Acknowledgements


My grandmother, Maired Mc Sweeney, was a champion baker. She got so much joy from baking for her family and friends, and I attribute my love of cooking to her. I still have her old cookbooks, which are covered in splashes and notes: remnants of happy hours in the kitchen.


It’s no surprise that my favourite subject in school was Home Economics, and the highlight of the week was the practical class. Even now, after all of these years teaching, I still love the sense of excitement and joy a practical class can bring – that sense of pride in a job well done and a dish wrapped and ready to show off at home.


From an early age I loved to try new recipes. Thank you to my very patient parents, who allowed me free rein in the kitchen and willingly tested the end products!


I wish to thank my students for trying out the recipes for me. I knew that if they enjoyed making and eating the dishes, then you would too.


Thank you to Leanne Gillick for being such a wonderful support. Even during a busy time in your life you were always there for advice and encouragement. Your meticulous attention to detail was a constant reassurance that I was on the right track.


Thank you to Alice Healy, my mother-in-law, for your gorgeous mince pie recipe. The Christmas Eve mince pie tradition has now been passed on for others to enjoy.


Thank you to Breda Ahern for the brown bread recipe. You always encouraged us to ‘try it, you never know, you might like it’. It worked!


Thank you to Dearbhaile O’Sullivan for sharing your ideas and recipes. It was great to have a fellow foodie alongside me!


Thank you to Sinéad, Carolyn, Carla, Aoibheann and all the staff in Educate.ie. I loved working with you. Thank you for all your patience and dedication. It’s no wonder the company is going from strength to strength.


Finally, a special thank you to my husband and three girls for testing the recipes. I knew that if it passed the ‘Healy Taste Test’, then it was one for the book.


To you, the users of this book, I hope you enjoy trying these recipes. Keep practising and soon you will be @HOME with The Practical! I wish you the very best of luck for the years ahead.

Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180  |  Page 181  |  Page 182  |  Page 183  |  Page 184  |  Page 185  |  Page 186  |  Page 187  |  Page 188  |  Page 189  |  Page 190  |  Page 191  |  Page 192  |  Page 193  |  Page 194  |  Page 195