Hazel, Aoife and Kelly Keogh of Whitestown House share their lives in food

How would you describe your relationship with food?

Aoife: Kelly and mam really are the foodies in the family, I’m much more interested in the table and what tablecloth and plates I will use. When I’m having a dinner party, I plan out my tablescape in great detail in advance and leave the food until the last minute. Mam and Kelly will often suggest a menu for me and sometimes mam will even make dishes for me to serve. I love the act of hosting, of bringing people together over food, of opening up your home. It feels like an act of generosity.

Kelly: For me food means comfort and sharing. I find spending time in the kitchen really relaxing. Preparing food and sitting down to a meal with family and friends is one of my favourite things to do as it’s my way to chill and unwind. We all seem to be so busy so it’s definitely a time to chat and catch up with each other. I see a real social side to food and love eating out. My biggest problem is I’m greedy, I always take so much time trying to choose dishes off a menu in a restaurant, it drives my husband Gareth insane. And then of course I always want to taste his food… he’s a very patient guy thankfully!

Hazel: I was never a skinny girl, but I was tall. My mother used to say I had heavy bones! I have a sign in the kitchen that reads ‘never trust a skinny cook’! We had good food growing up. At home my father was the one to do the shopping, he would come home on a Friday evening with boxes full of ingredients. He had a garage on Fleming Place off Mespil Road and would sometimes shop in Findlaters on Baggot Street. It was very ‘posh’. He loved fruit, and would go to the fruit and veg market, so we had pomegranates, blood oranges and all sorts of wonderful ingredients that were unusual at the time.

After mass we would always have a cooked breakfast with rashers, eggs, puddings and fried bread. Every day we had a nice dinner waiting for us when we came home from school about 6pm. We had a big range in the kitchen and there was always something tasty to have. The kitchen in Whitestown is like that now, we have the old AGA going all the time so it is very comfortable and welcoming. One of the things I love is my pantry, Jimmy used to call it ‘Spar’, because I can always find ways to make something delicious for unexpected visitors. I love to feed people, no one ever comes in the door of Whitestown without getting something to eat.

What was the first meal you learned to cook?

Aoife: I liked Home Economics in school and liked making cakes and desserts from that Hamlin cook book we all had. I remember making really good carrot cake and a great Swiss roll, that was my signature dish as a teenager.

Kelly: Like mum and Aoife, I also did Home Ec in school but for all the wrong reasons! I used it as a way to escape other subjects. I have always been drawn to the more practical way of learning and hated classroom based lessons. I used to get into trouble with the Home Ec teacher because I could never stick to recipes and I’m still the same now. One of the first dishes I made was lasagne, but I added more bechamel and cheese as it looked pretty dry and miserable. The teacher gave me a poor mark for it, but I didn’t care as I knew mine tasted delicious. I asked her for salt once to season a dish and she refused, telling me salt was bad for you! I always struggle to not add my own things here and there to a recipe and put my own stamp on it. I did it a lot when I was at Ballymaloe too and the teachers used to despair of me at times.

Hazel: I did Home Economics in school and I had to cook carrots and a white sauce and queen of puddings for an exam. I got a prize for having a good shine on my white sauce. I still make sauces a lot and can do it without thinking. Sauces for fish, bechamel sauce, cheese sauces. Food was simpler then, so I think everyday simple food is important.
On a Saturday or Sunday I’d help my mother in the kitchen although she often liked the kitchen to herself, it was a place to escape from six kids. I am a bit like that now. The kitchen is an important place and has been throughout history, especially for women in Ireland. I always got Kelly and Aoife to help in the kitchen when they were young, we can learn so much from each other.

How did food become your career?

Aoife: Food and hospitality runs really deep in our family. Our dad, Jimmy was sent to work for the Marchese Malacrida at his home on Ailesbury Road when he was 14. He worked his way up to the position of butler and then went on to manage Portmarnock Golf Club. He catered parties for the members and he and mam loved to entertain at home. So our house was always full of people and food and laughter. I remember dad teaching me how to lay the table properly when I was very little, I had to climb up on the chairs to place the plates and cutlery. Dad loved a properly laid table, I suppose I got my love of l’art de la table from him.

