AN old friend of mine recently returned to Ireland from living in San Francisco for the past 10 years, and when I asked her how she was adjusting to life back home she exclaimed not about the fact that one could now buy the so-sexy shoes of Christian Louboutin in this country (this girl loves her shoes), or about the traffic, or even the demise of the 'smoky' Irish pub. No, the first thing she noticed were the farmers' markets which had sprouted up in nearly every town around the country.

The people who sell their produce at farmers' markets all deserve huge credit. Think of what it must be like getting up at about 5am on a cold rainy winter's morning to pack up and head off to stand in what is sometimes very nasty weather. But all the people I know who have stalls in markets say that they love it . . . the camaraderie is great and it's always a bit of fun, despite the hard work.

Anyway, I just love shopping at farmers' markets, and the reasons are many. I love the fact that I can buy locally produced, seasonal and quite often organic food that has not flown halfway across the world to get here. I also like the idea of keeping money in the community. And I think it is very important for children to see that food has a source that is not a plastic box covered in clingfilm.

My mother-in-law was one of the founders of the first farmers' market in Ireland, in Midleton, Co Cork. That was in 2000, and since then over 100 have been established around the country.

>> Farmleigh farmers' market, in association with Bord Bia, which operates once (or sometimes twice) a month at Phoenix Park in Dublin, is open today from 10am-6pm (gates close at 4.45pm).

>> Useful farmers' markets websites are www. irishfarmersmarkets. ie; www. bordbia. ie.

>> If you wish to add your name to the list of 100-plus Irish farmers' markets on the Bord Bia website, or want any further information on the various markets, contact Eimear O'Donnell at eimear. odonnell@bordbia. ie.

>> For more information on establishing a farmers' market in your local town you can email Sean McArdle at info@irishfarmersmarkets. ie.

Market plate Not all markets will have everything I list here, but this is meant to be a guide to inspire you more than to tell you what to do.

You will know what combinations you want on your table. This makes a great meal for a casual dinner party, or for a lunch, and will also travel incredibly well to make a delicious picnic.

>> Bread, white yeast, baguette, sourdough, tomato and fennel . . . many farmers' markets sell wonderful artisan breads made that morning.

>> Selection of charcuterie . . .salamis: venison, pork and garlic, chorizo, etc. Cured meats like parma ham and serrano ham. A little bottle of truffle oil is fabulous drizzled over the parma and Serrano ham.

>> Cheese . . . try your local cheeses and cheese from neighbouring counties. If you want a nice selection, go for a goats' cheese, a brie type, a hard cheese, a semisoft, a blue and a local cheddar, for example.

>> Smoked fish . . . try a smoked salmon, even a hotsmoked salmon, some smoked mackerel, smoked eel, smoked mussels, smoked trout.

>> Smoked meat, such as smoked chicken, is really delicious.

>> Buy, or make, some cucumber pickle . . . this is great with smoked fish, charcuterie and cheese.

Pick up or make some mayonnaise, delicious with smoked fish. Also, markets are a good place to find some chutneys and relishes.

>> Buy or make roast peppers, marinated olives, olive paste, classic basil pesto.

>> Buy a bottle of gorgeous olive oil to drizzle over your bread, some dolmades (stuffed vine leaves), capers, anchovies.

Cucumber pickle Myrtle Allen started making this in Ballymaloe over 30 years ago. It is one of the handiest recipes to have in your repertoire . . . not only is it good in burgers and all kinds of sandwiches, but it is wonderful with cold sliced meats, smoked fish, and transforms a humble hard boiled egg and a chunk of cheddar into a feast. It is a pickle so even though it will lose its vibrant green colour, it will keep for weeks and weeks.

900g thinly sliced, unpeeled cucumber Three small onions, thinly sliced 350g sugar One tbsp salt 225ml cider vinegar . . . or white wine vinegar Mix the cucumber and onion in a large bowl, add the sugar, salt and vinegar, and mix well to combine.

Make one hour ahead, if possible.

Smoked mackerel pate Serves about 6 It's great to have some of this in the fridge for those snacks on the run, or a packed lunch . . . it will keep all week and it's lovely and light.

Of course, the better the smoked mackerel, the better the pate. For a family meal, I would have a bowl of this on a big board with lots of crusty bread, or toast, in the middle of the table.

75g (about one fillet) smoked mackerel 75g cream cheese 75g creme fraiche Juice of half a lemon Salt and pepper In a food processor, whizz up the smoked mackerel, then add the cream cheese and the creme fraiche.

Empty into a bowl and fold in lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Roast chicken and garlic

Serves 4-6 When garlic is roasted it loses its strong flavour and develops a delicious sweet flavour. It's wonderful with chicken.

