Paul Flynn’s return to his (and mine) native Dungarvan put a bright pin firmly on the map of Gourmet Ireland when he opened The Tannery 13 years ago, and subsequently the Tannery Cookery School & Townhouse. Award winning (it recently won Best Cookery School in Ireland at the RAI Restaurant Awards) it is a lovely space offering lessons that are casual, relaxed, informative and fun.

We pitched up for a lunchtime demonstration and Paul led us through a lovely 3 course lunch, which we subsequently ate with wine. Paul’s style of cooking is charming and accessible, offering tips that even experienced cooks can benefit hugely from. He champions flavour, and has slimmed down his cooking style from his days as head chef at 3 michelin starred Chez Nico in London. Basically, you can do it too.  

He draws influence from his surroundings and sources as much as he can locally. Not always possible, he cites the difficulties in sourcing local seafood despite being next to the sea, he uses them where he can.

We started with a decadent mushroom starter. Brioche with mushroom purée, with a roast mushroom (roasted with butter and herbs) on top, dribbled with beurre blanc. Swoon – utterly delicious.

Paul’s version of bouillabaisse followed. Lovely it was too, light, fragrant and delicate, it was perfect for lunch. A very accessible recipe too – I didn’t have to gouge out fish eyes this time. Shiver.

Dessert was gorgeous nectarines roasted with spiced butter on baked oat cakes. Really very good. The oats were of course from Waterford – Flahavan’s best and my favourite.

We ate at a large dining table in a gorgeous bright room with lots of quirky detail and a beautiful vintage hosting trolley. Paul himself dished up the meal, the wine was plentiful, and we all bounded on happily after.

I am always impressed by the pricing at the Tannery. The lunchtime classes are ridiculously well priced at  €45 with all day demos at €150 per person. I also really fancy The Tannery House Party, a night at The Tannery Townhouse (which is gorgeous) and a dinner party cooked by Paul for €100 per person sharing. I mean, why wouldn’t you? I have plans to on a trip home soon.

Not enough detail? Don’t worry – I’ll be back with the recipes soon. That is if you want them? I am very sure you do :)

Previous post on The Tannery:  Hidden Ireland: The Tannery, Dungarvan

Tannery Cookery School:  http://www.tannery.ie/cookery-school.html

Kinsale Harbour, Cork

Irish Food & Drink, so very under rated and so very, very good. We have some excellent culinary figureheads and ambassadors that you will already know: Darina Allen, Rachel Allen and Richard Corrigan perhaps. What about the produce and the producers though, the integrity of production and passion for good local food? It is  not something that a lot of people outside of Ireland are aware of and I want to change that.

I really want people to know more, to try, explore, maybe even visit, and enjoy it as much as the four food & drink passionistas that I brought to Ireland last weekend. I go home frequently – you will have noticed – but it was fun and delicious to see other food bloggers experience and enjoy it for the first time.

Irish food is interesting, and Ireland in general. It has changed so much in recent generations, sparking from a colony to a republic, a struggling economy to a world leading one and back. A relative and recent affluence inspired a restaurant boom, which quickly suffered in our recent recession. A nation of dairy farmers and soggy with rain, we have great pastures and correspondingly great butter and cheeses.

Crossing the road in Ireland can result in a corresponding change of accent, and also a change in soil and terroir resulting in small local pockets that are like mothers milk for crops like potatoes (which grow brilliantly in seaside areas where seaweed is a fantastic fertiliser) next to areas devoted to other produce. Waters rich with seafood, plenty to forage like mushrooms, and really, the potatoes are so much better at home, you might like them as much as we do if you had them on your doorstep.

Great butchers are everywhere, often butchering their own meat in small local abbatoirs. Most animals are free range out doors reared, resulting in meat that is packed with flavour. Local chickens wandering around, cock-a-doodle-dooing us into the mornings, delivering fresh eggs and flavoursome meat. We have terrific bacon, black and white puddings and beef. What I love most is the sense of individuality combined with commonality. It makes for an interesting cuisine.

Sure, not everything is good, and mostly local places offer standard food of a reasonable quality. But if you are interested in seeking out good local food and interesting , inspiring ingredients and cuisine, we’ve got lots of that to show you.

It was important to me that my relatively unexplored home county and food hidden gem, Waterford, was central to the visit and after that my adopted home and home of my mother, Cork. So, I started there, and will be making many trips back to different parts over the coming months to explore and uncover, and share it with you here.

Photographic highlights of this trip with more details to come are:

The five food muskateers in my hometown of Dungarvan

Paul Flynn at The Tannery Cookery School, Dungarvan

Sea Trout at Fishy Fishy in Kinsale Making Pizzas for Saturday Pizza at Ballymaloe

Darina Allen and I at Midleton Farmer's Market, Cork

Lemon Dessert at Cafe Paradiso, Cork

Murphy's Stout & Red Lemonade in Kinsale, Cork

MacGrath's Butchers in Lismore, Waterford

Cork Butter Museum

1000 year Old Bog Butter at the Cork Butter Museum

Sea Bass at the Castlemartyr Resport, Cork

I was very much looking forward to my friend’s wedding in Cork. Then she revealed that on the weekend of the wedding, just a  few miles away, a food festival would be taking place. A FOOD FESTIVAL! Wonderful.

