“To many, having “the good life” appears but a dream. Fiona is inspirational in bringing this dream to reality with her warm, chatty style and can-do approach. This book offers sound advice, great tips and a wealth of encouragement for anyone embarking on the journey of self-sufficiency”. Catherine Fulvio, Ballyknocken Cookery School “A delight to … Continue reading
Where’s the home of Ireland’s Best Scone? – Goodall’s and Odlums join forces in search for Ireland’s best scone- NOW an annual celebration in the Irish foodie calendar, once again, the search is on for ‘Ireland’s Best Scone’. This year Goodall’s and Odlums, two mainstays in Irish baking, are appealing for the public to nominate … Continue reading
When you want to use a glut of onions for soup you think French Onion Soup right? Well I do anyway – caramelised onions with a hint of wine in a delicious beef stock topped with rich cheesy Gruyére croutons. Heaven in a bowl……. But what about an Irish version? What if you substituted the wine … Continue reading
Dear Readers Back in July I was delighted to have “Fiona Dillon Writes” nominated in the 2014 Irish Blog Awards and of course I was even more delighted to be then shortlisted in four categories in August. Imagine how I feel today to discover that I am now a finalist in all four categories! The four … Continue reading
Some weeks ago I was invited by Lorna Sixsmith, author of “Would You Marry A Farmer” and co-founder of KLCK Bloggers Network, to join her in Ducketts Grove to chat to IrishTV about our blog to book journeys. Of course I was delighted to go and chat (me being not exactly shy like). Anyway, there we … Continue reading
Confession Time My garden is a bit of a mess. Now at any given time it’s not the most tended of plots but this summer we are doing some work here at Hunters Lodge. And work=mess. Many of my readers presume I have a perfectly manicured garden but nothing could be further from the truth – … Continue reading
Mention the word snails to an Irish gardener and boy will they have plenty to say. The bain of their lives and the ruination of their lettuce patch is what you’re likely to hear. Eggshells, coffee grinds, copper, comfrey and salt will quickly be cited as some of the tried and tested methods to keep the … Continue reading
With the currrent bout of storms and snow, the lack of wifi here at Hunters Lodge paled into insignifcance compared to the lack of heat, light and water – never mind two out of three of my access roads to Carlow being blocked with fallen trees. Such is life at the moment… Anyway, I enjoyed … Continue reading
I’m moving on – and you can come too.. I wrote my first blogpost in May 2010. Gosh I remember it well. Little did I know that when I hit the ‘publish’ button it would be the start of an incredible journey for me – and I’m not nearly finished let me add. Six months … Continue reading
This time every year I’m brought right back to basics. Why? Because now is the time the bookings come flying in for me to give talks to groups, schools, libraries and businesses. Requests come in all shapes and sizes – will I talk about blogging, living self-sufficiently, children and social media and lots more (click HERE … Continue reading
