Like everyone the first week of lockdown was quite overwhelming – the worry of catching the virus, the sadness of not being able to see family and then work being cancelled and all of a sudden you are house bound. I knew that I needed to keep myself mentally and physically well so the first week of lockdown I decided to record a recipe video every day for IGTV, who knew that I would end up recording over 100 recipe videos! I initially decided to do it just to give myself a purpose every day as all my other work had been postponed but within a few weeks my followers doubled in numbers and an amazing supportive community began on my page. The feedback I was getting from people was unbelievable, I went from 42k followers to 97k! With an average of over 200 direct messages a day looking for advice on stress free recipes, what to cook for one and alternatives of ingredients. I loved this engagement as I really felt like I could contribute and help someone cook and eat better over lockdown. 

Clodagh's Weeknight Kitchen

Clodagh's Weeknight Kitchen

My morning routine started at 6am and out the door for an hour walk with my fiancé Harry. After our walk we made green juices from the vegetables in the garden and then I would head to the kitchen to start prepping and recording my daily recipe videos, and typing up all the new ideas for recipes. So it was then a natural step to write a cook book that would be a collection of over 100 of my best weeknight supper recipes – Clodagh’s Weeknight Kitchen which was published on the 29th October 2020. Writing this book during lockdown was for me the perfect time to really perfect these recipes – with us all going through the same dilemmas of not being able to go to the shop, cooking at home 7 days a week, and the worries of all that was going on. Meal time became this wonderful hour to look forward to everyday. Writing the book was an incredible experience as the daily feedback from my followers really helped me focus on the recipes that we really want to eat and can cook with accessible ingredients and achievable methods. 

RELATED: How I spent my lockdown by Leona Deakin

The afternoons were spent outdoors working in the gardens. We recently moved into a property in the country that needed lots of work and we have been transforming it into a sustainable homestead over the past 2 years. We have a newly restored working vegetable and fruit walled garden, bee-hives, a newly planted orchard, a cutting flower garden and 6 Burford Brown hens – that have been laying since the day they arrived! 

The pandemic has obviously completely changed my daily routine, and I have completely overhauled my business – we now have a thriving online lifestyle shop, and we are recording all the Live shows (NBC Today Show in the USA, Marilyn Denis Show in Canada) that I usually have to travel for via the phone in my pocket at home! So the pivot has been good, but I would give anything to be able to travel to Ireland to see family. 

Three Bean Chilli

This three-bean vegetarian chilli is a wonderfully simple, one-pot no fuss dish.  The results are magical, a richly flavoured meal that only gets better with time, like fine wine, if you can make it a day ahead.  Serve it up in a large warmed bowl for everyone to help themselves, along with smaller bowls of guacamole, rice, grated cheese and tortilla chips.  The perfect feast!

Serves 6 

INGREDIENTS: 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large carrot, chopped and diced

1 large stick celery, diced

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 red chilli, finely chopped 

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

1 tsp ground ginger 

1 tablespoon tomato puree

2 x 400g tinned cherry tomatoes

1 bay leaf

400g can of each kidney beans, aduki beans and black eye beans, rinsed and drained

handful of chopped fresh coriander leaves (or flat leaf parsley) 

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Serve with Pea Guacamole, page 144 of Clodagh’s Weeknight Kitchen, Tortilla Chips, Soured Cream, brown rice, grated Cheddar cheese 

METHOD: 

1. Place a casserole dish or large saucepan over a medium heat, and add 2 tbsps olive oil. Then stir in the carrot, celery, onions garlic and fresh chili. Cover with a lid, and then reduce the heat to low. Leave to cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Remove the lid and stir in the spices – cinnamon, cumin, and ginger. Cook for two minutes and then stir in the tomato paste, tinned cherry tomatoes and a bay leaf. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir. Leave to cook for 10 minutes 

3. Next stir in the beans, bring to simmer, cover and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat, and stir in the Coriander or parsley and service with as many of the trimmings as you like.

Tagged in