Do you know your butterhead from your batavia, your cos from your crisphead? Nothing beats the taste and texture of a homegrown salad and nobody knows more about how to grow them than organic vegetable producer, Dermot Carey, who is the new head gardener of chef Richard Corrigan's Virginia Park Lodge in Co Cavan. Carey is bringing back the overgrown Victorian walled garden.

Right now he is overseeing the installation of its three new greenhouses , but next week he'll be at the Organic Centre in Co Leitrim to give a one-day masterclass, Salads for all Seasons (May 18th, €65) covering the essentials of successful salad growing, including a session on microgreens and salad mixes. See theorganiccentre.ie for details.
Fionnuala Fallon