Food Matters

Darryl Gadzekpo and Ella Phillips are on a mission to get kids growing, cooking, and eating more plant-powered food. Having previously worked in the arts, Darryl and Ella have brought all of that creativity into what they do today: growing interesting veg in their urban garden, running cookery workshops and pop-up dining experiences, and packing as much flavour as possible into vegan dishes.  In t...

Did you know that Ireland is very well-suited for growing apples, but despite that, we import over 95% of the apples we eat? Irish apples can sometimes be difficult to buy, but when you do find them, there’s a good chance they were grown by Con Traas. Con has 40,000 apple trees on ‘The Apple Farm’ in Co Tipperary and he sells the fruit directly from his on-site farm shop and also produces apple ju...

In 2004, David and Stephen Flynn, aka The Happy Pear , opened a small fruit and veg shop in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, with a dream of helping people eat more veg. Now, two decades later, The Happy Pear is one of the best-known and loved brands in Ireland, and has scaled into a highly successful business comprising over 80 products, online courses, best-selling books, a coffee roastery, a farm and m...

So is it possible that digging your garden is a total waste of your time? According to our guest on this episode, it may be time to put down that shovel and spend those precious hours doing something way more productive.   Charles Dowding is best known as the ‘No-Dig Guru. He trained as a horticulturalist and became very interested in the links between soil and nutrition. During his studies, he di...

Lynsay Orton always had a passion for growing rare and exotic fruit and veg until unexpected family circumstances turned that passion into a very niche and successful business. Operating out of just six polytunnels on Ross Hazel Farm, Lynsay grows over 1500 plants exclusively for chefs that cook for some of the world’s biggest companies. On this episode of Food Matters, Lynsay Orton shares the sto...

Pete Russell was running a 12m dollar-a-year food company when, suddenly, he had a “road to Damascus” moment.  Pete realised that he was a part of a broken food system that was loaded against small food producers, and he knew that he wanted to be part of the solution rather than the problem.  So he launched Ooooby, a platform that connects small food producers directly with consumers, making it ea...

When we work with, rather than against nature, great things can happen: soil is healthier, biodiversity richer, and crop yields higher. Perrine Hervé-Gruyer learned this first-hand when she and her husband created The Bec Hellouin farm in Normandy, France in 2006. Determined to work in harmony with nature, and with no previous farming experience, they gave up their successful careers to build a ma...

Mark Diacono found his life’s purpose and direction through food and he has dedicated his life to growing, cooking and writing about it. Having been involved in the early days of River Cottage, Mark went on to pursue his dream of creating his own farm, turning two blank fields in southwest England into 17-acres of diverse fruit and veg plots, orchards and forest gardens.  In this episode of Food M...

Cork-born Karen O'Donoghue is a woman with a mission: to improve people's gut health through the bread she bakes at The Happy Tummy Co. in Westport, Co Mayo. Her baked goods are the culmination of a long and sometimes painful journey involving the loss of her mother to cancer, years spent suffering through poor mental and physical health, and ultimately teaching herself all about optimum...

Sally Barnes is both a force of nature and a champion for it.  One of Ireland’s most iconic artisan food producers, Sally runs the last smokehouse in Ireland that deals exclusively with Ireland’s diminishing stock of wild fish.  Sally started out by smoking fish in a tea chest in the early 1980s as a way of preserving unexpected gluts, and in the years that followed she has taught herself the tech...

Get the jars, vinegar and flavourings at the ready because Caitlin Ruth is about to inspire you to start pickling and preserving everything you can get your hands on. Caitlin worked as a professional chef in many kitchens in many places, but her childhood love of pickling and fermenting always came with her.  She has now captured all of her favourite recipes and tips and tricks in a beautiful new...

They say that size doesn’t matter, it’s what you do with it that counts. And when it comes to growing our own food, that’s certainly the case. Renowned gardener Huw Richards and highly accomplished chef Sam Cooper have spent the last two years working out how we can all grow as much fruit and veg as we can eat, on just a small plot of land. They share this perfect growing formula, along with pract...

