Experience the warmth of an Irish Christmas with classic dishes like glazed ham, fillet of beef, and slow-roasted lamb shank with spelt risotto. Bord Bia’s gift boxes offer the finest Irish meats, organic salmon, and Teeling whiskey for a perfect holiday celebration.
In Ireland, Christmas is a family-oriented, festive, and warm celebration. The country’s major cities compete in creativity with decorations in city centers, which host numerous Christmas markets. Just like in France, every family in Ireland carefully selects the Christmas tree that will take pride of place in the living room, often opting for an Irish tree! In fact, Ireland produces many Christmas trees, which, like the cattle and sheep, thrive in the Irish climate.
Christmas Dinner in Ireland
In Ireland, like elsewhere, Christmas is the perfect occasion to gather with family around a traditional meal. December 25th is the main celebration day, with families enjoying a festive feast that often includes a traditional Christmas ham. In Ireland, the Christmas ham is a whole ham boiled in water or cider, then glazed and roasted in the oven. It is typically served with roast potatoes and Brussels sprouts.
Another staple of an Irish Christmas dinner is the fillet of beef. This premium, tender cut can be roasted or grilled, offering many festive and crowd-pleasing recipes, such as Beef Wellington.
Good Meat brings you the best of Ireland for a memorable festive experience. Our favourite beef from the Good Meat range is the Hereford Rund Rib Eye. Meat that is so soft that it melts in your mouth! Litterally mouthwathering!
Lamb also holds a special place on the Christmas table, with leg of lamb and crown roast being popular choices. In recent years, lamb shank, once less well-known, has become increasingly popular. Rich in collagen, this cut is perfect for slow-cooked, comforting dishes, as suggested by Irish chef Joseph Doverman. You will find his recipe further below in this article.
For dessert, the classic choice is “plum pudding,” or Christmas pudding. Despite its name, the pudding contains no plums, but rather a mix of dried fruits, mainly raisins. The meal traditionally ends with a warm whiskey around the Christmas tree, with everyone wishing each other “Nollaig Shona Duit,” which means “Merry Christmas” in Irish.
Irish Organic Salmon
Ireland is the third-largest producer of salmon in Europe, though it accounts for just a modest 1 percent of European salmon production, far behind Norway and Scotland. However, all salmon farms on the island operate under strict organic farming standards, making Irish salmon a highly sought-after product among organic food specialists. Irish salmon is known by discerning consumers for its firm, lean flesh and rich flavor. The salmon farms in Ireland benefit from the Atlantic Ocean currents, particularly the Gulf Stream. This strong current ensures that, even in cage farming, the salmon are highly active swimmers, contributing to their balanced muscle development.
Slow-Roasted Lamb Shank with Spelt Risotto Recipe
For the Lamb Shank
Ingredients (Serves 4 to 6):
- 2 lamb shanks (600 g to 800 g each)
- 1 liter of veal stock
- 200 g carrots
- 200 g onions
- 200 g parsnips
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 200 ml red wine
- A sprig of rosemary
- Salt and pepper
Preparation:
- Brown the lamb shanks in a pan with a splash of olive oil until well-seared. Remove from the pan and add the roughly chopped vegetables.
- Sauté the vegetables until golden, then deglaze with red wine.
- Place the lamb shanks and vegetables in a roasting dish, add the veal stock, and cook in the oven at 145°C (290°F) for 4 to 5 hours.
- Once done, remove the dish from the oven. Strain the vegetables and reserve the liquid. Reduce the cooking liquid until it thickens into a rich sauce.
- Blend half of the strained vegetables into a smooth purée and keep the remaining vegetables whole for serving.
For the Spelt Risotto
Ingredients (Serves 4 to 6):
- 300 g spelt
- 1 liter vegetable broth
- 2 onions
- 1 carrot
- 1 parsnip
- 50 g butter
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
Preparation:
- Dice the vegetables into small cubes (brunoise) and sauté gently with the butter over low heat.
- Add the spelt and stir until well-coated with butter.
- Gradually add the vegetable broth and simmer over low heat for about 35 minutes until the spelt is tender.
- Stir in the mixed vegetables from the lamb shank to thicken the risotto.
For The Roasted Entrecôte
Ingredients (Serves 2):
- 2 entrecôtes (1 per person)
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 shallot
- 50g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 50g butter
- 50cl grape seed oil
- 2 endives
- 1 lemon
- 30g olive oil
- 15g honey
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
- Heat the grape seed oil in a very hot skillet.
- Season the entrecôtes with fleur de sel and sear them for 2 minutes on each side over high heat.
- Lower the heat, add the butter, garlic, and shallots, and baste the meat with the foaming butter for 2 minutes over medium heat.
- Remove the meat from the skillet, cover, and let it rest.
- Slice the endives lengthwise, season with salt and pepper, and sauté them briefly in the skillet with the butter and chopped parsley, cut side down.
- In a bowl, mix the lemon juice, honey, and olive oil to create a vinaigrette.
- Drizzle the vinaigrette over the endives and serve alongside the entrecôtes.
Irish Black Angus Beef Wellington
Equipment:
- 1 sheet of parchment paper
- 1 baking tray
- 4 round cutters:
- 22 cm diameter
- 14 cm diameter
- 10 cm diameter
- 9 cm diameter
Ingredients (Serves 4):
- 1 sheet of all-butter puff pastry
- 3 egg yolks
- Salt, pepper, and Espelette pepper
- A dry duxelles of chanterelle and Paris mushrooms (refer to online recipes)
- 100 ml cognac
- 20 fresh spinach leaves
- 2 Irish Black Angus beef tenderloin tournedos, 250g each
Preparation:
- Prepare the Beef:
- Sear the tournedos on all sides in a hot pan. Season with salt and pepper, then deglaze with cognac. Let cool.
- Prepare the Spinach:
- Remove the stems from the spinach leaves, blanch them in boiling water, then cool and drain thoroughly on a clean cloth.
- Wrap the Beef:
- Line the 9 cm cutter with the spinach leaves, letting them overlap by 4 cm.
- Place a tournedos inside the lined cutter.
- Top the beef with a dome of duxelles.
- Fold the spinach leaves over to enclose the beef completely. Wrap the entire package tightly in cling film and freeze for 20 minutes.
- Prepare the Pastry:
- Cut two 22 cm circles and two 14 cm circles from the puff pastry sheet.
- Brush all four pastry circles with egg yolk.
- Assemble the Wellington:
- Remove the beef package from the cling film and place it in the center of a 22 cm pastry circle.
- Cover with a 14 cm pastry circle, pressing the edges to seal.
- Use the 10 cm cutter to tighten the seal, ensuring a neat edge.
- Decorate as desired (refer to online techniques for decoration ideas).
- Bake:
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (428°F).
- Bake the Wellington for 16 minutes.
- Allow it to rest for 5 minutes before slicing in half.
- Serve:
- Serve each portion with a glossy port wine sauce.
Good Meat brings you the best of Ireland for a memorable festive experience. Founded in 1907 in Aalter, Good Meat is a Belgian specialist in quality meat distribution for professionals. Arnold Vanderhaeghe and his team have extensive experience working with Irish meat.
