BOOKS FOR THE BARBIE Not content with owning five restaurants, writing extensively on food and popping up regularly on television, Antony Worrall Thompson also has a touch of the huckster about him.
He has more than 100 branded products - from jams to candles and ovens to aprons - for sale on his website. So it comes as no surprise that his latest book, a timely release on barbecues and grilling, should feature his own-brand machines.
You can order these from Argos (€424-€699 delivered) if you want to buy into the AWT experience. Otherwise, open up the chapter "After the Barbecue" to find out what you should be doing to get your trusty, not rusty, old grill in workable condition for the outdoor eating season. Then sit back with a glass of wine and plan your menus for those lazy, hazy days in the garden.
With a bit of planning, barbecue food can be much more interesting than the traditional meatfest, and Worrall Thompson has some unusual suggestions, such as fiery pork and prawn burgers and swordfish kebabs with pickled lemon. His recipe for chargrilled Thai beef salad made me want to fire up the charcoal immediately, and there are plenty more sunshine-inspired dishes. Side dishes and dips are interesting and varied, too, so even if the sun doesn't shine, there are plenty of ideas here.
There are more barbecue recipes and cooking tips in the Spring and Summer volume of Jenny Bristow's Cooks for the Seasons series, which has been
reissued by Blackstaff Press. There are more than 100 recipes in this, with a helpful full-page colour photograph accompanying each of them. Marie-Claire Digby
Barbecues & Grilling by Antony Worrall Thompson and Jane Suthering is published by Kyle Cathie (£18.99 in UK). Jenny Bristow Cooks for the Seasons: Spring and Summer is published by Blackstaff Press (£9.99)
NO NOBU We hear on the grapevine that Nobu, the world's most fashionable restaurant chain, will not now be opening in the revamped Shelbourne Hotel, as had been predicted. We understand they're still looking positively at opening somewhere in Dublin in the medium term.