Patrick Hanlon and Russell Alford are the inimitable duo behind GastroGays. Sunday Times Ireland restaurant critics, cookbook authors, food and travel content creators and champions of Irish produce with a strong background in broadcasting, the pair have been a couple since 2012 and OG bloggers from way back when.

Begun as a catchy moniker from the seed of a single hashtag, GastroGays has graduated into an award-winning, widely recognised and respected brand name across the worlds of food and travel content creation from captivating city guides to enticing recipe campaigns, restaurant reviews to deep dives and food essays. Their product mix has also included in-the-field food podcast Chew The Fat, illustrated substack Chip Paper and wine reviews at Bottle Bank Reviews amongst other ongoing content series.

Russell and Patrick are known for detail, authenticity and authority while their coverage of the entirety of Ireland’s restaurant scene is unrivalled. Regulars across the print and radio landscape, Russell is also a producer and presenter on 98FM while Patrick is a copywriter and freelance journalist with bylines in the likes of RTÉ, National Geographic Traveller, Olive and Lonely Planet and leading Irish newspapers.

Their debut book, Hot Fat, a deep dive into the dark art of deep frying, was published in 2023, second in the game-changing Blasta Books series and an Irish Food Writing Awards winner. They are based in Dublin with their French bulldog Hamilton, @hammyfrenchie