Dad passed away in 2022, and so the big parties and dinners he and mam held so often seemed unlikely, leaving us and the house itself feeling a huge sense of grief and loss. Kelly went to Ballymaloe to train and came home full of ideas about what we might do in Whitestown, how we could breathe new life and joy into the house and fill the dining room with laughter and chat again. That’s how the Dining Club was born, it is a collaboration with James Gabriel Martin of Leviathan. The Dining Club and our other events allow us to do what we love: host and welcome people into Whitestown House. We always say, ‘while you may arrive as strangers, we hope you will leave as friends’ and this really is true at Whitestown. The dining room table is a wonderful convivial space that just brings people together over wonderful, imaginatively created dishes. At the end of our evenings people are often swapping numbers, hugging each other and making plans to return again.

Hazel: Because of Whitestown House, I’ve been doing dinner parties for years for large groups of friends who would often come to stay for a shoot weekend. I would often cook a three course meal on my own for Friday night dinner, then lunch on the Saturday for 30 people and another three course dinner on the sat night dinner for 20/22 people. I used to mostly do all the cooking and cleaning on my own. It was important to get the girls involved, it is an essential skill to learn to cook and host. I cooked for pleasure, I love cooking but never thought I’d do it as part of a business. I love planning a menu, thinking about what’s in season.

I am always trying new things, if I see a recipe in a magazine or book I’d try that. Jimmy was great, I called him the guinea pig, I would try out all sorts of recipes on him and he ate everything. He would say ‘I wouldn’t be in a hurry to make that again if I was you’ or he’d say ‘you could make that again’ if he liked it.

What’s your go-to breakfast?

Aoife: Mam’s soda bread toasted with delicious golden honey from our own hives.

Kelly: Leftover buttery mash from the day before mixed with some flour, salt and pepper, shaped into a potato cake, fried in butter and served with a soft Whitestown House duck egg. That will keep you going all day!

Hazel: In winter time a breakfast burger. I invented it for Jimmy, he would continuously invite the lads in for breakfast without hardly any notice, so I had to have things in the freezer I could pull out. They are very simple. Squeeze out good sausages, chop streaky bacon, crumble black pudding and a good squirt of HR sauce and form them into burgers. I’d make 60 at a time and keep them in the freezer, when Jimmy arrived with a gang of lads after a shoot, I could just pull them out. There’s not as much mess in the kitchen as making a fry up. I serve them with a fried duck egg on top in a slim bagel.

If you’re impressing friends and family at a dinner party, what are you serving up?

Aoife: The tablescape comes before the food in my imagination, so Kelly and mam are the ones who decide on the menus. Whatever we are serving it is definitely served on a lovely tablecloth, probably vintage, always with real napkins, antique silver and bone handled cutlery are my favourite, with plenty of candles and whatever greenery is growing on the estate. A few years ago we bought the most exquisite Chanel plates and stunning Anna Von Lipa hand-blown glasses from the always stylish Fiona Leahy, so these come out when we really want to impress. I am a lover of vintage tableware and a believer in using what you have. Dig out your granny’s old tea set and serve your dessert in it, unbox the cut glasses that were your parents’ wedding presents and serve your champagne in them. Also I love brocantes in France and recently in Venice found a little antique fair and bought the most beautiful lace placemats and porcelain flowers for next to nothing. All the treasures I collect make their way onto our tables to tell the stories and transport our guests to a special place.

Kelly: For me the trick is to keep it simple as it’s no fun feeling exhausted when your guests land at the door. I always make a cocktail (or jug of) to serve when people arrive and some little pre-dinner nibbles. This can be something as easy as melon and parma ham or some smoked salmon on a round of cucumber with a dot of crème fraiche. Top with a sprig of dill or snip some chives over or fish roe is readily available now and gives your dishes real wow factor. If you go for something cold, then they can all be prepped in advance and served when friends arrive. An antipasto platter is another winner and people can help themselves and tuck in, making it easier on you.

