For me, food is about storytelling: a story about tradition and skill; history and legacy; community and individuals. So, when I write about food, I write about the farm to fork journey and the people who produce wonderful things for us to eat and drink.

I started writing about food in 2012 with my recipe blog, The Flavour Files, still alive and kicking today. Soon after, I began writing articles for magazines, newspapers, and online media. In 2017, I was commissioned by A Taste of West Cork Food Festival to write The Artisan Food Guide, a definitive guide to the best West Cork artisan food producers, farmers’ markets and speciality food shops from Bandon to Beara, and described as “a sumptuously illustrated guide written with clarity and passion by Kate Ryan.”

In 2019, I was invited to become a Member of the Irish Food Writers Guild, alongside myriad prestigious Irish food writers and in 2021, I took up the position of Secretary. I am proud to be a food judge for Blas na hEireann and the Irish Quality Food Awards, and I hold a Post Graduate Diploma in Irish Food Culture and a Post Graduate Certificate in Creative Food Writing from University College Cork.

I am always writing – whether that’s books, articles, research papers, blog posts, newsletters, essays; even the occasional ghost writing! Here is where you will find published articles, interviews, and podcasts.

Find out a little more about where it all began! I was recently interviewed by Katia Valadeau of ProperFood.ie for her Women of the Irish Food Industry series, and was a guest on Anna Healy’s Podcast “West Cork Women in Business”