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	<title>Croan Self Catering Cottages in Ireland</title>
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	<link>http://croancottages.com/blog</link>
	<description>Self Catering Cottages and Smallholding in Ireland!</description>
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		<title>Cherry Blossom in late March</title>
		<link>http://croancottages.com/blog/190/news/cherry-blossom-in-late-march/</link>
		<comments>http://croancottages.com/blog/190/news/cherry-blossom-in-late-march/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:21:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>croan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://croancottages.com/blog/?p=190</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This year&#8217;s Cherry Blossom display is spectacular!
We hope that they&#8217;ll last until Easter.
We shot a video on a lovely sunny day and Pierre insisted on starring in the scene!

]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>December 2011</title>
		<link>http://croancottages.com/blog/188/newsletters/december-2011/</link>
		<comments>http://croancottages.com/blog/188/newsletters/december-2011/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:22:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>croan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Newsletters]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://croancottages.com/blog/?p=188</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
















Self Catering Cottages in Kilkenny, Ireland
Winter Newsletter 2011




















IN THIS ISSUE

 &#8211; News on the Animals


 &#8211; A Bumper year in the Gardens and Orchard


 &#8211; Some Recipes from during the year


 &#8211; Local Festivals

 &#8211; A 10% discount for every reader!















Gift Vouchers

Our gift vouchers are always popular at this time of the year.

If you know someone who might enjoy a break in beautiful Kilkenny, why not get them one for Christmas?

The vouchers are available for any amount and we can even peronalise the voucher for you.

You can buy the vouchers on our website or give us a call and we will post them to you.















Christmas Breaks 2011

There is very limited availability for breaks over the Christmas Holidays at Croan Cottages.


Visit our website to check availability and to book online!

CroanCottages.com


Croan Cottages in the Press

Positive praise is always nice to receive and were delighted with this review of Croan Cottages on traveleditor.com


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Croan Cottages Winter 2011











As December has arrived and temperatures are beginning to dip a little, we’re thankful for the mild, Autumnal November we’ve enjoyed.

We are even more grateful that last year’s Arctic temperatures have not made a reappearance.

Cool, bright days are perfect for getting outside to ...]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Pear &amp; Almond Tart</title>
		<link>http://croancottages.com/blog/172/recipes/pear-almond-tart/</link>
		<comments>http://croancottages.com/blog/172/recipes/pear-almond-tart/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:14:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>croan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Recipes]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://croancottages.com/blog/?p=172</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[



We have 2 Concorde Pear trees in the Orchard at Croan, just behind Alder and Beech Cottages. The Concorde is a lovely pear which will ripen on the tree, even in Ireland. My favourite time to eat them is in late September when they are still quite hard but are just starting to soften!
The one planted against the Walled Garden wall has been very slow to establish itself and this year we got just 4 pears from it.
The other tree is a standard variety and has grown to a good size now. This year it was laiden down with fruit.
Last week’s wind saw most of the pears knocked from the tree and so we had an excuse to try some new recipes to use up the bounty.
This recipe was my favourite, and was delicious warm with custard and is still nice cold with a cup of coffee!
We really should have taken a photo of the finished product BEFORE we started eating it &#8211; sorry about that!





Ingredients
For the Pear and Almond filling

175g butter, slightly softened
175g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
25 g crushed almonds
15g flaked almonds
75g self raising flour
2 free-range eggs, beaten lightly
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 or 4 ripe (but not squishy) pears
juice ...]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Apple, Green Tomato Chutney</title>
		<link>http://croancottages.com/blog/161/recipes/apple-and-green-chutney-recipe/</link>
		<comments>http://croancottages.com/blog/161/recipes/apple-and-green-chutney-recipe/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:23:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>croan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Recipes]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://croancottages.com/blog/?p=161</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[


It is that time of year again when all the apples are falling off the trees and we have an abundance of green tomatoes that never ripened.  Rather than letting our apples and tomatoes go to waste we decided to would make an Apple and Green Tomato Chutney.
We would like to share with you our very easy to make Apple and Green Tomato Chutney Recipe which makes a lovely sweet and spicy accompaniment to cold meats, breads and cheeses.
This recipe will make a large batch of Apple and Green Tomato Chutney  and if you make it now you will have plenty for sharing at your Christmas Parties and you could even give some as a present to friends and family.
We hope you enjoy making this Apple and Green Tomato Chutney  and more importantly eating it!




