), Michael’s has come to the rescue. Their Christmas roast meal kits are designed so that all you have to do is place trays into the oven and sit back with a glass of wine to actually enjoy your day. There are four roast options: turkey with sausage meat stuffing, confit shoulder of lamb, roast duck, or overnight daube of beef, and all are served with fondant potatoes, potato gratin (because Christmas dinner needs at least two types of spud), roast veg, Austrian-style red cabbage, stuffing balls, pigs in blankets and gravy. As we’ve come to expect from Michael’s, the menu is focused on quality local Irish produce including suppliers like Ballymakenny and Rick Higgins, and you can also add on starters, a cheese course, wine and even a baked ham. Collection slots are open for December 21st to 24th, with collection from the restaurant in Mount Merrion or from Higgin’s Butchers in Sutton. See here for details of menus and how to order. The Cali Kitchen's 'Everything But The Bird' Box If you’re looking for a stress-free way to add some serious oomph to your turkey, or want to make sure that the vegetarians and vegans in your life are catered for, The Cali Kitchen in Dún Laoghaire has it covered with its ' Everything But The Bird ' box. Starting at €55 for two people, it’s a cleverly curated box comprising starter, all the trimmings and dessert - all you need to cook is a nut roast, turkey, or whatever else you’re having as a main. All sides are vegan and there’s an option for vegan desserts also. The starter is Goatsbridge smoked trout so ask any vegans to bring their own alternative and reward yourself with a double portion. Boxes need to be pre-ordered for collection on December 23rd , and all info is on their website . The Christmas Dinner Takeaway From Uno Mas If you find yourself unable to look at turkey and ham after the year we've had and badly in need of something different, Uno Mas are planning a Christmas eve takeaway that looks ideal. The r oast suckling pig feast for four comes with a PX sherry glaze and red wine sauce, morcilla de Burgos with apple mustard, a chorizo and arrocina bean stew, sprout tops with mustard dressing, roast carrots in brown butter and patatas bravas. Feliz Navidad all round. They're not on sale yet (keep an eye on their social media for release dates) but there's a sneak peak here . Avoca's Christmas Feast Avoca have an enormous Christmas feast menu, with both pre-prepared and uncooked options. From the "do all the work for me" section there's starters like smoked duck, prune & armagnac pâté or white onion and parmesan soup, and mains including mustard glazed ham, turkey pies and lentil loaf. There's tonnes of trimmings and a vast array of desserts, and while it ain't cheap, if you've got the cash it will certainly be stress free. Browse the full range here . Everything In Between From Allta Delivered nationwide on December 23rd and 24th, Allta’s Everything in Between box is designed to provide ample food for three - four people on the big day, or enough for two to graze on over those bleary days straight after Christmas. House charcuterie, rye bread, smoked salmon, potted crab, terrine, THAT shiitake miso butter, plus plenty of glazes, gravies, sides and desserts are all included. The box comes with a bottle of JM Gobillard Premier Cru Champagne, and you can add on extra drinks including cocktails and Cockagee Boyne Valley cider. Priced at €195, get your Everything in Between box here . Forest Avenue's Christmas Dinner Box We picture Forest Avenue ’s Christmas Dinner Box arriving wrapped up in a huge bow because it sounds like an absolute gift. A four course meal for four people with a choice of goose or Châteaubriand for main, plus starters, bread, veloute, sides and dessert. Available for collection, with some limited Dublin delivery on December 21st, 22nd and 23rd. All of that with a €200 price tag sounds like excellent value, and wine can be added on. Find more details and order here . Volpe Nera's Christmas Supper Box Packed full of cured meat, Irish cheeses, bread, cep butter, almonds, crackers, panettone, poached pears, Cocoa Atelier chocolates and two bottles of wine, the Christmas Supper Box from Volpe Nera has everything for a Christmas Eve supper, or to graze over on St. Stephen’s Day. Priced at €150, it will be available to order online from December 1st for collection from the restaurant on Christmas Eve. The Christmas Hamper From Dermot Staunton Since October, chef Dermot Staunton (known on Instagram as Derry Beau Downs ) has been selling homemade Guinness brown bread from his window in Stoneybatter, as well as giving loaves to elderly and vulnerable people locally. His range expanded with smoked salmon and pies and profits going to charity, and for Christmas he’s upped his game again, selling hampers feeding four or eight people starting from €260. Everything is included for a very indulgent Christmas day, from chicken liver parfait to turkey breast and stuffed-leg with all the sides, plus a boozy rhubarb trifle and cheese. After all of that you won’t want to move off the couch for a good 24 hours, so it’s no harm that the hamper includes a smoked ham and leek pie for the following day. Best of all, 33% of profits will be going to local charities, and there’s a plan to allow customers to buy hampers that will be donated to families in need. Keep an eye on his Insta for more info. The Gobble Box From Rock Farm In addition to organic turkeys, hams, pork, beef and breakfast packs, Rock Farm in Slane have added the Gobble Box to this year’s line-up, created by new resident chefs Keith Coleman and Aisling McHugh of Roots . Containing a brine for your turkey, soy and whiskey ham glaze, a paprika, brown butter and honey glaze to elevate your sides from mere vegetables, herb butter for your stuffing (and leftover sandwiches, obvs), and a gingery cranberry sauce, it’s available for €39, or €35 when added on to a ham or turkey order. This one has to be collected but there are several ways to order including from the McNally Family Farm Shop , Neighbourhood Food Slane , or directly from www.rockfarmslane.ie with collection from Honest to Goodness Market in Glasnevin, Naomh Olaf producers’ market in Stillorgan, or Temple Bar Market. Hugo's Moveable Feast Hugo’s Moveable Feast is available to order from December 13th, with collection from the Merrion Row restaurant on December 23rd and 24th. Starting at €50 per person, the meal boxes are very adaptable with turkey, beef and duck available for two, three or four people, plus you can always double or triple up for a bigger crowd. The menu is impressively large and luxurious and comes with smoked salmon, spiced beef, butternut squash soup, lots of sides, Christmas pudding, mince pies, Valhrona chocolate brownies, and an Irish artisan cheese course. We feel full and happy just reading that. Order here . Richard Corrigan's Virginia Park Lodge Hamper When were heard that Richard Corrigan’s Virginia Park Lodge will be delivering their Christmas Day Hamper to Dublin, Cavan, and Meath addresses on Christmas Eve, we thought it’d come with a Michelin-starred price tag, but a full hamper to feed up to six people for €285 is pretty impressive. The main course is turkey wellington (the addition of pastry to anything is ATF-approved), with mustard-glazed ham hock and all the sides, plus smoked salmon, duck rillettes and a Corleggy cheese and beetroot salad to start. Desserts include Corrigan’s Christmas pudding with brandy custard and mince pies. One lucky hamper will also contain a winning ticket for an overnight stay at the Lodge. That’s some next level Willy Wonka stuff right there. The order book closes at 18:00 on December 17th, but we can see this one selling out early. Details are here . Poulet Bonne Femme's Christmas Feast If you’re not looking for a full dinner but would love to have someone else take the turkey and ham hassle off your hands, Poulet Bonne Femme have a great solution. Boned and rolled rotisserie cooked turkey (from €75 to feed up to 10) and hams (serving up to 15 and costing €85) are available for collection from Monkstown, or delivery within 7km, on Christmas Eve. For the full Christmas box experience, you can add sides like potato gratin, stuffing, mash and gravy which are priced from €5, and there's also handmade homemade plum puddings up for grabs. Order details are on their website .

