Sallyanne Parker-Clarke is co-owner of the Michelin star l’Ecrivain restaurant in Dublin with her chef husband, Derry. She modelled professionally and worked in the rag trade and as a DJ on a pirate radio station. She studied marketing, has written two books and is a columnist for the Irish Daily Mail. She’s a regular panellist on the Elaine afternoon show on TV3.
Q1 When are you happiest?
When I’m working or on holidays. I’m easily pleased
02 Apart from loved ones, what’s your most treasured possession?
My gold locket with a photo of my son Andrew and a lock of his hair. I wear it every day
03 Your social media platform of choice?
Social media isn’t for me. I was born in the wrong century
04 The worst job you’ve ever had?
A switchboard operator one summer years ago. I lasted a month
05 What ambitions do you still have?
Going on the Elaine show on TV3 is a joy, but I’d love to be involved in radio again
06 Favourite writers?
Hugh Leonard, Maeve Binchy, the Casey Hill novels and Emma Hannigan
07 A film you’d watch again tonight?
True Grit or The Quiet Man with John Wayne
08 What do some people think about you that isn’t true?
That I don’t work because they may see me in the media
09 What keeps you awake at night?
Pain mostly. I have issues with my joints and everything else pails into comparison
10 Which word do you overuse?
“Absolutely”
11 Favourite ad?
The Guinness Christmas ad
12 Favourite gadget?
My iPhone. I’m still finding out the things it can do for me
13 A brand experience that disappointed you?
None as yet. Being a creature of habit, I stick with tried and tested brands
14 What living person do you most admire?
My mum. She’s 85 and amazing – as is her constant influence
15 Most embarrassing experience?
Being stopped returning from the ladies at a lunch when my dress was tucked into my tights – twice in the one afternoon
16 Someone or something that strikes you as beautiful?
The deer on the lawn at the front of our house in the Dublin Mountains
17 What would be your fantasy act of heroism?
To create world peace
18 What would your younger self think of you today?
They’d probably say I should have looked after myself more, and not hacked myself when I was young working all hours. I’d be in better shape today if I had listened to my mum
19 If you had to rate your life so far, out of 10, what would you score?
Seven. There’ve been wonderful highs and very low lows. There’s still so much to do
20 You’re on Death Row, what’s your last meal?
This one is easy and comes straight from our current l’Ecrivain menu: fresh seared scallops to start; pan fried duck breast with champ potato and green beans and then the black forest dessert. Truly scrumptious. It would all be washed down with a bottle of Whispering Angel Rose from the Cote de Provence and a Bailey’s coffee to finish it all off
