Mayo woman cooking up success on RTÉ

A mother who lived in Garrymore for more than 20 years has reached the semi-finals of RTÉ’s Today Show, Home Cook competition. Margaret Leahy is now one of the final four contestants remaining in the inaugural competition, which celebrates amateur cooks from across the country.

Margaret, who resided in Garrymore from 1995 until 2016, explained how she entered the contest.

“I sent in a video in March, highlighting my love of Irish food and growing your own,” Margaret told the Western People. “I thought it would highlight our great Irish produce and how much those of us who grow our own, can grow here.” 

Despite reaching the latter stages of a national television cooking competition, Margaret said she has never received formal culinary training.

“It’s for amateur cooks and I’ve never had cooking lessons,” she said. “I didn’t even do Domestic Science in school because the teacher said she wouldn’t allow any left-handed person to use knives in her kitchen, so I did Latin and Agricultural Science with the boys instead.” 

Originally raised on a dairy farm in County Kildare, Margaret married Mayo farmer, John McWalter. The couple returned from New York City in 1995 to take over the family farm in Garrymore, where they farmed sucklers, sheep and vegetables while also working in community development.

Following her husband’s death in 2010, Margaret continued farming until relocating to Connemara in 2016. She is also mother to four children.

Margaret said her connection to farming continues to shape her outlook on food and cooking.

“I am passionate about the quality of food produced by Irish farmers and I combine what I grow myself with Irish produce every day,” she said. “I eat seasonally.” 

In 2021 she established Fable Tours, bringing visitors from Ireland and abroad on private food and farm experiences across Mayo, Connemara and the Burren.

“I bring guests on farm-to-table tours, food experiences in Clifden and wild foraging walks,” she explained.

For the semi-final Margaret prepared fish pie with nettle champ and side salad, live on air.

“All the ingredients are Irish, with the majority produced in Mayo and Galway,” she said.

The RTÉ Today Show competition began earlier this year with a nationwide search for talented home cooks. Contestants were required to showcase not only their cooking ability but also their personality and storytelling skills in front of a television audience. The programme, presented by Dáithí Ó Sé, Maura Derrane and Sinéad Kennedy, attracted entries from across the country, with eight finalists initially selected.

Chef and mentor Trisha Lewis praised the contestants and described the standard as exceptional.

Margaret now faces a public vote following the live semi-final cook-off. “Voting will open later in the week when all four have cooked live,” she said.

For supporters in Mayo, it marks another proud moment for a woman whose passion for local food, farming and seasonal cooking has brought her from the family farm to the national television spotlight.