We were on our way to Ennistymon to eat at Little Fox, a newly opened, super cool café on a corner of Main Street.

Oh my goodness, a whiff of spring at last. Was that not the longest and often dreariest winter many of us can remember? I loved tucking into many warming stews, tagines and slow-cooked braises but now I’m so ready for the fresh tastes of spring.

I’M JUST back from a flying visit to California, a mini book tour with a few days in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Ojai (pronounced O hi) — a beautiful valley, north of Los Angeles, carpeted with orange and avocado groves and surrounded by the Topatopa Mountains.

A growing body of research confirms that our food should be our medicine.

Even if you don’t decide to set up a stall each of these recipes are little gems to add to your repertoire or to start a recipe folder, writes Darina Allen.