What led you to pastry/chocolate/coffee?
Pastry: My first summer job, aged 17, was at Ballymaloe House in Cork and here, in Myrtle Allen's kitchen, I quickly realised pastry was going to be my future. I learnt the smallest part of any meal plays an integral part in the overall experience. They used the freshest ingredients. If you needed mint for the ice cream, you went to the garden and picked it. It was a real eye-opening start to pastry life. Chocolate is the most indulgent ingredient in any pastry kitchen and there are no boundaries in applications. I absolutely love chocolate, and with so many varieties available and being developed on an ongoing basis, the possibilities are limitless.
Coffee: My first experience of drinking coffee was when I was around four years old. Mrs Barry, an elderly neighbour often looked after me and my siblings. One day in particular, she was teaching me how to knit while she was knitting traditional Aran jumpers. During our break, she took a freshly baked apple tart from the oven and told me that we were having coffee with it. I had my miniature cup and we sat side-by-side enjoying the tart and coffee, and afterwards got back to knitting. I've enjoyed coffee ever since, but I am terrible at
