TV chef Neven Maguire shares top tips for Christmas ahead of RTE special
The Cavan man visits Tipperary and says he wants everyone to be happy at this time of year
Top chef Neven Maguire has revealed his magic for a perfect Christmas dinner ahead of his new festive TV show Christmas at Cashel.
Neven, 50, of the award-winning MacNean’s Bistro in Blacklion, Co Cavan, is on RTE One today at 8.30pm to tell viewers how they can have the best dinner with minimum fuss for a memorably special Christmas.
He told The Irish Mirror: "For me, what’s really important is keeping Christmas stress-free. Everyone wants to be happy at this time of year. That’s what we always try to get across on the show. We’ve got gorgeous dishes with baked ham, apricot, and ginger.
READ MORE: Neven Maguire issues grim warning about future of restaurants and cafes in Ireland amid VAT row
READ MORE:Neven Maguire says 50 is the new 21 as he reveals how a dramatic wake-up call changed his life
"We were in Cashel Palace and cooking with its head chef Stefan McEnteer. It is a spectacular place, I have to say; just beautiful. The staff were so nice, just so accommodating. Visiting Aidan O’Brien at Ballydoyle Racing Stables was really special. Seeing how he spoke with his jockeys, I will always cherish that. I really enjoyed making the whole series."
As for cooking at home this Christmas, the dad of twins likes to get the family involved. The TV cook has a string of businesses with books, TV shows, a kitchen range, a cookery school and his own restaurant, but he likes to keep Christmas dinner simple and stress-free. Dad-of-two Neven, who is married to wife Amelda, gets the whole family involved to remove any stress.
It is all part of his philosophy at Christmas when he advises families not to over-shop, over-stress, or complicate the time together. Neven believes we are with our families to enjoy Christmas and that is key to his thinking for a fun and relaxing festive period. One of his big tricks is to have everything prepped so there is as little cooking as possible. It all amounts to a lovely day for Neven, Amelda, and 12-year-old twins Connor and Lucia.
He told the Irish Mirror: "You have to be as organised as possible. Pre-cook your ham, have it in the cold fridge, cold, a few days ahead. Don’t give too much choice. You don’t need four or five different types of potatoes. Two potatoes is what I served. Lovely mash and two vegetables.
"I suppose for starters you could have a platter of trout and smoked salmon or a showcase of lovely Irish seafood. There’s very little cooking in that. Keep it light with the dessert. People love pavlova and these are simple dishes that people can do.
"Stay ahead of yourself, don’t leave everything to the last minute, prepare all your vegetables. If you’re having turkey, have your stuffing made. Don’t be afraid to delegate. I’ll have my daughter, who’s 12, making the dessert and Conor will make the vegetables.
"My wife Amelda will set up the table. I’m looking forward to it. Looking forward to Christmas and cooking for us. I love it. Christmas is all about family and good food and enjoying the moment. I think that’s really important."
In the first of his new two-part Christmas special, Neven Maguire visits the Cashel Palace Hotel and prepares three delicious dishes - a salmon and trout wreath, a traditional baked ham, and a ham terrine. He visits the hotel's award winning Bishop's Buttery restaurant which earned a Michelin Star in 2024, to see head chef Stefan, who worked for Neven at MacNean House in 2014, and together they cook a duck dish.
Cashel Palace general manager Adriaan Bartels treats Neven to afternoon tea later in the programme before Neven prepares a Tipperary cheese board with produce from Tipperary firms Cooleeney Farm and Cashel Irish Farmhouse Cheeses. The fun Christmas show finishes with the Sunday Singers Cashel singing in the 15th century Hall of the Vicar’s Choir, which is one of the medieval buildings located on top of the Rock of Cashel.
Neven said: "I’m delighted to film my Christmas programmes this year in Cashel, somewhere that I haven’t been to before in my series. Tipperary, and in particular the Golden Vale, is renowned for excellent food producers and we were able to use some of these great ingredients in the programmes.
"Staying at the Cashel Palace Hotel was a real treat, and I was able to cook with Stefan once again after cooking for me in Blacklion 10 years ago. I would like to thank Bord Bia for all their support."
Next week, in part two of Neven's Christmas special at Cashel, he prepares crab gratin, turkey roulade and mulled berry pavlova. Neven's Christmas at Cashel is on RTE One today at 8.30pm and next Tuesday, December 10.
Join the Irish Mirror’s breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive breaking news and the latest headlines direct to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Related
Share this page
Guest Posts by Easy Branches
