‘I will never tire of growing flowers, fruit and vegetables in my garden’

Springtime in Ireland is a delight. You might not agree – after all, it can be a particularly mucky time of year (especially if you live on a farm), but I can always see past the muck in favour of the many other moments of joy.

You don’t always realise how the dark days of winter affect your mood. In February, you start to notice the sun setting a little bit later in the day. Suddenly, on those rare occasions when the sun comes out, it feels warmer. Bit by bit, spring comes to call. You wake up to the birds singing instead of your phone alarm. Your mood lightens and you realise you had actually been trudging through those final weeks of winter. Now it’s April, and we have at last arrived.

One of my biggest sources of springtime joy is watching my garden come back to life. I start my tomato seedlings in early March and keep them in a sunny spot in my house. When they are strong enough, I start to introduce them to the polytunnel.

Last year, I made every mistake in the book with my tomatoes (“Your biggest being going to Canada for two months in the summer,” I can hear Irish Country Living editor, Ciara Leahy, quip with a laugh).

Yes, I fully neglected my tomatoes during the months of July and August. And yet, I am still enjoying the crop which came from all of those mistakes – though, these days, it is in the form of green tomato chutney. I will never tire of growing flowers, fruits and vegetables. Being able to share that bounty with friends and family is another absolute joy, which is rekindled each spring at our Easter table.

This year, I will be hosting my brother, his wife and their two daughters for Easter and as Canadians it will be their first “Irish” Easter experience. I am excited to roast a leg of lamb and serve it with all the trimmings – some colcannon, perhaps (to make the most of our springtime greens), buttery roasted turnip and some glazed carrots.

One thing we will definitely do this Easter is indulge in some Irish seafood and take advantage of some of the recipes shared in this edition of Irish Country Living Food, starting on page 12.

You may notice that this magazine has had a bit of a makeover – for that, we have art director Audrey Kane to thank, who took our vision for a re-brand and created something very special. We hope you like the new design, and that you get as much out of the content as we think you will. From practical “how-tos” to our Taste Tradition series and, of course, the best wines and Irish ingredients to indulge in this spring, there is a little something for everyone.

From all of us at Irish Country Living Food, I want to wish you a happy Easter.

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