Forgive me it's been too long since my last post

They do say a change is a good thing and after nearly two decades working on sheares Street I ventured over to the iconic Oyster Tavern where I spent 14 months working with another great crew, but an injury to my back had slowed me down and the relentlessness of a busy kitchen began to take its toll....

A bit like when we closed Fenns my body was telling me 60 hour weeks and long days were not where I needed to be I was being a busy fool but I don't know any different time management is not my strong point.

So a move to England was on the cards as Dan supported me through my career it was my time to join him and support him in his career and try and get my chef life on the path I want it to be.

We left Cork just after New year I miss not being able to walk down the street and bump into someone I know going for coffee and having the chat the Insperation of walking through the English Market on the way to work and picking up bits and pieces for specials going into the castle and having a chat with Mary and who ever might pop in on an evening.
When we travelled home for our wedding it was great to dip into my city Cork and soak it all up
Its tough going from a place where everyone knows you and what you do to a place where they don't know your coffee order or ask you hows it going?

I'm not the first person and I'm not the last but what it has opened my eyes to is what an amazing country we have when it comes to food and access to local food at affordable prices to our supermarkets that champion and show case the local producer to the fresh fish and amazing meat we have available to crisp companies that tell you the variety of spud to the person that cooked your crisp our farmers markets that are in accesable areas to the restaurants that are proud to promote the producers on  menus to show they are apart of the community.....

Apart from the people what I miss most is the food and the accessibility of good quality  food and being able to cook with it while I'm sure its here in the UK it's just not as in your face as it is at is in Ireland we have an amazing food movement and relationships between chefs and producers and it so well celebrated by Eurotoque, blas na hEireann, Food on the edge, board bia, failte Ireland, chef network, food festivals around the country and restaurants from North to South

May start that masters yet......