Sprezzatura was easily one of the most successful openings of 2019, when talk of a handmade pasta bar had critics and consumers running to Grantham Street to check it out. Its combination of great pasta, worthy ingredient sourcing and no plate costing more than €10 has had people lining up all week every week, so it will be very welcome news that Sprezzatura number two opens in Rathmines next week. The new Sprezzatura will have the same menu as the Grantham Street site for December, and its own menu with new items from January. Until then you'll find Toons Bridge stracciatella, Ard Mhacha shiitake arancini, bucatini all'amatriciana, mafaldine with Cashel Blue, gnocchi with sage and Toons Bridge butter, and all of the other small plates and pastas gracing your Instagram feed for the past year. The new site is in an old bank building on Lower Rathmines Road, a listed, red-brick that's largely been unused since AIB's departure in the 1990's. It was first built to house the Belfast Banking Company in 1901, became the Royal Bank of Ireland in 1922, then AIB in the 1960's. It's been renovated to house the new Sprezzatura, but loads of the original features are intact, like sash windows, tall French doors, high ceilings, columns and cornices. The entrance is cut in sandstone, with carved friezes of griffins and stained glass windows underneath a terracotta turret and flagpole. You'll also find the Belfast city coat of arms and the Belfast Bank (BB) logos carved into the stone and brick on either side of the entrance, so have a peek when you're going in. Wine and cocktails are on tap, and as with site number one their partnerships with Mossy Earth on off-setting your meal by planting trees, and glint glass studio to reuse glass bottles as glassware, will operate in number two. They're also announcing a partnership with the Dublin Simon Community later this month. And now what you really want to know - how to book. The new Sprezzatura opens on Thursday 10th December, and bookings will be released on Sprezzatura's website on Tuesday the 8th at midday. Set your alarm now. Sprezzatura Rathmines 221-223 Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6 Mon - Sun 12:00 - 22:00 www.sprezzatura.ie

Recently we asked on Instagram what the best places in Dublin for hot chocolate were, and we were not expecting to be deluged with so many enthusiastic responses. It seems this is a topic that generates many, many opinions, and we look forward to making our way through this list over the next few chilly months... Butler's Butler's easily won on number of responses, and hands up - we had no idea how many flavours they do. Dark hot chocolate, praline, mint, black forest gateaux, cranberry and ginger... It's going to take a while to work our way through these but we're committed. Insomnia Coffee chain Insomnia also got a lot of love, with plenty of you citing the fact that they use real melted chocolate, as opposed to powder. Their signature hot chocolate is made with a Belgian chocolate sauce and steamed milk, and topped with chocolate flakes, marshmallows or whipped cream, and they've just launched two Christmas specials - ' S’mores' with s'mores syrup, whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate flakes and gold dust, and 'Red Velvet', with red velvet syrup (no clue) and whipped cream, topped with a mini chocolate Christmas tree. Three Twenty Ice-Cream Lab Three Twenty Ice-Cream Lab do a mean hot chocolate topped with torched marshmallow fluff, and surprisingly this one's vegan - don't knock it till you've tried it. Their almond milk and Valrhona vegan chocolate ganache version also makes for a great hand warmer if you've forgotten your gloves. Le Chocolat de Fred Who knew Dun Laoghaire had its own chocolate café? Turns out even half of Dun Laoghaire didn't know about Le Chocolat de Frèd and their crêpes, waffles and hot chocolate. Made with 72% dark chocolate, a lot of you feel very strongly that this is the best hot chocolate in town. Cocoa Atelier Cocoa Atelier hold cult status in Dublin for their hot chocolate, and although their Drury Street shop closed in 2018 you can still pick one up in Dollard & Co. on Wellington Quay. We also strongly recommend buying their bags of chocolate drops and marshmallows and making it at home. You need a few more layers in winter anyway. Clement & Pekoe Clement & Pekoe on South William Street give you a stick of Aine's handmade chocolate to stir into textured, organic milk from Carlow, and it's the same deal with their mocha, which comes with a double shot of Brazilian coffee. Vice Vice on Abbey Street have a legion of fans for their Malteaser hot chocolate - which is literally steamed milk and malteasers. Simple, yet effective. Ladurée Ladurée was most cited as the death by chocolate option, with the suggestion that one between five would be sufficient. V alrhona chocolate is mixed with cream, milk, sugar and water (we're guessing mostly chocolate and cream) and for complete overkill have some chocolate macarons on the side. Urbanity Urbanity is where to head for serious hot chocolate in Smithfield. Their current version takes Hazel Mountain Chocolate and blends it with Village Dairy organic milk, before dehydrated citrus is added in and it's topped with freshly zested orange. Arctic Stone Rolled ice-cream experts Arctic Stone have branched out into "deluxe hot chocolates", and their first trio consists of a Kinder Bueno, a Nutella, and a Milky Way version. The base is Belgian milk chocolate and you can find them at their stand in Blackrock market. 57 The Headline 57 The Headline on Clanbrassil Street are bringing the booze to the party, topping their salted caramel hot chocolate with Bailey's cream and marshmallows. We can think of few better ways of getting in the festive mood. L Mulligan Grocer Also upping the ante with alcohol are L. Mulligan Grocer , whose hot chocolate is made with Powers Whiskey, Valrhona chocolate, Village Dairy Milk, Highbank Orchard syrup and a brûlée meringue topping. Brother Hubbard Brother Hubbard is a firm favourite for hot chocolate in the city, with their jug of hot chocolate milk on the side of a cup of chocolate ganache, letting you mix to your perfect consistency. Il Fornaio Il Fornaio pride themselves on a rich Italian hot chocolate so thick it would almost stand up without the cup. Serious stuff. Dolce Sicily Last but definitely worth waiting for, Dolce Sicily do two types of hot chocolate, a "regular", and their Italian " Cioccolata Calda", which they describe as "luxuriantly thick, swooningly dark and impossibly rich ... the closest thing to having pure chocolate directly injected into your veins." Take our money and give us those calories. Do you have a favourite hot chocolate in Dublin? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie

