Diarmuid Gavin

Diarmuid Gavin is one of the mavericks of the world of garden design. His innovative work has helped to make his gardening programmes amongst the most watched on television.

Originally from Dublin, Diarmuid studied at the College of Amenity Horticulture in Glasnevin. Following this, he established his own school of garden design, culminating in the Dublin School of Garden Design. His work has earned him several awards including the RDS Gold Award in 1991 and 1993 and a Bronze Medal at the Chelsea Flower Show in 1995. His most recent entry at Chelsea garnered a silver medal, amongst considerable controversy.

Although he enjoys eating out, Diarmuid reckons he's not the world's best chef. Although he completed a cookery course at the Ballymaloe School, he says that the instruction "went in one ear and out the other!". That said, Diarmuid believes in using the best ingredients when he cooks. He likes food that is simply cooked so that the natural flavours of the ingredients can shine through.

For his Christmas menu at The Restaurant, Diarmuid was anxious to avoid the obvious 'turkey with all the trimmings' approach. He decided to go for dishes which were seasonal and perhaps a little traditional, but with an emphasis on good taste rather than flamboyant decoration.

Will Diarmuid Gavin's festive food turn out to be a Christmas cracker? Find out in this special seasonal edition of The Restaurant.

By the way, for the curious amongst us, despite Diarmuid's flamboyant designs, his own garden is fairly subdued, with an elegant rectangular lawn.

Click here get the menu and recipe's from tonight's show.

Read what guest critic Nevin Maguire and the others said here.