A Return to Ireland

A Return to Ireland
A Culinary Journey from America to Ireland
Written by Judith McLoughlin
Photography by Gary McLoughlin

Category: Cooking - Regional & Ethnic - Irish; Cooking - Courses & Dishes; Cooking - Individual Chefs & Restaurants
Format: Hardcover, 256 pages
On Sale Date: November 22, 2022
ISBN: 9781578269358

Featuring over 100 recipes and gorgeous photos of Irish landscapes, A Return to Ireland will bring you on a culinary journey from the Irish-American immigrant recipes to the flavors of modern Ireland.

With A Return to Ireland: A Culinary Journey from America to Ireland, Judith McLoughlin has captured the soul of Irish cooking—a soul which has endured and even flourished in the homes of millions of Irish emigrants and their descendants. From hearty Irish staples to classic comfort foods and so much more, it only takes a taste to transport you across the sea to the Emerald Isle.

Some of the delectable recipes showcasing how Irish food has continued to capture and delight hundreds of miles from its homeland include Beef & Oyster Irish Porter Pie, Armagh Apple & Thyme Chicken, Inis Mor Aran Island Goat Cheese Soufflés, Crumbled Corn Beef & Sweet Potato Tart, Celtic Sea Smoked Mackerel, Date & Pecan Wholemeal Scones, Roasted Red Beets Salad, Saint Nicholas Sweet Mince Pies, Golden Barley & Garden Pea Summer Salad, Irish Cured Ham & Cheddar Cheese Pillows, Celtic Chocolate Yule Log, Owen Brennan’s Bananas Foster, Shamrock & Peach Signature Macaron, Pot O’ Gold with Apple & Gin, and so much more.

With that said, A Return to Ireland is so much more than a collection of classic recipes—it is a record of a culinary history that has been passed down from parent to child for generations.

“Judith’s beautiful book deftly explores the Irish immigrant story through the medium of recipes passed down through the generations.”
—Daniel Mulhall, Ambassador of Ireland to the United States of America

A Return to Ireland presents this shared culture beautifully through anecdotes, insights and memories drawn from decades of Irish emigrants and Irish-Americans adapting and preparing the same recipes their ancestors once did.

About the Author

Judith McLoughlin is an Irish chef and owner of a gourmet food business in Georgia called The Shamrock and Peach. Specializing in Irish cuisine, Judith has created her own unique food fusion by blending the techniques of her homeland with the newfound flavors of the South. Growing up in County Armagh in Northern Ireland and setting down roots in the South, over the past decade Judith has become one of the most recognized Irish faces and brands in Atlanta, throughout the American South and abroad. She regularly contributes to food columns in national newspapers and magazines on both sides of the Atlantic and leads numerous discovery tours from the U.S. to Ireland each year. She has previously published a cookbook entitled The Shamrock and Peach. For more information, visit shamrockandpeach.com.

About the Photographer

Gary McLoughlin is a senior designer and art director and is active as an artist and photographer. With over 30 years of experience as a designer, Gary is skilled and passionate about creating beautiful imagery that explores the world through photography and art. Coming from County Armagh in Northern Ireland, he moved to Atlanta with his wife Judith.

More Praise for A Return to Ireland

“With A Return to Ireland, Irish cookery has come of age. Her recipes are steeped in our history and the future of Ireland. From nature to plate, with amazing stories of passion and love from the homeland.” —Chef Noel McMeel, executive chef of the 5-Star Lough Erne Hotel and author of Irish Pantry

“Judith’s zest for life, her stories and her Irish creations in the kitchen are superb and really fun.” —Chef Ford Fry, restauranteur and author of Tex-Mex Cookbook

“Judith’s inspirational food and storytelling is very much part of this phenomenon that is calling the Irish diaspora home to Ireland to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors.” —Dr. Tim Campbell, director of the St. Patrick’s Center

“McLoughlin’s new book is a truly intergenerational exploration of one Irish family’s emigrant journey from the rugged hills of Ireland to the shores of New England and the tastes of home they’ve savored ever since.” —Nathan Mannion, Head of Exhibitions and Programmes at EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum