Asian food absolutely rocks but I always feel that shop bought noodles let a good stir-fry down. However, I have recently discovered wholegrain noodles which are a complete revelation. As a general rule I try and eat as much wholefoods as possible; I’ve eaten brown rice for years and changed over to wholegrain pasta a [...]

Well the first of my crops are ready to pick. Unsurprisingly, the peas are the first to make an appearance followed by the lettuce. Peas are plucky little fellas that will keep giving and giving and are unbelievably hardy. I cultivated them from seed in April and planted them outside in May. I also kept [...]

After a recent knock, I’ve been picking myself up, dusting myself off, and getting on with life. When you get a shock to the system, and your life is turned upside down, it’s tempting to run to the comforts and vices: chocolate, booze, drugs. I instinctively ran away from these. For the first time in [...]

Recently, I sent my partner on a course at Ballymaloe Cookery School, as a birthday gift. The course was called ‘How to Keep Chickens in your Garden’. Result? We now have three baby hens pottering around our back garden, soon to be producing lovely eggs for our family. Darina Allan has plenty of courses like this, like [...]

My sister has just informed me that she has become addicted to lamb. Consequently, she has been inventive in the kitchen again and come up with this little gem, perfect for a light Sunday lunch, if you are brave enough to eat out in the garden (well, for God’s sake it’s scorching outside).

I used to eat big white bags of Dulse as a child in Donegal, and I loved it. Currently, I’m obsessed with Japanese cooking, the benefits of miso and using seaweed. Miso is a fermented product, made from soy bean or barley, and it’s really good for your tummy (think Yakult times a zillion). Seaweed is [...]

After the excesses of Easter, I am on day two of my eat myself better and happier regime. Quoting the guy from the Fast Show, “Today I will be mostly eating raw fruit and vegetables.” However, I know that this will not suffice so I’m also having a hot meal this evening. I have chosen [...]

I’ve seen a sneak preview of Jamie’s Food Revolution in the US (watch the trailer here) and already I am fascinated and horrified in equal parts. I think Jamie is fantastic, you can see that he really cares about what children are eating. He takes Huntington in West Virginia as his starting point for a ‘seed [...]

I planned on eating just one Easter egg over the weekend but I ended up eating two giant eggs, gorging myself on cake until I hated myself, and drinking like a sailor. Now I feel rubbish and to make matters worse I’m off to Spain soon for a much awaited holiday and have to squash [...]

I’ve been eating a lot of mackerel lately. It is one of the cheapest buys at the fishmongers these days and it is a relatively guilt-free fish too because this little creature is thriving at the moment. It also tastes delicious and goes great with Mediterranean flavours. Whether you fry it up and serve it [...]