Barry’s Tea: The Fuel of Ireland ☕

Before the whiskey, before the beer, before someone invented the concept of green bagels, Ireland was already deeply committed to tea. The average Irish person drinks 4-6 cups each, per day. Tea in Ireland isn’t just a drink… it’s a social protocol, a coping mechanism, and occasionally the solution to minor emotional crises.

One of the country’s most beloved brands is Barry’s Tea, founded in Cork in 1901 by James J. Barry. What started as a small family tea shop eventually became a national staple. The blend is famously bold, using strong African black teas that produce a rich flavor designed to hold up to milk. Translation: this is tea that does not politely whisper “good morning.” It kicks down the door and yells at your brain to get its s**t together.

If you want to feel authentically Irish, the correct way to drink it is with milk and something buttery. Conveniently, Ava’s has Barry’s Tea sitting on the shelf waiting to transform your morning into something cozy and civilized… even if you’re currently drinking it in sweatpants while doom-scrolling Instagram.

Kerrygold: Irish Dairy Royalty 🧈

If regular butter is a sedan, Irish butter is a luxury sports car. Same category, wildly different experience.

The secret is Ireland’s climate. Irish cows spend most of the year grazing on lush grass, which gives their milk high levels of beta-carotene. That’s why Kerrygold butter has that deep golden color and rich flavor. It’s not dyed. It’s just what happens when cows live in a five-star salad bar.

Kerrygold launched in 1962 as a way to bring Irish dairy to international markets, and it quickly became one of Ireland’s biggest food exports. Today millions of packages are sold every week around the world. Which means at any given moment, thousands of people are standing in their kitchens quietly realizing they’ve just eaten half a stick of butter directly off warm bread and honestly… they’d do it again.

Ava’s has Kerrygold butter and Irish cheeses ready to go, which makes it dangerously easy to create a snack situation that starts with “just a little bread and butter” and ends with you dipping slices of bread and cheese directly into a half-melted stick of butter. (Pro-tip: Don't knock it til you try it!)

Soda Bread: Lazy Genius 🍞

Irish soda bread was invented for one simple reason: yeast takes forever and people are hungry NOW.

Traditional soda bread uses just flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. The baking soda reacts with the acidity of the buttermilk, producing bubbles that make the bread rise instantly. No waiting. No kneading marathons. No whispering motivational speeches to a sourdough starter like it’s a needy carb pet.

The famous cross cut into the top of the loaf has a couple explanations. Practically, it helps the bread cook evenly. Folklore says it was meant to let the fairies escape during baking, which is a wonderful concept because if a fairy gets trapped in your bread it probably turns into gluten or something.

Fresh soda bread with Kerrygold butter melting into it is one of life’s great pleasures. It’s simple, warm, and comforting in the way only carbs and dairy working together can be. Ava’s has everything you need to make it happen… although fair warning: once you eat one loaf, you’ll immediately want three more, and suddenly you’re at the doctor with a mysterious but self-induced case of "gluten poisoning".