A Taste of Ireland: The Story Behind Our Irish Collection
Chipper curry sauce, a proper cider, and biscuits that taste like Sunday afternoons at your nan's — here's the full story behind the Irish brands in our collection, and why they earned their shelf space.
McDonnell's — Dublin's chipper classic
If you grew up in Ireland, McDonnell's Curry Sauce Mix is the taste of the local chipper on a Friday night, sold in Ireland since the 1940s. It's a Dublin-made staple that turns a bag of chips into \"chips and curry\" in about five minutes — just mix the powder with water and simmer.
Alongside the curry sauce we also stock their Spice Bag Seasoning, for recreating the Irish-Chinese takeaway favourite (deep-fried chicken and chips tossed with peppers, onion and this exact seasoning mix) at home, and their Roast Gravy Mix — the three essentials for an Irish comfort-food night in, no takeaway required.
Magners — cider from Clonmel, Co. Tipperary
Magners Original is brewed in Clonmel, in the heart of Tipperary's apple-growing country, using a blend of Irish apples that's been fermented on-site for generations. It's the cider most Irish expats miss the moment they can't find it over ice on a warm afternoon — served the traditional way, in the bottle, over a full glass of ice, never straight from the fridge.
Bolands — Dublin's biscuit tin favourite
Bolands Ginger Nuts are a proper Irish biscuit-tin classic — hard, spiced, and built for dunking without collapsing into your tea (unlike most soft biscuits, which is exactly the point). It's the kind of biscuit that shows up at every Irish gathering, next to a pot of strong tea.
Chivers — marmalade with real Irish and English roots
Chivers marmalades — lemon jelly, Olde English orange, and orange curd — are the classic spread for Irish and British breakfast tables alike. It's thick-cut, properly bitter-sweet marmalade, not the smooth supermarket jam most of Spain defaults to, and it's the spread that belongs on hot buttered toast, not fine pastries.
What's actually in a \"Spice Bag\"?
Deep-fried shredded chicken and chips, tossed together with sliced peppers, onion and McDonnell's Spice Bag Seasoning — an Irish-Chinese takeaway invention that's become a national comfort food in its own right.
Should Magners be served straight from the fridge?
Traditionally, no — it's served over a full glass of ice, which dilutes it slightly as it melts and is part of how the drink is meant to taste.