Castleview Farm Scone Recipe

March 25, 2020

Now that we have a bit of time on our hands at home, why not put your baking skills to good use and try this delicious scone recipe from Castleview Farm in County Kildare.

Quick and easy scones with 15 minute baking time.

Ingredients

340g (12oz) self-raising flour
85g (3oz) butter
55g (2oz) caster sugar
125ml (1/4 pt) milk
60ml (4tbsps) natural yoghurt
1/4 tsp salt

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200^oC and lightly grease a baking sheet or line with a non-stick liner.
Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl and rub in the butter until it looks like breadcrumbs.
Mix milk and yoghurt and stir into mixture, work it together until a soft dough is formed.
Turn onto a floured board and knead lightly to get a smooth surface. Flatten out to an even thickness of about 2cm.
Using a 5cm cutter, cut out 12 – 14 scones and place on baking tray.
Bake for 12 – 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool before you spread butter and jam on them. Yummy!

You may not be able to travel at the moment, but on your next trip to Ireland keep in mind an Irish farmstay getaway, the perfect way to get back to nature and enjoy the Irish countryside.

Tags: Farmhouse holidays, Farmhouse recipes, Farmhouse Scone Recipe, farmstay breaks in Ireland, Irish Farmhouse holidays

Farmhouse B&B offer the best of traditional cuisine

Farmhouse B&Bs offer the best of traditional cuisine

March 14, 2019

Booking a stay in a farmhouse B&B is the perfect choice if you want to experience delicious meals and tasty home-baked treats. Farmhouse Bed and Breakfasts offer the best of traditional cuisine with menus using the finest of local and seasonal produce.

Working farms

Many of our farmhouse B&Bs are working farms that produce a lot of what they use in their menus from the farm. Your palate will delight in the succulent flavours from the farm’s very own harvest. Start your day with eggs freshly-laid by the garden hens that will compliment your B&B hosts delicious homemade soda bread.

Full Irish Breakfast

There’s nothing quite like waking up to the smell of a traditional home-cooked breakfast. The full Irish is always on the menu when you choose a farmstay holiday. Bacon, eggs, sausage, tomatoes with black and white pudding accompanied with freshly made soda-bread, is the perfect start to any day. If you prefer something else, then there is always plenty to choose from on the varied breakfast menu. Many farms make their own jams that taste divine on homemade breads.

Home-baked treats

Farmhouse hosts are renowned for their baking skills and the aroma of home baking is certain to get your taste buds awakened. Freshly baked brown bread, soda bread and scones are customary treats and are most welcome after a busy day sightseeing. There’s nothing nicer than a warm buttered scone accompanied by a cup of tea or coffee. Your B&B host may even give you an impromptu cookery class and let you in on their secret recipes.

Take a farm tour

If you would like to learn a bit about farming life, your host will be delighted to take you on a tour of the farm where you will see animals such as sheep, cattle, horses and donkeys in their natural environment. B&B hosts know their area well, so if you are interested in visiting a farmer’s market or the hidden gems of their area, they will be able to advise you. So, if you would like a farmstay holiday that offers the best of traditional cuisine, look no further than a Farmhouse B&B.

Tags: Best of Irish cooking, Farmhouse B&B home made treats, Farmhouse recipes, Farmhouse traditional cooking, food lovers paradise, Traditional Irish cooking

Christmas Strawberry Trifle Recipe

December 7, 2018

It seems that no matter what array of fancy deserts are prepared at Christmastime, the good old fashioned Christmas Strawberry Trifle is the one that everyone chooses to eat first. Farmhouse B&B hosts are renowned for their fabulous baking skills and know what their guests love to eat at this time of year. This Christmas recipe is so easy to make and everyone just loves it. Try it yourself this Christmas!

Ingredients

60z / 170g of Shop bought triple sponge
135g Packet of Strawberry Jelly
2 tbsp of Custard Powder
2 tbsp of White Sugar
1 Pint / 500mL of Milk
8 Fresh Strawberries
250mL of Fresh Cream
1 Chocolate Flake

Needed: 9 inch wide x 4.4 inch deep trifle dish.

