Collette Devlin discovers that the ever-increasing popularity of food blogs has fuelled our obsession with food.

Now that most of us are Internet-savvy we rely more and more on what others have to say about where and what we eat. If you type ‘Irish food blogs’ into any search engine you will find endless results.

Whether you’re looking for a recipe, a review, recommendations, tips or stockists – you are sure to .nd all these and more on Irish blogs. Stuck for original foodie ideas this Christmas? Who better to help than some of Ireland’s most popular food bloggers!

Aoife Cox The Daily Spud – www.thedailyspud.com

Dear Mrs Claus,

So, Santa is too busy to help out with the Christmas catering, eh? Never fear, I’m here to help.

Now, it occurs to me that you’re probably used to freezing just about everything at the North Pole, so I’d be making vast batches of mince pies and sausage rolls and freezing them uncooked – ready to be popped into the oven for those impromptu Christmas callers.

You should also stock up on yuletide wines. Why not order a mixed case from www.curiouswines.ie? I’m not sure if their free and superfast delivery extends to the North Pole, but you could ask.

And spuds? Santa may be all about tradition but you could surprise him with baby potatoes buried in coarse salt and baked in a hot oven, or mash made rich and nutty with a little browned butter.

Donal Skehan The Good Mood Food Blog – www.thegoodmoodfoodblog.com

I don’t know about you, but my favourite part of eating Christmas dinner is not actually the main event itself – for me it’s all about the tasty leftovers, which easily help nurse any sort of Christmas casualties. So, in preparation for my annual ‘mega leftover sambos’, I always make a big batch of homemade relish in advance of the big dinner. Homemade relish not only brings the sandwiches to life, it also doubles up as a handy ‘foodie’ Christmas gift. Pick up some fancy-looking jars, or recycle old ones, decant the relish amongst them and decorate with handwritten labels for that authentic homemade feel. Don’t forget to save some for yourself!

Peter McGuire CheapEats – www.cheapeats.ie

If you’re a fiend for Christmas chocolate, biscuits, sweets and crackers, stock up early. All the supermarkets have special offers on these items, so make your list and see what bargains are available. If you shop around, you could save up to 50 per cent on your Christmas bill.

Aldi’s ‘Specially Selected’ range of food is probably the best own brand on the market. The smoked salmon, the biscuits, the chutneys and the cheeses are very affordable and excellent quality.

Some restaurants see Christmas as a time to jack up the prices and cut corners. Don’t settle for a special Christmas menu if it’s more expensive than normal – there are plenty of restaurants that are offering great value this year.

Lorraine Fanneran Italian Foodies – www.italianfoodies.ie

Christmas in our family is a typical Italian affair. About 20 of us arrive at my Italian mother in law’s on Christmas Day for our annual feast. Italians don’t eat turkey and ham for Christmas dinner, but they are still cooked for the sandwiches on Christmas night. Lamb is the traditional meat of the day. We normally start with an aperitivo followed by a selection of antipasti, two pasta dishes including the famous lasagna napoletana (boiled eggs and meatballs), then lamb accompanied by roast potatoes and the traditional Brussels sprouts cooked with pancetta. We normally .nish off with the traditional Italian Christmas cake panettone, an espresso, a limoncello and a three-hour siesta!

Spritz is the aperitivo of choice all over Italy and my absolute favourite – it’s so light and refreshing and very simple to make. All you have to do is fill a glass dipped in sugar with one part Aperol or Campari, add two parts Prosecco and top with soda water. Add some ice and a slice of lemon or orange.

- Collette Devlin