Sarah Browne shares her life in food, from her earliest memories to her favourite flavours and culinary inspirations.
Oysome was founded by Sarah Browne in 2023. Sarah is a qualified chef and Irish oyster expert, whose passion for oysters began when she was selected as one of BIM’s Taste the Atlantic Young Chef Ambassadors in 2021.
Sarah has learned firsthand how to shuck and serve to the highest standard from exceptional oyster farmers around the country. In addition to this, she has undertaken training in oyster appreciation as a member of the Oyster Master Guild and is now certified as an L2 Oyster Specialist by the Guild.
Sarah curates oyster experiences which showcase the very best of Irish oysters, teaching guests how to shuck to perfection as well as prepare balanced accompaniments using seasonal Irish produce. Here she shares her life in food.
What are your earliest memories of food?
Baking with my gran, Mary. She taught me to make pancakes, scones and queen cakes and bought me an electric scale and Rachel Allen’s book BAKE when she saw how much I enjoyed baking. When I think of the smell of gran’s freshly baked scones with lashings of butter melting on top, I’m transported back to her house in Kerry, where my siblings, cousins and I spent many glorious days of our childhood summers.
We would gobble up the dinner she made for us at midday and then set off out into the yard for an afternoon of mischief. Happy memories. I also have very early memories of the smell of milk from the bulk tank in the parlour of our dairy farm, but I didn’t make any kind of connection between that and the two-litre plastic carton of Lee Strand in the fridge until much later in life.
How would you describe your relationship with food?
My relationship with food can sometimes be a bizarre one, and at various times in my life has been a difficult one, as I’m sure it is for many women. Poor body image and a lack of confidence have at times cast a dark spell over my relationship with food.
Simultaneously, some of my happiest memories have been centred around food. I have worked hard on my mental health over the past few years to heal this relationship and now have a more balanced approach to healthful eating. My masters studies in Applied Culinary Nutrition have helped massively with this. Now I fully understand the implications of restrictive dieting, and it makes me sad to think of how much stress I put my body under in pursuit of a perfection which is unattainable, at the expense of my mental and physical ability.
My focus is on supporting my body and mind through my nutrition. Nourishing yourself properly is the ultimate life hack. You will look and feel 100 times better, I promise.
What was the first meal you learned to cook?
For our supper every now and again my gran used to cook us pancakes. I learned how to make the batter (no measurements, obviously) with her when I was maybe seven or eight years old. I didn’t learn how to cook a savoury meal until I was around 14 and became a vegetarian. I had no idea what I was doing though and generally cooked very bland dahls, chickpea curries and hummus. Excellent for my fibre consumption at the time but I dread to ever eat such poorly seasoned food again.
How did food become a part of your career?
My mom was a pastry chef when I was growing up so I used to help her with wedding cakes and things at home when she was making them. I got my first job in a kitchen when I was 16 and always went back to roles relating to food for my summer jobs over the years. I really enjoyed working in kitchens but never thought I’d end up working in food.
Initially I studied Architecture and dropped out after having some difficulties with my mental health. I started thinking about what my purpose in life might be and realised that maybe it had something to do with food. I signed up for a part-time pastry course in CIT and realised from my first day in the classroom that food was really my passion. From there, I went on to do a Springboard in Culinary Skills in Killybegs and the following summer was selected as a BIM Taste the Atlantic Young Chef Ambassador. It all took off from there.
What’s your go-to breakfast?
Overnight oats or two slices of high fibre bread with Nobó hazelnut butter (this stuff is honestly next level) and honey are my main go-tos. If my dad and I are at home on a Sunday morning, I’ll poach us a few eggs. I had this dish with poached eggs, peanut butter and avocado on sourdough toast in Two Pups on Francis Street about ten years ago and I’ve been trying to recreate it since.
If you’re impressing friends and family at a dinner party, what are you serving up?
