Joe McNamee: The so called Hungry Gap is worth its 'wait' in gold

Once upon a time, the Irish peasant had the widest-ranging, most nutritious diet in all of Europe.

We are currently struggling through the “Hungry Gap”. The Hungry Gap is that time of year when stores of last year’s harvest have run out, winter greens (eg kale, leeks, purple sprouting broccoli) are near expended, beginning to bolt, and summer produce has yet to come in. Well, maybe “struggling” is over-egging the pudding somewhat with global produce available year round in the supermarkets.

In fact, I’d imagine there are very few Irish citizens south of their 70s or even 80s who can recall a time when the Hungry Gap ever posed a genuine challenge to feeding themselves, mostly those living on poor, rural smallholdings unable to afford much beyond what they could grow for themselves.