Sinn Fein ‘diners’ club’ organised during Stormont peace talks

Sinn Fein had a virtual “diners’ club” organised during Stormont’s lengthy peace process talks, former president Gerry Adams said.

The British Government was reluctant to feed them during dialogue leading up to the Good Friday Agreement in 1997 and 1998, so the republican negotiators took matters into their own hands, he said.

The book – The Negotiators’ Cookbook – was launched ahead of the festive season to raise money for Sinn Fein and Mr Adams said he had enjoyed writing it.

During the 1990s, republicans were negotiating in London and former prime minister Tony Blair’s staff would occasionally order pizza or Chinese.

Mr Adams said: “When we came back home Ted (Howell, a party worker) started to bring up bits and pieces of grub and that developed until we had a diners’ club in room 316 (at Stormont).

“Padraic (Wilson), who was part of that team, starting bringing desserts. So what I have done is to put those recipes together here.

“The attraction of them is you can make them the night before, which is what happened obviously, and then transport them to wherever you want.”

Mr Adams said the British government had been historically reluctant to feed any negotiators, unionist or nationalist, during long hours of sitting about, strategising, discussing or debating.

He launched his book at An Culturlann centre on west Belfast’s Falls Road and passed around pieces of his fruitcake-style pudding, generously laced with alcohol, which were generally declared as excellent.

Mr Adams has often tweeted pictures of his efforts in the kitchen.

He has already published a number of other books.

The former Sinn Fein president stepped down earlier this year after around 34 years at the party helm.

He was elected in 1983 and was the longest-serving leader of any political party in the UK or Ireland.

Mr Adams was the most recognisable face and voice of republicanism during years of negotiations which led to the signing of the Belfast Agreement, which largely ended decades of republican and loyalist violence.

Mr Adams resigned as MP for West Belfast and won a seat in the Irish Parliament, the Dail, in 2011, representing the Irish border constituency of Louth.