Paolo Tullio, one of Ireland's best-known food and wine critics, died yesterday aged 65.

Tributes have since flooded in for Paolo, who was also a Michelin star-winning chef.

He was a regular contributor to the Moncrieff show, appearing to discuss food and anything else on his mind. 

Sean Moncrieff spoke to Bobby Kerr this morning about his friend's passing.

Saying "it was hard to put into words" how he was feeling, Sean reflected on Paolo's time with him on the radio:

"Ostensibly it was about food. We'd start yacking before the red light would go on, and we'd just keep talking all the way through, through the ad break and we might get to a food question at 25 past."

As regular listeners will know, he was focused on more than just food:

"Food wasn't just food for him. Food was about life; it was about everything.

"You could just talk to him for hours. He would draw you in and you'd always feel better for having spent time with him, and it's desperately sad."

He says Paolo defied the idea of the critic as a negative voice:

"If he though a restaurant wasn't that good, he wouldn't review it.

"He wouldn't waste his time writing something negative or nasty about people. He'd rather go to restaurants that were good or had potential and encourage them to get better."

You can listen to the full interview below: