In this brand new series, Neven demonstrates two new recipes each week in his inimitable style, a style that has made him Ireland’s most popular TV chef, and now also a hit in the US.
One recipe each week will be a family favourite, for example chicken tikka masala or apple pie or lamb tagine, and one recipe will be taken from Neven’s recipe and adapted for the home chef.
“I know how much people enjoy both making family favourites and trying something new and a little challenging, and this series has got something for everyone who enjoys cooking at home – and I stress the word enjoy!”
In addition to the two recipes cooked in his own kitchen, Neven visits some of the best restaurants in the country, and gets a master class from each chef.
“Ireland’s restaurants keep getting better and better and it’s fascinating for me to visit some of the top chefs in their own kitchens – I never stop learning. Some of the restaurants have Michelin stars, and some of them don’t, but the point is that they are all producing really good food.”
[Note to editors: Ireland currently has nine restaurants with Michelin stars. Wales has three, Scotland has 16. Neven’s restaurant, MacNean House in Blacklion Co Cavan, was the only restaurant in Ireland to be included in the Top 10 Restaurants in Europe, in Trip Advisor’s Traveller’s Choice Awards.]
The restaurants Neven visits during this series include Ashford Castle in Mayo, Aniar (Galway, Michelin star), Mount Juliet in Kilkenny (awarded star in 2013), Ananda Indian Restaurant in Dundrum, Dublin¹s Merrion Hotel for afternoon tea, Ballyfin in Co Laois, and Les Gourmandises in Cork city.
He says: “Quality ingredients are key and so I only source food from suppliers I know and trust and I make sure that they carry the Bord Bia Quality Mark.”
Neven also heads to the Cliff House Hotel, Co Waterford (Michelin star), Sheen Falls Lodge in Co Kerry, and Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh which was the site of the G8 meeting in 2013.
And he takes a trip to Boston, to The Parker House Hotel – built in 1855, this is the oldest continuously operated hotel in the US, and the first purpose-built luxury hotel there.
Episode 3
Neven Maguire visits Ballyfin, Co Laois, where head chef Ryan Murphy prepares wild venison and vegetables from Ballyfin’s walled garden. Before coming to Ballyfin, American chef Ryan Murphy worked as a sous chef at the Trump Tower, New York and then as chef de cuisine at the Savoy Hotel, London.
Neven’s own main course recipe this week is a delicious stuffed marinated pork fillet with basil and pine nuts, with noodle and vegetable stir fry.
And for anyone with a sweet tooth, Neven serves up a delicious dish of individual sticky toffee puddings with butterscotch sauce and spun sugar .
Neven Maguire Home Chef is produced and directed by David Hare of Inproduction TV for RTÉ and sponsored by Bord Bia.
Press enquiries:
TVPR: Ann Coughlan 087 6778045 /Pauline Cronin 087 2629967
Neven Maguire: Home Chef is sponsored by the Bord Bia Quality Mark, the symbol which guarantees that the food has been produced to the highest Bord Bia quality standards and reassures consumers about where their food has been produced, processed and packed. For more information visit www.bordbia.ie.
RTÉ One, Wednesday 5 February 2014 7.30pm