They keep getting knocked down but they keep coming back swinging. Here's the latest at home restaurant experiences to add to your eating list... The Crab Pasta Kit From Michael's Michael's just keep thinking of new ways to get us to Mount Merrion, and the latest is the crab pasta kit from their pop-up shop - Little Lockdown. Born out of the fact that the fishermen who catch their crab had ended up with a large surplus and no restaurants to sell it to, owner Gaz Smith came up with some new ways to get it to the public. The kit comes with handmade pasta, fresh crab meat, a chilli and lime cream sauce and fresh herbs, and costs €18.50 for one. Pick one up from Little Lockdown, and add on a bottle of Meinklang's orange wine 'Graupert' for maximum enjoyment. The Legal Eagle/Winding Stair At Home The Legal Eagle / Winding Stair is now available in the comfort of your own home, complete with treacle brown bread, bacon and cheese crisps, and bread and butter pudding with whiskey caramel sauce (epic is the word). For mains there's a choice of Châteaubriand, olive-fed pork belly, fish or vegetarian options, and the Toonsbridge goat's curd panna cotta with fresh figs, onion marmalade and hazelnuts is worth an order alone. Currently available Friday and Saturday with more days to come. Order here . Food For Thought's 'Live With Love' Box Mister S head chef Daniel Hannigan has been raising money for the charity 3Ts (Turn the Tide of Suicide) with his Food For Thought events for the past three years, and not one to let a pandemic stop him, the next event takes place virtually on November 21st in your own home, with their 'Live with love' box. Taking part in this one are Chapter One's Eric Matthews, Allta's Kevin Burke, Mr Fox's Anthony Smith, Marcus O'Laoire, and Jacob and Jack from cheese toasty truck Griolladh, and boxes go on sale this Monday 16th November. Keep an eye on their Instagram for more details. Tomahawk's Roast Kits Tomahawk in Temple Bar have just launched new roast kits, with a choice of butterflied leg of lamb (€69) or rib of beef (€99). Both feed four-six people and come with d uck fat roast potatoes, thyme and honey parsnips and carrots, buttery mashed potatoes and gravy. The beef also comes with yorkshire puddings and herb stuffing, while the lamb comes with homemade mint sauce. Roast kits are available from Wednesday - Sunday and can be delivered across Dublin for €5 or collected from Dollard and Co. Order here . Back To Dine Back To Dine is a new chef collaboration project promising to " elevate the dine-at-home-box". The first iteration brings together San Lorenzo's head chef Temple Garner and Masterchef: The Professionals finalist Yann Florio (also of Kriedel , London), for a seven-course meal featuring bread, canapés, a shared starter, choice of mains, desserts, mignardises, and a duck liver parfait for the following day. Boxes are €99 for two people are will be available Thursday - Saturday until the 23rd December. Presumably the chefs (and menu) will change in the New Year. The first week goes on sale this Sunday 15th November, and you can see the full menu and order here . The Bresson Box Bresson in Monkstown have launched their new 'Bresson box', featuring some of their greatest hits. For €60 for two you get a Pissaladière, Coquille St Jacques & Sticky Toffee Pudding, with optional wine pairings for an additional €55. Sounds like our kind of night in. Available Wednesday - Sunday and must be ordered at least 24 hours in advance here . The Luxury Feast Box From Green Man Wines If all that cooking sounds too much like hard work, head to Green Man Wines for one of their luxury feast boxes, which include s Italian Cinghiale (wild boar), sausage & truffle salami, cheeses, c rackers, olives, pesto, hummus, tapenade, almonds, quince and a wine pairing - obvs. It's €55 and delivery is €7.50 in Dublin or you can collect from the shop. Order here .

We miss restaurants. The getting ready to go out music, the pre-dinner cocktail, having your coat taken and being shown to your table. The thoughts of getting back to our former reality have us on the verge of giddy, but in the meantime we’re coping through much restaurant food at home. Though we’re locked into a 5km radius until December, the consensus is that you can break it to collect a takeaway, but if you’re a sticker for the rules or just can’t be bothered driving across town for dinner, here are 12 places that will deliver anywhere in Dublin. (Note that all have a little bit of work to do preparing or reheating.) Baste X Sprezzatura This is currently a one-off, limited to this weekend, but Baste plan to continue the collaborations so keep an eye on their social media. This week they’re bringing the BBQ with Italian/Irish pasta place Sprezzatura , and their €50 meal for two includes small plates of straciatella with charcoal salt, smoked gaucho sausage, grilled pears with caciocavallo, smoked vine tomatoes, and a main of fresh pappardelle with oak smoked beef cheek ragu. Delivery (Saturday only) is €10 anywhere in Dublin, or you can collect from Baste on Clanbrassil Street from Friday - Sunday. Order here . The Crudo Kit Crudo in Sandymount’s ‘Crudo Kit’ has five courses of snacks, a starter, main, dessert and a cheese course for €60, to bring the Crudo experience to your own home. Last week’s menu included grilled flat bread + semolina ciabatta with hazelnut romesco, clogherhead crab raviolone, and roast porchetta with smoked black pudding, and this weekend's menu should be going live very shortly. Both deliveries and collections are on Fridays, and you can order here . Uno Mas Uno Mas ’ gildas, tortilla and flan de queso are on every Dublin food to-do list, and now you can have them delivered to your door – you can even buy the perfect tortilla making pan to make sure it’s just right. They don’t always feature in each week’s set menu (available for one or two people), but can be added on – and you really should add them on. Other optional extras include cured meats, tinned fish and olive oil, as well as sherry, wine and cocktails, so enough to set you up for a very nice weekend. Available for delivery Friday and Saturday, costing €32 for one or €62 for two. Order here . Tang We love Tang ’s healthy, Middle-Eastern vibe (and their nut butter, never forget the nut butter), and their dinner box for two is excellent value at €45. You get four nibbles, a main with three sides, and a dessert, and this week features lovely things like McNally Farm Crown Prince Pumpkin hummus, Sean Ring’s organic roast chicken with cardamom and caramelised onion, and a chocolate torte with sweet tahini. Deliveries Friday and Saturday. Order here . The Allta Box Allta were one of the quickest off the block when it came to not only Dublin-wide, but nationwide delivery of their Allta boxes. Each week we see people in takeaway starved parts of the country excitedly Instagramming their shiitake miso butter, house charcuterie and crab macaroni, and it makes a great gift for anyone who’s stranded far from a decent restaurant. Orders open each Monday at 12:00 with deliveries Friday and Saturday, and you'll need to set your alarm for this one as it sells out fast. An Allta box for two with a wine pairing costs €75, and you can order here . Mister S Another early adopter to the citywide delivery game, barbecue spot Mister S has been making locked down people in all corners of the capital very, very happy. Their Bo Ssam feast is supposed to feed six but we comfortably fed eight with a lot of leftovers, and their meals for two, like the Curragh lamb taco box, or the porchetta with fermented potato focaccia and Ballymakenny spuds with seaweed butter will be the eating highlight of your week. Order