A HAPPY SNAP

I’ve always been very proud of my half-Icelandic, half-Irish heritage. I grew up in Dublin with a sister, an Irish father and a mother from Iceland (here’s my mum, Hallfridur, as a little girl, posing in her Icelandic woollen cardigan). I count myself fortunate in that ours was a happy home with lots of good food. Mum had first one, then two busy boutiques (while even whipping up the clothes for the shop herself on the sewing machine in the 1970s) and somehow there was always a great meal ready for us in the evening. Although my mother has lived in Dublin since marrying my father, she grew up in Reykjavik in the 1940s. For my new book, as well as chatting to Mum about the food she loved as a child, I’ve been lucky enough to gather wonderful stories and recipes from friends (including my mother-in-law Darina) about the food their mothers cooked for them. I hope that readers will be inspired to explore the book, try the recipes and pass them down to the next generation.