ENJOY.
Ingredients:

1kg apples (approx 7 regular sized) &#8211; peeled, cored and chopped
450ml water
1 tbsp mustard seed
1kg tomatoes (approx 10 regular sized or 20 plum tomatoes or 30 cherry tomatoes) &#8211; chopped
2 large onions, or 20 Shallots – chopped
4 cloves garlic &#8211; chopped
85g sultanas or raisins
140g caster sugar or for a nuttier flavour use brown sugar
2 1/2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp salt
560ml ...]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Good Bee News</title>
		<link>http://croancottages.com/blog/156/news/good-bee-news/</link>
		<comments>http://croancottages.com/blog/156/news/good-bee-news/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 04 Sep 2011 17:41:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>croan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://croancottages.com/blog/?p=156</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When we did our first check of the hives in Spring, we were very worried about our poor bees. The winter had been very cold and we thought it likely that one or more of the hives would have died.
What we saw during that inspection was, we thought, worse than we feared. There were lots of dead bees &#8211; one hive had completely failed and the other 2 looked like they were on their last legs. Even in the tiny populations that remained we couldn&#8217;t see any queens and it looked like they were on their way out!
The problem was, it didn&#8217;t look like the cold had gotten to them. There were lots of pupae dead in their cells and so we thought that one of the Foul Brood diseases had struck.
We resolved, at the time, to burn all of the hives as this seemed to be the only way to prevent Foul Brood from spreading. But we couldn&#8217;t bring ourselves to do it while there were still bees coming and going.
How glad I am that we held off! Today&#8217;s inspection of the hives shows that the 2 which survived the winter are thriving. The populations are massive and they ...]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Heritage Week in Kilkenny</title>
		<link>http://croancottages.com/blog/154/news/heritage-week-in-kilkenny/</link>
		<comments>http://croancottages.com/blog/154/news/heritage-week-in-kilkenny/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 20 Aug 2011 13:55:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>croan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://croancottages.com/blog/?p=154</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s Heritage Week this week and there&#8217;s a fantastic range of events on in Kilkenny (and countrywide). Most are free and they offer a great opportunity to explore our Natural and Built Heritage.
Here are some of the events that we are looking forward to:

String Quartet Recital in the beautiful 14th century St. Mary&#8217;s Church, Gowran
Myths and Stories: Discovery Trail through Kilkenny Castle Park
Medieval Battle Re-enactments in Rothe House
Cheese making with Helen from Knockdrinna
Childrens&#8217; Medieval Themed Treasure Hunt in Jerpoint Abbey
And free Tours of St. Canice Cathedral and a variety of other historic buildings

Here&#8217;s the Heritage Week website:
http://www.heritageweek.ie/en/HomeSearchResults.aspx?loc=Kilkenny
]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://croancottages.com/blog/154/news/heritage-week-in-kilkenny/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Rabbit Stew, done in the oven</title>
		<link>http://croancottages.com/blog/150/recipes/rabbit-stew-done-in-the-oven/</link>
		<comments>http://croancottages.com/blog/150/recipes/rabbit-stew-done-in-the-oven/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 04 Jul 2011 19:11:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>croan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Recipes]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://croancottages.com/blog/?p=150</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Serves 2 – 4
Ingredients
One rabbit cut into joints, you can get your butcher to do this for you or simply:

Remove the front legs (good for stock, but they have very little meat on them)
Remove the back legs (these can be cooked whole or boned)
Remove the belly meat from the body
Remove the saddle meat from the back and then strip the sinew from the saddle

