Editors Letter

IN A DEPARTURE FROM PAST LETTERS, I’m currently writing this not from my office in Birmingham, Alabama, but from my home, socially distancing from my coworkers and friends as we face a global pandemic. Travel is one of the great passions of my life, but the current climate has my fellow adventurers and me grounded at the time this issue went to press. This Authentic Ireland issue has offered me the perfect escape. When we visited Ireland in January to produce and photograph this issue, we had no idea what the future held. But as bakers, we know we don’t necessarily have to leave our homes to enrich our lives with exciting new experiences. All we have to do is head to the kitchen and preheat our ovens. For this issue, we take you to Ireland for the ultimate baking adventure. Over the past few months, we’ve enjoyed partnering with Tourism Ireland and Williams Sonoma to create this issue sharing Ireland’s vibrant culinary story. We will return to traveling when the time is right, but until then, take comfort in this issue as a way to dream and be inspired through baking.

We decided to call this our Authentic Ireland issue because within these pages, we uncover what makes the island of Ireland’s baking distinctly Irish. Through delicious recipes and inspiring tales of the people and places that define this island, we bring you an exciting, in-depth look into the authentic side of Irish baking like you’ve never experienced it before. Consider this issue your passport to Ireland. Join us as we bake our way through the Emerald Isle.