here . Mamó's Supper Club Mamó in Howth have just launched their “supper club”, which features four courses that you finish at home. There are meat and vegetarian options (including venison wellington and their famous côte de boeuf), and you get snacks, a starter, a main and a dessert. This week's menu includes g ruyère & cep gougeres, pecorino culurgiones (a stuffed pasta), and Irish pork cheeks with apple & Hazelnut, and o rders go live on Monday evening for delivery Friday or Saturday. Order here . The Cake Café For some serious escapism, The Cake Café will deliver afternoon tea to your door, with prosecco cocktails as an optional add on. It costs €49.80 for two and includes mini sandwiches, cakes, scones and teas, and they deliver anywhere in Dublin for €10. Order here . Bujo We have a lot of love for Bujo ’s perfectly crafted burgers, and this is another one for the nationwide delivery list. Their masterpiece kit comes with everything you need to make four doubles and four singles, so you just need to round up some friends and family (if allowed), or commit to multiple days of eating burgers, which won’t be an issue. Kits are €40 and can be ordered here . Also keep an eye out for limited special boxes. Delivery is every Friday, with the cut off the day before at 12pm. Featherblade More burgers from Featherblade , and these are for the extra-hungry. Their real bacon cheeseburger box costs €30 for four burgers, packed with their own smoked Applewood bacon, cheddar cheese, black garlic mayo and pickled onions on a brioche bun. Beer and wine can also be added on. Order here for delivery Friday or Saturday. Uno Pizza Uno Pizza ’s at home kits are probably the closest you’re going to get to wood-fired pizza made fresh at home. The clever frying pan/oven method produces a surprisingly good result, and they provide everything you need for a margarita or diavola. You can also add on prosecco, wine or beer. Order here . Jaru's DIY Kits Korean food producers and street food stall Jaru have four DIY kits that can be ordered on their website and delivered Dublin-wide on Fridays. You can pick from soba, kimbap, Korean fried chicken or Ddukbokki – the famous Korean hot and spicy rice cake dish - and they come with everything you need plus instructions. For maximum enjoyment, add on some kimchi, soy-cured eggs or ‘death sauce’ to your order. Delivery is €3.95 and you can check out their shop here . Know anywhere else delivering Dublin-wide? Let us know by emailing info@allthefood.ie

This summer has not been kind to us (weather wise or in any other way), but it’s hardly a shock given the fact that, well, it’s Dublin, and Ireland. Good weather is not something that we've come to expect, making summer swims for the less hardy amongst us all the more tricky, but the word on the street is that we can expect at least two dry days this week. The kids have also gone back to school meaning much emptier beaches, so we suggest packing up the towels and sunscreen (just in case) and heading to one of these spots for a reviving, late summer dip followed by a well-earned feast once you've thoroughly defrosted. The Forty Foot Followed By Rasam, Mad Yolks or 64 Wine A swim at the ever popular Forty Foot is a rite of passage in Dublin and you'll have earned your reward by the time you drag yourself from the freezing water and haul your bedraggled self through Rasam 's shiny doors. In leafy Glasthule it's a popular choice for locals (and Chris de Burgh ). We loved the spinach dumplings in a creamy tomato sauce on our last visit but you can’t go far wrong with anything on the menu. Not feeling Indian? Mad Yolks have set up shop at The Eagle House with very hearty looking sambos, coffee from Cocoa Brew and sweet stuff from The Rolling Donut, and if wine and small plates appeal more than any of that, head for 64 Wine , which has one of the best wine selections in Dublin. Balscadden Bay, Howth followed by Mamó, Póg or Nora's Langos The classic after-swim pairing is of course fish and chips, and Howth certainly has plenty on offer, but since Caffé Caira closed we've yet to find a new favourite. For a more upscale take on a classic head to Mamó for the cod chip and whatever else has come off the boats that day. If you're out early and want breakfast/brunch newly opened Póg is the only place to go - protein pancakes with 28 toppings for the win. And if you want something all round dirtier (in the best way) head over to Noras Làngos in Howth Market (weekends only) for the one of the best Hungarian exports since Harry Houdini. The deep fried discs of puffy dough brushed with garlic water, slathered with sour cream and topped with cheese are delicious with a captial D, but like most good things in life, best kept in the occasional pile. Skerries Beach Followed By Olive Deli Or Potager Let’s be honest, the Irish Sea can be a harsh playmate and chances are you will be in serious need of warming up by the time she is finished with you, and what better than with a steaming hot toastie from Olive Deli . They also get daily deliveries from Mud Bakery, like doughnuts with Rush strawberries and lemon meringue. If you've packed your glad rags then it’s got to be Potager for an early dinner or Sunday lunch. Potato with broad bean, smoked halibut and red sorrel sounds like the post swim snack of royalty. (c) Lasma Kerve Seapoint Followed By Lobstar, Cinnamon Or That's Amore We really like everything at Lobstar in Monkstown, but for the perfect post-Seapoint swim snack it's got to be a lobster roll. A more casual alternative is Cinnamon where the open coronation chicken sandwich is a meal in itself, ideally followed by a wedge of cake and a strong coffee, or if you want to warm up with pizza and pasta head for That's Amore . Portmarnock/Malahide Followed By Honey Honey, Griolladh or Old Street Portmarnock beach is one of Dublin's best and equipped with shelters, toilets and a 99 ice-cream stand. There's also excellent Bailies coffee, cake and lunch nearby from Honey Honey in the village. If you fancy a more intimate swim spot, head up the coast towards Malahide, where you'll find cove after cove of sheltered sandy and stony beaches. Once you're suitably cold head for cheese toastie truck Griolladh (where you'll find more great coffee from Imbibe) and hopefully stumble on one of their specials, like this week's 'Lasagner' with shortrib ragu, pasta bits, ricotta, parmesan bechamel and even more parmesan. If you're looking for somewhere to sit down and relax head for Old Street in the village who've been using lockdown to cure their own charcuterie and age their own steaks. Colour us interested. The Vico Baths, Dalkey, Followed By The Dalkey Duck, Grapevine Or Pepper Laine If you've never swam in the Vico Baths have you really ever lived in Dublin? Once you've climbed back up Hawk Cliff head for Dalkey village and if it's a nice day go straight to the beer garden in the Dalkey Duck for some gambas in nduja butter or seafood linguine. For wine and small plates it's got to be Grapevine - ideally on a Wednesday when corkage on anything off the shelf is only €1 - or if decent coffee and a cinnamon bun is more appealing, Pepper Laine have coffee from Full Circle Roasters and plenty of treats to replenish your energy stores.

