Saturday with The Marker chef Gareth Mullins: "sitting down with friends and sharing a glass of wine is important to us"
07.00
I get up at around 7.30am and have a Nespresso. I try to catch up on a bit of administration work before I go into work at Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel.
I go in a little later on a Saturday than I do midweek when I leave the house at 5.30am. Midweek I'm in by 6am, I go to the gym and am down in the kitchen by 7.30am.
08.30
I'll drive down to the SuperValu in Swords to grab their sourdough bloomer and some fresh fruit and bacon so I can make breakfast for my wife and teenage children.
10.00
I'll head into work at around 9.30am or 10am to catch the end of the breakfast service. After that, we're getting ready for lunch.
I like to stay at work on Saturday evening for the restaurant service, I'll make sure that all the deliveries have come in as they were supposed to and that the team is organised and getting ready for service.
The breakfast team will be cleaning up and making sure everything is in order for Sunday morning which is very busy in the hotel. I'll also make sure that the team is all set for afternoon tea.
14.30
I have a bit of spare time in the afternoon and will go to the gym. I might run 5km, do some light weights, and have a sauna.
Then I'll shower and shave and be down in the kitchen by 6pm. That hour I have to myself really sets me up in a positive mindset to run a busy service.
It also shows the rest of my team, many of whom are younger than me, that being fit and active helps you think a bit clearer and make better decisions. I can't think of any negative sides to being fit and healthy.
I've always had an interest in sport to some degree but, at a certain point in my career, I gained a bit of weight and was working excessively.
I went to see a business coach who asked me to assess how I was spending my time. I had to identify something that I felt I was missing out on. That was physical fitness so I went to see personal trainer John Belton.
15.30
Saturday is the day I try to write my recipes and get more admin done.
It tends to be the day when I have a bit more time for myself as there are fewer corporate guests staying in the hotel and fewer meetings.
Food plays a huge part in my professional and personal life. I love to cook for family and friends.
The recipes I'm creating for SuperValu are very different to those I create at the hotel.
I'm very conscious of creating recipes that will suit busy lifestyles.
I am working with the food leadership team and the product selection team at SuperValu to make sure that I think they're choosing the right products for the stores.
Generally, Mondays are my day off from the The Marker and on Mondays I hone in on the other projects I'm working on including Euro-toque's Young Chef and Rising Star Pastry competitions.
16.45
I'll have a bite to eat in the staff restaurant.
17.00
We are across from the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre so obviously pre-theatre dining is a big thing for us. I'll be up in the restaurant kitchen from 5pm making sure the teams are ready for service. We serve until 10pm.
When I leave work very much depends on how busy things are or on whether we have an event on in the hotel.
We run four kitchens in the hotel so I'll also be keeping an eye on the bar service, room service and the rooftop bar and if there is banqueting taking place I will also be keeping my eye on that.
I will often go out of the kitchen to speak to our guests.
21.00
I'll generally be home by around 8pm or 9pm. I'll sit down with my wife with a nice glass of wine to discuss the week. Catching up with friends is something we love to do on a Saturday.
Fitness and eating well is a huge part of how we like to live but equally sitting down with friends on a Saturday night and sharing a glass of wine is important to us.
One of our friends is a great musician so it wouldn't be unusual for a bit of a singsong to take place.
24.00
When I go to bed I'll go straight to sleep but I'll probably wake up at around around 5.30am. On a Sunday I'll try to lie there for a while but my body clock is set to get up early.
Sundays for me are all about standing on the side of football pitches and having family over for a roast or a barbecue.
Gareth Mullins is executive head chef of Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel and the Forbes Street by Gareth Mullins restaurant at the hotel.
As a SuperValu food ambassador, Mullins recently helped to launch the retailer's The Difference is Real programme.
