Irish chef, author & TV star Clodagh McKenna tells Liz Nicholls a few of her favourite things
Q. Hello Clodagh! Can you tell me a bit about favourite food memories from childhood?
“Baking on a Saturday morning with my sisters, the tea brack was a favourite bake, and I now have it on my online bakery and we deliver them across the UK!”
Q. What’s your favourite cookbook & why?
“Any of Darina Allen’s cookbooks. Her recipes always work, she is the queen of recipe writing.”
“Darina Allen is the queen of recipe writing”
Q. What was the first recipe you cooked that really struck you as a great succeess?
“Making fresh pasta when I lived in Italy. Taking eggs and flour and making something so delicious!”
Q. What’s your favourite of kitchen kit?
“My zester; I take it everywhere with me, even on holidays! I love zesting limes and lemons in recipes, and I also love wispy gratings of parmesan cheese. I sell my zester in my online store [Clodagh McKenna].”
Q. What advice would you have for any parent out there who thinks ‘I can’t cook’?
“Decide on one night a week that you are going to cook, and try a new recipe each time. Soon you have a whole bank of recipes that you are good at! My book In Minutes is brilliant for any starter cooks.”
Q. What was your first experience in the This Morning Studio like?
“Exciting is the word that springs to mind, and grateful is the second. Excited to get the chance (now every week!) to cook to 3-4 million viewers, and grateful for the opportunity to do so.”
Q. Is there any food stuff you just can’t stand (your “hell”), no matter who cooks it?
“Highly processed foods in general, and non-organic meat.”
Q. Which are your favourite pubs or restaurants?
“I love The River Café in London and The Devonshire Arms in Soho.”
Q. What would your last meal be? And/ or what’s your “guilty pleasure”?
“Irish oysters, Dover sole and a tiramisu! My guilty pleasure is chocolate and red wine.”
Q. Have you ever had any weird, foodie fan mail!?
“Yes all the time! But I don’t mind too much…. I am always grateful that someone takes the time to write to me.”
Q. Did you enjoy school?
“Yes, it was a long time ago!”
Q. What do you think schools could do to involve kids in cooking more?
“A class every week on learning cooking skills should be part of the curriculum.”
Q. What one invention would radically improve the quality of your life?
“If I could pause time so that there are more hours in the day, wouldn’t that be amazing?!”
