Synopsis
In her new cookbook, Delicious Ireland: Forty Years of Fabulous Food (Ambassador International, $21.99; March 12, 2024), Westhampton Beach resident Margaret Johnson brings the taste of Ireland to tables all over the world. “Delicious Ireland guides you on a decades-long culinary and photographic odyssey around the Emerald Isle,” she promises and spends the rest of the book delivering on that promise. Johnson shares that Irish food has evolved over the past forty years, making now the perfect time to learn new recipes from a new culture. A seasoned cookbook author with fourteen previous works, Johnson is eager to share this evolution. Over four sections— starters, mains, sides, and sweets—she delves into unique new recipes, including some of her new favorites: Tipperary-made Cashel Blue and Fig Tartine, Chilli-smoked Salmon Fritters, and Blood Orange & Polenta Cakes. Many of the recipes in this cookbook do not instantly scream “Irish.” While it includes the classics like brown bread, lamb, boxty, and bread pudding, Johnson also shines a light on new dishes. Delicious Ireland features vegetarian takes on traditional dishes, a focus on Irish cheeses, and delicious desserts. In the course of sharing all of these new dishes, Delicious Ireland also focuses on the cultural diversity of diff erent Irish regions, sharing variations on the same dish that stem from diff erent local traditions. The introductions to both the cookbook’s sections and each individual recipe abound with information about Ireland and Irish tradition. Cooking these recipes will give you more than just delicious food, although you certainly will gain some new favorite dishes. Each recipe off ers a sneak peek into aspects of Irish culture, making the food itself that much richer. Delicious Ireland is fi lled with beautiful, brightly-colored photographs. Just fl ipping through these pages will make your mouth water as you follow Johnson to every corner of Ireland over the course of her forty years of travel there. It will, undoubtedly, whet your appetite not only for Irish food but for Ireland itself.
About the Author
Margaret M. Johnson is author of fourteen cookbooks—most recently Festive Flavors of Ireland (2021), Teatime in Ireland (2019), and Favorite Flavors of Ireland (2015)—all published by Ambassador International. As a food and travel writer, she has contributed to magazines in both the U.S. and Ireland, including Intermezzo; SIP, For the Love of Drink; and Teatime. She writes regularly for the Irish Echo newspaper, thewildgeese.irish, and irishphiladelphia.com. She hosts food programs at public libraries and frequently appears at Irish food and cultural events. When she’s not visiting her ancestral home in Ireland, she lives in Westhampton Beach, NY. To connect with the author or request a review copy of Delicious Ireland, please contact publicity director Kimberly Davis at