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Irish Examiner
13-06-2025
- Irish Examiner
Saturday with The Marker chef Gareth Mullins: "sitting down with friends and sharing a glass of wine is important to us"
07.00 I get up at around 7.30am and have a Nespresso. I try to catch up on a bit of administration work before I go into work at Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel. I go in a little later on a Saturday than I do midweek when I leave the house at 5.30am. Midweek I'm in by 6am, I go to the gym and am down in the kitchen by 7.30am. 08.30 I'll drive down to the SuperValu in Swords to grab their sourdough bloomer and some fresh fruit and bacon so I can make breakfast for my wife and teenage children. 10.00 I'll head into work at around 9.30am or 10am to catch the end of the breakfast service. After that, we're getting ready for lunch. I like to stay at work on Saturday evening for the restaurant service, I'll make sure that all the deliveries have come in as they were supposed to and that the team is organised and getting ready for service. The breakfast team will be cleaning up and making sure everything is in order for Sunday morning which is very busy in the hotel. I'll also make sure that the team is all set for afternoon tea. 14.30 I have a bit of spare time in the afternoon and will go to the gym. I might run 5km, do some light weights, and have a sauna. Then I'll shower and shave and be down in the kitchen by 6pm. That hour I have to myself really sets me up in a positive mindset to run a busy service. It also shows the rest of my team, many of whom are younger than me, that being fit and active helps you think a bit clearer and make better decisions. I can't think of any negative sides to being fit and healthy. I've always had an interest in sport to some degree but, at a certain point in my career, I gained a bit of weight and was working excessively. I went to see a business coach who asked me to assess how I was spending my time. I had to identify something that I felt I was missing out on. That was physical fitness so I went to see personal trainer John Belton. 15.30 Saturday is the day I try to write my recipes and get more admin done. It tends to be the day when I have a bit more time for myself as there are fewer corporate guests staying in the hotel and fewer meetings. Food plays a huge part in my professional and personal life. I love to cook for family and friends. The recipes I'm creating for SuperValu are very different to those I create at the hotel. I'm very conscious of creating recipes that will suit busy lifestyles. I am working with the food leadership team and the product selection team at SuperValu to make sure that I think they're choosing the right products for the stores. Generally, Mondays are my day off from the The Marker and on Mondays I hone in on the other projects I'm working on including Euro-toque's Young Chef and Rising Star Pastry competitions. 16.45 I'll have a bite to eat in the staff restaurant. 17.00 We are across from the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre so obviously pre-theatre dining is a big thing for us. I'll be up in the restaurant kitchen from 5pm making sure the teams are ready for service. We serve until 10pm. When I leave work very much depends on how busy things are or on whether we have an event on in the hotel. We run four kitchens in the hotel so I'll also be keeping an eye on the bar service, room service and the rooftop bar and if there is banqueting taking place I will also be keeping my eye on that. I will often go out of the kitchen to speak to our guests. 21.00 I'll generally be home by around 8pm or 9pm. I'll sit down with my wife with a nice glass of wine to discuss the week. Catching up with friends is something we love to do on a Saturday. Fitness and eating well is a huge part of how we like to live but equally sitting down with friends on a Saturday night and sharing a glass of wine is important to us. One of our friends is a great musician so it wouldn't be unusual for a bit of a singsong to take place. 24.00 When I go to bed I'll go straight to sleep but I'll probably wake up at around around 5.30am. On a Sunday I'll try to lie there for a while but my body clock is set to get up early. Sundays for me are all about standing on the side of football pitches and having family over for a roast or a barbecue. Gareth Mullins is executive head chef of Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel and the Forbes Street by Gareth Mullins restaurant at the hotel. As a SuperValu food ambassador, Mullins recently helped to launch the retailer's The Difference is Real programme. Read More Bernard O'Shea: 5 things I learned after watching the Adare Manor wedding go viral on TikTok
