Cookery Workshops | Mindful Eating | Wellbeing

I run regular Food Experience Retreats at the beautiful Cliffs of Moher Retreat in county Clare. The intention of these retreats is to give guests a holistic appreciation of food – taking them from the garden, to the kitchen to the dining table. With slowing down and connecting back to nature, food and ourselves being the central focus of the retreat. 

The retreats include: 

– Practical hands-on cookery demonstrations

– The establishment of a simple recipe repertoire to take home

– Tips on developing your whole food pantry for ease of cooking at home

– Design guidelines on creating a calm cooking and eating environment

– A guided eating meditation that can be practiced at home

- Foraging Walks to gather nature’s seasonal abundance in local hedgerows and along the seashore to be used as medicine in our cooking

– Embodied relaxation sessions

To book or for more information on these retreats please see here.

Menu Design | Poster Design | Food Making | Facilitation | Event Planning

A workshop of yoga and mindful eating to balance the chakras. This was the first of our collaborative Yoga + Lunch events at The Cheese Press in Ennistymon, county Clare with my sister and yoga teacher, Emer Sheahan.

Menu Design | Poster Design | Food Making | Facilitation | Event Planning

The second of our series of workshops of yoga and mindful eating to balance the chakras. This was a collaborative Yoga + Lunch event at The Cheese Press in Ennistymon, county Clare with my sister and yoga teacher, Emer Sheahan. Our second workshop was focused on moving and eating to balance and activate the Sacral Chakra.

We invited the element of water into our being, allowing our creative energy to flow and connecting with a feeling of fluidity, flexibility and inner joy. Yoga with Emer included a gentle yoga flow sequence and enlivening meditation. This was followed by a guided mindful eating experience with Steph. A delicious and nourishing vegetable-focused long table lunch included vibrant salads, colourful sides, invigorating soup, fresh sourdough bread and lively ferments.

Photography by Liam O’ Sullivan.

Workshop | Facilitation | Collaboration

This was a collaborative project between OHK Café in Kinsale, Punch + Fable and Rituals of Plate.

A fun and experimental evening of banquet style dining with OHK’s delicious seasonal sharing plates and designing a cotton tote bag to take home. Inspired by the beauty of edible nature and the OHK EATS evening menu, we slowed down together using a combination of observational drawing and mindful eating techniques. This was followed by a lively play with colour where we experimented with colour mixing using some food powder pigments found in nature! We then painted and printed onto our tote bag – all the while dining on delicious food and chatting as we went.

Steph guided participants through the entire design process from inspiration, drawing, colour mixing, to product creation. Guests came away with a belly satiated with OHK bites, new friends, new design skills and an original cotton tote bag they’ve designed to reuse for everyday grocery and market trips.

“This event started out as a collab of food and design but Steph brought so much more to the ‘table’ from exploring mindful eating techniques to slow food topics and overall wellbeing, her spirit and approach is infectious - it was such a treat to have you at OHK.”

- Carol O’ Herlihy, co-owner of OHK Cafe.  

Cooking | Events | Travel

Cooked at Puglisi X Heartland Banquet at Heartland Festival in Denmark over the summer with chef Christian F. Puglisi (Relae, Manfreds, Bæst). This was a farm-to-table banquet style dinner serving multiple courses of organic and locally sourced food and natural wines.  

This project was a good reminder that simple, seasonal and rustic food that’s shared is the best food. It was also really great to experience such an organised kitchen and get to meet some great people doing great things for the future of food.

Food Making | Workshops

“What if wheat remained local? Bred for good yield and exceptional flavour? What if there were a local market to support these distinctive varieties?” - Dan Barber

The Third Plate by Dan Barber has had a big influence on me. It particularly opened my mind about soil and wheat. I recently did a 1-day sourdough bread making course at Riot Rye in Cloughjordan, county Tipperary. It was an inspiring day being there learning from Joe Fitzmaurice. His mission is to empower and encourage people to go back to traditional ways of making naturally leavened bread. Instead of expanding his own bakehouse into a massive operation, through his bread school he wants to inspire other bakers throughout Ireland in the reestablishment of local micro bakeries in vilages, towns and cities throughout the country. What a wonderful vision. After the day, I felt more clear and confident on how to make my own sourdough and rye loaves. I have been baking bread regularly since. The process definitely is a practice in patience. Slow dough... 