I always like to serve seasonal, Irish produce and we are lucky to have amazing local producers in Fingal and further afield. I find things taste better and need little in the way of prep when your produce is so good. I either do a cheese course or a dessert. Irish cheese is the best in the world so I serve it with some Irish crackers, some Irish fruit and nuts with a drizzle of Whitestown House honey. Then to finish, make a big pot of coffee and serve some nice Irish chocolates to pass around, or put a scoop of Irish ice cream in your coffee cups, pour over your coffee and serve with some Irish liqueurs on the side and let people help themselves.

Hazel: I always try to do something a bit out of the ordinary, that people wouldn’t have had before. For a nice Easter feast, I’d make twice baked cauliflower cheese souffles, because I grow cauliflower in my veg garden. Then maybe a leg of our own home reared hogget. We leave our lambs mature to over a year because they have more flavour at that stage. I’d serve it with chard gratin from the garden and to follow a nice roasted rhubarb panna cotta. It gives me a thrill to go out to the garden to pick the ingredients for a meal, there is a pride and a satisfaction you get when you know you have grown it and it ends up in this lovely meal that friends and family can enjoy. With The Dining Club and our events we try to do this as much as possible, we want it to be as much a Whitestown experience as possible and that includes the home grown ingredients.

Who is your culinary inspiration?

Aoife: We are very inspired by Irish country house food and hospitality, the grace and abundance shown to guests, through the welcome, the food and the carefully designed table is what we try to emulate. I love a slightly surrealist and maximalist aesthetic and adore the fun Gohar World has designing their events and products. Mia Sylvia does incredible things with fabric and draping and Angela Mugnai’s attention to detail is unmatched.

Kelly: It’s hard to narrow this down but one has to be Myrtle Allen. Ballymaloe House epitomises Irish hospitality and Irish food. My mum Hazel is another, her knowledge and understanding of cooking with great produce and flavour is up there with Mrs Allen’s in my opinion. Mum understands the importance of good Irish produce, cooked well and she has a wealth of experience and dishes for every occasion. I always chat through my dishes, menus and my inspiration behind them with mum and she is always ready to give advice and guidance. We work great as a team together in the kitchen, bouncing ideas and testing recipes out together. Her mum and granny were also great home cooks so it’s wonderful to have so many traditional recipes passed down through the generations.

Hazel: Jimmy really inspired my early experiences with unusual ingredients and proper service. When I first met Jimmy in 1967, he invited me to fish on Lough Ramor in Cavan. He said he’d bring a picnic, we were in the boat and Jimmy opened the parcel of sandwiches and I looked and thought it was raw meat, but they were smoked salmon sandwiches. He was tucking into it, so I had a taste and as he said I never looked back. Hanlon’s in Moore Street used to smoke the salmon he caught. He introduced me to lobster, he sent me to get cooked lobster from Hanlon’s to bring home, which we served with garlic butter and rice and we drank it with Mateus Rose.

He was the manager in Portmarnock Golf Club at the time and Johnny Oppenheimer did the outdoor catering when they had the big tournaments. Jimmy asked if they would take the chance and give him the job instead, it was a triumph. He served a big spread of rare rib of roast beef, lobster, his own wild salmon and lots of fresh salads. He had experience of all these exotic ingredients and wonderful service when he worked as a butler in Ailesbury Road for the Marchese and Marchesa of Malacrida.

Once when he was hosting a dinner party in a big house in Howth and whilst serving the guests he passed by the hostess to serve the rest of the ladies first. The host called him back but the hostess said let Jimmy get on with it, he knows what he’s doing. It was of course correct, continental style to serve ladies first, then the lady hostess, then the gentlemen and the host last. That’s the way we do it in Whitestown House now.

My aunty Eileen had a big influence on me also. She married a Hatch from Drimnagh Castle, they travelled a lot, so she had exotic and unusual things. Her food was different from my mothers food, fancier, as she would have been eating out in hotels, so she had her food nicely dressed with garnishes and in fancy dishes on the table. She made a three course lunch everyday, soup with homemade brown bread, meat and veg, trifles and coffee and biscuits. She had a very exotic looking coffee pot that sat on top of her stove.

What would your last meal on earth be?

Aoife: Probably wild salmon, if there are any left in our rivers at that stage. I fish, that was something dad and I loved to do together, so we have been very fortunate to have so many meals of fresh wild salmon over the years.

