‘I agree. I risked a lot striking out on my own. I had a ball. Got to see New York, LA, led the life of Riley and even though I crashed and burned, I don’t regret it. I needed to do all that to find out what it was I really wanted.’

‘You don’t miss it all?’

‘No. I enjoy my cooking far more now without the pressure for perfection, but I also enjoy other things and realising I’m good at other things. In our family, cooking has been the be all and end all of everything. Fergus gets away with it because he’s the baby of the family, but there was a lot of pressure on Mairead, Sinead, and me to carry the family badge of honour. To be the next generation of the Byrne cooks.’

‘Have you ever said anything… to your mother?’

Conor raised a telling eyebrow.

‘Why not?’

He deliberately looked over her head out of the window, his eyes narrowing.

‘Because she lives and breathes the place. What would have been the point? She’s disappointed enough that I’ve given it all up. I was the shining star, the one with the Michelin-starred restaurant in Dublin. A brilliant ambassador for Slow Food and everything she believes in. The TV show that attracted millions of viewers in the US and in Ireland. And then I split up from the next big hope, who Ma was grooming for greatness.’

‘I’m sure she’s not disappointed in you.’ Hannah frowned. ‘Why did you come back if you think that?’

‘It was by choice, originally. I only came home because Franklin, my granda, had a turn – he did all the maintenance originally. I used to follow him around when I was a kid; he gave me my own tool belt when I was six. I knew if he gave up working completely, he’d fade away, but he’s too old to do everything on his own so I became his partner, and the more I did, the more I enjoyed.’

‘Still keeping it in the family, then.’

‘I guess I’ve always been closer to my grandfolk than my parents. They were the ones that brought us up. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fierce proud of what Ma has achieved. She’s an amazing woman.’

‘She is.’ They both took another bite of food as if to fill the reflective silence that had fallen between them.

Hannah could see that the farm and the cookery school were a testament to hard work, dedication, and real vision. A little bit like the place they were in. Family. Tradition. Authenticity. There was a lot to be said for it. She envied Conor his family background and that sense of generations working together to build something so concrete. She realised with a painful pang, that she really missed her sister.