St. Patrick’s feast

Set the mood right from the start by making special themed invitations. Simply trace a shamrock shape onto cardboard and add hand-written details about the party. Give your food a St. Patrick’s theme by tinting it with green food colouring. Try green beer, shamrock-shaped sandwiches and cakes. Clear carbonated drinks and ice cream can also be tinted green. But don’t get too carried away - too much green food could make people ill! It is a good idea to make as much of the food the night before - that way you can have fun the next day. Here are some traditional Irish recipes that will help get everyone in the mood for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.

Hot Toddy
Serves 1

1tsp sugar
4 whole cloves
1 stick cinnamon
1 slice lemon
lemon rind
30ml whiskey
120ml boiling water
fresh root ginger,thinly sliced

1. Put the sugar, 3 cloves, cinnamon stick, lemon slice and lemon rind into a glass or tumbler.
2. Add 30ml of the boiling water, stir and let it stand for about 5 minutes. Add the whiskey and the rest of the water and stir well.
3. Serve in liqueur glasses wrapped in green ribbon. Stick a ginger slice onto a cinnamon stick with a clove and use it to garnish the hot toddy glass. Serve immediately.

Potato soup
Serves 4-6

2 rashers streaky bacon, de-rinded and chopped
30g butter
450g potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 onions, peeled and chopped
900ml chicken stock
300ml milk
6 sprigs parsley, tied together
salt and white pepper
150ml single cream
fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
To serve
Tiny soda breads

1. Fry the bacon in a saucepan until the fat begins to run, then add the butter, potatoes, onions, and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Add the stock, milk, parsley sprigs and seasoning, bring to the boil, and then cover and simmer for 30- 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
2. Allow to cool slightly, remove the parsley sprigs, then purée the soup in a liquidiser. Return to a clean saucepan, stir in the cream and heat through thoroughly, without boiling.
3. Serve in small soup bowls or shot glasses garnished with chopped parsley and accompanied by Tiny soda breads.

Tiny soda breads
Makes 24

450g wholemeal flour
225g white flour
1tsp salt
1tsp baking soda
28g rolled oats (optional)
300ml buttermilk
a little beaten egg, to glaze

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas mark 7 and grease a mini muffin tin well. In a bowl, combine the flours, salt, baking soda and oats, if desired. Then stir in sufficient buttermilk to make a soft dough.
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead very lightly. Roll the mixture into golf ball-size pieces and press them into the well-greased mini muffin tin. Cut a cross on each and then bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Allow to cool.
3. Turn out and serve with the potato soup.

Steak and stout stew
Serves 4-6
1tbsp oil
small knob of butter
900g stewing steak, cubed
2 onions, peeled and sliced
2tbsp flour
salt and pepper
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
300ml Guinness
1tsp soft brown sugar
freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
To serve
Oatcakes

1. Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan and cook the meat until lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Add the onions and fry until softened. Stir in the flour and seasoning, then return the meat to the saucepan with the carrots, Guinness and sugar.
3. Stir well and bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently for 2-21/2 hours or until the meat is tender.
4. Serve garnished with chopped parsley and oatcakes.

Mini jelly Guinnesses
Makes 10

1 Chivers blackcurrant jelly tablet
knifepoint amount of black food colouring
1tsp whiskey
125ml cream

1. Dissolve the jelly tablet in 1/2 pint of boiling water. Then make up to 1 pint with cold water.
2. Dissolve a knifepoint of black food colouring by mixing it with the whiskey.
3. Mix the black mixture into the unset jelly.
4. Pour the jelly mixture into the little shot glasses leaving about 11/2 inch space at the top for the cream.
5. Leave to set in the refrigerator and then carefully top each shot with a little cream. Serve immediately.