Danni Barry is the star of the County Down

Ireland’s only female Michelin-starred chef, Barry made her name at Deanes Eipic in Belfast. Now she’s striking out on her own with Clenaghans, her new restaurant in the tiny rural village of Aghalee

Danni Barry: teaming up with Stevie and Cristina Higginson to launch Clenaghan’s restaurant Pic: Press Eye/Darren Kidd

I’ve been chatting to Danni Barry and her new business partners for a good half an hour when one of my questions stumps her. What, I wonder, does she like to do when she’s not working?

There’s a pause, followed by a laugh. “God I don’t know,” she says. “I’ve never really had time for hobbies.”

So used has the Michelin-starred chef from Co Down become to the long hours involved in running ...