Flahavans is one of Ireland’s most iconic family businesses. Having milled locally-grown oats in Co Waterford for almost 250 years, the family has built the Flahavans brand over seven generations and it is now synonymous with porridge and other nutritious oat-based foods. In recent years, Flahavans has invested heavily in expanding the product range, which now includes oat milk, flapjacks, mueslis...

Most of us have grown up learning that bugs and bacteria are bad, but did you know that our bodies are packed full of little microbes that are working day and night to keep us healthy and happy? Collectively, we call this the microbiome, and the better we take care of it, the better it can take care of us.  Dr Rebecca O’ Mahony of BiomiCare is one of Ireland’s leading experts on the microbiome and...

Ali Honour wants to DOUBLE the amount of beans we eat globally. Why? Because not only are beans incredibly good for our bodies and our pockets, they’re also great for the planet. Having spent decades working in all corners of the culinary industry, Ali understands how food and chefs can play a vital role in creating a healthier and more sustainable world.  In this episode of Food Matters, Ali tell...

If you’ve ever bought a head of broccoli in an Irish supermarket, Paul Brophy probably grew it. Paul Brophy Produce grows almost 11 million broccoli plants annually on 600 acres of land, supplying 75% of all broccoli plants on supermarket shelves. Starting with just 5 acres in 1983, Paul has spent the last three decades building his edible empire, investing heavily in land, innovative technologies...

How much are you willing pay to buy Irish, to buy organic, and to ensure that food producers are getting a fair price for their goods? In this episode of Food Done Right we learn about the psychology behind why we buy what we buy, the role that large retailers play in the food supply chain, and why it is so important that we support Irish producers and how we can be encouraged to do so more.   Our...

Deirdre Doyle has dedicated her career to encouraging children to eat healthy food and to cook it for themselves. As founder of Cool Food School, Deirdre understands the challenges that parents can face when trying to get their kids to eat more greens and wholefoods. In this episode of Food Done Right she shares tips and tricks that can help to overcome these challenges and make healthy eating and...

In this episode of Food Done Right, Mick Kelly hosts a panel discussion on practical ways to get children interested in growing their own food. Joined by Lilly Higgins, a food writer, chef and photographer, and Deirdre Doyle from the Cool Food School, they explore how to inspire children to connect with their food and shares insights on how to engage them both at home and in school. They also disc...

Steve Collins is a medical doctor with a PhD in Nutrition, who has spent the last 35 years fighting malnutrition and starvation in the developing world. Steve has witnessed a lot of progress made in this area but unfortunately, he has also seen a reversing of that progress in recent years with global hunger levels starting to rise again. In this thought-provoking episode of Food Done Right, Steve...

From the promotion of rewilding to protecting pollinators, our actions to combat the biodiversity crisis are proving successful. But what else can we do? How can we encourage more of these effective actions and make them the norm rather than the exception? In this episode of Food Done Right these issues and many others are discussed by: - Pádraic Fogarty - Ecologist, Environmental Scientist &...

Rory O’Boyle is an animal rights activist and volunteer for Go Vegan World. In this episode of Food Done Right he talks about: ●His journey to becoming vegan and how difficult it is to speak about it to some people in his life who don’t understand his choice ●How it takes a change of mindset and overcoming bias to become vegan. ●The difference between plant-based diets and veganism; and how being...

On this episode we explore the science behind how a change in diet will help us achieve our food sustainability goals. Recorded at Waterford’s Harvest Festival, a panel of food producers and environmental activists discuss differences in views around food production, consumption and the impact of both on the planet. Our panellists are:   Mairead Costin - Owner and Manager of Garraí Mara, Waterford...

Meet Máiréad, a beacon of inspiration in the realm of Irish organic horticulture and a proud representative of the increasing number of female farmers in Ireland. Entering into the world of organic farming during a career break from healthcare in 2017, Máiréad has since cultivated not just crops, but a vision: Garraí Mara. It's more than just a farm; it's a testament to Máiréad's de...

John Gibbons is one of Ireland best-known environmental journalists and commentators. A very familiar voice on radio shows like The Last Word with Matt Cooper on Today FM, John is also behind the blog Think or Swim, and writes regularly in national print media.  In this episode of Food Done Right, John joins GIY to talk about how things have changed, both for better and worse, over the last 15 yea...