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INTRODUCTION

There is nothing I love more than a good home-cooked meal. For me, the atmosphere and sentiment goes beyond anything you could have eating out and the idea of sharing food with family and friends is what home cooking is all about.

This book is a collection of 100 tasty and achievable recipes, which I hope are going to encourage people to get into the kitchen and get cooking. The recipes I love to write are ones that I just know will be used time and time again, and in this book I’ve combined family favourites with new and exciting recipes, which I’m so excited to add to my collection.

Inspiration for the recipes I write come mainly from my travels in Ireland and abroad. I always carry a notebook with me to write down any new and exciting ingredients I might come across or memorable meals that I just have to share. Recipes like Crusty Croque Madam from my summers in Paris and my Griddled Beef & Mint Salad from a recent trip to Vietnam are great weekday meals and they are both exciting and easy to prepare.

Every good home cook knows there are many different types of meals that have to fit into busy lifestyles and so the recipes in this book are broken up into chapters based around the different types of meals that I like to cook throughout the year.

From everyday dinners like Maple Pork Chops with Griddled Baby Gem Lettuce or Chilli & Lemongrass Chicken for snappy weekday meals, to food to share with friends like my Jerk Chicken with Mango Salsa and Mexican Fish Tacos and, of course, big dinners like Roast Beef with Salsa Verde and Sticky Pork with Crackling & an Apple & Ginger Sauce for those family Sunday lunches with all the trimmings. Cooking at home is a great way to stay healthy with the right sort of dishes and in my fast and healthy chapter, I’ve put together some of my favourite healthy dishes, which certainly aren’t lacking on the flavour front. Lime & Coconut Chicken, Blackened Salmon with Green Goddess Avocado Salad and Butterflied Rosemary Chicken with Romesco Sauce certainly won’t leave you hungry.

For colder darker days there is a whole chapter on comfort food that is filled with the type of recipes that will bring some warmth when you need it most. Braised Shoulder of Lamb, Three-cheese Lasagne, Howth Head Seafood Chowder and Boeuf Bourginon tick all the boxes.

Weekends are covered, too, and there are lots of recipe ideas for lazy Saturday and Sunday mornings when breakfast becomes brunch. Caramelised Banana Pancakes, Eggs Benedict and Brioche French Toast with Berries & Chocolate – what a way to wake up!

When I was growing up, my favourite recipes to make were sweet, so I couldn’t write a book without satisfying my sweet tooth and I’ve included two delectably delicious chapters full of desserts, sweet treats and baking recipes. Classics like the my Profiterole Mountain dripping with chocolate sauce and a super sweet Lemon Meringue Pie oozing with lemon curd sit quite happily beside my childhood favourites, which I’ve given a bit of a makeover to, like my Mikado Coconut Cream Cake and Salted Caramel Biscuits.

I hope that this book provides you with lots of inspiration for cooking at home and that you will be reaching for it again and again, splattered, dog-eared and full of wonderful food memories.

Happy Cooking!