FOOD

'Three great strokes of fortune helped to nurture my interest in food. First, the decision to study French at university, requiring visits to France which have never stopped. Second, becoming a travel writer with the chance to explore culinary traditions everywhere from Tokyo to Texas. Third, the opportunity to work closely with the brilliantly inspiring Irish cook Darina Allen.'

• Editorial adviser to Ireland's best-known cook Darina Allen on 10 cookery books
• Contributed the wine chapter to Darina Allen's Ballymaloe Cookery Course (Kyle Cathie, London 2001, reprinted 2007),and to Katie Caldesi's Italian Cookery Course (Kyle Cathie, London, 2009).
• Food & Wine - Matching Made Simple (Ryland, Peters & Small, London 2002), an exploration of a favourite subject, has been translated into eight languages.
• Currently visiting scores of artisan producers, restaurants and food-friendly hotels and B&Bs for provencefoodandwine.com
  

• Many food features for the Aer Lingus inflight magazine Cara, 1982-1995
• Occasional food-related features for The Times (UK) and Bon Appétit magazine (US).

  Food assignments have included:
  Cajun cooking, Antonio Carluccio, Copenhagen restaurants, Irish cheeses, Loire cycling tour for foodies, Tetsuya Wakuda, Badia a Coltibuono cookery school, Glasgow for gourmets, Veronese risotto workshop, Australian chef David Thompson, eating out in Boston
  

• International judge in Le Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards 2007

Menu planning

• Collaboration with leading chefs to devise menus for over 40 dinners showcasing outstanding wines
  

• Modern Australian cooking
• Artisan food producers in Provence
• Olive cultivation