IN NEW YORK, I lost track of the number of people who told me that the most exciting and diverse food scene was out in Brooklyn, so needless to say I sped over the bridge in search of the supercool foodie set.

FOR YEARS now we’ve been getting conflicting messages about what’s good for us nutritionally and three-quarters of it I disagree with totally.

NOW that I am a grandmother with seven precious grandchildren, I am more aware of the importance of passing on some life skills to the next generation. They all live within 15 minutes of us so we are fortunate to see them almost every day.

I’M NOT quite sure what’s going on but it’s becoming more difficult to find really good cinnamon — frequently what is sold as cinnamon is its coarser cousin cassia.

A FEW days in New York leaves you wondering – what recession? No point in chipping up to one of the hot restaurants without a reservation.

ON EASTER Sunday our clever hens lay beautiful coloured eggs with the children and grandchildren’s names on them. In late morning we have an Easter egg hunt in the Palais des Poulets.

THIS week it’s back into the kitchen to cook up some Easter treats. First I’ll make a simnel cake with a fat juicy layer of almond paste in the centre. I’ll decorate the top with balls of almond paste to represent 11 of the 12 apostles.

ONLY THE most foolhardy of tourists opt to drive in India, it takes a particular kind of daredevil personality to negotiate the tangle of cars, tuc-tucs, scooters, motorbikes, rickshaws, push bikes and gaily painted trucks with an occasional camel or bullock cart as well. The cows are sacred so they just amble nonchalantly through it all unruffled by the endless tooting of horns.

ICONIC American food writer, Colman Andrews’ beautiful new cook book has just been published. Colman fell in love with Irish food and hospitality when he ate bacon and cabbage, and apple tart, in Peter and Mary Ward’s kitchen in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, in 2002.

TRAVELLERS are forever seeking the perfect little place far from the madding crowd. For some it’s a deck chair under a huge umbrella on a palm-edged beach in the Caribbean. Others seek adventure, ancient monuments or a glimpse of endangered wildlife. I myself am in search of tranquil surroundings, cool crisp linen, freshly squeezed juices and of course good food.