Simply Better Handmade Irish Ham & Vintage Irish Cheddar Quiche Lorraine

280g €4.50 or 800g €11 quiche

It’s the perfect summer dinner but let’s be honest, it’s hard to beat a homemade version with its crispy pastry and creamy filling.

That is until Zanna Cookhouse took it upon themselves to develop a version that rivals the Irish Mammy’s pie of perfection.

With its Irish butter pastry that crumbles in your mouth and a filling of Irish free-range eggs and cream, it’s elevated further with generous chunks of Irish ham as well as two types of Simply Better cheeses- Vintage Drinagh Cheddar and Knockanore Oakwood Smoked cheese.

Pop in the oven and by the time you whip up a side salad, it’s ready to go. Don’t be surprised if your Mam pawns it off as her own.

Quiche

Other flavours include Irish Salmon & Broccoli Quiche; Barrel Aged Feta and Roasted Vegetable Quiche; Goat’s Cheese & Caramelised Red Onion Quiche as well as West Cork Gubbeen Chorizo and Irish Potato Quiche.



Simply Better Garlic & Herb Black Tiger Prawns

200g €5.99

These garlic and herb black tiger prawns are sourced by the Keohane family in Bantry and they are the foundation of one of the quickest and easiest summer pasta dishes you could make.

The most time-consuming part of the recipe, developed by brand ambassador Neven Maguire is boiling the Simply Better Fusilli Lunghi pasta which has a fun, spiral shape that kids will love.

When it’s ready, you sauté the tiger prawns in the garlic and herb butter, add some spinach and the Simply Better tomato and chilli pesto, squeeze some lemon juice on top and scatter on a few basil leaves.

It’s ready within minutes and because it doesn’t have a heavy sauce, it really allows those juicy prawns to shine while the pesto ensures a good pop of spicy flavour.



Simply Better Slow Cooked Whiskey Smoked West Cork Sliced Ham

120g €3.29

Simply Better Slow Cooked Whiskey Smoked Baked Irish Ham

Time to bring your toasty onto another level. This slow cooked whiskey smoked West Cork sliced ham has a hint of sweetness and a richness that makes it stand out from the crowd.

It’s made with Irish Bord Bia approved pork from family farms in West Cork and slowly cured for three days in a unique brine using Clogherhead Oriel Sea Salt before being smoked over whiskey wood chips and then thinly sliced.

It’s perfect for a summer picnic. Stack on some freshly made brown bread with Simply Better’s Hegarty Cloth Bound Cheddar and some zingy relish for a Ploughman’s special.

For quick and easy entertaining, add slices to a wooden sharing board, scatter sea salt and pepper over hard boiled eggs and turn a traditional Ploughman’s into a posh cheese and meat platter.



Simply Better Irish Pork Spring Onion & Black Pepper Sausages

6 pack €3.19

Sausages

Unfortunately, summer days in Ireland aren’t always sunny and sometimes you need a bit of comfort food. Is there anything better than a combination of sausages and mash?

And the Simply Better Irish Pork Spring Onion & Black Pepper Sausages are made for this meal. Meaty and moreish, they are made with select cuts of fresh Irish pork from approved Irish suppliers fused with a subtle blend of spices, spring onion and black pepper.

It’s then enveloped in a natural casing which gives it that delicate crispy texture.

These are delicious with some caramelised onions, which are slow cooked and then finished with a little bit of brown sugar and some Simply Better balsamic vinegar. Add some chopped chives to your mash and squeeze through the potato ricer, which is part of Neven Maguire’s cookery range to bring the meal to another level.



Simply Better Handmade Roasted Red Pepper Houmous

175g €2.99

You’re not going to find this delicious handmade roasted red pepper houmous in every Dunnes Stores in the country.

That’s because Clare Lynch who is based in Union Hall in West Cork makes her houmous in small batches and can only supply a certain amount.

This could have been a deterrent for a retailer brand but the product is so excellent, the decision was made to source as many as Clare could produce.

Over time, this will allow her to invest in her business and move her production onto another level.

Clare makes her houmous by slow cooking chickpeas and blending them with freshly squeezed lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, sesame seed paste, garlic and roasted red pepper.

It makes for a delicious and healthy lunch when it’s smothered on sourdough bread and topped with some tuna and rocket.



Simply Better Irish Angus Ultimate Steak Meatballs and Simply Better Bronze Die Conchiglioni Pasta Di Gragnano P.G.I.

400g €4.50 / 500g €2.50

For a moreish pasta dish, the Irish Angus Ultimate Steak Meatballs are the real deal. Made with select cuts of Irish Angus beef and combined with sea salt, garlic, rosemary and thyme.

We used these in Neven Maguire’s Meatball Pasta Bake which also calls for Italian Bronze Die Conchiglioni.

This pasta is made by Pastifico Liguori, who is based in Gragnano in Italy. It holds the coveted P.G.I status which guarantees that it is made in the traditional way with methods and recipes passed down from generation to generation.

Since 1795, Pastifico Liguorihave has been dedicated to the old-fashioned art of pasta making, selecting the highest quality 100% Southern Italian durum wheat which is carefully and slowly kneaded with fresh Lattari Mountains’ spring water and pressed through traditional bronze moulds before being slowly air-dried.

This gives the pasta its rough porous texture, allowing pasta sauce to perfectly coat its surface and to bring out the flavour.



Once the pasta is cooked and the meatballs are seared, you then top it with the Simply Better Italian Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce along with the Italian fresh mozzarella which is made just north of Napoli using original mozzarella made from the milk of water buffalo in southern Italy. The quality of these ingredients makes for a quality pasta dish which fuses the best of Irish and Italian products.



Simply Better Handmade Bramley Apple Crumble

400g €6

Simply Better Handmade Bramley Apple Crumble

The Simply Better award-winning Sticky Toffee Pudding made by Caitriona Flaherty from What’s for Pudding in Kilmessan, Co Meath has been a dessert favourite for many years.

But our sweet tooth has now also been tempted by one of the new additions to the Simply Better shelf, the Handmade Bramley Apple Crumble.

It is also set to become a firm favourite by those who have coeliac disease or a gluten intolerance as it’s made by Susan and Tom Robbins Fehily from the gluten free Wildberry Bakery.

Baked in small batches, you get that sweet and tangy taste from the Irish apples which is topped with a little cinnamon.

But it’s the moreish crunch from the gluten free Irish oats and nibbed almonds which really sets it apart. Pop in the oven, smother in cream and enjoy.



Simply Better French Made All Butter Croissants

280g €3.69

Simply Better French Made All Butter Croissants

While we’re all about supporting Irish producers, sometimes you have to head further afield to those who perfected the art.

And when you’re talking about croissants, the brilliant boulangeries of France are the only place to go.

The Simply Better croissants are made by Bridor, a family-owned business based in northern France.

They source their flour from local mills and use fine European butter and free range eggs, kneading the ingredients gently before butter is steadily laminated with the dough and slowly left to prove.

It is then rolled thinly and left to prove again before being frozen which is the real key to tasting that French perfection in your home. Because these are the ultimate weekend treat.

Fire on the oven, pop them in for 20 minutes and you have a café treat while hanging out in your pyjamas. For those that have a sweet tooth, they also have pain au chocolates and recently added cinnamon swirls to the collection.

Read more

Advertorial: a Simply Better taste of Leinster

Never too much butter