On our way to celebrate a very special anniversary with some friends in the foothills of Mount Etna, we snatched an extra few days to rediscover Sicily.

A for almond, B for blue cheese, C for caramel, D for dumplings, E for eggs, F for fat and so on.

FOR those of us who love to grow some of our own food, this is the beginning of the bountiful season where each meal begins with an ‘oops’ in my tummy and a feeling of delight at the first radishes, first new potatoes, the first beets, the first fresh green peas, the first cucumbers, and most amazing of all, the first little cherry tomatoes, the earliest ever.

THEY’VE all gone back to their respective countries now but it was such a buzz to have so many diverse top chefs from all over the world with us here at Ballymaloe for the Litfest.

At last the countryside is springing into life once again. Wild garlic is in full flush all along the roadside here in East Cork.