Cookbooks We Love
Clodagh McKenna’s Joyful Recipes for the Health-conscious Cook
Published on May 26, 2026
In a Chelsea townhouse in the heart of London, Irish cookbook author and TV host Clodagh McKenna is mere steps from the hustle and bustle of world-renowned shopping, art galleries and dining. She moved from Ireland a decade ago and still pinches herself at the life she’s since created.
From Monday to Thursday, Clodagh is busy in the city taping live cooking demos, recipe developing and running her lifestyle brand Honey by Clodagh, but when the weekend hits, she and her husband, Harry, drive to their sustainable farm at Broadspear House in Hampshire. Here, Clodagh loves to entertain with elaborate tablescapes, seasonal plates and cool cocktails.
Clodagh’s Happy Cooking: 100 Easy, Speedy, Healthy Recipes for Good Mood Food by Clodagh McKenna. Kyle Books, 2026, $38.
Her new cookbook, Clodagh’s Happy Cooking, brings readers into this colourful life with 100 new recipes that represent an evolution of Clodagh’s approach to cooking — think nutritious, balanced and joyful. Over the pages, she leans in to her humble Irish heritage while exploring globally influenced dishes inspired by her travels. “I’m on the doorstep of Europe, and I’ve lived in Italy, France and New York City,” says Clodagh. “I’m always in new places and it’s usually for the food.”
Recipe: Baked Honey-rosemary Feta Rolls
On a recent trip to Greece, Clodagh ate feta rolls on the beach and instantly fell in love. “When I came home, I worked out a recipe and cooked them on the most-watched morning show in the U.K., This Morning!” she says with a laugh. You’ll find the recipe for her sensational Baked Honey-rosemary Feta Rolls in the book, along with bites that stay true to her roots like the Soda Bread Farls. “You can make them in a frying pan with just a few ingredients and have bread in 10 minutes,” says Clodagh. “My husband will watch me make them, and he can’t believe it.”
The One-pot Chicken Tagine is one of Clodagh’s all-time favourites for serving a crowd. “I love the mix of cinnamon with more earthy, savoury flavours like cumin,” she says. And, in line with the idea of “happy cooking” and living a well-rounded lifestyle, Clodagh reveals the recipe for her Daily Happy Juice, which is made with nutrient-packed pineapple, turmeric and ginger. And forget about lacklustre salads: try her Kale, Sweet Potato, Date & Walnut Chopped Salad, which is full of satisfying textures and sweet flavours.
Recipe: One-pot Chicken Tagine
If you’re planning a trip to London, don’t miss a visit to some of Clodagh’s most-loved spots: Cafe Murano by Angela Hartnett, La Petite Maison in Mayfair, Notting Hill’s Straker’s and Martino’s in Sloane Square. But, if you only have time for one meal out, Clodagh recommends the Italian brasserie Trullo. “It’s so chic with its dark wood and white linens,” she says. “The food is just like what you get in Italy — nothing pretentious.”
Despite occasionally going all out at Broadspear House for a fun dinner party, Clodagh has always had a down-to-earth take on food. She invites friends and family over for casual kitchen suppers at least twice a week. “I love serving big stews, bread being torn between hands and sharing plates,” says Clodagh. “My Irish heritage has definitely influenced how my door is always open and how much I enjoy having people around the table.”
Recipe: Kale, Sweet Potato, Date & Walnut Chopped Salad
You can follow along as she makes recipes from the book on her YouTube series, Clodagh’s Healthy Happy Recipes.
Recipes adapted from Clodagh’s Happy Cooking: 100 Easy, Speedy, Healthy Recipes for Good Mood Food by Clodagh McKenna. Photography by David Loftus. ©2026 by Octopus Publishing Group. Excerpted with permission from Kyle Books. All rights reserved