Depending on the crowd it’ll either be a selection of some of the best oysters in the country or a dessert of some description. I’ll shuck the oysters in my hand at the table and pass them around. I’ll explain what bay they’ve come from and why they taste how they do if people are interested. It’s cool sharing what I’m passionate about in such a casual way like that.
If I’m with my family (who don’t eat oysters) then it’ll be a dessert.
I love making tarts. Some highlights include tart-i-misu and an elderflower and strawberry custard tart that I made last summer. One of the most satisfying things in the world for me is cutting the first slice out of a custard tart and you get that beautiful contrast between the luscious, soft custard and the crunchy golden tart shell that encases it. Stunning.
Who is your culinary inspiration?
Honestly, there are so many, it’s a continuously evolving tapestry of things I’ve tasted. Anyone who makes flavours sing in a way that I hadn’t previously imagined.
What would your last meal on earth be?
Ideally, the sun would be shining and I’d be sitting by the sea somewhere. I’d have a half dozen oysters from different bays and savour the different flavours of each and every one. Then I’d have a bowl of mussels, with soft bread for dipping into the sauce afterwards. One of my gran’s scones with lashings of good butter and some blackcurrant jam on top to finish it off. I’d die with tears of happiness in my eyes and feel grateful for every morsel of the meal and everyone I was lucky enough to love in my life.
What’s your go-to comfort food?
A good pastry, sweet or savoury. My top three are a cinnamon bun from Allies coffee shop in Listowel, a bagel bun from Fable Bakery or a plain croissant from Bread 41.
What’s the go-to quick meal you cook when you’re tired and hungry?
From October – June:
Chop an onion and sautée it with a bay leaf. Add a clove of garlic and let it sweat. Add a tsp of turmeric and some black pepper (taking turmeric for its health benefits is a waste of time unless you have it with black pepper), sweat those off for a minute and then tip in a tin of butterbeans. Add a few tbsp of veg stock or water and simmer down. Stir through some sour cream or yoghurt, a teaspoon of miso paste, and some fresh herbs once you take it off the heat. Serve it on a slice of toasted sourdough. Add a poached egg if you want or just have it as it is.
From July-September:
Some roughly chopped cucumbers and tomatoes from my local veggie grower, Leagh Farm. Some sort of bean. Plenty of olive oil and lemon juice. Some St Tola goat’s cheese or Macroom Buffalo burrata. Dreamy.
What is one food or flavour you cannot stand?
There’s nothing that I really hate in terms of foods or flavours. My biggest food gripe is when people put loads of Tabasco sauce on their oysters. It just completely overpowers the flavour of the oyster. If you’re reading this thinking “I do that” then I beg you to try one properly, plain. Then add a dot of Tabasco if you absolutely have to.
Hangover cure?
Lately, my hangover cures have become more complex, perhaps I’m coming towards the end of my youth. I also don’t drink nearly as much or as often as I used to, so when I do, it really hits me. Anyway, here’s what a typical hungover day will look like:
Wake up early. I sleep really badly after drinking so normally wake up after a maximum of four hours of sleep. I give in to this and just get up, brush my teeth and make myself tea or a matcha. Then I’ll eat a banana or some peanut butter on a bagel and put on my running shoes and get out the door for a run. Obviously, it is absolute torture to do this but it’s the only cure which is effective against the sense of doom that comes with a hangover. When I get back, I hop in the shower and then make myself a proper breakfast, most likely poached eggs on toast. I’ve had the absolute pleasure of going to a sauna when hungover on two occasions. The combination of the heat of the sauna and a little float in the sea is unmatched in its effectiveness at destroying the last dregs of any lingering hungover feeling.
Sweet or savoury?
Both. I love dishes that are a combination.
Fine dining or pub grub?
Pub grub.
Favourite restaurant in Ireland?
Without question, my favourite place to eat in Ireland is Assassination Custard. Every meal I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy in their little restaurant has been immensely delicious. I admire their ability to execute some of the tastiest and most interesting food without ego or pomp.