I was not in the best of shape, having spent most of Friday night lost in the woods on the way back to our house (yes, really, we were renting a cottage in a 10.5 acre private wood on a private island), but I bounded in regardless. West Cork has a terrific food reputation, and what I had seen already at the wedding really whet my appetite.

I was surprised to see a big screen with the pope saying mass overseeing proceedings. It whisked me back to Pope Jaun Paul’s visit in 1979 (I think), when the country ground to a halt. I was but a nipper but I remember it so well, mainly because my Dad was glimpsed briefly on TV as he attended. Then I realised that they were just waiting for the All Ireland Gaelic Football Final to start on TV as Cork were playing. Ah, I just love Ireland sometimes. It can be a beautifully irreverent place.

The festival itself was charming, featuring predominantly independent small artisan producers doing interesting things. That for me, is the beauty of Ireland, we really haven’t succumbed to the chains that much, individuality is prized, although sadly, I can see the out-of-a-box high street slowly creeping in.

Food highlights at the festival were:

Rebel Chilli make a variety of chilli sauces, mainly Mexican based and authentic, as one half of Rebel Chilli is Mexican. Others have Thai influences to appeal to the Irish palate (we do love Thai it seems!).

I bought these great little lemon cucumbers from one stall. With a thicker skin than normal, and a slightly acidulated skin, they were a find. Sourced originally from new Mexico, these are popular in childerns lunch boxes, where they eat them like an egg (or kiwi, I guess). I like them sliced on their own in a salad. I would like to try pickling them too.

Slightly terrified free range chickens kept these kids entertained while they waited for their match. I would imagine most of these kids are very familiar with them, being country types like myself, but it’s a good thing, nonetheless.

Many of you will be familiar with Gubbeen, and mainly their cheeses which are widley available in good cheese shops in the UK. They also have terrific pork products. I bought a hock, some bacon, and some of this terrific enormous black pudding (incidentally not made by them but by a local artisan supplier).

This chap makes fabulous raspberry vinegar and dressing, using local raspberries. Sadly, it’s only available in West Cork at the moment, but I hope that this will change soon.

Brown Envelope Seeds sell a great range of heirloom and local seeds. These are available online too. I bought a few packets of seeds with interesting flowers for adding to my salads etc. next year. I really must continue my edible flowers series.

Kalbo’s Café sold a great range of traditional and popular cakes, like coffee cake, a favourite in Ireland. They also sold a lifesaving gubbeen bacon and egg bap. How could I refuse post-wedding?! They have a café in Skibbereen too which I hear is worth checking out.

One clever guy had made a woodfired oven on wheels, and was making homemade pita with hummus and pizza.

Looks good, doesn’t it? Bear in mind, this is a small regional town. Entry is only €5 and you’re entered into a raffle at that. Something for them to be very proud of, I think.

And on to The Tannery. You’ve been waiting for this one, haven’t you?

Dungarvan was never really a food destination, not until Paul & Máire Flynn moved in and opened The Tannery in 1997. The Tannery was an old leather factory, I remember it very well from my youth. One distinct time when very young I recall lots of people working with animal hides which were hanging very visibly, lots of steam, and a sense of industry. I remember people in hats and my surprise when I was told exactly where those skins came from. From animals! I remember the stench. I was very small.

Since then, I’ve noticed a very big change in attitudes to food in the area. Maybe this was happening already, and the opening of The Tannery crystallised it, but I think it’s fair to say that they were critical to this development. They’ve since opened an award winning guesthouse (Tannery Townhouse) and an award winning Cookery School which I have yet to check out. I have enjoyed food at the restaurant though, and last Sunday, I returned for Sunday lunch with my sister.

Set by the Quay in Dungarvan in the old tannery, The Tannery restaurant is encased in a gorgeous old stone building. Downstairs in the foyer you can have a drink while you wait for your table, upstairs is the restaurant, bright and airy with hints of it’s Tannery past. With a population of 17,000 people, Dungarvan is a small town by anyones standards, but people travel to eat there now.

We opted for a set Sunday lunch which offers 3 courses for €30. Comprehensive, offering 5 options for each course, it was very difficult to decide what to have as it was all very appealing. My sister could not resist the Crab Creme Brulee with Pickled Cucumber and Melba Toast and she advised that I had to try the Tannery Tasting Plate, offering a selection of 4 starters: Vichysoisse, Ketafi of Cooleney Camembert, Chicken Liver Parfait with Plum Chutney & Pork Rillette with Onion Marmalade.

