The organisers of the Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine, which is running throughout this bank holiday weekend, say it will bring some of the world’s best known chefs, critics, commentators, kitchen gardeners, foragers, and wine experts to East Cork.

Vintage rally to launch new cider

HERE in Ballymaloe we are so excited about the first ever Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine taking place in Ballymaloe House; at the Grain store and Ballymaloe Cookery School.

Barack Obama’s pastry chef and the co-founder of the world’s best restaurant are among a galaxy of global culinary giants on the menu for a major national festival next month.

Haveli, Morris House, Douglas West, Cork; tel: 021-4894482; www.haveli.ie

MUCH has changed on the Irish food scene since I started the Ballymaloe Cookery School in September 1983.

Cookbooks now make up half of all non-fiction bestsellers’ lists. Ahead of TasteFest Cork, local foodie Joe McNamee says his favourite Father’s Day gift is a good food tome packed with mouth-watering pictures and delicious treats.

THE food world, and particularly those of us who love spices, are all a twitter on hearing the news that Indian cook and actress Madhur Jaffrey has just written another cook book.

ALL OVER the country people are rediscovering the joy of growing their own vegetables, a little soft fruit, an apple tree or even a few fresh herbs. It’s not just about the economics – there is the sheer thrill of digging your own potatoes, carrots or beets and it is certainly is a thrill having waited patiently for four to five months for them to grow.

ONLY THE most foolhardy of tourists opt to drive in India, it takes a particular kind of daredevil personality to negotiate the tangle of cars, tuc-tucs, scooters, motorbikes, rickshaws, push bikes and gaily painted trucks with an occasional camel or bullock cart as well. The cows are sacred so they just amble nonchalantly through it all unruffled by the endless tooting of horns.

Every guest cook who comes to the school introduces us to a few treasures which we incorporate into our repertoire. Madhur Jaffrey, whose recipe this is, has contributed more than most; I would recommend her books to anyone who would like to add a little spice to their lives.

Sarah says she first saw this Indian way of cooking beetroot greens in Madhur Jaffrey’s book World Vegetarian, and now cooks them this way when she wants a change from chard or spinach.

I first came across this recipe in Joyce Molyneux’s ‘Carved Angel’ cookery book; she had adapted it from a recipe in Madhur Jaffrey’s ‘Indian Cookery’ book.

IT DOESN’T matter how much you psyche yourself up for a long haul flight to Australia or New Zealand, it really plays havoc with your equilibrium.