Bord Bia's New Irish Cuisine booklet collects together the winning recipes from the second Best of Ireland recipe competition, won by the thunderously gifted Stefan Matz, of Erriseaske House Hotel, in Ballyconneely, Connemara. Matz took the gold with typically dazzling concoctions: Pan-grilled scallops on a potato and carrot salad; Fillet of beef freshly smoked on turf with potato pancakes and glazed autumn vegetables, and his dessert of Mousse of Bramley apples with a sorbet of apples, ginger and spinach (spinach!). And there are lots of other smashing ideas in the booklet, from Danette O'Connell of Danette's Feast in Carlow, Derry Clarke of Dublin's L'Ecrivain, Freda Wolfe of Temple Bar's Eden, Marie Harding of Lovett's in Cork and Pat Kerley of Quaglino's Restaurant in Dundalk.
Available from Bord Bia, tel: (01) 668 5155, and the Restau- rants Association, tel: (01) 677 9901.