Florrie Purcell of The Scullery faced more than her fair share of struggles in business and in life; but they have made her successes all the more flavoursome, says Janine Kennedy.
Florrie Purcell, owner of The Scullery in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, has a self-professed love affair with food that, apparently, all started with Christmas pudding.
“It was my great grannie’s recipe,” she recalls. “Back then, we had such a connection with food. We’re too busy now – it’s disgraceful.”
As a small child working alongside her mother in their kitchen scullery, Purcell describes the weeks-long process of sourcing the best ingredients, soaking the fruit, making and – ultimately – enjoying this passed-down delicacy. Her father, who ran a busy cattle export company, would be away in England while they worked on their puddings at home.