Whisper “cookie sandwich” into the ear of anyone raised in 80's/90's Ireland and they’ll immediately do one of three things - i) step away from you because you’re being creepy, ii) correct “cookie” to “biscuit” while accusing you of having notions, and iii) instantly think back to summer afternoons spent cementing Digestives together with butter. Good times. Thankfully Dublin has seriously upped its cookie sandwich offerings if you’re looking for the ultimate in portable snacks (and we always are). Mud Bakery's Cheesecake Cookie Sandwiches from Griolladh If you’re like us, you couldn’t have made it through lockdown without regular deliveries from Mud Bakery . While enough suppliers have now reopened (yaaah!) to no longer merit home deliveries (booo...) we will look back on our time spent working from home fuelled by a stack of Mud Bakery cookies with fondness. In what some (okay we) are calling *the collaboration of the year*, they’ve teamed up with Griolladh , the grilled cheese toastie truck in Malahide, to offer cheesecake cookie sandwiches in two flavours - dark chocolate with pecan, or white chocolate with cranberry - and we're not sure we've ever seen anything more beautiful. Nutella Cookie Sandwich From Queen Of Tarts Bringing out the cookie monsters in all of us, these new offerings from Queen of Tarts are packed full of hazelnuts and chocolate. Us sitting alone in our garden eating a stack of these is classed as a picnic, yes? Rice Krispie Ice-Cream Sandwiches from Three Twenty Ice-Cream Lab For something a little different, Three Twenty ’s ice-cream sandwich doesn’t use traditional cookies, but two chewy Rice Krispie marshmallow rectangles to corral the homemade ice-cream. The trick is to eat it fast enough to avoid marshmallow fingers. Chimac's Cornflake Ice-Cream Sandwiches The OG of Dublin ice-cream cookie combos, this one from Chimac is pretty much a meal in its own right thanks to two huge malted Cornflake cookies surrounding a generous helping of chocolate chip ice-cream. We would highly recommend grabbing a few to bring home as they keep really well in the freezer. Sure, your neighbours may have secure pensionable jobs unaffected by a global pandemic,but do they have unfettered access to some of the best cookie sandwiches in town? Nope. Sucks to be them... Storyboard's Ice-Cream Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich We’ve never encountered a situation that couldn’t be improved with the addition of ice-cream to chocolate chip cookies and now, thanks to Storyboard , we now don’t have to worry about that happening. Tahini Cookie Ice-Cream Sandwich from Two Pups Coffee They had us drooling when they first made an appearance in Two Pups Coffee a few weeks ago, and the great news is that they’re back in-café from September 2nd. Homemade strawberry ice-cream sandwiched by two tahini cookies with white chocolate and sesame seeds make this one of the best flavour combos we’ve seen. Bujo's Double Chocolate Ice-Cream Sandwich Life is all about balance. Ying and yang, hot and cold, burgers and ice-cream. If you’re going to click and collect your dinner from Bujo , you may as well get an ice-cream sandwich for the drive home, if only to rebalance your cookie chakra. Double chocolate and white chocolate chip versions are available.

The days are getting shorter, darker and colder, and inevitably our diets are going to start shifting from brightly coloured salads, sandwiches and tarts to all things warming and rib-sticking, but lets not wish our lives away. In this transitional period pork is popping up everywhere and we think it's the perfect Autumnal food. We're just waiting for someone to pair it with blackberries for the ultimate dish we want to eat this week - maybe next time. 1) Suckling Pig Ragu, Gnocchi & Sheep's Cheese From Bistro One We really loved Bistro One when we last visited, and pictures like this just make us desperate to book a return visit. Their new menu addition of suckling pig ragu with gnocchi and Creeny sheep's cheese from Corleggy, involves a whole pig cooked down with house-made Tuscan style 'Salsiccia' with fennel, garlic and pepper. It's available as a starter or a main course, and we'd happily order it for both. 2) Heritage Tomatoes And Lardo On Toast From Fade Street Social In the best fusing of summer and autumn we've seen this week, Fade Street Social are serving heritage tomatoes chopped and glazed with rosemary oil and basil on sourdough toast, topped with thin slices of warmed lardo. We're there. 3) Morcilla On Sourdough From Two Pups It's official, Two Pups can do no wrong, and this latest menu addition of morcilla sausage with pickled shallots, white beans in a sun-dried tomato sauce and poached eggs on lightly toasted Le Levain sourdough just solidifies their culinary prowess. 4) The Chipotle Pork Belly Sandwich From Junior's Junior's in Beggar's Bush are really hitting it out of the park these days with the sandwich combos (and the pictures), and the latest is this slow roast chipotle pork belly with crispy tortillas, tomato, rocket, chipotle mayo and avocado. We want. 5) Scallops, Squid And Guanciale From Michael's Never ones to sit still, Michael's in Mount Merrion have come up with a new surf and turf combo, featuring seared scallops, Donegal squid and housemade guanciale with bacon butter. Has ever a more attractive sentence been uttered...

*Updated 1st September 2020* Restaurants have reopened and we're high on life, but some people are still understandably cautious about being trapped in an enclosed space with others for an extended period of time. We know that your chances of catching Covid-19 are greatly reduced in outdoor settings, so dining outdoors will be the key factor in attracting some people back to restaurants again - just expect those tables to be very in demand. Here's where you can eat outside in Dublin - newly updated. Shouk Our love for Shouk runs deep. The food, the staff, the prices, the food. They were lucky to already have an outdoor space pre-pandemic but they've since extended it further into their Drumcondra yard, which means you can have all the arayes, mezze and shawarma without any indoor-related risks. Mamó Mamó reopened a couple of weeks ago to whoops and cheers across the city, and it's no surprise that their outside tables are very popular. This is one we'll be enjoying well into Autumn - côte de boeuf + those crispy potatoes + red wine + blankets = a very happy situation. Glas Vegetarian and vegan Glas have a very Parisian vibe going on outside their Chatham Street restaurant. The three tables are covered with an awning so you and your sweetcorn & jalapeno fritters will even be covered in case of rain (just maybe not the sideways type). L'Gueuleton L'Gueuleton on Fade Street have a considerable outside space, prime for people watching, and their new small plates menu looks like another good excuse to visit. Busyfeet & Coco Café Sometimes you just want a simple sandwich and a coffee (and a city centre place to sit whilst watching the world