Aoife McElwain's 'Messy': A big book of comfort food for beginners

In her new cookbook, Aoife McElwain gently and patiently brings the joy back to the kitchen with recipes like messy eggs and an easy, slow-cooked beef and harissa stew

Food writer Aoife McElwain pictured near Roundstone, County Galway with her companion dog Walter . Photo: Ray Ryan

WE KNOW we should be cooking at home: It saves money, cuts down on food waste, and helps us rely less on ultra-processed food. Making yourself and others something good to eat is a way of being well and staying well.

But in an age of performative cooking and beautifully styled plates on social media, what happens when the cake batter splits, the pâté looks like cat food, and the stew sticks to the pot? Instead of telling the tale of a cosy family dinner through food, it might feel as if the Instagram story that you have to tell is one of burnt bread, over-cooked potatoes, and pure despair at trying to get something edible on the table. And why is it that so many of the recipes we cook at home never look like the results in the video or photos?