Tasty soup
Beetroot cheers up the lean months before the spring produce takes off, but the prospect of stained hands and long cooking times can relegate it to the back of the vegetable drawer. The new Super Beetroot & Mint Soup from M&S offers all the nutrition and great taste without the mess. Yoghurt, honey and pomegranate join the headline ingredients for a middle eastern take on a bowl of goodness. It costs €3.69 for a two-serving 600g pot.
Bella granola
If you're blessed with a lyrical name like Maria Lucia, then you'd be mad not to use it when setting up your own business, which is how Maria Lucia Bakes came to be. Maria Betts makes three varieties of granola: apricot, walnut and treacle; cashew, almond and cinnamon; and cranberry, coconut and chia seed. What began as a home kitchen business has outgrown Betts's Rathfarnham home and the granola is now made to her recipes by a gluten-free bakery in Cork. A 400g pack costs €6.25. It's available from health food shops, SuperValu stores and delicatessens. See a full list of stockists at marialuciabakes.com.
Sing for your supper
Musical hits sung by a 20-year veteran of London's West End "interwoven" around a four-course dinner sounds like an intriguing proposition. Irish singer and actor David Shannon has played lead roles in Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables, and he is teaming up with Ghan House in Carlingford, Co Louth for a musical dinner on Friday, March 6th. There will be singing before, during and after a dinner cooked by Stephane le Sourne. Tickets are €65. See ghanhouse.com, tel: 042-9373682.
