This children's book by author Michelle Darmody is filled with interesting information about the food we eat from seed to table. Each page is jam-packed with illustrations and food facts that most of us may not be aware of including seed types, tips on saving seeds, the importance of soil quality and even how astronauts grow food in outer space. She also gives readers suggestions about cooking with the scraps of food that we usually throw in the bin to help us to reduce food waste in our everyday kitchen.

I recently heard an interview with the author Michelle Darmody on the Claire Byrne show, RTE Radio 1. The way she spoke about food was both passionate and engaging - you couldn’t help but immersing yourself in what she had to say. Having a PhD that focused on environmental food education for children, Michelle Darmody has been at the centre of the sustainable food culture in Ireland for many years.  She has also started up two restaurants in Dublin, is an award-winning columnist for the Irish Examiner and runs a food consultancy business providing workshops on the importance of food and the environment. The more I researched Michelle's biography, I discovered that there is a very long list of ways that she has contributed to our sustainable food movement, particularly through the education of children (find out more here https://www.michelledarmody.com/).

Her book Seed to Supper - The Journey of Your Food from the Ground Up is one that I would have loved to have read as a child and even now as an adult. With bright and colourful illustrations by Ruth Graham, this book is definitely one to have on the bookshelf that can be pulled out and referred to time and time again.

Published by Nine Bean Rows Books - August 2024

Many years ago a friend of mine gave me this book out of the blue. She knew I had a passion for food and took it from her own repertoire for me to add to mine. I was very grateful as this book teaches you about a wide variety of food combinations and recipes cleverly presented across the pages. It comes highly recommended by food critics and renowned chefs for its informative content & original pairings, including Nigel Slater and Yotam Ottolenghi.

One example comes to mind where the author Niki writes about Hazelnuts & Garlic and compares this pairing to Spanish picada which is a sauce made from pounded nuts, garlic, bread & oil.  She goes on to write a short recipe to try (15 hazelnuts, 15 almonds, slice of crusty bread fried in olive oil pounded together in a pestle & mortar with 2 cloves of garlic). Who wouldn’t want to try this deliciousness?  Another example is the Peanut & Tomato combination called mafe that is popular in West African dishes.  Her description is followed with a simple recipe to make a hearty meat stew using these ingredients.

The Flavour Thesaurus is not just any recipe book - as the saying goes, there is both eating & drinking in it! It is one you can sit back & take the time to read or dip in & out of depending on the flavour of the day. (published 2010 by Bloomsbury)

A regular on Saturday Kitchen, chef and food writer Georgina Hayden released her fourth cookbook 'Greekish' in April last year.  Inspired by her Greek & Cypriot roots, the book is filled with a selection of alternative recipes that are easy to prepare, especially as we approach the Summer months. There are many one pot & oregano filled recipes but this one caught my eye.  

Whole grilled haloumi with apricots  (from RTE Lifestyle website)

I recently had a flick through this cook book that my brother had lying on his kitchen counter.  Each page was filled with colourful food photos and simple recipes - I wanted to try them all. 

The book was released in 2019 by the MOB kitchen, an online food channel that has been growing momentum since 2016. Its founder & CEO Benjamin Lebus is passionate about food and has a great story to tell as his phenomenal success grows from strength to strength.    MOB Kitchen website