Good Taste's choice is St Cleran's, an 18th-century country manor and former home of film director John Huston. Set on 45 acres in Co Galway, the house is high on luxury yet amazingly chilled. Packed with wonderful antiques and Hollywood memorabilia, this is a super stylish retreat.

Equally impressive is the cooking - prepared by Japanese head chef Kuma. Expect cutting-edge country house cuisine using the finest local produce - and with the occasional Japanese twist! A hip haven for luxe lovers.

St Clernan's, Craughwell, Co Galway, tel: 091 846 555;

www. stclerans. com Hungry in Hungary WHEN you think of heading off on a gourmet holiday countries with great food, like France, Italy and Thailand, spring to mind. Foodie trips are now big business with many specialist companies offering cookery classes combined with visits to local markets, vineyards and artisan producers.

One Canadian company has just added Hungary to its itinerary, making for a highly original destination. Visitors will learn about the national spice - paprika - through sampling and a trip to the dedicated paprika market before taking a gourmet tour of Budapest.

Here you'll sample regional cuisine, visit a historic coffee house and stop off at a wine bar owned by the Budapest wine society.

You'll also visit Tokaj, Hungary's most famous wine region, where plenty of sweet Tokaji and fine dining are on the menu. Visit www. horizon-co. com for a full itinerary and a list of Horizon & Co's gourmet tours.

Toast of the town APART from morning toast, the sliced pan used to seem like a crime against bread's eminent history.

It seems the guys at The Life Fibre Co felt the same as it has succeeded in elevating boring bland loaves into something incredibly delicious.

Its apricot and sesame seed loaf is essential with a cuppa, the oat bran and linseed makes delicious sandwiches and its high-fibre seed bread goes great with eggs.

The six speciality loaves use everything from carrots to sunflower seeds, delivering a hit of healthiness with incredible flavour and moistness.

If you think bread is bad for you it's time to get acquainted with The Life Fibre Co's outstanding offerings.

Breads cost Euro3.15-Euro3.75 from all good supermarkets.

Gift grub ARRIVING at a dinner party, bottle in hand, is good manners. Except it's a little unimaginative and dull. By all means bring some wine but try and take something original that shows your gratitude for the meal you'll be served. Recently we've received wonderful gifts like homemade chutney, smoked fish and French cheese from gracious guests. Sweet treats are always welcome too and we think Vincenzi's dainty Italian biscuits are fantastic for serving with coffee. In five traditional styles, these quality morsels include puff pastry creams, wafer sigarelle and light cookies. In smart packaging, and costing just Euro1.79 a box, we think any host would welcome a selection of these.

From Aldi stores nationwide for a limited period.

Shine on STAINLESS steel appliances look great but it's an uphill battle to keep them free from steaks and grubby fingerprints. Baby oil is surprisingly good at polishing up the surface but if you fancy something less radical pick up Marks & Spencer's dedicated stainless steel cleanser.

Completely natural and citrus fresh, it's effective and kind to the environment too.