And she brings together all the best artisan produce the Emerald Isle has to offer in her book 'The Irish Farmers' Market Cookbook.

The book is a passionate testimony to the small producers making fantastic food using local produce and selling their wares across the country - in the dozens of farmers' markets that have sprung up in recent years. The book is a showcase for these often unsung heroes, like the couple Oliver and Maja who are reviving the tradition of using seaweed as an ingredient in their homemade cheese, pates and even fish sausages. With over 3,000 km of coastline seaweed at one time was a staple food in Ireland - its valuable nutrients played an important part in sustaining whole communities during the famine.

Clodagh introduces us to some of these characters, incorporating their food into her recipes. The book is divided into Bread, Fish and Game, Meat, Vegetables, Cheese and Baking, with emphasis on local, organic produce. Although the food is Irish the recipes are global as well as traditional, so we have Roasted Spicy Chicken with Almonds and Chorizo alongside Bacon and Cabbage Soup, Sicilian Hummus next to Irish Soda Bread.

The chapter on cheese will have you running to your local delicatessen for Cashel Blue, Desmond and Gubbeen, glorious award wining cheeses that are now imported all over the world. Ireland's mild maritime climate makes it perfect for cattle grazing all year round giving its milk a richness and intensity. Never fear, if you don't have access to Irish produce, Clodagh helpfully suggests substitutes for every dish.

Ireland has a tradition of great home cooking; Clodagh's pages on baking brought me right back to my own Grandmothers kitchen and the fresh bread and jam which I lived on during my summer holidays. I'll certainly be taking this book back with me on my next visit thanks to the comprehensive listings of markets, shops and suppliers included. And if you are thinking of taking a trip over the water, take it with you too, and track down a round of gooey, rich Durrus cheese.

Nora Ryan