Darina Allen - Ballymaloe Cookery School Founder
Founder and owner of Ballymaloe Cookery School in Shanagarry, Darina Allen is Ireland's most famous chef. She is also a teacher, food writer, newspaper columnist, cookbook author and TV-cook. She presented nine series of her cookery programme, 'Simply Delicious' and is the author of over a dozen books. She founded the first Farmers Markets in Ireland and is a councillor for Ireland in the Slow Food Movement. ‘GIY is the ‘magic bullet’ that can solve many of our society ills,' says Darina, "as well as reconnecting neighbours and entire communities both in rural and urban areas.’
Simon Dawson - Self Sufficient Smallholder and Writer
Simon gave up his job as an estate agent in South London and moved to Exmoor with his wife Debbie to become a self sufficient smallholder and writer. He is now one of this country’s go-to experts for advice, quotes or funny stories. In 2007 & 2008 the couple appeared with Gary Rhodes and Michael Caines on Local Food Heroes, coming first for the South-West. Since then he has appeared on BBC1’s Countryfile and Sky1 and is in constant demand on West Country radio. He runs courses on smallholding, butchery, food processing and nose-to-tail eating; works as a journalist and broadcaster; blogs, tweets, and looks after countless pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, dogs and horses on their land. His first book The Self Sufficiency Bible was published in 2009 and his second, Pigs in Clover is due out late 2012.
Mark Diacono - Author and Broadcaster (River Cottage)
An award winning writer and photographer, Mark runs the pioneering Otter Farm, home to orchards of pecans, quince, almonds, szechuan pepper, apricots, a forest garden, a vineyard and a perennial garden. His refreshing approach to growing and cooking has done much to inspire a new generation of gardeners.
He’s lucky enough to spend most of his time eating, growing, writing and talking about food. His book A Taste of the Unexpected was published by Quadrille in September 2010 and won the Guild of Food Writers Food Book of the Year 2011. Mark’s Fruit: River Cottage Handbook No. 9 was published in 2011 and Veg Patch: River Cottage Handbook No. 4 won Best Practical Garden Book at the Garden Media Awards in 2009. Mark also won Book Photographer of the Year for both books as well as Garden Journalist of the Year at the Garden Media Awards 2011.
Having led the Garden Team at River Cottage and appearing in the TV series, Mark continues to run courses and events at River Cottage HQ.
Mark has written features for the Daily Telegraph, the Observer, NatGeo Green and The English Garden amongst others.
Charles Dowding - Vegetable Grower, Author and Teacher
Charles Dowding has been growing a full range of organic vegetables for sale, without soil cultivation, for thirty years. His acre of surface composted, undisturbed soil (no dig for fourteen years) grows bountiful, exuberant crops with few weeds and he is also is running an experiment, now in its sixth year, to compare differences in growth between vegetables on dug and undug soil. Yields are often similar but different patterns of growth are becoming evident.
Charles’ fertile beds grow large amounts of salad leaves, sold in local shops and restaurants almost all year round, as well as a wide range of vegetables. He has written four books on vegetable growing, contributes articles to many magazines including The Garden, Gardens Illustrated, Grow It, National Geographic and a weekly feature in Amateur Gardening, gives regular talks and runs day courses at the farm and other venues, see www.charlesdowding.co.uk
Klaus Laitenberger - Organic Lecturer and Author
Klaus Laitenberger has been growing organic vegetables for over twenty years in the UK and Ireland. He was running a four-acre organic market garden in England before moving to Ireland in 1999 where he was the Head Gardener at the Organic Centre in Rossinver, Co. Leitrim for seven years. He then took on the challenge to start the garden restoration in Lissadell House in Co. Sligo. For the last few years he has been working as a self-employed trainer, mentor and consultant in organic horticulture. Last year he completed his PgDip in Organic Farming (SAC Aberdeen and University of Glasgow). His first book, Vegetables For the Irish Garden, is now available. Klaus was a keynote speaker at the GIY National Conference at the Guinness Storehouse in September 2010.
Joy Larkcom - Author of 'Grow your own Vegetables'
Joy Larkcom's seminal work "Grow your own Vegetables" is the bible for vegetable growers everywhere. Joy has been researching, growing and writing about vegetables for over 40 years. She and her husband Donald Pollard retired to a windy site in West Cork in 2002. Joy has been awarded the RHS Veitch Memorial Medal and the Garden Writer's Guild Lifetime Award. 'I sometimes think of GIY as the struggling Health Service's secret weapon in the preventive medicine department,' says Joy. 'What a contribution to the nation’s physical and mental health the movement has made by encouraging thousands of people of all ages to produce great food, exercise in so doing, and to communicate with friends, neighbours and fellow GIYers in the process.'
Ella McSweeney - Broadcaster and TV Presenter
Ella McSweeney started her career studying zoology before working for BBC radio and television. Since joining RTE she has specialised in farming, food and wildlife programmes.
Credits include Nature's Web, The Green Light, Farm Week, RTE's Big Science Debate, Into the Deep, Mind Matters and the wildlife and walking series Shanks Mare. On television she presented an RTE 1 series on frugality called 'Living Lightly' and she is a regular presenter of RTE TV's farming series Ear to the Ground. She recently completely a radio series on traditions in farming and food called Home Grown, and is also a guest presenter of RTE Radio 1's farming series Countrywide. She keeps rare breed hens, pigs and grows fruit and vegetables in her urban garden in Dublin, Ireland.
Clodagh McKenna - chef, author and broadcaster
Clodagh McKenna trained at Ballymaloe Cookery School and then went on to work as a chef in Ballymaloe House. Her first book The Irish Farmers' Market Cookbook was published in November 2006 and was accompanied by a major RTE 1 TV series. Her second book, Fresh From the Sea, was backed up by a series on RTE. She now runs the Clodagh McKenna Cookery School at the Lyons Estate in Kildare.
Duncan Stewart - Environmentalist and Broadcaster
Duncan Stewart is an award-winning architect, and a specialist in ecological design and energy. He worked extensively in Europe and the USA before establishing his practice in Dublin where he added television production to an already impressive CV. He has presented many environmental series including the highly successful Eco Eye (the 9th Series will be broadcast in Spring 2011), About the House and A Burning Question (documentary broadcast in June 2010). He has a keen interest in building 'Sustainable Communities' where growing your own food and locally-produced energy have a core role. Duncan featured GIY in the "Growing Your Own Food" episode of Eco Eye in 2010. He was a keynote speaker at the GIY National Conference at the Guinness Storehouse in September 2010.