Kelly: Without doubt, a platter of Irish seafood. Fish and shellfish cooked simply, served with a Marie Rose sauce, Margaret O’Keefe’s brown bread with lashings of Irish butter, all washed down with a pint of Guinness is just heaven. Dad was a keen fisherman and we were really lucky and privileged as a family to have access to the best wild Irish fish growing up. We spent a huge part of our childhood in Leenane, Connemara on the shores of Killary Fjord and had access to the best fish from the Erriff and Delphi rivers and seafood from Kate O’Connor in Killary Fjord shellfish and Johnny Flaherty’s crabs and lobsters. The people that nurture, produce and harvest our fish and seafood are some of the hardest working people, in the toughest conditions and I think we need to recognise their efforts and support them as much as we can.

Hazel: Roast stuffed partridge. When we started to rear partridge here, it was my first time to taste it, it is my favourite game bird. Just stuffed with a simple bread and herb stuffing with streaky bacon, served with buttered green cabbage, alongside a petit Chablis. Finished with lemon posset with stewed gooseberries from Whitestown. I’d have to have an espresso martini, we love making and serving cocktails at all our events.

What’s your go-to comfort food?

Aoife: Sunday dinners, with a roast. We are so lucky to have our own lamb, venison and game here on the estate and mam raised her own organic turkeys this year so we had one for Christmas, that was very special. In the heyday of Whitestown Estate there was a whole community of people working here producing the very best ingredients. I found a record recently from the RDS show showing that the gardener in Whitestown won second prize for his pineapple. We try to use as much of our own produce as possible here for The Dining Club and our events.

Kelly: Anything homemade is a comfort I feel, as it’s made with effort and love. We are so lucky to have our own lamb, venison, chickens and game here on the estate, along with a variety of fresh veg, herbs and an abundance of wild food too. So comfort to me is using these ingredients, cooked simply when in season. We try to use as much of our own produce as possible here for The Dining Club and our events. You can’t beat a roast chicken dinner, but the next day I love to make a nourishing chicken soup using the chicken bones to make a bone broth and leftover meat and some veg. It really is food for the soul and is absolutely delicious.

Hazel: A bacon and egg sandwich. A good sandwich is a very important skill, plenty of filling, interesting fillings, a good amount of sauce and good fresh bread. It is important to learn to make really good sandwiches.

What’s the go-to quick meal you cook when you’re tired and hungry?

Aoife: Mam’s scrambled eggs with our own eggs from the walled garden. In my opinion everything tastes better when cooked by someone else, especially your mam.

Kelly: I think pasta is the ultimate fast food. Soften an onion, bacon and garlic in butter in a pan, cook some pasta and add it to the pan with some pasta water, a squeeze of lemon and some zest, finish with some fresh chilli and herbs, a grating of cheese and a good grind of black pepper.

Hazel: A baked potato, with any kind of filling, you can usually rustle something from the pantry, grated cheese and scallion and a blob of mayonnaise. Crumbled crispy bacon and cheese. Scoop out the potato and mash it with the filling and then put it back into the AGA and the skin goes crispy. They went out of fashion a bit but it is a very handy meal that you can make up with whatever you have.

What is one food or flavour you cannot stand?

Aoife: I don’t think there is anything I can’t stand, we were encouraged to eat everything growing up. When we would go out for dinner mam and dad would let us order from the main menu, we never ordered from the kid’s menu. Also we grew up in Ireland of the 70s and 80s so we had to clean our plates before leaving the table. That meant we tasted and tried everything.

Kelly: I wouldn’t consider myself a fussy eater but there are some combinations that I just don’t enjoy together. Carrot and parsnip mash is one, lamb and mint sauce is another, which is controversial I know. I also don’t enjoy the texture of mushrooms, which is a shame as mushrooms are so versatile and healthy. I like the flavour of them, but they would either have to be small enough so I don’t have to chew them or big enough that I can eat around them.

Hazel: Yogurt or sour cream. But I eat everything else. I’ve tried all sorts of cuisine, Jimmy and I travelled quite a bit. I have picked up tips and ideas from the various places I’ve visited like China and Sri-Lanka.

