PRESS ARTICLES & MENTIONS
HOUSE AND GARDEN MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2023
TOWN & COUNTRY MAGAZINE, WINTER 2020
LONG LIVE CONVIVIALITY by Charlotte Brook
The season to eat, drink and be merry is once more upon us. Whatever the size of soirée we are allowed to hold this year, make a beautiful banquet of it, says Oilbhe, the Countess of Belfast, who balances her career as a barrister with a passion for entertaining. ‘When I was a girl, it used to be my job to lay the table, and my mother taught me how to get creative – in winter, I’d make things like candied oranges to bring it to life,’ she says. ‘Later, studying art history at university, I discovered Matisse’s The Dinner Table, showing a lady perfecting the flowers of a laden lunch spread. It has inspired me ever since.’ These days, the Countess is an accomplished hostess, admired as much for her artful centrepieces as for her boeuf bourguignon. ‘Parties at home are just so much more intimate than in a restaurant, particularly at this time of year. Having the fire roaring and the house filled with friends’ laughter is the perfect antidote to a dark, dreary night outside' she reflects. ‘We’ll play jazz LPs on my husband’s record player, make sloe gin fizzes and light candles.' On the following pages, the Countess has set the scene for a quintet of quintessential seasonal celebrations, which are accompanied by recipes and reminiscences from five of Town &Country’s favourite chefs. From twinkling tealights and a wondrous Winter Solstice to tabletop tartan come Burns Night, entertaining inspiration for the party season abounds, whether you are cooking for a crowd or decking the halls for dinner à deux.
COUNTRY LIFE MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2021
...She isn't the only stylish hostess to be bitten by the tablescaping bug, last year the Countess of Belfast launched eponymous interiors brand Oilbhe Belfast. A successful tablescape need not be over-complicated, says Lady Belfast: 'It can be as big or as small as the individual likes - and can be as simple as laying some flowers from the garden on the table. Seasonal flowers and foliage are the best accessory'. It isn't necessary, she adds, to include decorative objects if this isn't your style: 'You don't have to put yellow chicks on your Easter table - you can replicate the same effect with daffodils'..... -Country Life Magazine
...Also focusing her attention on her table this summer is the Countess of Belfast. Barrister Oilbhe told the Telegraph: 'Each person reflects their own personality at their table.. I see a lot of people repurposing what they have to create different looks, combining old china with modern pieces. Many tables are decorated with wildflowers and green foliage picked from the garden'..... -Tatler
"Each person reflects their own personality at their table," she explains... "Blue and white is back in fashion, as is chintz. Decorating the table has been intertwined with entertaining since the Georgian period so it is not a phenomenon particular to the digital age" - The Telegraph
...Here in Ireland Oilbhe Belfast offers stylish new ways to tablescape with Irish Linen napkins, placemats and candles for seasonal, eye-catching displays...
