Roman-era mosaic panel stolen during Second World War returns to Pompeii
A mosaic panel on travertine slabs, depicting an erotic theme from the Roman era, was returned to the archaeological park of Pompeii on Tuesday, after being stolen by a Nazi German captain during the Second World War.
The artwork was repatriated from Germany through diplomatic channels, arranged by the Italian Consulate in Stuttgart, Germany, after having been returned from the heirs of the last owner, a deceased German citizen.
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The Menu: Summer snackers have 99 problems — but the cone ain't one
July is World Ice Cream Month and though it may amount to a gross dereliction of duty to bring it up this late in the month, it didn't feel appropriate until we finally began to experience something of the heatwave that has been boiling mainland Europe alive. Anyway, every month is Ice Cream Month for me. It is one of my most favourite foodstuffs of all, a nailed-on certainty for inclusion in my death row last supper, still very much in the reckoning were I to be restricted to a single dish. To my mind, there is no other dish in the world that so perfectly equates to joy, but I suspect it is an opinion universally shared, consciously or not, all traceable back to childhood memories when blissful, endless sunny summer days meant ice cream, and ice cream meant blissful, endless sunny summer days. Growing up, ageing and the gradual and inexorable accumulation of all the burdens that come with adulthood will eventually teach you that bliss, too, is finite. And, yet, I have no doubt every adult moved to buy a cold sweet ice cream on a hot sunny day is tapping into the most carefree version of their own inner child. A good ice cream, with the ideal combination of fats, sugars and flavouring, is a singular and unique eating experience, all down to the alchemy triggered by temperature, as the coldness of 'ice' encounters the 'cream'. (To test this, try to drink a cup of warm, melted ice cream without wincing in disgust at an excess of sugar never registered when it is frozen.) Like most Gaels, I was a 'soft-serve' child. Though parental overlords would occasionally spring for a block of HB, served up in slices between wafers, and never less than divine, nothing could beat the cone. Quivering with anticipation, hypnotised by the languid snaking swirl coiling down onto the top of the cone and then topped with various combos of sprinkles and syrups, and, depending on your credit rating, crowned with a chocolate Flake cocked at a jaunty angle to achieve the golden marque in 'cone world', the 99. After a few cursory licks, I'd bite off the end of the cone, suck ice cream down to the new opening and then set about it from both ends before it could melt. It wasn't until I began to travel abroad in my late teens that I discovered 'real' ice cream and gelato, made with a simple custard of eggs, cream, sugar and flavour, as opposed to the emulsifiers, stabilisers, artificial flavourings and other industrial additives that usually constitute mass-produced soft serve ice cream. This was a frozen ecstasy beyond mere joy; lush, rich, delicious and available in a multitude of wild and wonderful flavours beyond traditional vanilla (nonetheless, still my benchmark for perfection). At the final restaurant I worked in before ending my professional chefing career, I began in pastry, making ice cream two or three times a week, using a then-rare Italian ice cream maker to render my base custard as glacial gorgeousness. Working with food all day long meant I ate little or nothing, clocking in at a so-wistfully-recalled 11 stone — but I ate a bowl of my own ice cream every day. Even when promoted to sous chef and, eventually, head chef, I retained ice cream-making duties and, when the mood takes me, I'll still knock out a batch at home to this day. I have even made the 20-minute rapid DIY eggless recipe, combining milk, cream, sugar, golden syrup, milk powder and vanilla extract, in a sealed ziplock bag and then shaking it for ten or 15 minutes in a Tupperware box filled with ice and salt (salt keeps melting water below zero degrees to properly freeze the mix). And on certain hot, sunny, summer days, I'll still treat myself to a 99. TABLE TALK Supplementing their prestigious Young Chefs competition, Euro-Toques Ireland is launching a Rising Pastry Chef of the Year Competition 2025, presented by La Rousse Foods and judged by JR Ryall (Ballymaloe House), Paula Stakelum (Ashford Castle), Paul Kelly (The Merrion Hotel), Darren Hogarty (Chapter One by Mickael Viljanen), as well as Conor Halpenny (Square Dundalk), Gareth Mullins (Anantara The Marker), and Gráinne Mullins (Grá Chocolate). The very excellent Rare at the Blue Haven is hosting a special fundraising dinner (July 31) in support of UNICEF Ireland's Children of Gaza Appeal, with all proceeds on the night donated directly to UNICEF Ireland. Dingle Hub in collaboration with Enterprise Ireland is behind a temporary pop-up local fish market (July 25) in Holy Ground, Dingle, supplied by local boats, with former Global Village chef-proprietor turned food activist and consultant Martin Bealin leading the charge in the hope of creating a permanent outlet for hyper-local fish sales and supporting Dingle peninsula food networks. TODAY'S SPECIAL My Tasty Food's My Pecan Butter Though I occasionally eat them, nut butters rarely spring to mind when I'm in the mood for snacking, but, of late, My Pecan Butter from Myriam and Barry Quinn's My Tasty Food, based in Tipperary Town, is the only thing on my mind, full stop. A glorious combo of pecans, coconut oil, maple syrup, chia seed, vanilla, salt and cinnamon, this sweet, flavoursome and gently nutty spread makes for a quite delicious treat, even on something as simple as hot buttered toast, but it is when the experimentation begins that its true potential is unveiled. Halfway through making a batch of homemade vanilla ice cream, I was moved to empty an entire jar into the mix, creating my latest flavour, My Pecan Butter Swirl. I have no doubt others would like it too if I could ever be persuaded to share but, in the meantime, pour a spoonful or two over your own bowl of ice cream and let the joy begin. To be considered for inclusion, please email details of Irish food events and new Irish food products to
