We adore a cheesy, luxurious cottage pie, it’s the ultimate wintry comforter to soothe you on chilly evenings. The generous potato and cabbage colcannon topping could be piped on if you’re feeling fancy. But we don’t mind it looking a little rustic so spooning it on does fine.
When making this, we like to do a big batch of the savoury mince. It’s a great easy midweek dinner and leftovers make for the perfect lunch too.
We love that everything for this recipe is easily available from any local shop. You can also pretty much use mostly Irish ingredients. We like to use Cáis na Tire, a gorgeous sheep’s milk cheese from Tipperary, but really any hard cheese will work just as well.
Irish cheese is a favourite ingredient of ours, we use plenty for our Currabinny Caravan in Collins Barracks, Dublin, where we serve up seasonal sandwiches and toasties that support local suppliers and ingredients. Coming into wintertime, there’ll be broths and hotpots too. The ingredients may cost more than a tenner, but it makes a big pie that will serve eight.
The Big Irish Times Quiz of 2024
Nanci Griffith: From a Distance review – harrowing account of the country music star’s life that ended in isolation and alcoholism
Róisín Ingle: My profound, challenging, surprisingly joyful, life-changing year
Dancing with the Stars 2025: Who are the contestants, when is it on and more
Recipe: James Kavanagh and William Murray’s Currabinny Cottage Pie
James Kavanagh and William Murray run Currabinny Caravan in Collins Barracks, Dublin