The Crab Creme Brulee was fantastic, ambrosial, rich and still light. Gorgeous. The Tasting Plate was wonderful too, the Vichysoisse was all you could ever want from that cold summer soup, the Chicken Liver Parfait creamy, light and rich, the Ketafi of Cooleney Camembert was a wonderful addition, with crisp noodles surrounding oozy creamy camembert, and the Pork Rillette as good as everything before. I loved it.

Choosing a main course was challenging too. Grilled Hake with Bouillabaise Sauce, French Beans & Aioli; Glazed Pork Belly, Apple Sauce & Celeriac Cream; traditional Roast Chicken with Stuffing, Carrots & Peas; Seared Scallops, Romesco Sauce & Chorizo Croquettes or Wild Garlic Risotto with Crispy Shallots. How to choose?

I decided on the scallops as I loved the idea of the chorizo croquettes and they have been something that I have wanted to make for a while. Nodlaig went for the wild garlic risotto. A side order of intensely buttery mash was served with my main. Both were executed perfectly again, no less than 7 scallops with strips of pickled courgette (I think!), charred scallions, a roast tomato with charred slice of garlic on top and dreamy, creamy, spicy chorizo croquettes. The wild garlic risotto was lovely, bright green and packed with flavour, the rice was al dente and had a lovely bite as it should, the crispy shallots served as a perfect contrast.

Time for dessert. Soft Baked Meringue with Strawberries and Lemon Curd was irresistible for me, and Nodlaig went for her favourite Chocolate Truffle Cake. I loved mine, it was light, fruity and summery, not rich, and the chocolate truffle cake was mousse-like and reminded me of the River Cafe’s Chocolate Nemesis. Very good indeed.

Coffees were included and I had two very good and very well priced wines by the glass. A Bergerac Sauvignon- Semillon for €6.50 and a chilled red Beaujolais at the same price. We had a lovely lunch, it really has everything nailed: great room, great food, friendly and efficient service and very well priced. The food is detailed and delicate but has a lovely homely quality too. It stands up to and beats some michelin starred meals that I have had in London, and I think that the people of Dungarvan are very lucky to have it there.

Just last night they won an award for the Best Restaurant in Munster, Ireland, and the Best Irish Cookery School, so it’s definitely one to visit. Make sure you stick around and enjoy the area and all it has to offer, if you do.

http://tannery.ie/

Tucked away in a quiet corner of West Waterford is Ardmore. A seductive, sleepy seaside town, more of a village really, with a long beautiful strand and a hotel perched atop it. Overlooking the whole scene is Ardmore’s round tower, built sometime around the 10th – 12th century. One theory is that they were used to watch the coastline so that when any invaders aproached the locals would hide within.

I however, have no intention of hiding in a round tower. If you want to find me in Ardmore, I will be hiding and indulging in the Cliff House Hotel. Hugging a cliff edge with a sweeping terrace overlooking the sea, the food options are terrific, offering michelin starred dining or great bar food. We popped over for lunch and gave it a whirl.

The menu reads beautifully and simply, featuring lots of Irish and local produce. Local organic smoked salmon, monkfish from nearby fishing village Helvick, soda bread, Dingle crab and one of my favourite desserts, rhubarb fool. We opted for a couple of things each, in truth one would do, but we wanted to try too many things.

My sister started with the Organic Smoked Salmon with Egg Salad and croutons, and I the Potted Helvick Monkfish with Horseradish Mayonnaise and Spelt Bread. The Smoked Salmon dish was lovely and well balanced, with the creamy egg countering the smoked salmon nicely. My potted monkfish was presented beautifully in a kilner jar with scallions on top and a light nice selection of leaves on the side. Overall, very good, although I couldn’t detect much horseradish sadly. Ironic as it was my sisters preferred choice, but she doesn’t like horseradish, and I meanwhile was covetting her salmon.

We moved on to our next dish Caesar Salad “The Cliff” with Chicken for Nodlaig and Dingle Bay Crab on brown soda bread for me. The Caesar Salad was as good an execution of this dish as I have ever sampled and it was excellent. My crab was fresh, generous and light with a perfectly complementary dressing, and the rich brown soda was great with it.

The menu features several wines by the glass and I had a lovely glass of Macon Vineuse 2008 from Oliver Merlin in Burgundy for €10 a glass. The food was all between €10 & €12, there are more expensive and substantial options like rack of lamb for 28.50 and whole sea bass for €26.50.

The bar is lovely, the service friendly, and the view is sensational. If we had better weather, we just couldn’t keep people away from Ireland but our notorious rain might hamper this. We were blessed with sunshine on our visit and I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else. I plan to go back to try the restaurant where Martijn Kajuiter leads in the kitchen. Previously of Restaurant Kwekerj de Kas, one of my favourite Dutch restaurants, it promises to be inspiring, but we will have to wait to see. I plan to stay there, and tear myself away from my every day reality. I have promised myself that it will be very soon.

The Cliff House Hotel, Ardmore

http://www.thecliffhousehotel.com/dining