ME AND MY MONEY: GERRY GALVIN Chef, writer
Are you a saver or a spender?
Both. I love the euphoric rush when a few bob saved permits the occasional splurge.
Do you shop around for better value?
I’m the shopper in our house. Tracking down bargains is part of my self-imposed brief.
What has been your most extravagant purchase ever?A €20,000 camper van in which my wife Marie and I travelled round Europe for a year.
What purchase have you made that you consider the best value for money?Drimcong House, Moycullen, in 1984.
Have you ever crossed the Border to shop?Not since I lived in Armagh many years ago.
Do you haggle over prices?Haggling is a sacred duty and I regret I'm not good at it.
Has the recession changed your spending habits?Yes, I'm more miserly than ever.
Do you invest in shares?I did. It's like living on a permanent carousel.
Cash or card?Both. I still marvel that a piece of coloured plastic, inserted in a wall, will cough up cash.
What was the last thing you bought and was it good value for money?An appointment with Karen, my acupuncturist, whose needling works wonders on my sciatica. Great value.
Have you ever successfully saved up for a relatively big purchase?Yes, when I worked in Oxfordshire in 1968 – £100 for a second-hand, ego-boosting Austin Healey Sprite sports car.
Have you ever lost money?Those damn shares!
Is money important to you?Hate the stuff, love its potential.
Do you shop around for better value?
I shop for all the groceries. I got into the habit of doing it when I ran the restaurant and actually enjoy it. Shopping is the first step in cooking. I shop in all the major supermarkets and I think the likes of Aldi and Lidl are excellent for certain things.
Best value purchase?
When we sold Drimcong in 2001 we decided to hit the road. Initially we went to Framce and the idea was we would travel extensively around Europe but as it happened we stopped too much and for too long in some places so only made it to France, Spain and Portugal. Apart from two weeks in an apartment in Portugal we lived exclusively in the camper van. You really need to get on with the person youre with for it to work. We sold the van when we got back, not initially but after a while it was an embarrassment parked outside our house as we never used it.
Who would you haggle with?
I would happily haggle with a supplier. Particularly one I knew well but when it comes to markets on the continent where it is expected of you I am not so good.
Have you ever lost money?
I was owed money and the person gave it to me in an envelope and I just forgot it was there. I only realised what I had done when it was up in flames. I was gutted and it was a terrible thing to do but I had no choice but to move on and forget it.
Gerry Galvin is an award-winning chef and food writer and author of the crime novel Killer á la Carte(Doire Press). In conversation with Caroline Madden
