Recipe ideas from Michelle Darmody

Onions are the backbone to most dishes around the world and are very often the starting point, the flavour builder.

They can sing in their own right rather than blended in with other ingredients. Workers who built the Egyptian pyramids are thought to have been fed onions, it has been cultivated since the bronze age.

Other allium varieties include garlic, leeks, shallots, and chives. Chive flowers are a beautiful addition to salads in the summer months.