Best coffee in Ireland?
Kali Coffee Bar in Salthill in Galway. Enda and Laura have created something absolutely beautiful in their little coffee shop. They are two of the kindest souls I have ever met and just incredibly good at what they do. I have tasted some of the best and most interesting coffees in there from their expertly curated Lekker and filter menus. I’ve also met many interesting people and had great conversations sitting in Kali sipping on a Lekker. For me, it really represents what coffee shops should be about – a chance to really savour the experience of tasting an incredible coffee, but also an atmosphere that encourages community and conversation.
What are your thoughts on the Irish foodie scene?
I think some of the coolest experiences are born out of someone’s passion for what they do, particularly with food. You can feel the love that went into it in a palpable way. I think the Irish food scene is full of this kind of thing and we are so, so lucky.
What’s your favourite thing about cooking?
Discovering new flavours, improving on dishes I’ve made before, but most of all, sharing meals with friends and family.
What does food — sitting down to a meal with friends, mindfully preparing a meal, nourishment, etc — mean to you?
I think food can be an incredible point of connection both between people and for an individual. I think one of the most beautiful things in the world is how a flavour can transport you to a place and bring back all of the sensations of joy that you have locked in that memory. Oftentimes, it’s a memory associated with feeling cared for and loved.
My favourite meals now are those where I stand up afterward and say, god I feel like that bowl gave me a hug, I think that’s what it feels like when you eat something that truly nourishes you.
Food for thought — What are some areas for improvement within the Irish food/restaurant/hospitality scene?
I’ve heard horror stories from chefs about how it used to be ‘back in the day’ in kitchens. I think plenty of kitchens have improved massively and treat their staff with the respect they deserve. However, I do think there lingers a notion that ‘it’s better than it was, so that’s good enough’. There’s a tendency within the industry to lean into some of the toxic cultures that exist such as bullying, working extremely long hours or without breaks. These issues would not be acceptable in any other industry, so why are they allowed to go on in ours?
To cope with the stress of it, many people lean into substance abuse. While working nights, it took me far too long to realise that it is not normal to go out drinking after work every night, and it is not acceptable to turn up deathly hungover to work every day. It took me ages to realise it because it seemed to me that everyone was doing it. For sure, I had many fun nights out, but I was also quite frankly, useless, on hungover days at work. It held me back from achieving several goals for a while. One day I realised that if I carried on like that for much longer, I was going to be stuck in that cycle forever.
I decided to get my sh*t together and went to see a therapist, got myself out of that environment, and focused in on my goals. My fellow TTA young chef Áine Budds has spoken out about her experience with substance abuse, and how working in hospitality almost allows for it. She’s an incredible inspiration, and I hope her bravery in discussing her struggle will help other young chefs.
Chef’s kiss — Tell us about one standout foodie experience you’ve had recently.
There is nothing quite like a cinnamon roll from Allie’s coffee shop in Listowel. The most pillowy roll you can imagine, topped with the most glorious layer of cream cheese icing. It’s what cinnamon roll dreams are made of.
Compliments to the chef — Now’s your chance to sing the praises of a talented chef, beloved restaurant or particularly talented foodie family member.
I dream of the food prepared by Gwen and Ken of Assassination Custard on a weekly basis. No fuss, no stress, just good food. That’s where the magic is. I don’t think there’s anywhere quite like it.
Secret ingredient — What, in your estimation, makes the perfect dining experience?
The storytelling. I think incredible food experiences can happen in any kind of setting. The way the food story is told by whoever is preparing/serving it is kind of the secret ingredient for me. When you can feel the love that went into preparing something the experience will be unforgettable.
Sarah Browne will appear at the Ballymaloe Festival of Food over the three-day event happening Friday, May 16 to Sunday, May 18. See ballymaloegrainstore.com for more.
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