Two-four whole heads of garlic One really good quality chicken Salt and pepper 30g soft butter Sea salt for the top (I use Maldon) Juice of 1 lemon 350ml chicken stock, for the gravy Preheat the oven to 1900C, gas mark 5. Slice the top and bottoms off the heads of garlic, separate the cloves and peel them. Place the chicken in the roasting tray and put about eight cloves of peeled garlic in the cavity of the chicken, with a pinch of salt and pepper. Smear the soft butter over the skin.

Sprinkle with some nice flakes of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper (it needs to be nice and rough . . . bash it in a pestle and mortar, or in a plastic bag, bashed with a rolling pin), and slightly push it into the butter.

Pour over the juice of one lemon and pop into the preheated oven for 30 minutes; then add the remaining garlic cloves around the chicken, basting them and the bird with the juices. Roast for a further 45-60 minutes, until cooked.

The legs should feel quite loose in the bird, and when a skewer is stuck into the thigh, the juices should run clear. Transfer the chicken and the garlic cloves to a serving plate, and leave to rest, in a warm oven if possible, while you make the gravy.

Place the roasting tray on the hob on a medium heat, add half of the stock and bring to the boil, whisking to get the sweet juicy bits which have stuck to the tray (this is called deglazing).

When it comes to the boil, pour it into a small bowl or pyrex jug. Add one or two icecubes . . . this will draw the fat up to the top, then you can spoon the fat off and discard. Pour the degreased juices into a small saucepan, add the remainder of the stock, bring to the boil, and season to taste . . . if it is a little watery, boil it for another couple of minutes.

Take the chicken out, carve and serve with the gravy and roast or mashed potatoes, or both.

Granny's roast potatoes

Serves 4-6 My grandmother makes the best roast potatoes, the ones that are crispy and crunchy on the outside, and soft on the inside.

Eight large 'old' potatoes, peeled and cut in half Olive oil Salt Preheat the oven to 2200C, gas mark 8. Drop the potatoes into boiling salted water and cook for 10 minutes. Drain off the water and shake the potatoes in the dry saucepan with the lid on . . . this makes the edges of the potatoes a bit rough.

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a roasting tray and toss the potatoes in it, making sure they are wellcoated . . . add more oil if they are not. Sprinkle with salt and place in the hot oven for 35-55 minutes, basting every now and then. Take them out when they are golden brown and crusty.

You can turn the oven down to 2000C, gas mark 6, after about 15 or 20 minutes if you think they are dark enough.

Handy hint: If these have to keep warm in the oven for any amount of time, do not cover them . . . if you do they will go soggy.

Layered potatoes

Serves 5-6 My sister Simone makes the best layered potatoes. This is a perfect accompaniment to roast meat, or indeed as a meal in itself, with the addition of spinach and olives, smoked salmon, or even chorizo sausage, see below.

25g soft butter 800g peeled potatoes (I weigh these when peeled), and sliced, 1/2cm thick Two small pinches of freshly ground nutmeg (use a very fine grater for this) Two large cloves of chopped garlic 250ml cream 40g finely grated Parmesan cheese Preheat the oven to 1800C, gas mark 4. Using about one tsp of butter, butter an ovenproof gratin dish (I use a one-litre pie dish for this quantity). Divide the potatoes in three, and place one-third of the sliced potatoes on the base of the dish.

Season with a pinch of salt, pepper, grated/ground nutmeg, half of the chopped garlic and dot with butter.

Then another layer of potatoes, season it as above, add the remainder of the garlic, then a third layer of potatoes, season again, and pour over the cream . . . it should come just over half way up the sides of the dish.

Scatter with the finely grated parmesan, or something similar (cheddar is just too creamy for this), cover with tinfoil and place in the oven for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2hours. Take off the tinfoil after 30 minutes.

The potatoes should be soft and the top should be golden, with the cream bubbling up the sides of the dish.

Handy hint: If this needs to sit and keep warm in the oven for half an hour or so, cover it to prevent it drying out.

Variations >> Layered potatoes with spinach and olives In between each layer of potatoes, not omitting the nutmeg, add one tbsp (about 15g) of chopped, stoned black olives (or the same of tapenade/olive paste), and one large handful (about 25g) of spinach leaves . . .destalk and chop if the leaves are large.

>> Layered potatoes with smoked salmon In between each layer of potatoes, scatter 50g chopped smoked salmon. I would omit the grated parmesan for this.

>> Layered potatoes with chorizo In between each layer of potatoes, scatter 25g chopped, or sliced chorizo.