From his start like a musician with Stockton’s Wing to his time like a trainee at Ballymaloe Cookery School, food and music have already been parallel lines which have kept Mike Hanrahan on track his lifetime.

Mike Hanrahan, cook and teacher, songwriter and musician, needs us back again stage and into the kitchens of the bohemian, international and surprisingly foodie group of Irish household brands, including Ronnie Drew, Finbar Furey, Maura O’Connell, Leslie Dowdall, Pat Shortt, Eleanor Shanley about Beautiful Affair: A Trip in Music, Meals and Camaraderie and Sharon Shannon.

Mike penned strike singles ‘Beautiful Affair’ and ‘Walk Away’ for Stockton’s Wing, from which an environment of touring and behind-the-scenes escapades began. With affectionate portraits from the famous personalities he found know on the way, Beautiful Affair rings using the sheer graft, commitment and serious sense of humour of a life well spent on stage – and in the kitchen.

Mike’s time schooling with Ballymaloe’s Darina Allen would see his hobby become a second career. Here, he shares favourite recipes from your home, friends and professional kitchens in the united states – from family recipes cooked on country hearths to vegetarian folk-club grub and tour-bus pressure-cooker stews. Beautiful Affair tells stories from the Irish music scene through the 1970s through to today, and wends its way through a lifelong love affair with Irish food.

‘This is much more than my tale. In Gorgeous Affair I bring in you to my friends – who talk about memories, recipes and quite a few amusing anecdotes that add a lot sparkle to my entire life.’ – Mike Hanrahan