Margaret Johnson has always had an interest in food and a passion for Europe. In 1992 she wrote her first book, Festival Europe: Fairs and Celebrations Throughout Europe, a guide to folk events, historic pageants, food festivals, and fairs in twenty-one European countries. She followed with two cookbooks published in Dublin: Ireland: Grand Places, Glorious Food (1993), based on recipes contributed from chefs at country houses and castles, and Cooking with Irish Spirits (1995), with recipes based on some of Ireland's legendary drinks-Guinness Stout, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Bailey's Irish Cream, and Bunratty Mead, to name but a few.

She has since authored five more cookbooks--The Irish Heritage Cookbook (which was nominated for a Versailles World Cookbook Award in 1999), The New Irish Table (2003), Irish Puddings, Tarts, Crumbles and Fools (2004), The Irish Pub Cookbook (2005), and The Irish Spirit (2006), a revised edition of Cooking with Irish Spirits, all from Chronicle Books, San Francisco.

Margaret's newest book from Chronicle, an afternoon tea cookbook titled Tea and Crumpets, will be published in Spring 2009. Filled with recipes from famous tearooms, hotel dining rooms, French patisseries and confectioners, it arrives just in time for seasonal tea parties, bridal and baby showers, and with tips for travelers heading off to European capitals like London, Dublin, Edinburgh, and Paris where “having tea” is a tourist “must.”

Margaret has also written hundreds of food and travel pieces for newspapers and magazines, is a frequent contributor to Tribune Media Services, and serves as travel editor for House Magazine. She has lectured on Irish food and drink at Irish cultural events, food festivals, and on cruise ships, and in 2005 she was a special interest lecturer on Crystal Cruise lines “Celtic Embrace,” which visited England, Ireland, and Scotland. She also gives cooking demonstrations at various cooking schools, including Publix and Wegman's Supermarkets, and regularly participates in events such as "The Book and the Cook" in Philadelphia (www.thebookandthecook.com) and Boston's Gaelic Gourmet Festival (www.irishmassachusetts.com). She recently completed a series of cooking shows for Comcast Digital Cable.

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