go by), and that's when eternally jammed Busyfeet & Coco on South William Street comes in very handy. Upgrade your usual ham and cheese toastie to 'The Billy', with St Tola goat's cheese, bacon, onion marmalade and mayonnaise. Two Pups A life without Two Pups and their French toast barely seems worth living, so all the claps to them for getting as many tables as humanly possible outside their Francis Street site. Brioche French toast with caramelised greengage plums, sour cream chantilly, rum cream and crumble in the sunshine is weekend goals right now. Brother Hubbard North & South Brother Hubbard have lovely terraces at their Capel Street and Harrington Street locations, with plenty of space for the oul social distancing. They're open for brunch and lunch in both sites, with dinner in Brother Hubbard North, and there's also tonnes of space inside in the latter in case the cold/rain/sleet/storm defeats you. Pog, Howth Newly opened Póg in Howth has three nice tables outside looking out onto Howth harbour, so you can enjoy their breakfast board, acai bowl or nduja scrambled eggs with a side of fresh sea air. We're not sure if seagulls like protein pancakes but probably best to keep an eye out just in case. Urbanity Al Fresco Smoothie bowls, Vietnamese noodle salads and fried chicken sandwiches are all available at Urbanity 's new outdoor space in Smithfield. Open Monday - Sunday for breakfast, brunch, lunch and very good wine. Takeaway's still available too if you'd prefer to take it to a park or back home. Book by emailing hello@urbanitycoffee.ie or calling them on 01 8747288. Saba's Secret Garden Saba on Baggot Street have added a secret garden out the back (currently open air but awning to follow) with holiday style lighting and art by Subset. It's open from 12:00 Tuesday - Saturday serving food all day, including black pepper squid, Thai beef salad and Pad Thai. There's also a pretty extensive cocktail menu with €7 cocktails before 19:00. Book online or call them on 01 5631999. Piglet Piglet might be cosy inside but outside on the terrace is as close to a Mediterranean holiday as most of us are going to get this year. Order a white port and tonic and some prawn pilpil and indulge in some prime people watching on Cow's Lane. Book online or email oink@pigletwinebar.ie . The Commons At Moli The Commons Café in the Museum of Literature, run by Domini and Peaches Kemp, reopened yesterday and has a beautiful courtyard out the back just screaming for a sitdown in the sunshine. They're open Monday - Friday from 11:00 - 15:00 (for the moment), serving lunch and cake, and it's a little slice of paradise in the city centre. Baste Andy Noonan's outdoor barbecue space on Clanbrassil Street started with mid-pandemic takeaways and has developed into a full sit down area in the evenings. They've just launched new dinner events at €50 a head from Thursday - Sunday for a sharing menu of BBQ bites, meats, sides, salads and sauces, with ice-cream cannoli for dessert, and you can book on their website . Click and collect is still available but just for takeaway. Coppinger Row Mediterranean-inspired Coppinger Row off South William Street reopens on Wednesday 8th July with reduced capacity, and you know the outside tables are going to be the ones to nab. There's an awning too in case our typical July weather takes hold. Book via their website or by emailing info@coppingerrow.ie . Charlotte Quay Coppinger Row's sister restaurant Charlotte Quay has also reopened with ample outdoor space overlooking Grand Canal Dock. Crab & crayfish croquettes, tuna crudo and gambas pil pil with a chilled glass of Saltatempo Verdicchio overlooking the water are what summer dreams are made of. Book on their website or by emailing info@charlottequay.ie . La Maison Old-school French bistro La Maison 's outdoor seats have always been in demand, but expect that to take a leap under the present circumstances. If you do get lucky enough to bag one you'll be able to enjoy moules frites, sole on the bone and tarte tatin from your terrace table while judging everyone drinking from plastic pint glasses on Castle Market. Book on their website . Bresson French fine dining restaurant Bresson in Monkstown has plenty of space and a few sought after tables on the terrace, so you can enjoy your seafood cocktail, duck á l'orange and cheeseboard with a side of seaside air. Book on their website . King Sitric Seafood specialists King Sitric in Howth have a good sized outdoor space which is usually mobbed with tourists, but we won't be seeing many of those this year so your chances of getting one have never been better. They've merged with East Café Bar, the more casual downstairs outpost, and have one menu going forward across both floors and outside. Book by calling 01 8325235 or email reservations@kingsitric.ie . Lenehan's Lenehan's in Rathmines is back open, along with two outdoor terraces. There's a large selection of small plates (just remember, no sharing you guys), and a lot of the food is cooked on their grill. Perfect for a humid summer evening in the city. Book on their website . Michael's Michael's in Mount Merrion is gearing up to reopen at the end of July but in the meantime you can feast on seafood at their 'garden tables' outside. They're open from 13:00 - 20:00 (along with takeaway) and the menu includes oysters, charcuterie and the infamous seafood platters. Just show up or call them on 01 2780377 to check if there's a free table. Suesey Street Suesey Street 's terrace is one of the best in the city and has a retractable roof for that inconsistent Irish weather. They're open for lunch and dinner from Wednesday - Friday and dinner on Saturday. Book on their website . The Terrace At The Shelbourne The Terrace in The Shelbourne Hotel is one of those city centre secrets that you'll be very smug you're in on. The limited food menu features salad, open sandwiches and platters, and it's a lovely way to while away a few hours, ideally with cocktails or wine in front of you. Book through The Shelbourne . Yarn The upstairs pizza place from The Woollen Mills is back open, with a very spacious roof terrace overlooking the Liffey and the Ha'Penny Bridge. Open from 16:30 - 22:00 seven days a week. Book on their website or by calling 01 8280835. Angelina's Angelina's outdoor tables are the ultimate in goals on a sunny day in Dublin 4. They're open seven days a week for lunch and dinner with brunch at weekends. Book on their website or by emailing book@angelinas.ie . Circa Circa in Terenure are back at it with a new chef, and are in the process of revamping their outdoor space. The new look terrace at the back will feature a roof and heaters, so the weather won't get in the way of your booking, and it should be open in the next week or two. Book via their website . Fade Street Social The rooftop at Fade Street Social has a flatbread and bar bites menu, with things like duck spring rolls, padron peppers and chiffon squid, and lots of cocktails to wash them down with. Book a table on their website .

