True characters

Brid Carter, Honest2Goodness Food and Wine Co

I describe myself as . . .positive, cheerful to the point of being annoying, bullheaded, patient, still optimistic after all these years.

My typical day would be spent . . .talking with producers – either existing stallholders or people interested in joining us. I do a weekly newsletter, plan the cafe menu, make sure everything in our own Pantry Stall is in stock, order supplies. And I help out on the wine side of the business as well – never a problem when it comes to giving my view on a new wine we are interested in importing, but not so much fun when it means lugging cases of wine around.

It gives me a buzz . . .when the market comes together on a Saturday, and we have a great range of fresh, natural, local food for customers to buy; conversations are buzzing, people have a smile on their faces, and I know that I have played a role in making it happen.

I love what I do . .. except when I have to do detail – I am not a details person.

The hardest thing about what I do . .. is always having to be philosophical when something goes awry.

If I wasn't doing this . . .I'd have retired and bought a small house in Abruzzo in Italy, and be growing my own produce (but if I had retired, I would never have got to know Abruzzo and the lovely people we've met through the wine end of the business).

When I'm not working . . .I read a lot – philosophy, cookbooks, management books – you name it, I read it.

My earliest food memory is . . .making mud pies at the age of three and decorating them with daisies.

The best thing I've ever eaten is . . .freshly caught wild seabass, cooked on a barbecue, dressed with lemon juice and garlic, fresh green beans and steamed new potatoes.

My dream dinner party guests would be . . .close family and friends. Of course, if a few of our favourite wine-makers came along and brought their wines, that would really enhance the occasion.

I'd cook them . . .food from the market, starting with a fresh crab salad, with some of Rosie's organic leaves, then something slow-cooked like shoulder of lamb, served with lots of local vegetables, tzakziki and a red-wine jus.

With it we'd drink . . .wine from Italy - maybe a red Montepulciano d'Abruzzo made by our friend Luigi Valori, preceded by Brut Cava Especial brought by our friends from Dominio de la Vega, to match the crab salad.

My ideal day off . . .is spent bookshop browsing, catching up with friends, enjoying lunch in a new place, a walk on the beach and cooking a new recipe for dinner.

I'm passionate about . . .good food and wine. I deeply dislike being too reliant on intermediaries such as the large supermarket multiples – why give decision-making over to organisations whose main motive is profit for shareholders, not the health and well-being of people?

I'm really good at . . .juggling lots of different things at the same time, which is just as well when running your own small-but-growing business.

I wish I were better at . . .remembering things.

I often imagine myself . . .living in that small house in Abruzzo, eating lovely warm tomatoes, straight from my garden, drizzled with olive oil and basil, and fresh bread that I've just baked.

Not many people know this about me . . .but in a former life I could write in Assembler Language – the closest thing to computer machine code there is – for the IBM 360 Mainframe. Agus tá neart Gaeilge agam.

My guilty pleasure is . . .having another glass of wine when I know I have to get up for work in the morning.

The Honest2Goodness Market runs every Saturday in Dublin Industrial Estate, Glasnevin, opening at 9.30am. Plans are underway to open on Wednesdays. See onest2goodness.ie

In conversation with MARIE-CLAIRE DIGBY