2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
2 small onions, cut into quarters
2 sticks Celery, finely sliced
1/2 pint of good chicken stock
6 streaky rashers of bacon cut into small pieces
1 glass of dry white wine
Olive oil and butter for frying
Salt and pepper
100g plain flour, seasoned
2 Bay leaves
1 small bunch of Thyme, washed and stripped from the stalk.
Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4.
Mix the flour, some salt and pepper together in a plastic food bag. Coat the rabbit pieces with this mixture and lay to one side.
Put a generous splash of olive oil and a knob of butter in a big frying pan and heat it until the butter is melted.
Fry the floured rabbit pieces in the oil until they are browned. Don’t worry if they get a little darker in some places than they are in others, this ...]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Kells Preschool trip to Croan</title>
		<link>http://croancottages.com/blog/146/news/kells-preschool-trip-to-croan/</link>
		<comments>http://croancottages.com/blog/146/news/kells-preschool-trip-to-croan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Jun 2011 11:33:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>croan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://croancottages.com/blog/?p=146</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[We have just been visited by the Pre-school class from Kells Resource Centre.
Thankfully the sun shone and everyone had a great time feeding the animals, picking strawberries, playing on the lawn and ticking off the finds on the nature trail! I think that the ride in the big bus might have been the highlight for some though!

30 kids under 5 and not a tear shed all morning &#8211; a great success! We might host some more school trips in kilkenny.
]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Summer Newsletter 2011</title>
		<link>http://croancottages.com/blog/139/newsletters/summer-newsletter-2011/</link>
		<comments>http://croancottages.com/blog/139/newsletters/summer-newsletter-2011/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Jun 2011 09:51:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>croan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Newsletters]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://croancottages.com/blog/?p=139</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[












Self Catering Cottages in Kilkenny,   Ireland
Summer Newsletter   2011




















IN THIS ISSUE
 &#8211; A busy Spring

 &#8211; Getting ready for summer

 &#8211; Some Seasonal Recipes

 &#8211; Animal news and                              new arrivals

 &#8211; Tax reduction for   2011
































Summer Holidays   2011
There   is still some availability for summer holiday stays at Croan   Cottages.

Visit our website to check availability   and to book online!

CroanCottages.com

Croan Cottages in the Press   2011

Croan Cottages have been featured   in:

&#8216;Trotter&#8217; &#8211; The Dutch travel guide.
&#8220;Ideally situated for exploring the   region&#8221;.

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Join us on   Facebook


















Croan Cottages Summer   2011











So much for April showers! This year we had the driest, sunniest, warmest   April on record, a bonus for all the families who came here to celebrate Easter   and for Kevin and Aisling who celebrated their wedding here in beautiful   sunshine.

An unexpected bonus, the good weather meant that the wedding guests could   spend most of the day celebrating out of doors, with garden games, boules and a  ...]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Nettle Beer</title>
		<link>http://croancottages.com/blog/136/recipes/nettle-beer/</link>
		<comments>http://croancottages.com/blog/136/recipes/nettle-beer/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:35:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>croan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Recipes]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://croancottages.com/blog/?p=136</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There are quite a few recipes about for this early summer drink but this is the one we have perfected over the years.
Picking the nettles might cause a few stings but it is well worth it. This drink really is the taste of  summer in a glass!
You can make smaller quantities but this is the smallest batch we ever make &#8211; it gives 8 pints of beer. Feel free to increase quantities in proportion for larger volumes.
Ingredients

1 kg of  nettle tops from young nettles. They get a bit tough as they get older and the stings get more troublesome too! Be sure the nettles are washed thoroughly.
4 litres of water
The juice of 1 Lime. In our opinion this is essential. It gives the beer a fresh, sharp taste and really improves the fizz in the beer too &#8211; although we have no idea why!
200 grams of sugar
a sachet of brewers&#8217; yeast
50g of cream of tartar

To make the Nettle Beer:

Boil up the water in some kettles and pour it over the nettles in a large steel pot or plastic drum.
Leave the nettle tea to stew and cool to body temperature &#8211; this will probably take about an hour.
Pour the mix through ...]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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