In the Irish Examiner this week Leslie Williams is having quite the non-Peruvian sounding meal at newly opened Peruvian restaurant Zampas , in the Hard Rock Hotel in Temple Bar. Duck croquettes, chicken wings and ribeye steak aren't exactly straight out of Lima, but he does say it's more "bistro classics with a solid Peruvian twist’. They did have a white fish ceviche with a "fresh lime flavour" but no chilli heat, an Asador Peruvian roast chicken marinated in aji verde green chilli sauce (the best of the mains), and Alfajores for dessert, but it sounds like the type of Peruvian restaurant you'd expect from a tourist-orientated hotel, rather than the ceviche and pisco bar we're impatiently waiting for. Read his review here . In the Sunday Times Niall Toner is as surprised as the rest of us at how much he liked Layla's in Ranelagh (part of Press Up 's empire). Baring an unexciting main of sea-bass in a herby broth with potatoes, they did pretty well, with "bloody gorgeous" oysters from Co. Down, a prawn linguine that was worth the journey up to the fourth floor to eat it, and a baked lemon tart that he might have "raved" about had he gotten it in a rustic tearoom somewhere. There was also a side of green beans with almonds that his guest inexplicably ordered as a starter (no comment given on that one and it doesn't deserve one), and he says that while Layla's wouldn't be their usual hang out ("too slick, too concepty"), there were made to feel so welcome that they couldn't hate the place, as much as his inner snob wanted to. Read his review here . In the Irish Independent Katy McGuinness is hoping food trucks are here to stay, after visiting Niall Sabongi's Salty Buoy , at the Roe & Co Distillery in Dublin 8. It was a home run for the food, with Flaggy Shore oysters dressed with torched harissa, lime and sumac and topped with crisp shallots and coriander delivering "full-on flavour load", a shellfish steamer with clams, mussels, prawns and langoustines in a broth rich with Old Bay spiced butter, sumac and burnt peppers "mouth-puckeringly savoury", and a panko-breaded hake Kiev oozing with parsley garlic butter delivering the sentiments "what a dish". She gives the food, ambience and value 9/10 calling it the "food truck fish fans have been waiting for." Read the full thing here . In the Irish Times Corinna Hardgrave was at Dede in Baltimore, Cork, from former Michelin-starred Mew head chef Ahmet Dede. She calls his food "a joy to eat", but says her only gripe is that she was expecting more spice - based on Instagram stories of him wandering around Istanbul bazaars and food stalls. A "beautiful" tomato dish (which had evolved from Mews) had "a whisper of exotic Turkish spice", rounded ripe flavours and gazpacho “spuma”, hake topped with green seaweeds in a lobster sauce with a touch of spice was "robust, with big flavours", and a take on Turkish lemonade for dessert with citrus ice-cream and wafer on top of marinated strawberries with lemon and strawberry juice was "a deliciously zesty and palate cleansing" end to the meal. She gives it 9/10, calling it "beautiful food with Turkish promise". Read her review here . (c) Corinna Hardgrave In the Irish Daily Mail Tom Doorley has what sounds like the meal of the week at 1826 in Adare. We want everything he ate, including scallops with apple purée, chicken butter, a confit de-boned chicken wing and crisp Granny Smith apple; crispy bread-crumbed chicken livers with pickled vegetables and piccallilli; wild halibut with butter, shrimps, capers, a deep-fried Dooncastle oyster and crisp Jerusalem artichoke; and roast cod with coco beans, Gubbeen chorizo and saffron mayonnaise. A chocolate tart for dessert was "stunning ... profound ... almost savoury", and he calls it an "outstanding meal" with "eminently reasonable" prices. (Read his review via 1826's Facebook page here ) In the Business Post Gillian Nelis was amazed to go to Connemara and find it wasn't raining, and a stop off at The Sea Hare in Cleggan for lunch just topped things off. A broccoli and courgette tart was "rich, delicious", poached salmon was "cooked beautifully", and both came with locally sourced salads of chard, rocket, sorrel and purple cauliflower. She says they weren't complaining after lemon drizzle cake, chocolate cake and almond and raspberry cake, and praises the quality of the local producers on the menu. Read her review here . Finally in the Sunday Independent , Lucinda O'Sullivan's reviews are back, starting with "lunch with the girls" at newly opened Blue in Wicklow town. She did not like: the unisex toilets, the fact that staff were wearing visors but not masks, the "tacky mini chips baskets" her panko prawns and calamari came in, and the fact that Wicklow's friendly seal Sammy was no where to be seen. She did like: her "on point" smoked haddock risotto with asparagus, peas and pancetta, pappardelle with mussels, prawns and sugar snaps, and a "very nice" vanilla and yoghurt panna cotta with honeycomb and strawberries. So overall a win. Read her review here . More next week.

Lucky Reyna on Dame Street, who've landed two reviews this weekend, from Corinna Hardgrave in the Irish Times and Katy McGuinness in the Irish Independent . The kebab shop (formerly Iskanders, site of many a 4am doner for the millenials) seems to be a bit of an industry hit right now, which appears to be what led them both in, and while they agree on the quality of the kebabs, they don't on the chips. Corinna Hardgrave thought the mezze plate was "generous" with "nicely made" falafel, and the mixed doner had lamb "with good depth of flavour", chicken that's "juicy rather than woolly", and "addictive garlic sauce". A shish kebab needed a bit more flame on the cubes of lamb, but she calls the chips "a lovely indulgence – skinny, super crispy, lightly dusted with mild red pepper". She gives it 7.5/10 (which doesn't quite line up with the subs headline of "is this the best Turkish doner kebab in Ireland?") and says it's "worth a visit". Read her full take here . Katy McGuinness on the other hand chalks the chips down as her low point, calling them "disappointing", but she did take her food home rather than sitting in so maybe they're not the travelling type. She loved the marinated lamb chops ("succulent and juicy with just the right amount of char"), the lamb shish "full of flavour", and the Mediterranean salad with pomegranate and barley "all crunch and freshness". She says "Reyna's kebab game is on another level", and gives them 9/10 for food and value. Read her review here . In the Irish Daily Mail, Tom Doorley says serendipity (i.e. other restaurants not getting back to booking requests) led him to Ananda in Dundrum, and how glad he was that it did, saying that head chef Karan Mitral has taken "an already excellent restaurant to the next level". You'll want to eat everything he did, including Achari paneer fritters ("brilliantly meaty"), lamb seekh kebab ("from a different planet"), and a tiny cone of crisp rice pancake filled with spiced creamy lobster and toasted coconut ("sublime"). He says there's nowhere else like Ananda in the entire country right now and you should "beat a path". (Review not currently online) In the Business Post Gillian Nelis was at Seasons restaurant in the Intercontinental Dublin, and forgot to tell her two mates about the cardinal reviewing rule of ordering different dishes. They overlapped on starters and mains (unforgivable), but that Lambay Island crab cake with coriander and lemongrass butter that they doubled up on does sound good. The duplicated main however sounds like something from weight watchers - grilled organic salmon with pak choi, broccoli and peppers in a courgette, ginger and orange sauce - but she calls it "tasty". A peach crumble with vanilla ice cream for dessert was "top notch", and you can read about the rest of the food here . In the Sunday Times Niall Toner gets all poetic about a bicycle trip across the Liffey to new opening Kitchen 101 in Terenure (something about two-wheeled citizenry and the pandemic's dirty shoe). It sounds like he was trying to make the best of a not particularly exciting situation, with baked beetroot, goat’s cheese mousse and candied hazelnuts unsuccessful, pan-fried cod on romanesco sauce and lemon potatoes "underwhelming", and grilled jalapenos with marinated feta and pumpkin seeds too hot to finish. He does give a "lovely" for a scallop starter, an "excellent" for grilled celeriac with barley, peanuts and salsa verde, and says the best thing he ate was a coconut custard with pineapple compote and lemon crumble, but he calls it a work in progress and the whole thing sounds like a lot of effort. Read that here . In the Irish Examiner Leslie Williams is feeling all nostaglic about the pub (remember those?), with a two-pints-for-one review featuring barely pre-pandemic opening Anti-Social in Dublin 8 & Ryan's of Parkgate Street . The €9 toasties at Anti-Social were "gooey gorgeousness" with "fine quality Bretzel bread" and "Irish farmhouse cheeses", but no surprise that the diverse craft beer range gets high billing. He calls it one of the "coolest pubs" in Ireland, saying they "loved it". He calls Ryan's (part of the FX Buckley group) "a gorgeous Victorian pub", and the pub food they were after living up to billing, with maple and sesame chicken wings "sticky, sweet, and meaty", chowder "properly creamy and packed with shellfish", and a his steak sandwich came "correctly cooked" with a side of fat, crispy, beef-dripping chips that were "so good". They finished in the most un-pub way, with crème brûlée, lemon tart and a glass of Sauternes, and he says the Irish pub is a "precious, glorious thing", and "every one we lose creates a wound in a community and in our very souls." Deep. Read that here . In the Sunday Independent it looks like there's been a little miscommunication when it comes to Lucinda's latest round up (God willing we'll be back to real reviews soon). Entitled " The best gastro bars to visit across the country " (stars?), it's actually about "destination dining", with a list of some of the most highly rated restaurants across the country. In a week for errors, Aimsir (below) is lumped in with Dublin (we'll take it), with the others named in the capital being Ananda, Chapter One, Dax, L'Ecrivain, Liath, Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, The Greenhouse and Volpe Nera. Read the full list here . (Note: the online title of this feature was changed after this article was published) More next week.

