GALWAY chef JP McMahon thinks it should be a national food. Food experts estimate it could create up to 200 jobs in coastal areas. And earlier this month, the Slow Food Festival in the Burren put it centre stage.

If ever there was a time to visit the Garden County of Wicklow, then it is in early November as woodlands and forest swap summer green for the unspeakably beautiful autumnal palette, one of nature’s finest shows and a most exquisite closing act to the wild food foraging season.