True characters

Sally McKenna, food writer and publisher

My typical day would be .. . editing books at the computer, dreaming about being on the water, trying to learn bird-song, cooking, photographing what we've just cooked, tweeting too much, and getting distracted by how sociable computer life has become thanks to the web.

It gives me a buzz when. . . I'm on the water. I adore kayaking, and am fond of sailing, windsurfing and swimming. The water is my element.

I love what I do, except when. . . I spend too long at the computer. It's an occupational hazard.

The hardest thing about what I do is. . . finishing a book. They are easy to start, and very difficult to finish.

The best advice I've ever been given was. . . slow down and be mindful of anything you are doing, whether it's playing the piano, eating.

If I wasn't doing this I'd. . . be a guide for atlanticseakayaking.com

The next big thing in food will be. . . foraging. I write a blog about foraging and I find it has really struck a chord with people who want to become more confident in finding and cooking food from the wild.

The food scene in Ireland. . . is the best in the world. We square the circle, from wonderful ingredients to great chefs.

Working with my husband John is . .. sheer joy. We've been married and working together 30 years this year and have our best meetings when we're out walking, or having breakfast. That's a good way to run a business.

When I'm not working. . . I am photographing, foraging, kayaking or cooking – but actually they are all part of my work, which is why I am exceptionally lucky. I also manage the Irish Cloud Appreciation Society ( ticas.ie)

My earliest food memory is .. . an aroma that I've never been able to work out what it is. I was brought up in Fiji, and I think it must be some sort of plant. When I find it again, I'll know it.

The best thing I've ever eaten is. . . flame-cooked fresh-water baby eels cooked by Victor Arguinzoniz in Etxebarri in northern Spain. At first sight, they looked like spaghetti.

Otherwise, I’m more than happy with lobster cooked over steaming seaweed in a fire pit at the bottom of the garden. In fact, anything eaten outside tastes like the best thing you’ve ever eaten.

My dream dinner party guests would be. . . my children. They always make me laugh. They're used to gathering at a table. They know the rules of being sociable – they learned that from their father, not me. I don't have the Irish fluency with conversation.

And I'd cook them. . . roast chicken (with stuffing, gravy and bread sauce, otherwise there would be complaints).

I'm passionate about. . . seaweed. I'm fascinated by gathering it, identifying it, learning to cook with it, and enjoying its health-giving properties.

I'm really good at . .. typing, sadly.

I wish I was better at .. . photography, and playing the piano.

Not many people know this about me, but .. . I don't enjoy eating in restaurants for more than a day at a time. Restaurant food makes me depressed if I have too much of it.

My guilty pleasure is .. . we usually cook Chinese on a Friday night, and I love eating prawn crackers and drinking chilled white wine.

If I were to describe myself in six words, they'd be. . . in love with this beautiful world.

Sally McKenna blogs at lifeskills.ie. She will be giving a talk on coastal foraging at the Inishfood Festival in Donegal (May 18th-20th)

In conversation with Marie-Claire Digby