Five reasons to cook Japanese
Shoku-Iku means "food education" in Japanese, but it goes beyond what you eat to encompass ritual and mindful eating. Makiko Sano, a Tokyo-born London restaurateur whose new book, Shoku-Iku, explains the power of five in terms of Japanese healthy eating – "to eat foods from five food groups that appeal to your five senses, that contain five tastes and which aim to reflect five colours".

Each of the five chapters addresses one cooking method or technique: steaming, grilling, simmering, no-cook, and sushi, with easy to assemble and make dishes that are good for you too. Shoku-Iku, by Makiko Sano is published by Quadrille, £14.99.

Pudding pleasure
Mother and son Catriona and Rory Flaherty have put their family recipes for old fashioned sponge puddings to work. They are producing a range of three – sticky toffee, chocolate and lemon and blueberry – ready to heat in the oven or microwave. Each has a layer of sauce on top that melts when heated. Best of all, the ingredients list reads as if you'd reached into your own larder for them. Which is why you might be tempted to pass them off as your own work. They come in four-person servings, costing €5.99 and are available from independent food shops nationwide. See whatsforpudding.ie for stockists

Italian Renvyle retreat
If you're looking for something to cheer up February, Renvyle House's Italian Flavours Food & Wine Weekend (Friday to Sunday, February 20th-22nd) ticks a lot of boxes. Hosted by Catherine Fulvio, it includes antipasti and Italian wine tasting on Friday evening, a cookery demonstration on Saturday, followed by an Italian banquet from Renvyle's executive chef Tim O'Sullivan, with a Prosecco reception and wine pairings at dinner. With two nights B&B, the cost is €215 per person. See renvyle.com or tel: 095 46100 to book.

Four young chefs bid for world title
Four chefs working in Ireland have progressed to the second round of the San Pellegrino Young Chef 2015 competition, joining counterparts from restaurants across the UK for the next stage of judging. Similar sessions will be held worldwide to select one from each of 20 regions to go forward to the final in Milan in June.

The four Irish chefs are Mark Moriarty, a former Euro- Toques Ireland young chef of the year, now working on a pop-up restaurant concept, The Culinary Counter. Sarunas Godovan, a chef at Tankardstown House, Stephen Holland, sous chef at Lough Erne Resort amd Maria Elena Martinez Otero, chef de partie at the InterContinental, Dublin