One thing that we’ve noticed over the years is that food plays such an important role our in lives and not just for fuel but for entertaining and providing us with fond memories too. We’ve chatted to some of Ireland’s well-known faces to discover their favourite dishes and meals, be it from their childhood or simply something they like to rustle up at home. Maria McCambridge (pictured left with Fighting Blindness runner Roisin Dermody) is an Irish Olympic long-distance runner, 2013’s Dublin Marathon winner and mother of one. With the long summer evenings fast approaching, Maria has her running shoes out and is gearing up for the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon which she is running this year in aid of Irish patient led charity, Fighting Blindness. Here she shares the recipe for her mother’s apple crumble which she remembers making when she was a child. “It’s a bit of a family obsession, my son Dylan, who is almost three, now loves it too and asks if granny is making her apple crumble every Sunday”...she says. ___________________________________ Ingredients

• Apple sauce
• 3 large cooking apples
• Water to cover
• 1oz white sugar
• Nutmeg and cinnamon to taste

Crumble

• 4oz plain flour
• 4oz brown sugar
• 3oz butter
• 2oz porridge oats

Instructions - Add sliced apples, water, sugar to a saucepan - Cook slowly till apples are stewed - Add nutmeg and cinnamon to taste - Add flour, sugar and broken pieces of butter into a mixing bowl - Knead with hands till texture is like bread crumbs - Add the porridge oats - Add apple sauce to bowl and then spread the crumble on top - Cook in oven at 180 degrees for 40 minutes till the crumble is a golden brown Further information is available at www.fightingblindness.ie.