A taste for life... Anne Devin

The internationally acclaimed soprano on favourite childhood tastes, the joy of a lemony dessert and the importance of a full fridge

Your favourite childhood meal?

Proper creamy 99 ice cream from our corner shop. And, of course, my mother’s Christmas dinner!

The meal you will always remember?

My husband taking me for my first ever Michelin star experience at Le Gavroche in Mayfair, London. It was delicious, with no pretentiousness, and it was topped off by meeting restaurateur Michel Roux.

The first dish you ever cooked?

I remember making an anniversary dinner with my sister for my parents when I was about seven. We served stuffed tomatoes, kebabs and chocolate mousse, and set the dining room up like a restaurant.

What’s your comfort food?

A Sunday roast.

Your hangover cure?

Strawberry milkshake.

What do you drink?

Water and green tea, typical singer, LOL.

What’s the nicest smell in the world?

Freshly baked bread.

How important is food to you?

Very, I love food and like to plan what I eat every day. I hate nothing more than being caught out and having to eat rubbish because there is no other option.

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

San Sebastian in Spain for a culinary weekend with my husband. The best date I could ever have.

What’s always in your kitchen?

A full fridge!! The first thing I do when I arrive somewhere new is fill my fridge, as it makes me feel at home.

Your favourite restaurant in Ireland?

To name just one is hard, I love O’Dowds of Roundstone, as it is full of memories for me of yearly trips to see my grandmother. Their garlic crab claws are yum. Abroad, I’m a fan of Alain Ducasse.

What’s your sweet treat?

Lemon anything.

What do you refuse to eat?

Bugs.

Worst Meal Ever?

A transatlantic flight from Paris to New York — cardboard food at its worst.

What’s your signature dish?

I’m a baker, not a cook, so probably home-made Irish brown bread.

Are you careful about what you eat?

Yes, I don’t like eating fried food or too much stodge, so lots of salad and green veg, then I can splurge when I feel like it. For my job, it’s important to stay fit and healthy, I find food is integral to this, especially when travelling.

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

Yoghurt, ice cream, cream and milk, which I used to adore, but since I had my daughter I can’t tolerate them any more. Funny how the body changes.

What’s your perfect family meal?

Having my family to my house on a sunny day for a lazy afternoon of food and drink, ending with a cheese board and some red wine!

Soprano Anna Devin stars in Irish National Opera’s ‘The Magic Flute’, which opens at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin May 21 – 25. See irishnationalopera.ie

“The first thing I do when I arrive somewhere new is fill