What do you think?
Rate this book
The Irish Pub Cookbook
More than seventy amazing Irish pub recipes, from the classic favorites you love to the contemporary specialties sure to delight.
Talk about the luck of the Irish! One of the most beloved of Irish institutions (there are more than one thousand in Dublin alone), the traditional pub has served generations as the venue for local gossip, sporting news, a ceilidh or two, literary soirees, real estate deals, political debates, revolutionary plots, and, lest we forget, for knocking back a pint of Guinness or a "ball of malt." The food's not bad either--as The Irish Pub Cookbook so deliciously demonstrates. It's a celebration of more than seventy pub thick soups and stews; savory tarts and meaty pies; big bowls of salad (times change!); and desserts of the seconds-are-always-appropriate variety. There's shepherd's pie, fish and chips, seafood chowder, and whiskey bread pudding for those with a taste for the quintessential. Contemporary specialties such as Bacon, Blue Cheese, and Courgette Soup; Salmon Cakes with Dill and Wine Sauce; Braised Lambshanks with Red Currants; and White Chocolate Terrine spotlight modern Irish cooking's richly deserved acclaim. Complete with pub photos, history, and lore, nobody leaves hungry when The Irish Pub Cookbook is in the kitchen.
Praise for The Irish Pub Cookbook
"In The Irish Heritage Cookbook, Johnson continues on her mission to inform Americans that contemporary Irish cooking means not just a rustic, stick-to-your-ribs Irish Stew with Brown Soda Bread, but also Green Tomato Tarte Tatin, as original and sophisticated as one found anywhere in Europe. The book reads like a tourist itinerary for hungry pub crawlers . . . and shares history on favorite pubs and their famous and infamous patrons and proprietors. Leigh Beish's full-page photos deliver elegant interpretations of humble pub grub like Bacon and Cabbage, and Ploughman's Lunch." --Publishers Weekly
Talk about the luck of the Irish! One of the most beloved of Irish institutions (there are more than one thousand in Dublin alone), the traditional pub has served generations as the venue for local gossip, sporting news, a ceilidh or two, literary soirees, real estate deals, political debates, revolutionary plots, and, lest we forget, for knocking back a pint of Guinness or a "ball of malt." The food's not bad either--as The Irish Pub Cookbook so deliciously demonstrates. It's a celebration of more than seventy pub thick soups and stews; savory tarts and meaty pies; big bowls of salad (times change!); and desserts of the seconds-are-always-appropriate variety. There's shepherd's pie, fish and chips, seafood chowder, and whiskey bread pudding for those with a taste for the quintessential. Contemporary specialties such as Bacon, Blue Cheese, and Courgette Soup; Salmon Cakes with Dill and Wine Sauce; Braised Lambshanks with Red Currants; and White Chocolate Terrine spotlight modern Irish cooking's richly deserved acclaim. Complete with pub photos, history, and lore, nobody leaves hungry when The Irish Pub Cookbook is in the kitchen.
Praise for The Irish Pub Cookbook
"In The Irish Heritage Cookbook, Johnson continues on her mission to inform Americans that contemporary Irish cooking means not just a rustic, stick-to-your-ribs Irish Stew with Brown Soda Bread, but also Green Tomato Tarte Tatin, as original and sophisticated as one found anywhere in Europe. The book reads like a tourist itinerary for hungry pub crawlers . . . and shares history on favorite pubs and their famous and infamous patrons and proprietors. Leigh Beish's full-page photos deliver elegant interpretations of humble pub grub like Bacon and Cabbage, and Ploughman's Lunch." --Publishers Weekly
329 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 15, 2005
338 people are currently reading
340 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 26, 2021
Wonderful! I love the history of different Pubs and festivals in the area. I wish there were more photos of food.
According to this book: The first sandwich was made by John Montagu (1718-1792) the 4th Earl of Sandwich. He's a gambler who refused to leave the gambling table for food. He ordered his valet to bring him salted beef and two pieces of toasted bread.
According to this book: The first sandwich was made by John Montagu (1718-1792) the 4th Earl of Sandwich. He's a gambler who refused to leave the gambling table for food. He ordered his valet to bring him salted beef and two pieces of toasted bread.
November 26, 2022
If you think that Irish cuisine is limited to lamb, potatoes and some stew, you've been denying yourself a wonderful selection of meals that - yes, there are potatoes and lamb and some stew too but so many other options are available.
Johnson has taken a selection of recipes from a variety of notable pubs across Ireland and relayed how the reader could make them. Nearly all have unsalted butter (preferring Kerrygold Irish butter) and that traditional bacon comes in a far wider assortment than generally available in the United States.
Every recipe starts with a short history of the pub where the following recipe is taken and a picture in some cases. So the categories are - -
*Starters - oh, like Mussels in Garlic and Guiness (it's a pub recipe so don't be surprised that alcohol may be part of it) or Esther Dunne's Bacon-Potato cake.
*Soups - the Parsnip and Apple sounds delicious
*Hot Pots/Meat Pies and Savory Tarts - here's the Irish Stew along with Beef Stew and a Four-Cheese Torte with Tomato, Pepper & Pesto
*Meat and Potatoes - well, potatoes can be mashed, cooked in a jacket(skin on) or made into cakes along with the Bushmills' Stuffed Steak
*Seafood - personally, not a big seafood/fish eater but the Cod 'n' Chips with Lemon Aioli sounds tasty.
*Sweets - and presented are pavlovas, cheesecakes, Bread and Butter Pudding with Hot Whiskey Sauce
Of course there are short pieces providing some additional insights - pub awards, sweet irish creams, pub crawls, how to shuck an oyster for when you attend one of the numerous oyster festivals held across the country. Along with a glossary and resource guide for acquiring some items.
