A Taste for LIfe

A taste for life... Model, mama and maker of gorgeous Aran knitwear, Donegal gal Faye Dinsmore talks foodie loves and real versus ‘fake’ butter

Faye Dinsmore’s life in food

What did your mother make you?

I grew up in the kind of house where dinner is only dinner if it has spuds and meat!

What was your defining food experience?

I spent most of my teenage summers working in the Sandhouse Hotel on Rossnowlagh Beach in Donegal. I worked as a waitress, and I think just being around the great chefs there and seeing food prepared day in, day out, was an invaluable experience. I picked up so much just by osmosis — and from tasting everything on the menu!

What’s the first dish you ever cooked?

Probably something like scrambled eggs.

What is your comfort food?

All good food is comfort food.

What is your hangover cure?

It has been so long since I’ve had a hangover, I can’t remember.

What do you drink?

I have hot water with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar first thing every morning.

If you could only eat three things for the rest of your life, what would they be?

Eggs; avocado; and salmon.

What’s your sweet treat?

The sea-salt brownie at Industry on Drury Street.

What is the most appetising smell in the world?

I went through a short phase of making ginger biscuits, which made the house smell like Christmas.

How important is food to you?

I have always thought that there is a link between the food you eat and how good you feel, so I tend to only eat good food.

You can go anywhere and have anything to eat with any one person. Where, what and who?

I’d go anywhere with my husband if he didn’t take his phone.

What’s your favourite restaurant in Ireland?

I love the Hazel Mountain Chocolate Cafe in the Burren, in Co Clare. Eco and organic, I love what they are all about.

And abroad?

The Veggie Garden in Barcelona — when I used to go there for work, I’d eat there nearly every day.

What do you refuse to eat?

I can’t eat those spreadable butters. Gag.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Sucking coffee through a Kit-Kat at Nick’s Coffee in Ranelagh.

What’s your signature dish?

I put whatever vegetables are in the house in a big pot, with lots of spices, coconut milk, and you’ve got a decent curry.

Are you careful about what you eat?

The only time I am careful about food is for work, and not in the way you think. I’m careful to bring food and water with me, in case lunch is not provided.

Are there any foods you have had to cut out or cut down on that you miss?

I’ve never restricted anything and generally eat what I want, when I want. However, I like real food. I enjoy and love real food. I eat real bread, real butter; my veg is delivered from an organic farm. I don’t eat that much meat, but when I do, I get it from the great local butcher. I really, really miss being able to cook as much as I used to — it’s just harder to cook with a baby in one arm!

“I’d go anywhere with my husband if he didn’t take his phone”