2005 has brought me more change than any in the last decades.
The restaurant was sold in September 2004 when we moved into our new house
and so 2005 became the first year of my new life.

This has been a full year of me in my new roles as ,
Commissioner General of Euro-Toques,
Consultant Chef,
Food Journalist,
House Husband,
and (since the end of February)
Compulsive Blogger.
This has also been a year of extraordinary amounts of travel.

Sile and I have holidayed in France on three separate occasions, in the Loire at the new year, Paris at Easter and a marvellous, mostly camping holiday spent zig-zagging through France for five weeks at the end of the summer.
I have also been to Dunblane in Scotland for a Meat Conference, Brussels twice for Euro-Toque Chief Commissioners meetings, to Panticosa in Spain for the Euro-Toque international AGM , and Sile and I had a wonderful Cooks tour of the Parma region of Italy in September.

It has also been the year of The Wedding, with our eldest daughter Caitriona adding Aonghus into the Dwyer family in July.

All this is a huge change from the years which I spent tied to the kitchen sink in Dwyers Restaurant of Mary Street.

And I love it.

Highlights of the year were:

Rediscovering the joy of cooking, happily baking our daily bread, and force feeding anyone who visited us.

Writing my “Words” pieces for my web page and discovering a new addiction;
writing.

The Wedding, a joy from start to finish.

Our magical meal in Massimo Spigaoli’s house by the River Po in Italy.

The Euro-Toques Forum in Brook Lodge, chaired with much style by John Bowman, on the topic of educating our children to eat well.

Presenting the Euro-Toques food awards, particularly that one presented to Honor Moore for her lifetime contribution to Food Journalism.

Rediscovering the joys of camping in France, especially Au Bord de Tarn.

Being interviewed by BBC Five about my “Words” pieces, nothing like a bit of recognition to boost the ego.

Realising that my “Food Matters” pieces in Waterford Today has brought my profile
way up in Waterford, another bit of ego boosting!

Getting feedback from my “Words” pieces from places as far away as America, Australia, and even the Turks and Caicos islands.

All in all a year of enjoyable challenges, many changes, but above all else, terrific fun.
It is a great privilege to start another new life aged 56.

Happy new Year!