Kinsale is known as the gourmet capital of Ireland. Is the title deserving? What makes the place so special?
Kinsale has had this title for years, and yes, it's very deserving. The place is no bigger than Aberaeron but there are so many good restaurants and pubs here. There must be around 40 restaurants - I don't know how they make their money! But the town is also home to the Kinsale Food Circle who are proud of, and work to promote, the local produce. Hundreds of people go there every year for the Kinsale Food Festival that celebrates the area's produce.
Was Kinsale the first choice for the third series - and why Ireland?
The town is so proud of its local produce - that alone was reason enough to go there. But the house where we filmed the programme - Ballincurra - was perfect for us as well. A combination of these two things meant that Kinsale was the ideal place for us.
Irish food isn't as famous as Italian or French food. What would you say is the superiority of Irish food?
There's no doubt that people connect Irish food with oysters. While we were in Kinsale we got a chance to go down to some rocks where the oysters grow, and they were wonderful.
Seafood is big in Kinsale. The boats bring a fresh load into the harbour nearly every day, and because it's so fresh, there's no need to dress it up because it's effective and tasty as it is. One local chef told me that the fish come straight from the boat to his fridge, and into the pan. What more can you say?
How does it feel to see the competitors develop their cooking skills during the series?
It's surprising how much people develop in a relatively short period. We arrive on a Sunday and leave the following Sunday. Usually, the competitors can cook quite a bit, and are passionate about food, but it's great to see them improving and grow in confidence while working with professional chefs.
Have you learnt anything new while filming the series?
I learn something every time. Either a new trick or a better way of doing something. The cooks in Kinsale deal with fish every day, and it was a pleasure to see them work.
Which famous chefs did you get to be judges on this years series?
We ask local chefs to be judges on the programme because no one knows the local produce as well as they do.
What are the best three meals you've ever had?
This is a hard one because I like so many different foods. The first has to be the lobster I had in Provence, South of France when we were filming the first series - Chez Dudley. The sauce was magnificent and that was the best lobster I've ever tasted.
I've also had a great meal in a restaurant called Arzac in San Sebastian. They create experimental dishes. Heston Blumenthal from the Fat Duck goes out there to develop and create different dishes with them.
In Kinsale I had the best scampi I've ever had, in a restaurant called Fishy Fishy, with lovely home made tartar sauce. If I had to eat one thing for the rest of my life, I'd choose the scampi every time.
You're also taking part in S4C's On with the Show campaign which raises awareness of digital switchover. Why is it so important for the people of Wales to be ready for digital switchover?
It's nice that we in Wales are among the first to go ahead with switchover and it will mean that S4C will be a stand-alone Welsh channel with more informative, entertaining high quality programmes than ever before.
© 2012 S4C
O Gymru / Made in Wales