Method

Dissolve one packet of jelly cubes in a heatproof measuring jug using a little boiling water. Now add enough cold water to make the liquid up to 1 pint / 500mL.
Slice the trifle sponge into thick pieces and place in the bottom of you trifle dish.
Wash and half the strawberries and scatter them around the sponge in the trifle dish.
Now pour your jelly into the trifle dish to cover the sponge and strawberries and let it set in the fridge.
Put 2 tbsp of custard powder and 1-2 tbsp of sugar into a bowl.
Mix into a smooth paste with a little milk taken from one pint of milk.
Heat the remaining milk to nearly boiling and pour onto the custard mix, stirring well.
Return to the saucepan and bring to the boil over a low heat, stirring continuously until it thickens.
Remove from heat and leave to cool.
Once the custard has cooled ladle it onto the set jelly in the trifle dish. Put back into the fridge.
Whip your carton of fresh cream with an electric mixer until firm.
Ladle the cream on top of your custard and use a fork to create peaks.
Crumble your chocolate flake on the top of the cream and your trifle is complete.

Keep the trifle refrigerated until you are ready to eat!

Tags: Christmas cookery tips, Christmas Recipes, Christmas Strawberry Trifle Recipe, Christmas treats, cooking at Christmas, Farmhouse recipes, festive tasty treats, Irish Farmhouse recipes

Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe

November 28, 2016

With Christmas, just around the corner, I have a lovely Christmas Fruit Cake recipe for you to try out for this year’s festivities. Many thanks to our B&B Host, Sheila of White Heather Farm, for this extremely tasty and easy to make recipe that everyone will find extremely delicious!

Ingredients

9 oz plain flour
1 level tsp of mixed spice
12 oz raisins
12 oz sultanas
12 oz currants
2 oz candy peel chopped
3 oz glazed cherries (chopped)
2 oz almonds
8 oz butter
8 oz brown sugar
4 eggs (lightly beaten)
2 tsp black treacle
3 tbs of brandy

Method

1. Line an 8-inch round baking tin with grease proof paper (at least 3 layers).
2. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and mix them very well.
3. Pour mixture into the lined cake tin.
4. Place cake in middle of the oven and bake for 3 hours at 150°C / 300°F / Gas Mark 2
5. Then reduce the oven heat to 140°C / 275°F / Gas Mark 1 and bake for approximately a further 1-1.5 hours.
6. Dip a clean knife down through the centre of the cake and if the knife is dry the cake is done.
7. Remove from oven and leave in tin for 10 minutes until cool.
8. Turn cake out onto a wire tray (carefully) and cover with a clean tea- towel to keep the moisture in.
9. Allow the cake stand for about 6 hours and then wrap the cake in grease proof paper and then a layer of tin-foil.

As easy as that, but it is our little secret! 😉

Tags: Christmas Fruit Cake Recipe, Farmhouse Christmas Recipes, Farmhouse recipes, Irish Farmhouse recipes

Farmhouse Brown Soda Bread Recipe

August 3, 2016

There is nothing quite like waking up to the smell of home-baking in an Irish Farmhouse B&B. It’s a lovely start to the day knowing that a delicious breakfast awaits that usually includes brown soda bread. Surprisingly, for bread that tastes so delightful, it’s extremely easy to make. Try our easy to prepare recipe for Farmhouse Brown Soda Bread and see for yourself the wonderful results!

Ingredients

1½ Ib white flour
5 ozs wholemeal flour
5 ozs bran
1 level teaspoon bread soda
1 level teaspoon baking powder
1 level teaspoon cream of tartar
4 ozs melted butter
3 ozs brown or caster sugar
4 eggs – beaten
½ teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
¾ litre fresh milk
Seasame seeds to sprinkle on top

This mixture makes 4 x 2 Ib loaf tins.
Cook at 190C/375F/Gas 5 for about 1.5 hours

Method

Sieve white flour and bread soda
Add wholemeal flour, bran, baking powder, cream of tartar, sugar and nutmeg
Mix to a wet dough with melted butter, eggs and fresh milk
Divide equally between 4 greased 2 Ib loaf tins
Sprinkle tops with seasame seeds
Bake in pre-heated oven for about 1½ hours or until cooked
Cool on a wire tray

Tags: Farmhouse B&B recipes, Farmhouse home-baking, Farmhouse home-cooking, Farmhouse recipes, Irish Farmhouse holidays, Irish Farmhouse recipes

Beef and Guinness Stew

February 17, 2016

Many thanks to Anne of Elmdale Farmhouse in Ennis, County Clare for this Beef and Guinness Stew Irish Farmhouse B&B recipe. It is so easy to prepare and all the family will love it! It’s a popular dish in Ireland and so most Irish pubs have Beef and Guinness Stew on their menu. Try it yourself before your visit to Ireland; you won’t believe how delicious it tastes!