Food Making | Styling | Photography

This was a celebratory photoshoot that took place in the back garden of my house in Melbourne after baking a batch of almond and cacao cookies and the recent purchase of my For Life turquoise teapot. It's a great teapot and its life continues here in Ireland after bubble wrapping it and taking it home with me in my hand luggage. The ritual and ceremony of teatime inspires me a lot, and I believe that beautiful and meaningful objects can enhance this experience. Both Storm in a Teacup teashop and a Tea X Zen workshop with artist and tea master Adam Wojcinski were influences while living in Melbourne.

Recipe Development | Food Making | Photography | Writing

Recipe development for Sprout Kraut – a festive sauerkraut with Brussels sprouts and juniper berries that I made, styled, and shot. It was published in the 2016 Winter edition of GIY’s Grow magazine. 500g sprouts + 1/2 tbsp sea salt + 1/2 tbsp juniper berries. 

In this foray into fermentation, I understood the need for a crock (a stoneware pot designed to hold cabbage and vegetables as they ferment) as lots of chopped sprouts kept floating up to the top.  

Food Making | Styling | Photography

Relish It project came out of a combination of experiences. After arriving home from Australia at harvest time, I spent some time with relations in county Laois where I was given tours of land and polytunnels; ending up with a fine big box of produce (peas, potatoes, eggs, soda bread, carrots, parsnips, apples and tomatoes) to take back with me to my kitchen in Kenmare. After a visit to Ard Bia cafe while in Galway after Dillisk, I was inspired to revisit their cookbook that I had bought a few years ago and work from their tomato relish recipe - using the tomatoes that Uncle Jimmy gave me. The relish was delicious and the photoshoot that followed was done to serve as a reminder to savour this time right now and try not to jump ahead and have it all figured out – to relish it.

Food Making | Styling | Photography

Some simple lunches inspired by seasonal produce and the wonderful book, The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit.

Eating Experience Design | Facilitation

The rituals and ceremony of mealtimes inspire me a lot. I have been facilitating mindful long table lunches at Grow HQ in Waterford. the intention for these lunches so far is slowness and silence.  I believe that the external environment has such an impact on the inner experience. The intimate lofty space was lit only by candlelight. Guidance cards are placed on each plate to be used as gentle reminders to slow down and savour each mouthful. The food prepared by chef JB is a colourful array of seasonal and organic vegetarian dishes – with contrasts in colour, temperature and texture to encourage engagement of the senses. For the first twenty minutes, we eat alongside each other in silence. This is a mighty contrast to the way we usually eat and observe others eating. Although a bit radical and even at times a bit awkward, it really helps slows things down. It also helps highlight habitual things. A shared silent meal feels sacred and I want to explore this more.

Organic Horticulture | Photography | Painting

Led by my growing curiosity about the source of the food that I eat, I have been WWOOFing on organic farms in Australia and Ireland over the last two years. This has been a mind-opening and fulfilling experience. While living in Melbourne, farmers Matt and Lentil of Grown and Gathered had been a big influence. Now back in Ireland, I am studying organic horticulture. My mother grew up on a farm - so farming is in my blood. I created this piece, Granny's Genes (acrylic overlaid on an enlarged old photograph of my grandmother) when reflecting on this.  

Photography | Writing

Green. Veiny. Peeling layers. Rubbery. Taut. You teach a lot. I want to eat you to know you. I want to know me through you. Show me true me through you. The dark soil you grew in to burst into light. Peel back furrowed, headed layers to the heart. SPRING!

A fine head of cabbage bought at a local market in Waterford city a few weeks ago. Photography by me, taken upstairs in Gallweys cafe after writing a meandering of words (extract above) in my Life Journal.

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Food Making

I like a simple kitchen without much machinery, especially in sight. Getting to work with my hands helps me to tune into the tangibility of ingredients and the feeling of intimacy in the kitchen. Back to basics, back to the senses.  

Food Making | Packaging Design | Styling | Photography

Experimenting with food preservation and packaging design. This rhubarb and ginger compote is delicious with porridge or granola.