St. Patrick’s Day · Shopping guide
Irish cookbooks for a shared supper
Recipe collections for planning a meal and learning more about Irish food.
Start with the kind of meal you want to make: a straightforward supper, a comforting family dish, or a deeper exploration of ingredients and food history.
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01
The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook
Hardcover, English, Cottage Door Press, January 14, 2019, 176 pages
Traditional and contemporary pub dishes, including stews, soups, seafood, and desserts.
What customers say: Readers praise clear instructions, variety, and photography; one received a new copy with stuck pages and marks.
Before choosing: Check the binding and pages on arrival, particularly if giving it as a gift.
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02
Our Irish Grannies’ Recipes
Hardcover, English, Sourcebooks, November 1, 2011, 160 pages, 5.25 x 7.25 inches
Compact collection of family-style Irish recipes, including breads, stews, and sweets.
What customers say: Readers often buy it as a gift; one praises the brown bread, while another finds the informal measurements imprecise.
Before choosing: Read a recipe through before shopping; cooks who prefer exact quantities may want a more technical book.
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03
Real Irish Food: 150 Classic Recipes from the Old Country
Paperback, illustrated, English, Skyhorse, March 4, 2014, 320 pages; ASIN 1629143146, ISBN-13 978-1629143149
David Bowers collection of 150 recipes with food stories and photographs.
What customers say: Readers enjoy the breads, stews, photographs, and background stories; a detailed review reports hard-to-source ingredients and some incomplete directions.
Before choosing: Check ingredient availability and read every method before choosing dishes for guests.
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04
The Irish Cookbook — JP McMahon
Hardcover, illustrated, English, Phaidon Press, February 26, 2020, 432 pages
JP McMahon reference with 480 home-cooking recipes and Irish food history.
What customers say: Readers praise the food history, photography, and range of recipes; several describe enjoying it as a book to read as well as cook from.
Before choosing: A substantial reference for exploring beyond a single holiday meal.
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05
Complete Book of Irish Country Cooking
Hardcover, first edition, English, Avery, March 1, 1996, 288 pages
Darina Allen collection of more than 250 traditional recipes.
What customers say: Readers value the broad collection and familiar ingredients; one finds the directions less detailed and reports overlap with Irish Traditional Cooking.
Before choosing: Check your shelf before buying: a reader identifies Irish Traditional Cooking as the same book under another title.
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