Hangover cure?

Aoife: I don’t really drink very much anymore (because of the hangovers!), that’s why we work with Majken Bech-Bailey who creates bespoke non-alcoholic drinks pairing for us for The Dining Club. We believe everyone should have something special in their glass even if they are not going for the wine or cocktails.

Kelly: Definitely something Asian inspired. I love a steaming bowl of Ramen. It has that perfect combination of salty and umami and just feels nourishing and healing too. I also love salt and chilli crispy chicken wings from a Chinese restaurant too and served alongside a Riesling or Gewürztraminer from Alsace.

Hazel: I don’t get hangovers! But I do love ice cream the day after a night out. I created an Irish whiskey ice cream recently. We have a wonderful local whiskey called Boann. My Boann whiskey ice cream is a cure and the hair of the dog in one!

Sweet or savoury?

Aoife: Sweet for me, definitely.

Kelly: Savoury for me. When eating out, I very often would order a starter and main instead of a dessert. I would also opt for a cheeseboard over a dessert too with a nice port or PX sherry.

Hazel: Savory, I love Bombay mix and a glass of wine.

Fine dining or pub grub?

Aoife: Both. I love a great bowl of chowder and chips in a pub by the fire but also adore a special treat somewhere beautiful that pays attention to every detail of the guests’ experience. The atmosphere is the most important element, it has to feel authentic and there has to be joy and a warm welcome. These things are very important in what we’re trying to do in Whitestown House.

Kelly: I honestly believe there is a place for both and more! It is amazing to go to a fine dining restaurant to experience the incredible skills of the chefs, the attentive waiters and front of house but other times something comforting, whilst perched on a bar stool hits the spot or even eating something in your hand from a street vendor will do. That’s the beauty of the diversity of food, there’s something for everyone and for all occasions.

Hazel: Fine dining I think. I like the setting, I also feel like I might learn something and be able to try it at home in Whitestown.

Favourite restaurant in Ireland?

Aoife: I worked in restaurants throughout my time in art college. First in La Stampa on Dawson Street (now closed). That was a brilliant restaurant, the perfect place to celebrate and forget your worries and cares. It was so busy and buzzy, the staff were having nearly as good a time as the guests. I also worked as a hostess in Shanahan’s on the Green for years and absolutely loved it. We were taught how to really get to know our guests, to take real care with them and to understand that a night out is very special to people and that our job was to enhance their experience and ensure they had a great time. I also worked for Mike O’Grady in Kirwan’s Lane restaurant while I was in art college in Galway, he is a consummate host, really understands service and what his guests want and he’s great craic, it’s a great restaurant. I bring all of this experience to my role in Whitestown, I look after the front of house and guest experiences, it’s very special to be able to do that in my family home with my mother and sister beside me.

Kelly: For me, this changes all the time, but Niall Sabongi’s The Seafood Cafe is one of my favourites. There’s nothing better than sitting on a Saturday afternoon on a sunny day people watching whilst eating the very best and freshest seafood, cooked perfectly with a glass of something cold. My husband Gareth and I also love Veldon’s Seafarer in Letterfrack and Shane Hamilton’s in Leenane, Connemara. Their no nonsense traditional Irish food is locally sourced and refreshing, and their Guinness is outstanding too. There’s nothing better than heading in there on a wild winter’s day after a long walk, to sit in front of the fire and soak up the atmosphere, the local hospitality and craic.

Hazel: Can I say Whitestown House? Long before we ever did events, Jimmy used to say his favourite place to eat is Whitestown House. I mostly prefer to cook at home than go out. I know what we’re eating and it is mostly our own produce and I treasure that we can have a meal all from our own estate. We went to Klaw recently, it was such tasty, gorgeous fresh fish. These kinds of good ingredients, cooked simply. The less faffing you do with good ingredients the better.

Best coffee in Ireland?

Aoife: We use Farmhand Coffee in Whitestown house, they are a small North Dublin company. It is very important for us to use and champion local produce and ingredients, community support is so important for all our businesses to thrive.

Hazel: McNally’s farm shop for great coffees and delicious sweet treats.

What are your thoughts on the Irish foodie scene?

