The 9th edition of the Bridgestone Irish Food Guide is making its way into the shops as I write, even though the official launch is not until right smack at the start of the New Year.
We think we are happy with it: at 100 pages longer than the 2007 edition it certainly contains a massive amount of new information and new entries, and we have tried to keep the design simple, with the entries punctuated by some of the brilliant Aoife Wasser's line illustrations.
Mention of Ms Wasser gives me the chance to offer thanks to our team of editors, without whom etc etc. Actually, to write a book of 624 pages in 6-8 months without a team of hardworking editors would be completely impossible, so it simply would not exist without them.
As I get older I want to echo in my work the remark made by the composer John Cage: I want there to be less of ME in my music, said Cage, and I similarly want there to be less of ME in the Bridgestone Guides. So, the critical input of the editors, rather than my writing and opinions, is the new backbone of this big new book, and I believe that I have the finest team of critics in the country.
So, who are the Bridgestone editors? They are:
Caroline Byrne, Dublin
Leslie Williams, Dublin
Orla Broderick, Dublin
Valerie O'Connor, Limerick
Sabrina Conneely, Galway
Claire Goodwillie, Kilkenny
Eamon Barrett, Waterford
Jakki Owens, Belfast
Of course, any mistakes are my fault alone, for these guys and girls simply don't make mistakes. But thanks for all your hard work, guys, and forgive me for those impossible deadlines and arcane requests
Elizabeth Field also helped out, and Dublin girl in New York Aoife Wasser made our illustrations. Back home, Sally, Eve and Judith made the book.
