My Guilty Pleasure: Francis Brennan’s crisp craving

Throughout Food Month we will have a daily “Guilty Pleasure” feature where well-known faces share their secret treats, from the delicious to the daring to the downright strange. You can win a great prize if your share your guilty pleasure with us. See below for details

“Three or four times a year I get a feeling which I know how to solve. It generally manifests itself if I have been on the go a lot, which is quite regular for me.

“It always coincides with the lack of regular meals which, when travelling, is part of the problem. It is exasperated if one’s travel is in hot climes. The problem is a lack of salt. I have discovered over the years that when my body craves salt it can be solved in one fell swoop by eating a bag of Tayto. In recent years there has been huge rivalry in the crisp business with the arrival of Walkers, Pringles and Lays, but none of these offer the quick fix that is Tayto. One bag and I’m off for another while. Of course the consumption of the bag also contours up memories of holidays in Courtown and fresh sliced pan Tayto sandwiches on the beach.”

Francis Brennan is co-owner of the five-star Park Hotel Kenmare in Co Kerry. Together with his brother John, he stars in the RTÉ series At Your Service. He is the author of It’s the Little Things. His his latest book, Counting My Blessings Francis Brennan’s Guide to Happiness published by Gill & Macmillan is now on sale, €14.99

To win an overnight stay for two with breakfast at Kelly's Hotel in Dublin plus dinner for two at L'Gueuleton French bistro, just tell us about your guilty pleasure. Whether it's tasty and tempting or odd and embarrassing, we want to hear about it. Email your entry plus your name and phone number to guilty@irishtimes.com and the winner will be announced at the end of Food Month.

[ irishtimes.com/food ]