Life is a struggle right now. Our former joie de vivre to get up and run out the door at the first sign of new food on the scene is being severely dampened by virus anxiety, mask-wearing and a general lack of enthusiasm for leaving the house and venturing out into the big bad world. However, few things make us happier than eating really good food and knocking back really good drinks, so here are three options to (hopefully) get you out of the house this week. Aoife Noonan's Cakes At Cloud Picker Dessert Queen Aoife Noonan (formerly head pastry chef at Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud and Glovers Alley) is collaborating with Cloud Picker on Pearse Street where she'll be popping up every Tuesday and Thursday to make cake. They'll be available from 11:00 until they sell out, with last week's inaugural bake including a raspberry lemonade cake, a chocolate and Harry's nutbutter cake, and a Cloud Picker coffee cake. They're €7 a slice and look worth every cent. Kinara Kitchen's Tandoori Sharing Plate And Cocktails Ranelagh's Kinara Kitchen is giving you a reason to plan a mate date with the introduction of their 'Tandoori Khas' sharing plate and cocktail offer. It's €36 for two people including the sharing plate of sizzling tandoori chicken, lamb, jumbo prawns and aloo tikki, and a cocktail each, like a Bourbon Old Fashioned, an Elderflower Daiquiri or an Espresso Martini. It's available from 16:00 - 18:30 Wednesday - Saturday and from 13:00 - 18:30 on Sunday, and you can book by phoning 01 4060066 or emailing info@kinarakitchen.ie . Salty Buoy at Roe & Co's Cocktail Village Klaw 's Niall Sabongi has been unable to reopen either of his city centre restaurants yet, but you can't keep a good man down, so he's back with Salty Buoy , a seafood food truck that's popping up across the city and beyond. For the next six weeks (at least) you can find their lobster rolls, grilled prawns and hake kiev at the Roe and Co Distillery in Dublin 8 on Thursday and Friday evenings, in the distillery's new cocktail village. They're also hosting mini-cocktail masterclasses and whiskey tastings, and there's a selection of Roe & Co cocktails to enjoy in the sun/rain/wind. Food costs €20 for a single grilled prawn with either a lobster roll or hake kiev for your main, and you can get three paired cocktails for €25, or just order from the menu. Book here .

You’ve given up on baking banana bread, spend half of your day touching everything in your house as you search for the washable mask you know you have somewhere, and you’ve finished Netflix. If you’re ready to start getting back out there, there’s no end of Dublin restaurants who want (and seriously NEED) your business, and thankfully, many are making it easier to see your long-lost friends and families thanks to their private dining options. Here’s our pick of 15 places to go with a group of up to 20-ish people. As ever, guidelines are subject to change and what restaurants can offer might vary from their usual MO, so we’d recommend you contact them directly for a chat if you're interested in booking anywhere. We’re sure they’d only love to help you tailor the lunch or dinner you need when you want to go out, but stay in a tighter group. 1) Allta Allta 's downstairs family room is perfect for 5-8 people who want to experience their tasting menu at €65 a head, with no one else breathing near them. They reopen on the 20th of August and are now taking reservations on Thursdays and Fridays from 17:00 and Saturdays from 15:00. 2) Locks The team at Locks have pretty much written the book on how to keep a restaurant open during a global pandemic. Over the past few months, they’ve done take-away from their hatch, at-home dinner kits, and now they’ve reopened their dining room. They have two private dining options, The Gold Room and The Bewick Room, and both have had their capacity reduced to cater to gatherings of up to 8 and 16 respectively. 3) Little Mike's The snug in Little Mike’s has been reinvented as a private dining area for 8-10 people, complete with a personal waiter and dedicated chefs. Sadly, this means you’ll probably have to share the seafood platters with your family and not snaffle the whole thing for yourself. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. 4) The Yarn Pizza Making great use of a roof terrace off their private dining room, The Yarn Pizza is worth checking out for laid-back gatherings of up to 20. 5) The Woollen Mills While The Yarn Pizza is more laid-back, sister restaurant The Woollen Mills has private dining in elegant surroundings that would be great for a small wedding or a formal get-together for up to 30. 6) La Bodega La Bodega , the tapas restaurant in Ranelagh, has a lovely outdoor terrace for private group bookings of 10-12 people. All we need now is the weather. Who are we kidding, it’s 2020 - nothing’s going to go right. 7) Chapter One For smaller groups of up to 14, Chapter One has a few choices for private or just more secluded dining. The Chef’s Table, in the kitchen, seats up to 6. 8) The Bank Bar And Restaurant The Bank Bar and Restaurant on Dame St. has a dedicated space for small groups with The Bank Manager’s room seating 5-8 people, but we reckon that booking out the mezzanine level for a larger group would work really well too. 9) The Brookwood The club room is located on the top floor of Brookwood on Baggot Street. Catering for groups of up to 14, they focus mainly on steak with some seafood options. Also gets our votes for one of the prettiest chandeliers in Dublin. 10) Clanbrassil House Not only can Clanbrassil House offer a private room at the back, you can even have two tables set-up so you can see friends and their families from a suitable distance while you keep to your own pod. 11) M&L Chinese Sick of sitting round your living room with a take-away and the same faces every Friday night? Go wild and move all of those faces to a new venue. Upstairs in M&L Chinese , there’s a private room that seats 10-12. 12) The Saddle Room At The Shelbourne For groups of up to 20, The Saddle Room offers privacy and elegance if you and your friends feel like splashing out after months of solitude. 13) Hugo's Hugo's on Merrion Row has always been one of those places that covered everything - lunch, dinner, pre-theatre, corporate gatherings and celebrations. Their private dining room accommodates 30, but we think it’s the perfect spot for a smaller group too. 14) The Pig's Ear While not back until September, The Pig’s Ear has several private rooms for bigger groups of up to 50, but The Library on the 3rd floor seats 12, so ample room for your nearest and socially-distanced dearest. 15) L'Ecrivain The news that L’Ecrivain ’s imminent departure has been pushed back to December 23rd is probably a sign from the universe that you should get in there before it leaves us for good. There are several private dining areas catering for small and larger groups, but our pick is the Salon Privé, which has access to the roof terrace and seats up to 20. Next time we’re taking a look at more restaurants that can cater for bigger groups of up to 50 … or whatever the guidelines will be in two weeks. Watch this space.