Celebrity chefs inspire crowd with Irish meal demonstration

Guyra potatoes, smoked trout from Glen Innes and a selection of artisanal Highlands Jams made up the mainstay of the pairs cooking demonstration of some home-style Irish cuisine.

"We just used the local ingredients that popped out to me like the trout, potatoes and jams," Cian said.

"Once you see it on paper then you can plan your recipe out of it."

The duo also whipped up a hearty lamb stew and even a dessert pudding featuring sweet seaweed.

"I didn't actually say it, but it was something I meant to say during the presentation is this Irish stew is just six ingredients and if they're not good there is nowhere for shoddy ingredients to hide ... I think it's all about the produce," Roberta said of the duo prioritising local produce.

"Simple is really good if you've got good produce - if you haven't then you have to try and get tricksy with it."

While a meat pie or sausage sanga might be the go to for Aussies outdoors, Cian showed off some hearty home-prep meals saying Ireland broadly has a culture of preparing meals at home.

Though he admits British takeaway curry culture is seeping in along with adaptations of Chinese food.

"Ireland wasn't a country for street foods, it's all home food, you have pub grub but it's still the same stews and soups," he said.

"There is the new age and curry culture is coming in now, potato curries are getting quite popular and the newest one is the 'spice bag'.

He outlines how it's stir-fried hot chips coated in mixed spices one might enjoy on the way home from having a Guinness - or several.

Over a couple of hours Cian whips up a full three course meal including seaweed-seasoned mashed potato with kale, a hearty lamb stew and a butter milk pudding topped with fig jam.

Roberta interprets the 'chef-speak' for the crowd of around 50 watching on.

"That's what I do, that's what I've done for 25 years," Roberta said with a laugh. She also guides crowd interaction welcoming questions and handing out samples of the prepared meals.

It's a first time visit to the Australian Celtic Festival in Glen Innes for the duo and Cian said he was looking forward to strolling the event after their presentation.

"This is very unique in the whole aspect and it's done really well, I'm blown away and didn't expect it would be this good, I was really shocked with the amount of stalls and events going on at the same time."

After wrapping up their demo, he said it was a great opportunity to enjoy the Festival.

"Luckily I'm off now and I'm going to sprawl around and drink Guinness and taste some whiskeys," he said, beaming.

It's a sentiment Roberta agrees with after getting up early to watch a dawn ceremony at the Standing Stones.

"I have Scots-Irish heritage and I think now I've found out I have some Manx heritage as well, it's so exciting and I think it's beautiful to be celebrating our ancient roots in a new country and doing it together."

For anyone who missed the cooking presentation, the advice is straight forward, simple home cooked meals are best.

"The simpler the better- it's funny, I went through different stages in my cooking career of spices, flavours, sour, sweet, but at the end of the day it can be just nice - and easy - to have steak and two veg," Cian said.

"There are some very fancy recipes that you can stretch yourself to cook and enjoy and serve to your friends and there's nothing wrong with that, but you don't have to if you've got good simple fresh local produce."