Aoife: It is very exciting at the moment, with a real focus on ingredients and what we produce so brilliantly here in Ireland. Also the wonderful women who are producing, cooking and hosting are inspiring. As a mother and daughter project we love to reclaim that hospitality space. The kitchen is an incredible place of shared creativity and innovation. What is also interesting is the country house food scene, a lot of country houses are now owned by hotel chains and companies. We have a real interest in preserving great, honest Irish country house cooking. We also love to showcase really good food passed down by women like Hazel in their kitchens. Mam plays such an important role: who doesn’t want to be looked after by an Irish Mammy with her delicious cooking?

Kelly: There are so many exciting restaurants and markets out there now, focusing on our fabulous produce and producers in Ireland. That said, it’s also an industry that is struggling due to high overheads and rising costs. There are also some really exciting pop ups, projects and local festivals happening at the moment, like The Gathering Table, Rush Food Festival or family events like ‘Spudfest’ at Newbridge House.

Hazel: We have great food here in Ireland, because I think the quality of our food is excellent but we don’t shout about it enough. All the small restaurants all over the country, cooking their own cuisine but in an Irish way. We should be trying to help these small independent, interesting restaurants stay open.

What’s your favourite thing about cooking?

Kelly: For me it’s a chance to relax and unwind and spend time together as a family or group of friends. My husband is a really keen cook now and we love nothing more than to put some music on, light some candles, make a cocktail or two (that’s always his job!) and cook a lovely meal together before sitting down to enjoy it with good conversation. We are all so busy with work and other commitments that I think it’s lovely to take the time to relax and catch up around the dinner table. I find cooking really social too and I love to cook for people and The Dining Club is a great opportunity to do that. I love everything from planning the menu and sourcing the ingredients to plating up and serving them to our guests at the long table in the dining room at Whitestown House.

Hazel: It’s a comfort to me, when I’m cooking I’m happy and comfortable and I know the end result will make people happy. I’m always in the kitchen, in Whitestown it’s often the warmest place, it’s my happy place with my dogs lying at the AGA.

What does food — sitting down to a meal with friends, mindfully preparing a meal, nourishment, etc — mean to you?

Aoife: It means care, it is a way of showing love and looking after each other. In an increasingly isolated world the table is a space we can all relate to, it is central to every culture and to all our daily lives. It can be comforting, but also transformative, a meal with friends can be a tonic and an escape. I love the work Jennie Moran does, her book How to Soften Corners is a really beautiful way to think about food and the art of hospitality.

Kelly: Sitting down to a meal, prepared mindfully is a joy, especially as we are increasingly becoming more isolated and we can struggle to find the time to spend together. Sometimes it isn’t just about the food, it’s about connection and showing our support for others when they need it. As a nation, food seems to take centre stage for so many occasions and Irish festivals, which is really special as traditions pass down from generation to generation and includes all age groups. I hope it will always be this way.

Hazel: It’s a joyful occasion for me to cook for my friends. They come for lunch and they go home at tea time. That shows they’re having a good time as well. I put a lot of thought into it and like to think about what they will like. I enjoy the whole process of planning and having people to lunch or dinner. Recently I had 20 people for a meal and the power went out and it didn’t bother me because I have an AGA and luckily we had lots of candles! When the power came on everyone asked to turn off the lights. It turned out to be a happy accident.

Food for thought — What are some areas for improvement within the Irish food/restaurant/hospitality scene?

Aoife: Service, we really need to reclaim the philosophy of hospitality, with proper training and value placed on that part of the work we all do. Service shouldn’t just be functional, service should bring joy, it should enhance the guests experience and elevate their meal, it is the relationship between the restaurant and their guests. Working in restaurants and bars should be viewed with greater regard, it is really hard work and so important to our shared experiences and to the culture and vibrancy of our villages, towns and cities.

Kelly: The thing that really saddens me at the minute is the sheer amount of international chains opening up all over Ireland and the crowds that flock to them, whether that’s fast food, coffee or retail chains. I think that as a small nation we should be more mindful of supporting our local businesses, producers and suppliers. If there wasn’t a market for these chains, they would cease to exist in a very short timescale. These overpriced, overprocessed, soulless outlets have nothing to offer us and take up valuable space where an Irish owned business would prosper. I feel we just need to be a little more selective in where we spend our hard earned money.

