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Everyone knows that Simon Hopkinson, formerly chef of London's Bibendum Restaurant, produced one of the best ever chef's books when he collaborated with Lindsey Bareham to produce “Roast Chicken and Other Stories”.
Fewer people know that when Simon produced “Second Helpings of Roast Chicken” that he produced one of the worst-written cookery books of all time, a turgid trawl through banal musings, interspersed with some good recipes. He should have brought Lindsey along for the ride one more time...

Is there anything nicer than an early dinner in Neil and Katy's Gougane Barra Hotel in County Cork, followed by an evening of theatre in their little Theatre by the Lake? We don't think so, having had a great time last year watching Mick Lally in The Matchmaker.
Well, the good news from Neil and Katy this year is as follows:

A new edition of Margaret Costa’s “Four Seasons Cookery Book”, first published in 1970, arrives from the publisher, and you can’t work out which is sadder. Is it the fact that the book’s title is so weirdly anachronistic in the times in which we live? Or the fact that the foreword to this classic of seasonal good eating is written by Delia Smith, that great promoter of packaged and prepared foods.

We are big fans of the great North Cork markets, at Kilavullen and mallow. Now, here is a demon, not-to-be-missed chance to hear the inspiring stallholders of the markets discuss their work. This is going to be one of the events of th culinry year! her's the details:

You get some idea of the ambition and drive that animates Stéphane Montez when you see the label of his Viognier, from Domaine de Monteillet, in Chavanay in the Rhone Valley.
“Viognier” is in big letters at the top of the label, the Domaine name is at the bottom, and Stéphane's name is centre stage, written like a bolt of lightning. Blimey!
Is he worth it? He sure is, and I mention the Viognier – he is better known for much pricier Cote Rotie and St Joseph – simply because this is the sort of nervy, wild, wickedly interesting wine that suits serious pizza.

Sadly, David Semple's fine Espresso Soul is no longer doing the good thing at Cromac Place in Belfast. A shame, and a destination that will be much missed. We wish David well in his future plans in the business.

You can't top a book Like Pizza Defined, but that doesn't mean that you can't free-associate with ideas whenever you are cooking the book's recipes.
When some friends and their kids were around last week and we were making some of Bernadette's classics, we just happened to find ourselves with some cooked beetroot – no way the kids were eating that, of course – and a few anchovies.

Publishing is a frustrating business.
No matter how hard you try, every book always manages to come up short in one way or another: a photo not quite right, a typo on page 7, someone's name spelt wrongly.
But, once a decade, everything works. With us here at Estragon Press, it worked out right eleven years ago, when we published our first ever cookery book, Pizza Defined, by Bernadette O'Shea.

Readers of The Irish Times will be aware that we have republished Bernadette O'Shea's cookery book, Pizza Defined. We will have more on the book next week, but to begin here is Tom Doorley's piece on the book, from the 'Times magazine today:

The last word in pizza

Ireland lost a great restaurant when Bernadette O'Shea closed Truffles of Sligo way back in 1997, but her truly outstanding pizzas live on in her landmark book, Pizza Defined.

This masterful work is now back in print, thanks to John McKenna of Estragon Press and Bridgestone guides fame.

It's easy to be a Bridgestone editor.
You simply need to be talented, whacky, idiosyncratic, and be blessed with awesomely talented kids as well.
So, Valerie O'Connor, our resident Limerick editor, got the gig on all counts. And if you need proof that her kids are awesome, then just go straight to this youtube clip, wherein you will see a work of towering genius: a 4 minute movie made by Leon O'Connor, who is all of ten years old, and who is the future of cinema as sure as I am sitting here writing this and telling you that Leon is the future of cinema.