Dine@Mine for Irish Hospice Foundation

15 November 2011

Masterchef Ireland winner Mary Carney is using her new-found fame as Ireland’s top amateur chef today to launch a Christmas fundraising initiative Dine@Mine in aid of the Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF).

Her employer, eircom, has come on board to sponsor Dine@Mine and to ensure that significant funds are raised to continue the work to develop quality care for people, including children, of all illnesses around the country who are facing the end of their life.

In these challenging times, as more people entertain at home, Mary is encouraging them to turn their dining experience into a bit of fun and help a worthwhile charity at the same time. Individuals of all culinary skill levels can make an informal or formal meal for their family, friends or neighbours over Christmas using her specially designed recipes and make a donation to the IHF.   People are also being encouraged to prepare snacks for their colleagues at work and it is hoped that catering companies will use the recipes in their canteens as part of a unique Christmas fundraising venture.

People can download the food packs complete with recipes, invitations and posters from the website www.dineatmine.ie and ask each of their guests to make a donation to the IHF. www.dineatmine.ie is open for registration from tomorrow (Wednes, 16th November). Every effort has been made to ensure that the recipes are attractive, practical and accessible. People who cannot host a meal but would like to use one of Mary’s recipes are encouraged to make a donation to the IHF for recipes they download.

Mary stated: “I’m delighted to be involved in this exciting fundraising initiative for the Irish Hospice Foundation. More and more people are entertaining at home so Dine@Mine is an ideal opportunity for us to host our friends while making a valuable contribution to a very important charity. This is a chance to make an important difference this Christmas and have some fun in the kitchen! We also hope that people will prepare snacks for their colleagues at work and that catering companies will use our recipes in their canteens as part of the fundraising effort.”

Sharon Foley, CEO of the IHF, commented: “Christmas is a time of reflection and to realise what and who matters to us. Dine@Mine gives people an opportunity to show appreciation to those they care about. It is the brainchild of Mary Carney who has developed recipes to suit busy people of all culinary skill levels. There are canapes for the bookclub get together, simple meals for when you invite around the neighbours and more sophisticated fare for the more expert cooks. All of the ingredients are available in your local shops at affordable prices. The recipes themselves will take minutes rather than hours to recreate – good news for hassled mothers or the amateur chef. This project is appealing to both the palate and the purse. While we are launching Dine@Mine at Christmas, we will be offering people wonderful recipes at specific times of the year. The funds raised will be used to support the development of quality care for individuals facing the end of their lives.”

Stephen Beynon, Managing Director, Consumer & Small Business for eircom remarked: “We are absolutely delighted to support Dine@Mine – it’s a fantastic idea which will provide much needed assistance to an organisation that is so close to many people’s hearts. We know lots of Mary’s colleagues here in eircom will be donning their aprons and putting their cooking talents to the test. Mary assures us she has recipes for even the most novice chefs – so there shouldn’t be any excuse for not giving it a go. So get cooking, have some fun and most importantly give what you can to The Irish Hospice Foundation”.

Mary (29) from Waterford was the winner of the inaugural MasterChef Ireland television food competition in October.   She was a Policy and Strategy Advisor with eircom and has taken a sabbatical to pursue a career in the food industry as a writer and author of recipes.

The IHF promotes the hospice philosophy and supports the development of hospice and palliative care in all settings including the home, hospitals and hospices.   Its vision is that no one should face death or bereavement without the appropriate care and support.

Its programmes include funding a children’s hospice home care programme, developing the culture around end-of-life care in our hospitals, supporting education programmes for GPs who are caring for people with life-limiting conditions in the community as well as training and education in bereavement.