Definitely a tasty look at a cuisine that has taken the Irish food stereotypes, made them all their own and appealing to the entire world. Now I need to find an Irish pub nearby and see how close they come to authentic food. . . .
2022-262
Johnson has taken a selection of recipes from a variety of notable pubs across Ireland and relayed how the reader could make them. Nearly all have unsalted butter (preferring Kerrygold Irish butter) and that traditional bacon comes in a far wider assortment than generally available in the United States.
Every recipe starts with a short history of the pub where the following recipe is taken and a picture in some cases. So the categories are - -
*Starters - oh, like Mussels in Garlic and Guiness (it's a pub recipe so don't be surprised that alcohol may be part of it) or Esther Dunne's Bacon-Potato cake.
*Soups - the Parsnip and Apple sounds delicious
*Hot Pots/Meat Pies and Savory Tarts - here's the Irish Stew along with Beef Stew and a Four-Cheese Torte with Tomato, Pepper & Pesto
*Meat and Potatoes - well, potatoes can be mashed, cooked in a jacket(skin on) or made into cakes along with the Bushmills' Stuffed Steak
*Seafood - personally, not a big seafood/fish eater but the Cod 'n' Chips with Lemon Aioli sounds tasty.
*Sweets - and presented are pavlovas, cheesecakes, Bread and Butter Pudding with Hot Whiskey Sauce
Of course there are short pieces providing some additional insights - pub awards, sweet irish creams, pub crawls, how to shuck an oyster for when you attend one of the numerous oyster festivals held across the country. Along with a glossary and resource guide for acquiring some items.
Definitely a tasty look at a cuisine that has taken the Irish food stereotypes, made them all their own and appealing to the entire world. Now I need to find an Irish pub nearby and see how close they come to authentic food. . . .
2022-262
September 19, 2013
I actually purchased this cookbook in Ireland. At first, I thought it was ironic because it's published by an American publisher, but now I think differently. Irish people don't need cookbooks on how to cook food from Irish pubs, because they can go to Irish pubs! Us Americans need to do our Irish pub cookin' at home.
Anyway, it has THE BEST shepherds' pie recipe in the whole world. I honestly never order it out anymore because I know I can make it at home way better with the recipe in this book. I usually use beef instead of lamb because of availability of ground lamp, or lack there of. I also LOVE the pumpkin soup and cheddar biscuits recipe.
And for the record, I grew up thinking shepherds' pie included a jar of Prego! I love you, Mom!
Anyway, it has THE BEST shepherds' pie recipe in the whole world. I honestly never order it out anymore because I know I can make it at home way better with the recipe in this book. I usually use beef instead of lamb because of availability of ground lamp, or lack there of. I also LOVE the pumpkin soup and cheddar biscuits recipe.
And for the record, I grew up thinking shepherds' pie included a jar of Prego! I love you, Mom!
November 13, 2019
I enjoyed the history of the pubs and the beautiful, colorful, pictures of the pubs as much as I did the recipes. I love that the author includes pubs and recipes from all areas of Ireland. My favorites: Cod & Chips with Lemon Aioli (of course), Shepherd's Pie, and Pavlova with Fresh Fruit, from the O'Crowley family of An Sugan Pub, in Clonakilty, County Cork.
January 11, 2023
Good enough to actually pay for a copy vs just getting from the library or snooping the recipes online! I like her photographs of people in the various pubs almost as much as the recipes, which are straightforward, "normal", and accessible.
September 21, 2023
The lack of consistent pictures of the recipes make it tough to rate more than 2 stars. Publishers need to do better, and add plenty of pictures, to any cookbook should they want to compete with picture crazy food blogs.
April 27, 2024
This book has a great variety of the traditional recipes, from stocks to soups, stew, fish and chips, potato cakes, shepherd's pie, and so much more. Definitely pleased with this one. A lot of the recipes I grew up eating are in this book, so this was a bit like going home.
March 14, 2017
I learned everything I know about true Irish cooking from this book. I also learned much about the public houses of Ireland. Just in time for St. Patrick's Day!
May 22, 2017
Love this book. It's part cookbook and part history of Irish pubs. Can't wait to cook some of the recipes and more importantly go back to Ireland.
May 24, 2019
Every recipe I tried turned out delicious and satisfying. So happy I picked this cookbook up.
March 29, 2020
Fantastic!!
Absolutely fantastic!! Full of recipes that I would love to make!! Going to recommend it to various friends that cook!!
Absolutely fantastic!! Full of recipes that I would love to make!! Going to recommend it to various friends that cook!!
March 21, 2021
full review to follow: https://faintingviolet.wordpress.com/...
August 15, 2021
I wanted to follow my roots and I did that. A brief history is given of each pub before the recipes. Most of the pubs are centuries old. The recipes are well written and easy to follow the directions. Irish ingredients have sources for obtaining. Irish words are given translations. The fish and sweets part of the book are the recipes I am most anxious to make.
May 12, 2011
Being Irish, I always look for new recipes to use that also encompass my heritage. This was a pretty good collection of classic Irish dishes. I enjoyed it and look forward to making more of the wonderful dishes included.
March 10, 2009
Irish Food
March 8, 2011
Whenever I want to remember the delicious pub food I've enjoyed on my trips to Ireland, I reach for this book. Excellent recipes. Highly recommend this one.
July 25, 2013
Love this cookbook. Have made many of the recipes, all with success! And, being of Irish heritage, it was a given that I would buy and use this book...and not just at St. Patrick's Day.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews