Sarah Breen
This author has toyed with the idea of hooking Nutella up to her veins, but meat is a no-go after a traumatic brush with some dodgy grub
What did your mother make you?
Mushroom soup. I’m from Co Carlow, and, at certain times, wild mushrooms are abundant. My mother knows exactly where to find them. Her soup is very tasty.
The meal you will always remember?
I once ate a really delicious lobster fettucine before a wild night out in Las Vegas. The next day was horrific; I remember it for all the wrong reasons.
What was your defining food experience?
My brother-in-law, Luke Matthews, is an incredibly talented chef. He cooked the best meal of my life at the Mews in Baltimore. These days, he’s running the kitchen at Airfield Estate, Dundrum.
First dish you ever cooked?
I love eating, but hate cooking. I went through a big hot-dog phase as a kid.
What is your comfort food?
Spuds. I like them in all forms — boiled, mashed, chips, croquettes, gratin. You should see me at a carvery. It’s not pretty.
What is your hangover cure?
Anything beige. And Lucozade.
What do you drink?
Red wine on a cold evening; an ice-cold gin and tonic in summer; a robust IPA outside Grogan’s, Dublin, in any season.
You can only eat three things for the rest of your life, what are they?
Margherita pizza from Cotto in Stoneybatter; my stepfather’s home-made chips; and French bread. That question nearly gave me an aneurism.
You can go anywhere, have anything to eat with any one person...
Sushi with Noel Gallagher at Nobu in Malibu. I’d beg him to bury the hatchet with Liam and make him pick up the bill.
Favourite restaurant in Ireland?
The Step House in Borris, Co Carlow, which is a stone’s throw from my parents’ house. Fantastic food, great service and very handy from a babysitting perspective. And abroad? Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, Arizona. We used to live in Arizona and went regularly.
What’s your sweet treat?
The millionaire’s shortbread from Two Boys Brew in Phibsborough. It’s heaven.
What do you refuse to eat?
Meat. I haven’t eaten it since a bout of food poisoning when I was 11.
Worst meal ever?
An Indian takeaway in Co Cavan. I have never tasted anything so spicy in my life. It was inedible. I ordered a madras, and my friend’s vindaloo nearly landed him in A&E. Cavan people are tough.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Nutella. I know it’s full of palm oil, but I just don’t care. Hook it up to my veins.
Are you careful about what you eat?
I go through phases where I believe denying myself all of my favourite things will somehow make me happy. It doesn’t.
What’s your perfect family meal?
I don’t eat meat, my husband isn’t a fan of fish, and we have a picky four-year-old, and a nine-month-old who hasn’t quite discovered the joy of food. Perfect, to me, is something we can all agree on — and someone else cleaning up afterwards. Sarah Breen is co-author, along with her friend, Emer McLysaght, of the bestseller ‘Oh My God What A Complete Aisling’ , published by Gill Books. See gillbooks.ie, or follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahJayBee, and Instagram @sarahjaybee
“I like spuds in all forms. You should see me at a carvery. It’s not pretty”