The Scottish-Irish Pub and Hearth Cookbook: Recipes and Lore from Celtic Kitchens [Hardcover]

Kay Shaw Nelson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1999

From hearty, wholesome recipes for family dinners, to more sophisticated and exotic dishes for entertaining with flair, this book is the perfect source for dining the Celtic way! In this collection of 170 recipes of the best of Scottish and Irish pub fare and home cooking. In addition to the recipes each chapter begins with entertaining stories, legends and lore about Celtic peoples, their traditions and customs, and the history of their foods.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kay Shaw Nelson

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Hippocrene Books (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0781807417
• ISBN-13: 978-0781807418
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,389,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #74 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > European > Irish

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent survey of true classic dishes and lore. Buy It., February 26, 2006

By 

B. Marold "Bruce W. Marold" (Bethlehem, PA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Scottish-Irish Pub and Hearth Cookbook: Recipes and Lore from Celtic Kitchens (Hardcover)

`The Scottish-Irish Pub and Hearth Cookbook' by Scottish / American culinary writer, Kay Shaw Nelson is another cookbook offering by the relatively low-priced, low profile publisher, Hippocrene Books, Inc. which has a large selection of cookbooks about many of the lesser world cuisines in `The Hippocrene Cookbook Library' as well as several books on Scottish and Irish subjects.

I have reviewed a few of these Hippocrene Books and compared to those offerings, this volume is superior to most, although it may not be the very best source for traditional Irish or Scottish recipes. On the other hand, I especially like this book for the fact that it seems to have very good versions of many recipes that may be so common that many flashier cookbooks may not even deign to cover them. My favorite here is the recipe for Scotch eggs, which recently came to fame as a dish prepared on `Iron Chef America' by the `Too Hot Tamales' (Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger) in a battle against Bobby Flay. The recipe made such an impression that while I remember it, I don't remember the secret ingredient or who won the battle.

I also like the fact that there is a much greater similarity between the two Celtic culinary cultures of Scotland and Ireland than there is between, for example the modern cuisines of Spain and Portugal, which some have lumped together. The biggest difference between the two may be the time at which each was influenced by contact with the French. For the Scottish, during the era of Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, when Scotland and France were active allies against Protestant England. For the Irish, it seems to be much later, beginning in the early 20th century, when Ireland first became independent, and preferred to trade with France than their former colonial masters, England.

While every culinary tradition on earth seems to make a case that they are more congenial entertainers and friends of travelers than anyone else, the Irish can document the fact that not only do they really enjoy a good gathering over beer or spirits, there were actually LAWS passed, the Brehon laws of the Gaelic Celts of the 5th century AD, enforcing hospitality toward strangers and travelers.

The chapters in this book are a great reflection of what is important to these Celtic cuisines:

Starters, including meatballs, lots of oysters and prawns, and the famous Scotch eggs. I'm surprised to find a perfect recipe of the shrimp cocktail, which may have come to these shores from Scotland or Ireland instead of the more easily suspected French.
Soups, especially featuring leeks, which seem to be a native and not a French import. The most famous, of course, is Scotch broth, which is heavy with lamb and barley.
Egg and Cheese Dishes, featuring many dishes from the famous Scottish and Irish breakfasts, including that mysteriously named cheese dish, Scotch Rabbit.
Barley, Oats, and Cornmeal with lots of porridges and cold cereals, such as Muesli.
Seafood, including lots of finny animals from freshwater lakes and streams such as salmon and trout. The most famous recipe here may be kedgeree, a rice, fish, and egg casserole. I just wonder exactly how old this recipe actually is, as two important flavorings are Worcestershire sauce and curry powder, two very British ingredients which may be not much more than 150 years in the British Isles.
Poultry and Game recipes look suspiciously like recipes from southwest France (See Paula Wolfert's great study of recipes from this region). This may either be primordial Celtic influence from Europe or later emigration from Protestant France to the British Isles.
Meats includes a lot of beef as in corned beef and cabbage, corned beef hash, and beef tartare, plus lots of lamb dishes and, oddly enough, several hamburger recipes. Makes me think our favorite meaty fast food came from Ireland rather than northern Germany, as its name suggests.
Vegetables is lots of mashed potatoes and what to do with mashed potatoes the day after. It also shows that the Gaelic cuisine is one of the very few outside Japan that features seaweed.
Bread, especially quickbread based scones and soda bread, which don't use yeast, plus boxty, that famous refuge of day-old mashed potatoes.
Cakes and Cookies, oddly, is separated from desserts, possibly because these are recipes for things served at tea and not after a late supper. The highlight is oatmeal cookies and Scottish shortbread.
Desserts features lots of apples, pears, and berries, especially the classic blackberry fool
Drinks, of course.

As a source of both culinary lore and classic recipes, this may be the best available book I have seen on Scotch / Irish comfort food. It may not be quite as good as `Irish Traditional Cooking' by leading Irish cooking school owner, Darina Allen, which the author recognizes as one of the leading authorities on Irish culinary practice, but for a nice little inexpensive package, this book is very, very good. For more information on the intertwining of culinary lore and ancient Celtic celebrations, see `Celtic Folklore Cooking' by culinary writer and folklorist, JoAnne Asala.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book, May 3, 2011

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lolalafonda - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Scottish-Irish Pub and Hearth Cookbook: Recipes and Lore from Celtic Kitchens (Hardcover)

This book provides authentic recipes for those who love Pub food.
We have made a variety of items including shortbread and scotch eggs.
Everyone loved the results.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Both culture and recipes, November 28, 2011

By 

Roberta Karchner (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Scottish-Irish Pub and Hearth Cookbook: Recipes and Lore from Celtic Kitchens (Kindle Edition)

First of all, this book is not just a simple cookbook. It is a glimpse into an entire way of life, complete with the authors own photographs of places they have eaten.

As a result, the Table of Contents is only one layer, meaning that it links to the chapters, but not to the recipes themselves. However, if you want a glimpse of the stories behind pub food, and some interesting selections of food to sample, you might want to pick up this book.

What intrigued me was "Scotch Eggs," hard boiled eggs wrapped in a seasoned sausage mix then deep fried. I had recently discovered this recipe and especially appreciated the serving tips at the end. I am looking forward to serving these at a potluck, now that I know they can also be served cold with mustard on the side.

This isn't a cookbook for everyone, but it will add a selection of interesting food combinations to your menu, even if you only find one or two you actually want to cook.