“When I was a young chef in Ireland, the brilliant Richard Corrigan had a huge influence on me and my career. I looked in complete awe at what he was doing for Irish food in London. When I finally made the move from Dublin, where I was born and raised, I was honoured to meet this legend and even more honoured when he shared some recipes with me. He taught me how to make a loaf of traditional soda bread. When I opened The Dairy, I put a little spin on this classic recipe with the addition of Guinness and it has remained on our menus ever since.
This is one of the easiest and most satisfying bread recipes. I bake it every St Patrick’s Day (17 March) and serve it with smoked salmon on the day, then on the following days with jam and butter or a bowl of soup. It’s a great recipe for involving the younger ones in the family, as they can get their hands nice and dirty mixing the dough. My son Ziggy always joins in.”