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05-06-2025
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Sarah Butler on finding simple dishes that make life easier
As an ambassador for SuperValu's The Difference is Real campaign, Sarah Butler spoke to RTÉ Lifestyle to shine a light on the value of home cooking and finding the right recipes for your family. One of six children, and hailing from a long line of butchers, Sarah Butler says she had a childhood filled with delicious food. "I always loved to cook," she told RTÉ Lifestyle. "My parents were both very good cooks and bakers. Dad was a fourth-generation butcher, so he was very much into his meat, and we had a B&B growing up, so mam was always cooking meals." Not only that, but her grandmother, who lived next door, was a constant feature of the kitchen - baking and cooking on a near-constant basis. Despite this inherited love for food, though, the Mayo woman pursued a career in digital media and only tried her hand at cooking professionally when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived on Irish shores. Working in digital design for over 19 years, Butler specialised in creating bespoke wedding stationery, but when social distancing put a stop to ceremonies, she found her creative spark in the kitchen. "I started to show stuff online and it just blew up," she laughs. "I'm sitting here four years later and thinking, how did this happen?". Now a best-selling author and food influencer, she's built a loyal community of over 240,000 followers by sharing easy, delicious recipes and everyday kitchen tips that help families cook with confidence. The trick, she says, is to keep things simple: "Some people have to learn from scratch, and they're afraid of food, and afraid of cooking, and they just haven't the confidence." Recipes that always go down a treat with her followers are those that are filling, cost-efficient, and have the ability to sneak healthy ingredients into their children's diets. "I do a hidden veggie pasta sauce that can be used as a soup or a pizza base or a sauce," she explains. Homemade chicken goujons and sausage rolls are another hit, and Butler says they're much better than buying the frozen alternative. "They're actually really easy to make," she promises. "It's just stuff that the whole family will eat. When you've got three kids and 20 minutes until the dinner needs to be on the table, you just want to make something that is wholesome and that everyone will eat." Speaking of children, Butler says that although her teenagers remain completely unimpressed that she's on the telly, they do seem to have picked up some of her cooking prowess. "They're picking stuff up unbeknownst to me," she laughs. "They're not racing into the kitchen to make cakes, they just eat them, but they're both well able to cook. That's the most important thing to me, that they're able to go out into the world and make things with simple ingredients." The big winners in Butler's own kitchen are simple additions that deliver an extra kick of flavour to classic dishes: "If you're cooking a ham, throw in an orange and cloves, a spoon of sugar and a Bay leaf," she suggests. As well as being a big believer in meal prep, and planning dinners around what's already in the fridge, Butler's biggest tip is to take an extra few seconds to taste what's in the pot before serving it up. "We're always rushing," she muses. "We don't test our food anymore because we're on our phones or we're eating in the car. Just try and slow down and enjoy the process. Close your eyes and take a taste of that soup as you're making it." If in doubt, try adding a little seasoning to your meals, whether it be a touch of salt and pepper or a dash of paprika and garlic. Most important of all, though, Sarah stresses, is to go easy on yourself. "The bar is so high, everybody is so bloody perfect online now, you know? I do my batch cooking on a Sunday, and then I get an Indian takeaway," she laughs. "I've made a load of food, but I don't have to cook that night - and it's great." "Don't be hard on yourself," she continues. "Start small and grow that confidence."
