The pairing of a smart, stylish Bondi babe and renowned Irish storyteller sounds unlikely but when Biddy McLaughlin met Kady O’Connell the connection was instant, bonded by their shared obsession with food. “Behind the Half Door – Stories of Food and Folk” is as unique and distinctive as its creators, it is neither cookbook nor storybook but both, each recipe comes with the personal story behind each great food moment. Bring a little Irish warmth into your kitchen, with more than 90 inspiring recipes. From the cosy kitchen of a tiny fisher man’s cottage, on the salty shores of Ireland, comes
this enchanting collection of recipes and stories. With their fresh approach to Irish cuisine, let firm friends Biddy and Kady lead you behind the half door. You’ll want to curl up and get lost in their heartwarming tales of food and folk.
Kady O Connell is an art director, food photographer and cookbook author. Her extensive experience in graphic design and photography has taken her all over the world, and she’s now based in Sydney, Australia. These days, the holistic lifestyle she leads in sunny Bondi has naturally paired Kady with clients such as The Fit Foodie, Brenda Janschek and JSHealth by Jessica Sepel. Kady has an innate understanding of brand strategy, with all the skills to bring her visions to life. It’s her unique triple-threat of design, photography and digital prowess that has propelled Kady Creative into the thriving business it is today. Abreast of current trends, especially in the booming wellness industry, she’s become the go-to girl for local food and lifestyle entrepreneurs, translating their dreams into tangible, successful brands. Kady’s personal love lies with food and recipe developing – head over to Kady’s Kitchen to learn more. She recently styled, shot, designed and wrote her first cookbook, Behind the Half Door – Stories of Food and Folk, released in November 2017. A truly remarkable patchwork of Irish history, emotion-filled interviews and authentic recipes, it’s co-authored by her good friend, food-lover and journalist Biddy McLaughlin. Click here to order a copy.
Sydney, Australia
“Brighid “Biddy” McLaughlin has been a story teller all her life. Born in Dublin, she is a self taught artist who lives in Dalkey, the beautiful seaside village in south County Dublin. She works in her traditional cottage overlooking Dalkey Island and the sometimes treacherous stretch of water known as Dalkey Sound, where she fishes and rows her boat. She paints in a truly naïve, folk style and her works depict Irish life and character as it was and is. In her painting she captures the tales of common and not so common folk caught up in the maelstrom of life. She worked as a journalist for the Sunday Independent for over a decade and has a very loyal following in Irish communities globally. Her gift for story telling and love of food, led her to co-author Behind the Half Door – Stories of Food and Folk with fellow foodie and branding specialist Kady O Connell in 2017.
Dublin, Ireland
1. This is not another cookbook, at its heart is the sociability of great food and it is full of stories of when food meets craic. These range from the time Biddy tracked down the boxing (and grillpan) great George Foreman to letters from “An Edwardian foodie” – Anglo-Irish aristocrat Dominick Browne, the 4th Baron Oranmore and Browne.
2. Brighid ‘Biddy’ McLaughlin is a local celebrity in Ireland and very well known amongst the Irish community. She worked as a journalist for the Sunday Independent for over a decade and has a very loyal following. Her stories are stunning and will entice readers into forming a connection with this book, as well as using the beautiful recipes.
3. This is a 300 page tome that makes for a stunning coffee table book. Each of the 90+ recipes has a drool-worthy photograph to entice readers to make the dish. The design is beautiful with gorgeous Irish landscape photography throughout. It has been described as ‘exquisite’ by the Sunday Independent and has also received an amazing review from My Kitchen Rules star Colin Fassnidge, which appears on the back cover.
