I’M CONTINUALLY surprised by how thrown waiting staff in many restaurants seem to be if one asks about the provenance of the food. They immediately seem to go on the defensive and it can take three or four attempts to find out the source of a piece of meat, fish or cheese.

HAS anyone else noticed what a curious creature is the annual July 12 Cahirmee Horse Fair in Buttevant, Co Cork, and how delightfully complementary it is to our brethren in Northern Ireland who also hold that particular day dear to their hearts?