"I have 11 grandchildren, all of whom love to eat, and many of whom love to experiment in the kitchen - I don’t have space to share all of their recipes this week, but watch this space..."

"I’m a big bean fan, they’re one of my essential year-round store cupboard ingredients, just as brilliant for summer salads as they are for gutsy winter stews."

"Organic farming ticks all the boxes, producing nutrient-dense, sustainable food that nourishes from healthy biodiverse landscapes and environments."

"This year, six awards were presented — in Water, Land, Farm, Dairy, Artisan Produce, and Craft categories - two Cork producers were among the six prestigious award-winners."

"It’s peak summer fruit at present, lots of currants and berries, which of course you can serve just as they are, piled up in a bowl with lots of cream and a good sprinkling of castor sugar and maybe a scattering of shredded mint leaves."

"If you’re one of the happy gardeners who planted a few packets of seeds in spring to grow some of your own food, you’re probably overwhelmed with an abundance of beautiful chemical-free produce at present."

"During a recent trawl through random books in a West Cork shop, I came across what for me is a little gem. A cookbook entitled Talking About Cakes with an Irish and Scottish Accent by Margaret Bates."

"The Ballymaloe Cookery School students' Pop-Up dinner occurs just three times a year, a delicious multi-ethnic event with a different theme each time. On this occasion, it was Carpe Diem… live in the moment."

Nature has cleverly arranged that gooseberries and elderflowers are in season at the same time of year - the combination of flavours is a marriage made in heaven. 

"The thrill of being able to cut asparagus spears directly from the bed and pop them into a pot of salted water within minutes of picking."