Food Matters

Mitch McCullough’s journey into the world of heirloom seeds and heritage vegetables is anything but ordinary. A former chef turned grower, Mitch explores the fascinating stories behind the plants we eat. His book, ‘The Seed Hunter: Discover the World's Most Unusual Heirloom Plants’, is more than a gardening guide - it’s a deep dive into rare and unusual varieties, culinary traditions, and the importance of preserving seed diversity..
 
 In this episode of Food Matters, Mitch talks to Mick Kelly of GIY about how his journey from chef to grower led him to seed-saving. He discusses the loss of heritage vegetables, the importance of seed diversity, and his global search for rare crops.

We talk a lot about the future of food on this podcast, but what about the past? Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire is on a mission to uncover and celebrate Ireland’s deep-rooted food history. From the earliest evidence of dairy farming over 5,000 years ago to trade networks that shaped our cuisine, he explores how food connects us to our past. 

An award-winning chef, educator, food historian, and broadcaster, Máirtín is also the co-editor of ‘Irish Food History: A Companion’, a book that traces Ireland’s food journey from early hunter-gatherers right up to modern Irish cuisine.

In this episode of Food Matters, Máirtín talks to Mick Kelly of GIY about some of Ireland’s most fascinating food traditions, the influence of figures like Myrtle Allen, the resurgence of food storytelling, and the challenges facing Irish vegetable growers today.

Colman Power’s mission is a simple one – to help people become happier and healthier through good food, regular movement, and spending time in nature. Having studied horticulture at third level, Coleman became a skilled organic grower and a personal trainer. He has combined his twin passions into a career as an educator and author, self-publishing the no1 Amazon best-seller, The Power of Organic Fitness. 

In this episode of Food Matters, Coleman talks to Mick Kelly of GIY about how he found his purpose after a difficult start in life, his passion for sharing the knowledge he has accrued about food and fitness, and how he has been inspired by the food producers he has met on his travels across Ireland. 

Kevin Wallace had no farming background at all, yet he has become one of Ireland’s most successful small-scale producers, growing a range of produce including salad greens, summer crops and speciality products for hotels, restaurants and cafés. 

Kevin is passionate about soil health and microbial balance, implementing practices such as the ‘no-dig’ and Korean Natural Farming methods to ensure that he is working in harmony with nature. 

In this episode of Food Matters, Kevin talks to Mick Kelly of GIY about the difficult yet rewarding life of a micro-farmer, the unique philosophy behind New Leaf Urban Farmers, and his tireless efforts to creating a healthier, more sustainable ecosystem. 

When Conor Spacey was working in his first kitchen he was shocked at the amount of perfectly good food being thrown away. He convinced his boss to let him save it, cook it, and use it to feed all of his colleagues. It was a small change that made a big difference to the kitchen’s sustainability and its bottom line. Ever since, Conor has dedicated his career to fighting food waste and creating a fairer food system.

Today, Conor is the Culinary Director of FoodSpace Ireland and a co-founder of the Chef’s Manifesto. In this episode of Food Matters, Conor joins Mick Kelly of GIY to talk about his 35-year career in the food industry and how zero-waste can be achieved in hospitality, schools, at home, and in the supply chain.

When Ciara O hArtghaile returned home to Co Antrim, after a year living in New Zealand, she and her husband had a clear mission: to build a community around love of good food, in their home town of Ballycastle.

They started to bake high quality sourdough bread in the small domestic oven of their rented apartment, just three loaves at a time.  Today, they run the highly successful Ursa Minor Bakehouse cafe, a cookery school, and a professional bakery turning out 300 loaves a day!

In this episode of Food Matters, Ciara joins Mick Kelly of GIY to share the story of building their business, creating a food community around it, and her views on how to make a better food system.

Check out Ciara’s award-winning Substack about food and life on the North Coast – Gorse

Brian McCarthy founded innovative urban farming project Cork Rooftop Farm during the first covid lockdown in March 2020. Situated on a rooftop in Cork city centre, the farm started off as a personal project to grow fruit and vegetables. But Brian started to see the potential for something much bigger and, today,  Cork Rooftop Farm is a thriving business and a poster child for how urban farming can play a major role in addressing food security, sustainability, and community health

In this episode of Food Matters, Brian shares his inspiring journey from a tech career to becoming one of Ireland’s leading urban farmers. In conversation with Mick Kelly of GIY, Brian talks about the challenges and successes of transforming a rooftop into a farm, the importance of urban agriculture, and its potential to shape the future of food.

Darryl Gadzekpo and Ella Phillips are on a mission to get kids growing, cooking, and eating more plant-powered food. Having previously worked in the arts, Darryl and Ella have brought all of that creativity into what they do today: growing interesting veg in their urban garden, running cookery workshops and pop-up dining experiences, and packing as much flavour as possible into vegan dishes. 

In this episode of Food Matters, they tell Mick Kelly of GIY about their experience of adopting a plant-based diet, the impact on their health and wellbeing, and how they infuse their food with Caribbean flavours. They also talk about their ever-expanding allotment in London, the power of letting kids get messy in the garden, and why food is a “magical time capsule” for stories and traditions.  

Check out Darryl and Ella’s new book, From Plant to Plate: Turn Home-Grown Ingredients Into Healthy Meals!

Did you know that Ireland is very well-suited for growing apples, but despite that, we import over 95% of the apples we eat? Irish apples can sometimes be difficult to buy, but when you do find them, there’s a good chance they were grown by Con Traas. Con has 40,000 apple trees on ‘The Apple Farm’ in Co Tipperary and he sells the fruit directly from his on-site farm shop and also produces apple juice, cider, crisps, vinegar, jams and jellies. 

In this episode of Food Matters, Con joins Mick Kelly of GIY to share the story of taking over the farm from his parents and how he has scaled and diversified the business since. They also talk about the challenges of fruit production in Ireland, Con’s positive experience with major retailers, and the impending threats of climate change. 

In 2004, David and Stephen Flynn, aka The Happy Pear, opened a small fruit and veg shop in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, with a dream of helping people eat more veg. Now, two decades later, The Happy Pear is one of the best-known and loved brands in Ireland, and has scaled into a highly successful business comprising over 80 products, online courses, best-selling books, a coffee roastery, a farm and more.   

In this episode of Food Matters, Dave and Steve join Mick Kelly in Grow HQ to share the highs and lows of their 20-year journey building The Happy Pear. They talk about how it all started, how the business and their approach to life has evolved, navigating difficult times professionally and personally, our obsession with protein and neglect of fibre, and lots more.