The Irish Bakery: Cherie Denham's debut cookbook is inspired by her upbringing in Co Tyrone

It is also an homage to the island’s remarkable culinary heritage, brought together through more than 90 recipes, including both traditional bakes and new ideas for the contemporary home cook. Staples, such as Irish farmhouse loaves and mince and potato pie, feature alongside fancier recipes for carrot, parsnip and apple cake with maple frosting and cardamom caramelised plum and almond puddings.

Cherie says the book has been “a wonderful labour of love”, which draws on her memories of growing up in Co. Tyrone, in a large family who baked with love and care.

"My recipes offer simple, nourishing food that has been baked in farmhouse kitchens, pubs, and cosy tea rooms in Ireland for decades. There is a strong emphasis on seasonal produce, which stems from my love of foraging and eating fresh food.

"I want people to know that recipes don’t have to be complicated to have lovely food for your family. It’s about good normal, down-to-earth, honest food.”

The richly illustrated volume also shines a spotlight on the best producers and artisans working in Ireland and Northern Ireland today.

Cherie Denham (nee Marshall) grew up on a farm in Carnteel, near Aughnacloy, and developed her love of cooking from watching her late grannies and aunts baking and preserving in their farmhouse kitchens.

“All I ever wanted to do was cook. I would have watched my Granny Neill, who lives in Co Armagh, in the kitchen. When we would go down there every Sunday the press would be open, there’d be all different types of jams that’d she’d made, there was her apple tart, her wheaten bread and soda farls and the smell of the kitchen was just incredible.”

Her other granny (Granny Marshall) also cooked and baked, and so did her aunt Evelyn (now 90), who did “ the most amazing apple tarts. At Halloween she’d put in a coin wrapped in foil.”

“Mummy never had time to cook or bake because she worked full-time in the hospital all during the troubles, she was night sister. But when she baked, we just loved what she made, like mince and potato pie. “She said she was going to do duck one time and we were so excited. So in the book I have done a pheasant and duck pot pie. But mummy’s duck wasn’t quite that great – daddy had driven over an old Muscovy (duck) that was about 20 years old, and mummy put it in the pot! But other things she did, like her Christmas cake and her Christmas pudding, were brilliant.”

Cherie knew she wanted to go to cookery school and set her sights on the prestigious Leith’s School of Food and Wine, established by Prue Leith in 1975.

"I didn’t have the money to go there, so I went to Armagh Tech and did a medical secretarial course after my O Levels.”

This led to work as a medical secretary in London, which she hated and left.

“Then I started a job in a French Delicatessen on Marylebone High Street and I loved it. I was surrounded by food and learning all the time.”

Cherie eventually gathered up enough money for three-months’ of cookery school – and after the course finished was kept on as a demonstration assistant.

From there she got jobs across Europe and ended up working as a private cook for the esteemed English writer Sir John Mortimer, creator of Rumpole of the Bailey, and his wife Penny

"It was amazing. They treated me like family.”

She eventually ended up teaching at Leith’s School of Food and Wine, then spent time as a private chef before starting up her own catering company and cookery demonstration business.

Cherie now lives in Hampshire, with her husband Andy and three teenage boys. And it would seem the (cooking) apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree as her son Harry was once a contestant on Junior Bake-Off.

It was her boys who encouraged her to post a video of herself making Irish butter on TikTok, which has now clocked up 32 million views to date, whilst she has 32.9K followers on Instagram.

And it was through Instagram that she met the acclaimed photographer Andrew Montgomery, who has worked with Jasper Conran, Jamie Oliver and Nigel Slater, to name but a few.

Andrew suggested the pair collaborate on a cook book with food that reminded Cherie of home and travelling around Ireland. The Irish Bakery is the result, serving up deliciously captivating photography alongside gorgeous recipes.

"We went on location to Ireland. A lot of it is shot around my and late father’s farm, around Co Tyrone and Co Armagh, we went to Long Meadow Cider and to southern Ireland as well.”

Even as a child Cherie was drawn to food photography: “Whenever we went into the doctor’s surgery or the dentist, I would look at any magazine to find if there were any food pictures.”

The book features images of rural farming life in remote parts of Ireland – artisan smokers, millers, a beekeeper and rhubarb farmer to name but a few.

"Food memories are happy memories. You are just transported back to where you were. Still, when I bake my buttermilk scones, I walk out through the front door and walk back in just so I can get the smell again.”

The Irish Bakery, published by Montgomery Press, priced £27, hardback, is available to pre-order exclusively at www.montgomerypress.co.uk