TV chef Rachel Allen is to close her first restaurant for a €1m casual dining reinvention. Rachel’s, on Cork’s Washington St, which opened in March 2017, will close on August 8 for the eight-week revamp.

I’VE nearly tracked down a hen’s dentist by the time I procure a booking for Rachel’s but finally prevail, finding it rammed to the rafters on a Saturday night.

Like any good army, the Irish economy is marching back to full-bellied recovery on its stomach with up to a half-dozen new restaurants flooding into one section of Cork city alone. 

The creamy coconut milk and myriad spices grant these vegetables both elegance and luxury. Roasting the vegetables in the paste really brings out their sweetness. Making your own curry paste takes minutes and the complex depth of flavour means it’s always worth doing.

This soup is delightfully rich and flavoursome, but as it contains milk rather than cream it will not leave you feeling sluggish.