Soda Breads

Wellies, rain, thick sweaters and soda bread.

Soda breads are as Irish as Ardal O'Hanlon but not nearly as funny. However, they are stunningly easy to make, nutritious (yawn) and taste great (yayy). They rise because of the addition of bread soda or bicarbonate to you and me. Careful with this: too much of the stuff and you'll have green bread. And nobody, not even a Yank, wants to serve up green bread. No, people, not even on St. Patrick's day.

Soda bread will forever be etched in my memory with thoughts of Sarah's mum in her kitchen: it's a very Myrtle Allen memory, but I do clearly remember coming downstairs to find her up to her elbows in flour, turning out flat patties of cross-hatched, oat-peppered soda bread ready to go into the oven. And then Ballybrista breakfasts, a Silk Cut and a cup of tea (the Silk Cut have long since been torn screaming from my life) followed by slices of coarse, nutty brown bread and deep, caramel-rich marmalade.

Soda bread is great at any time of day. But I'd say it was essential with Dublin Coddle and I'd serve Mary's Brown Loaf, which slices thinly, with Mushroom Paté. But I'd be a little devil and toast it to serve with a fine Chicken Liver Paté.

• Mary's Brown Loaf - Hello Mary Garvey of Glenamaddy, Co. Cork.
• Brown Soda Bread - A fancy 'new bread' recipe, nutty as a brace of nuthatches...
• Ballybrista Bread - The Recipe of Mrs Brigid Webster herself. To be sure to be sure.
• Sweet Scones - Sweet white scones, summertime and linen billowing in the breeze. Jam. Lavender.

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