Hazel: I think we could do with less high end restaurants and focus more on small independent, family run places like in other countries. It is very difficult I know, but that creates a rich food culture.

Chef’s kiss — Tell us about one standout foodie experience you’ve had recently.

Aoife: We have a pheasant and duck shoot here on the estate and we are unbelievably lucky to have not one but two Michelin star chefs as part of our syndicate. So I have to say that while all of our shoot lunches are fantastic, there are two that we all especially look forward to and they never disappoint.

A couple of specific dishes I have loved recently have been for The Dining Club. The first was an incredible dish by James Gabriel Martin for a private Dining Club we created for Harsahall Shah of Carrington wine merchants for his wonderful producer of Bodegas Pujanza exceptional Rioja wines. It was anchovy on toast with romesco and lemon aioli, sunshine on a plate.

Kelly: There are two recently that are worthy of mention, one was Lir in Coleraine. This was one of the best fish meals I’ve ever eaten. The menu changes regularly depending on the available fish, as it should do. The dishes are really exciting and there’s real skill shown in the way the fish is prepared and cooked. They also have a fabulous wine list to compliment the menu. The other is Thyme Restaurant in Athlone. The food here is outstanding , so full of flavour and full of creativity. It was lovely to see wild Irish game on the menu and seasonal pairings. Dish after dish was beautiful. The dining room is beautiful and warm, the staff were attentive and full of lovely chat and a bit of craic. We are lucky to have a motorhome and pretty much all of our trips are planned around places we want to eat, I just need to find more time to get away!

Hazel: I often sit at the head of the table for The Dining Club, to host and create a warm atmosphere for the guests. This means I get to taste everything. Our recent game night was an incredible experience, the variety of game that we had produced ourselves and the inventiveness of the chefs in cooking and presenting was amazing. I love to learn from a meal and for me, who has cooked game for the last 25 years, I loved experiencing the new ways of doing innovative and very enjoyable dishes. James’ duck heart salad was a standout for me. What I also love is the old style waiter service we create, it’s not something you get today. It is old fashioned and suits the house, it keeps in touch with how food would have been served and now it gives that experience to our guests.

Compliments to the chef — Now’s your chance to sing the praises of a talented chef, beloved restaurant or particularly talented foodie family member.

Aoife: James and Kelly always amaze me in how they so thoughtfully interpret the themes of The Dining Club to create exciting and surprising dishes that are as honest and delicious as they are beautiful. It is fascinating to see the creativity and collaboration between them and mam, they really do pour a lot of history, hard work and love into everything they do here in the kitchen. And they are always chatting their heads off while doing it!

Kelly: It’s got to be my culinary partner in The Dining Club, James Gabriel Martin, of Leviathan Food. We met when we were training together and quickly became friends, based around our shared love of food. We have the same ethos around traditions, heritage, seasonality and sustainability. The knowledge and skill that he has gained from travelling and working with others is incredible. I constantly learn from him and his techniques. We carefully plan our menus for The Dining Club together and come up with the dishes we believe are full of flavour and celebrate the very best of our local produce.

Hazel: My daughter Kelly. Kelly is a great cook and has wonderful food ideas. I love cooking and have been cooking for years and some of her methods are really eye opening for me. She gives me ideas of how to do things in new ways. Her Dining Club cooking seems to keep my knowledge but then elevate it to a different level. It is a real joy for me to see her taking on what I’ve done or what I taught her and putting her own twist or flavour on it. I look forward to learning a lot more from her in the future.

Secret ingredient — What, in your estimation, makes the perfect dining experience?

Aoife: An imaginative tablescape and a properly laid table filled with people who love to eat, chat and laugh.

Kelly: Irish hospitality is the very best in the world I believe. We are naturally caring and have a desire to make people feel at home and I think that comes through when cooking, hosting and serving people. We have a great sense of humour and have the gift of the gab to make people feel welcomed and appreciated. You can’t teach that and we need to recognise that unique skill more.

Hazel: Good food, good friends, good conversation and most importantly good wine!