Donal Skehan - TV cook and food author
What’s your earliest holiday memory?
My parents took me on a sailing holiday in Greece when I was six months old. Against my mum’s instructions my dad decided it would be a good idea to see if I could swim. So I was thrown in off the back of the boat and luckily my swimming instincts kicked in and I survived! I don’t actually remember it myself but the story has been told so many times that I think it’s become something that is just ingrained in my mind.
What was your worst holiday?
Possibly a trip on a barge in France. I was in my teens and the boat had to pass through locks every 30 minutes. This was a recipe for disaster for a moody teenager, who didn’t want to do anything. Looking back I’m sure it probably wasn’t all that bad and in fact quite a peaceful and beautiful holiday.
What was your best holiday?
There have been quite a few. Some of my highlights would be driving from Cape Town to Johannesburg and seeing the big five in South Africa. Other great holidays were sailing in Turkey and eating my way through New York.
If budget or work were no restriction, what would be your dream holiday?
I would take a year and spend it travelling around the world. There are so many places I am dying to visit such as Australia, China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, India.
Who, ideally, would you bring on holiday with you?
It would have to be my girlfriend, Sofie.
What’s your favourite place in Ireland?
That’s a really tough one, but the drive around the Burren is absolutely amazing. Also the drive around the Cork coast is fantastic. Surfing on Achill Island was definitely one of my Irish holiday highlights.
Your recommended holiday reading?
Nigel Slater's book Toast, Piri Piri Starfishby Tessa Kiros, Salt: A World Historyby Mark Kurlansky, two Anthony Bourdain books: Kitchen Confidentialand A Cook's Tourand any of the Elizabeth David books on French summer cooking and Mediterranean cooking.
Where will you go to next?
Asia. I cook quite a lot with Asian flavours so I would really love to travel throughout Asia eating and soaking it all up. It’s the trip I keep putting off because I want it to be perfect, but I think it’s just about time I make it happen.
- Donal Skehan is a home cook, food writer and photographer and author of Kitchen Hero(Harper Collins, £20)
In conversation with GENEVIEVE CARBERY