PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Anna Haugh was born in Dublin in the 80s, and has trained and worked as a professional chef for 20 years. She became a commis chef almost by accident while working a summer job in Jersey, but when she walked into the kitchen, something just clicked. She enrolled in a professional cookery course at Dublin Food school Cathal Brugha Street and her professional chef career began. Anna has cooked professionally in many cities around the world, working with Derry Clarke, Philip Howard, Shane Osborn and Gordon Ramsay, among others. In May 2019, she founded Myrtle Restaurant in Chelsea, London, which focuses on fantastic Irish recipes, produce and talent. Anna has worked on numerous TV shows for the BBC, including being the guest chef on MasterChef: The Professionals, Saturday Kitchen, Royal Recipes and the breakfast show Morning Live.
I’ve known Anna for a good few years now and the one thing that always strikes me is that she has all the skill and finesse of a truly great restaurant chef, but the heart and soul of a generous host and exceptional home cook. This beautiful book and all its wonderful, homely recipes are testament to this. It’s basically delicious-sounding food you really want to eat. * Matt Tebbutt * Anna is a wonderful human and a genius. I've eaten her simplest dishes and her fanciest and they are all incredible: she manages to make meals affordable but luxurious; decadent but healthy and fresh; innovative but accessible. She’s one of the most brilliant, exciting chefs in the UK and in this book she’s managed to share on her skills with all of us who are cooking for our families with limited time, money and expertise. If you’re buying one cookbook this season, make it Anna’s. It’s for the experts and the beginners, whether you’re looking for a definitive take on a classic or something really original. Perhaps what I love most about this book and all of Anna’s work is how much she showcases the brilliance and variety of Irish cooking: an entire world of dishes that are comfortingly familiar but still fresh and exciting. * Alexander van Tulleken *
