Day in the Life - Edward Hayden, celebrity chef

After many years of writing this column, I thought it was about time I knocked on my good friend Edward Hayden’s door!

I first met Edward when I started working with Savour Kilkenny over 10 years ago and we became the best of friends straight away. He isn’t bad on the dancefloor either!

It always surprises me how little people know about this man in the public eye, so here we go…

Edward Hayden

Edward Hayden is a chef and food writer and is very well-known to audiences from his weekly TV cookery appearances on Virgin Media’s Ireland AM. He also presents a weekly radio show, ‘The Saturday Show with Edward Hayden’, every Saturday morning on KCLR96fm.

On top of that Edward works full time as a culinary lecturer in South East Technological University where he is course leader of the Higher Certificate in Culinary Arts Programme. He also is the chef and proprietor of ‘The Edward Hayden School of Cookery’ in his native Graignamanagh.

Edward has published three cookery books ‘Edward Entertains’, ‘Food to Love’ which was awarded the prestigious Kerry Food Book of the Year) and ‘Food for Friends’.

Edward has a weekly food column with the People newspapers and his recipes appear every week in their publications, across the country. He regularly features recipes in many regional and national publications.

Currently Edward is the brand ambassador for domestic appliance Hoover, where he works on their cooking and cooling products.

Aside from all of this, Edward is heavily involved in the amateur drama scene and performs with the New Ross Drama Workshop and the Duiske Players Drama Group.

Savour Kilkenny is back with a bang this year and was launched last Friday with an amazing programme of events. You are the heart and soul of the festival, what are you looking forward to the most?

Siobhan Donohoe, Festival Director Marian Flannery & Edward Hayden at Savour Kilkenny 2022 launch

I am so thrilled that Savour Kilkenny is back this year. It’s amazing how the programme has grown organically over the years and yet still retains the culinary integrity of the early years.

I remember being invited by my long-time friend and culinary collaborator Anne Neary to be involved in the early years, and have been involved ever since, and delighted to be so.

This year’s programme boasts some great names in the world of food (both tried and tested protagonists, and new faces), and is sure to be a big hit with our local, regional, and national audiences.

As for being the heart and soul-I don’t know about that-but I always give it my all and richly enjoy my involvement.

I love chatting with festival director Marian Flannery in the lead up to the festival, plotting and planning my involvement with her.

I have really enjoyed all the many elements of the festival that I have been involved in over the years-with my cookery demos and conversations with former TD Mary O’ Rourke and Managing director of the National Ploughing Association, Anna May McHugh being personal highlights, and sure who could forget when myself and Anne took hurling legends Paul Murphy and Jackie Tyrell under our wing to teach them the culinary fundamentals!

Speaking of the hurlers several years ago I facilitated a talk on mental health and well-being with Michael Fennelly and Bressie and that was very special. I am really looking forward to seeing our audiences back in full force this year.

When can we expect another Edward Hayden cookbook?

My first three came out in 2008, 2011 and 2013 respectively and I thought that pattern would continue.

In 2015 The Edward Hayden School of Cookery opened, and it has eaten up every bit of my spare time. Whilst I have started on my next book it’s a slow process to get it right.

I write the books myself, test the recipes, do the food styling so it’s a lot of work, but please God it will be smiling down at you from the shelves very soon. If it doesn’t come out soon-I am going to start my memoirs!

You were at the Ploughing this week. I'd say the ICA ladies at the ploughing just love you, in fact I've heard one of them once call you the Mike Denver of cooking!

Well, there’s a tall order - to emulate Mike Denver. I will try my best, Siobhan!

In fairness I love the ploughing and its audience is mine. Anna May McHugh and Anna Marie McHugh (The Managing Directors) have become wonderful friends over the years, and I love meeting up with them, and working with them at the event.

The event is very impressive and is a great coming together of people from all over the country.

As for being a big hit with the ICA ladies - I have been doing demos and cookery events a long time now and people are very kind to me in terms of their generosity of time and spirit and always enjoy their time at the demos.

Food is such a universal vernacular and it’s easy to make people interested in that. I work hard to promote good food, simple recipes, and the sharing of food with those we love and hold dear-to me that’s very important.

You are a busy man, wearing a lot of hats: Radio, TV, acting, a cookery school, writing a weekly column and that’s all on top of the day job. Where do you find the time in the day?

People always say to me I need to give up something, but I love them all. I adore my job, I love being on Ireland AM, where I have enjoyed a residency for the last 12 years (early starts but well worth it!).

Another weekly highlight is becoming ‘the host with the most’ every Saturday morning on KCLR. The show is rich in personality and is driven by that. I don’t try to be someone else or sound like someone else and relish using poetry, prayer, mindfulness, and music to offer solace, sanctuary, entertainment, and joy to his listeners who spend their Saturday mornings ironing, baking bread, ferrying children, tending to their chores, or indulging in two hours with Edward.

As for the acting-some would say I am never off stage-but I really enjoy performing with the Duiske Players in my native Graignamanagh, and with the New Ross Drama Workshop in New Ross where we compete on the drama festival circuit.

You have been a massive Sandy Kelly fan for many years and now you two are great friends. How did you meet her?

Oh, Sunday nights with Sandy on RTE-My glorious childhood days. I am such a fan of Sandy Kelly. My first time meeting her was in Kilkenny, when I was about 9 years of age, where she played outside what is now the Bank of Ireland on Parliament Street on an open truck as part of the Smithwick’s Festival.

She was amazing and my mother queued with me for a couple of hours to be at the bottom of the steps of the trailer to meet her. I had my photo taken with her that night and I still have it-30 years later.

I have seen her at lots of venues all over Ireland and even saw her perform her Patsy Cline show on London’s West End. Over the years we became great friends, and we love catching up in person or on the phone for a chat (and a glass of vino!).

It was to my delight that she travelled to Kilkenny to launch one of my cookery books for me. She was amazing and even sang on the night. She is a very special person, brim full of warmth and kindness.

I haven't asked this question in a while - tell us something that we wouldn't know about you, even me?!

As Elsie Tanner said when she was leaving Coronation Street, ‘Now there’s a question’!

In fairness there are probably not much people don’t know about me. I suppose I am on the go a long time now and have given lots of myself to people over the years in many different ways.

I like to think I am a relatively open book. But to answer your question: Lots of people ask me about my age - I will be turning 40 next year and as that approaches, I am doing an unofficial audit of my life so who knows what that audit might bring.

I have recently come to the realisation that I can’t do everything, that I can’t be everywhere, and that I can’t please everyone. That being said I do enjoy trying!

All joking aside I have realised that there are only seven days in my week also, so I need to refine my work life balance and realise that there is only so much I can fit in. So as I head for the big 40, for the first time in my life I am going to put ME first!

Life is so short. We need to make memories, share experiences, and embrace all of life’s adventures.

Edward Hayden will be performing with NRDW in the Goresbridge One Act Drama Festival as well as MC & Celebrity Chef at Savour Kilkenny this coming October Bank Holiday weekend. www.savourkilkenny.com