Darina Allen of Ballymaloe Cookery School

On the island

I'd like my island to look a bit like my home in County Cork, covered with 40 shades of green to make me feel familiar. There is something very appealing about being turned back totally on one's owns resources. I'm sure it would be absolutely horrible in real life, but trying to survive alone on a desert island has be the ultimate test - it would definitely separate the men from the boys and I think I'd end up being a complete wimp. I would be terrified of all those creepy crawlies on the island. And snakes of course: it's said that St. Patrick banished the snakes from Ireland so I've had absolutely no experience of dealing with them.

I would miss the company of people because I know that if I go on holiday I always want somebody else to share something beautiful with me. If there was a wonderful sunset I would spend all my time wishing somebody was there too. I'd miss my husband Timmy mostly because I'd miss my breakfast in bed, I'd miss walks along the cliffs and I'd miss Radio 4.

After a bout of homesickness I suppose I would have to get on with it and be practical. I'd build a mud hut and have a little place where I could have a garden and plant some seeds. With my teaching I get very little time to put my hands in the soil so I'd really enjoy that side of it. I'd have to grow potatoes; no Irish person can survive without potatoes. I can actually kill and butcher meat quite easily because years ago when I was child I used to stay with my great aunt in County Tipperary and they used to kill a pig and cut it up. I'm not at all squeamish. I'd love to wash out the intestines and use them to make puddings and things like that. I use every part of the lamb after making the stew. I've even eat the lambs tails actually. So many of those bits are delicious and we waste them over this side of the world and throw out what would feed whole nations.

Luxury item

I'd have to take a couple of pounds of rich Irish butter. Most of our best foods come from our lush green pasture, like our beef and our lamb and our dairy produce. The butter is the fat of our land as olive oil is the fat of Italy, so it's part of the flavour of our food. Irish stew wouldn't be quite the same without a big lump of butter.

Drink

Barry's, the Cork tea because it would be another comforting taste of home to have after my stew.

Desert island dish

(with the five ingredients: lamb chops, baby carrots, baby onions, potatoes, lamb stock)

This is a really comforting soup and it's all in one pot so it would be nice and easy. Though I could imagine myself weeping into my pot with homesickness.

Ballymaloe Irish stew

serves 4-6

1.35kg gigot or rack lamb chops, 1 inch thick

8 medium or 12 baby carrots

8 medium or 12 baby onions

8 -12 potatoes, or more if you like

salt and freshly ground pepper

750-900 ml lamb stock or water

1 sprig of thyme

Garnish:

1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

1 tbsp freshly chopped chives

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/mark 4. Cut the chops in half and trim off some of the excess fat. Set aside. Render down the fat on a gentle heat in a heavy pan (discard the rendered down pieces).

Peel the onions and scrape or thinly peel the carrots (if they are young you could leave some of the green stalk on them). Cut the carrots into large chunks, or if they are small leave them whole. If the onions are large, cut them into quarters through the root, if they are small they are best left whole. Toss the meat in the hot fat in the pan until it is slightly brown. Transfer the meat into a casserole, then quickly toss the onions and carrots in the fat. Build the meat, carrots and onions up in layers in the casserole, carefully season each layer with freshly ground pepper and salt. De-glaze the pan with lamb stock and pour into the casserole. Peel the potatoes and lay them on top of the casserole, so they will steam while the stew cooks. Season the potatoes. Add a sprig of thyme, bring to the boil on top of the stove, cover with a butter wrapper or paper lid and the lid of the saucepan. Transfer to a moderate oven or allow to simmer on top of the stove until the stew is cooked, 1-1º hours approx. When the stew is cooked, pour off the cooking liquid, de-grease and reheat in another saucepan. Check seasoning, then add chopped parsley and chives. Pour over the meat and vegetables. Bring the stew back up to boiling point and serve.

To order a copy of the Ballymaloe Cookery Course for £25 (rrp £30) plus £1.99 p&p, call the Observer book service on 0870 066 7989