Ingredients:

2 lbs of stewing beef
2 ozs oil
4 ozs chopped bacon
1 oz flour
½ pint of Guinness
3 tablespoons brown vinegar
½ pint water
1 teaspoon mixed herbs
3-4 carrots – sliced
2 onions – sliced
4 oz mushrooms
2 cloves garlic – crushed

Method

Brown the beef and bacon in the oil
Transfer to a casserole dish, adding the vegetables, herbs, Guinness and vinegar
Make a paste with the flour and cold water, to use as a thickening agent, and add it to the oil in the pan
Add this sauce to the casserole and cook in the oven for 1 hour 50 minutes at 180c – 200 c

Tip: Serve with creamed mashed potatoes.
Day two – the stew tastes even better!

Tags: B&B host recipes, Farmhouse B&B recipes, Farmhouse recipes, Irish Farmhouse recipes

Carrot Cake Recipe

June 10, 2015

Nobody goes hungry in an Irish Farmhouse bed and breakfast! It’s a lovely start to any holiday to be met with fresh home-made treats on arrival at your chosen Farmhouse B&B. This carrot cake recipe was kindly given to me by one of our Farmhouse B&B homes that’s located along the Wild Atlantic Way. Why not try to make it at home? I think you’ll agree that it’s delicious…

Ingredients

butter for greasing
115g/4 oz self-raising flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground nutmeg
175g/6 oz soft brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
5tbsp sunflower oil
175g/6 oz grated carrots
1 banana, chopped
25g/1 oz chopped toasted mixed nuts

Frosting

3 tbsp butter, softened
3tbsp cream cheese
175g/6 oz icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp orange juice
grated rind ½ orange
walnut halves or pieces, to decorate

Method

1. Grease an 18-cm/7-inch square cake tin with butter and line with baking parchment. Sift the flour, salt, allspice and nutmeg into a bowl. Stir in the brown sugar, then stir in the eggs and oil. Add the carrots, banana and chopped mixed nuts and mix together well.
2. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and level the surface. Transfer to a preheated oven, 190˚C/375˚F, and bake for 55 minutes or until golden and just firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and cool. When cool enough to handle, turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. To make the frosting, put the butter, cream cheese, icing sugar, orange juice and orange rind into a bowl and beat together until creamy. Spread the frosting over the top of the cold cake, then use a fork to make shallow wavy lines in the frosting. Scatter over the walnuts, cut the cake into bars and serve.

Book your stay in a Farmhouse B&B.

Tags: bed and breakfast homes in Ireland, Farmhouse recipes, Farmstay B&Bs, Irish Farmhouse holidays

Irish Farmhouse Brown Bread Recipe

April 9, 2015

Irish Farmhouse B&Bs include home-cooking and baking as part of the farm-stay experience for their guests. Traditional Irish brown bread is delicious and bed and breakfasts in Ireland tend to serve it with breakfast in the mornings or complementary along with tea/coffee on arrival. Real butter and home-made jam on a slice of Irish brown bread is a tasty treat that everyone should try!

This is a great brown bread recipe that you could try yourself at home.

Ingredients

12 ozs extra coarse brown wheaten meal
8 ozs plain strong white flour
3 handfuls of bran
2 handfuls of wheat germ
1 tsp baking powder
11/4 – 11/2 pints of fresh milk
1 dessertspoon treacle
1 dessertspoon oil
1 level teaspoon salt

Method

Preheat oven to 240C/475F.
Prepare 2 x 2lb loaf tins greased.
In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients.
Add treacle and oil to lesser amount of milk and stir into dry mix.
The mixture at this stage should be soft and moist. If too dry add some more milk, but do not make it too wet.
Spoon mixture into the prepared tins and smooth tops, making a slight hollow along the centre of each.
Sprinkle with bran or sesame seeds.
Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 150C/300F and continue to bake for a further 30 minutes.
Remove bread from oven and turn loaves out onto a wire rack to cool.

Book a Farmhouse B&B

Tags: bed and breakfast homes in Ireland, Farmhouse home-cooking, Farmhouse recipes, Vacations to Ireland