Mayo woman to co-present new cooking series

A Mayo woman be part of a new cooking show on TG4 which will be the first of its kind on Irish television.

Rebecca Uí Chonaola will co-present Planda go Pláta, a series that celebrates plant-based cooking. Across eight episodes viewers can join chef Niall Ó Conchúir and Rebecca home cook as they cook vegan recipes created especially for the series.

Rebecca and Niall will also meet inspiring local farmers around the country. The series was filmed across a growing year, tracking the seasons to showcase the many amazing vegetables that grow here and the health benefits they have for all of us.

Rebecca is a secondary school science teacher from Aghamore, now living on the Aran Islands. Although not raised with Irish, she has become a fluent Irish speaker thanks to the help of the local community and her husband Fionnán Ó Conaola. 

Coming from a farming background, she decided to go vegan eight years ago for ethical reasons and after feeling the added health benefits she hasn’t looked back. Rebecca became very involved in the Galway vegan community, running monthly vegan potlucks and opening a seasonal plant based café on the Aran Islands. She grows her own organic vegetables and loves trying her hand at new recipes.

Lots of people are choosing to reduce meat for various reasons, such as their health, the environment and animal welfare. A plant-based diet is probably the biggest way to reduce your environmental impact as well as supporting cardiovascular health and reducing the risk of disease.

The recipes in the series are created by leading vegan chef, Tony Keogh, of Cornucopia Restaurant. From quick and easy pasta sauces to impressive dinner party dishes, these dishes would make anyone fall in love with vegan food. Everything is made from scratch with seasonal produce and store cupboard staples.

All the meals prepared are not only kind to human health, but also to animals and the environment. Planda go Pláta is a series for a wide audience. 

It’s for people who are already following a plant-based diet, but also for anyone who’s already cut back on animal foods, or who wants to cut back this coming Veganuary / January.

The series begins this Thursday, January 18, on TG4 at 8pm.