I was at a meeting in Ballymaloe today, a planning meeting for the Terra Madre in Waterford in September.
There were just five of us at the meeting, among them two of my food heroes, Myrtle Allen and her daughter-in-law Darina, when we were interrupted by a visiting third food hero.
It was Alice Waters, who was staying in Ballymaloe and she had popped by to see Darina.
To say I was impressed would be the understatement of the year.
I must confess to having done quite a lot of fawning, some sycophanting and (if the other committee members are to be believed) even some grovelling.

As I shook her hand I told her how marvellously she had spoken in Turin last year at the Terra Madre there, offered to put her up chez nous should she decide to come to Waterford for our Terra Madre and generally made a total twit of myself.

However no regrets.

I still think that Alice Waters, perhaps alone among my food heroes, is worthy of a good grovel.