Irish Independent
09-05-2025
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From Aldi to Sarah Jessica Parker, the best rosés to toast the start of summer
Rosé is a no-brainer when the sun shines, though given its unpredictability here in Ireland, we should remember that rosé is not just for sunny days. Sure, many of the simpler ones are just that, delivering refreshing fruity fun but little besides. But like any other wine style, when well made, rosé can be complex and nuanced — and brilliantly gastronomic, as with today's wine of the week. Pale, bone-dry Provençal rosé has ruled since Whispering Angel became a global phenomenon thanks to serious winemaking and inspired marketing. The shelves are awash with examples of the style: Minuty M (€25), with its limited-edition artist-collab labels, and Miraval (€33), with its celebrity-owned aura (Brad Pitt, if you're asking), elevate solid winemaking with a halo of glamour. Speaking of celebrity rosés, SuperValu has several on promotion, including two frizzantes from Graham Norton and Kylie. Sarah Jane Parker's 'Invivo x SJP' Vin de France rosé is well-balanced (€14 from €18) and SuperValu's Coteaux de Béziers is decent (see below) — as is one from Aldi (€8.99), with its strawberry shortbread notes. Aldi's Sainte Victoire Provence Rosé (€12.99) is bone dry, while Lidl's Chotard Rosé d'Anjou (€9.99) is fresh but with some sweetness on the finish. O'Briens annual rosé promotion sees Whispering Angel down to €19.46 from €25.95 (or €27 elsewhere), alongside new additions like the pale, zesty, candied Les Magnolias Languedoc Rosé (€12.71 from €16.95) and old favourites like the wonderfully brisk Rós Rosé (€9.95 from €16.95) made by O'Briens wine director Lynne Coyle. I've featured rosé from the Iberian peninsula today too, including two from north Spain's coastlines. From Portugal, one of my favourite pét-nat sparklers, which uses the 'methode ancestrale' of bottling partially fermented wine to finish fermentation in the bottle (as opposed to traditional-method sparkling wines such as Champagne, which undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle). Staying with bubbles, SuperValu's Maurice Bonnamy Crémant de Loire AOP Brut Rosé (€15 from €20) brings biscuity notes to Cabernet Franc fruit. Or try the delicious 3B Sparkling Rosé NV (€27, independents) from winemaker Filipa Pato working with Baga and Bical grapes in Portugal's Bairrada region for a classy traditional-method alternative to rosé champagne, with nutty, yeasty nuance and dried hibiscus character. Wines of the week Clos de l'Ours L'Accent Rosé 2024, Côtes de Provence, France, 13.5pc, €30 If you want to understand how rosé can be a serious and gastronomic wine, this pale, dry, textured Provençal beauty is a great place to start. Produced at a family-run, biodynamic certified estate from a hand-harvested blend of its five main grapes — Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan — it is juicy and charming with abundant summer fruit, yet complex too with savoury appeal, subtle spice and impressive length. A versatile pairing for a broad array of dishes. BaRossa Wines, Brindle, Green Man Wines, Pinto Wines, DrinkStore; Ameztoi, Txacoli de Getaria Rosado Rubentis, Basque Country, 12pc, €19.95 A super-fresh, bone-dry, pale coral pink txacoli (beloved of pintxos bars) from a seventh-generation winemaker near Getaria fishing village, with a brisk and briny Atlantic character overlaying notes of rose petal, strawberry and redcurrant leaf. L'Atitude 51 (Cork), Fíon Eile, Lennox Street Grocer, Lilith, Martins, 64 Wine, ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Le Bijou de Sophie Valrose 2023, Coteaux de Béziers IGP, France, 12.5pc, €10 This crowd-pleasing barbecue juice will neither break the bank nor scare the horses. An easy-drinking blend of Cinsault, Grenache, Caladoc and Syrah with sustainability accreditation, its aromatic summer pudding fruits and dry finish pair well with prawns, salmon, chicken, lamb and veggie grills. SuperValu Alta Alella GX Rosé, DO Alella, Catalunya, Spain, 12.5pc, €22.95 Produced at the Pujols-Busquets family winery, this certified organic blend of Garnatxa Negra and Garnatxa Peluda layers aromas of fresh fruit salad (red berries and stone fruit) with a savoury herbal accent and a subtle saline twist for a refreshing finish. Perfect for summer seafood feasts. Quintessential Wines (Drogheda), Ely Wine Store (Maynooth), Barnhill Stores Folias de Baco, Uivo 'Pt Nat' Rosé, Douro, Portugal, 11pc, €25 One of a cast of eminently drinkable natural wines from the talented Tiago Sampaio, this Pinot Noir-led sparkler is lively and sherbetty with pretty sour cherry fruit and salty minerality. His still Uivo Rosé (€22) is a sublime seafood match with intriguing seaweed umami notes. MacCurtain Wine Cellar, Blackrock Cellar, Clontarf Wines, D-Six,
