Flavours from when we were children are engrained in our memories and along with smell are one of the quickest ways of recalling events, celebrations and life of bygone days.
I was very lucky to have grown up in the countryside in the West of Ireland, in a beautiful village called Curry in Co Sligo. Back in the 70's life was a lot slower and quieter than it is today.
Here began my love of food. We had quite a wholesome diet and grew many of our own vegetables. However my parents were grocers and this did help me to widen my view of food and experiment with tastes and flavours.
Some of my earliest memories are of my Grandfather arriving with handfuls of freshly pulled carrots and cabbages. What a delicious and delightful sight he was. I can honestly say I have never to this day tasted carrots like them. I fervently believe he had the magic touch.
Long gone are the bright summer days when preparing lunch I would nip to the garden and pull handfuls of fresh lime green lettuce leaves, aromatic scallions and baby carrots. Their flavour was sweet, fresh and their pungent aromas filled your plate and tantalised your taste buds.
When i was a teenager and moved from the nearby primary to Banada Abbey Secondary School, I was horrified with packed lunches. They were limp and uninteresting and not at all like the fresh delightful plates of food I had grown accustomed to. I would have to say that the most delicious of all the limp lunches were Salmon Sandwiches. Made from canned Salmon, they were a delight with a moist sweet flavour and soft comforting texture.
What are your favourite food memories from Childhood or your School Days?