Elizabeth Day, proprietor of Raheen House in Clonmel, replies to Tom Doorley's review of "Faulty Towers - The Dining Experience"

Dear Mr Doorley,

I refer to your article entitled “Basil’s no John Cleese, but I can’t fault the fun” and published in The Irish Times on the 14th July 2009. I am the proprietor of Raheen House and though you are certainly entitled to your opinion, some of the comments therein are blatantly libellous.

The vitriolic comments about the hotel’s decor aside (decor that has prompted much admiration and many hundreds of people to select Raheen House as the venue for their weddings); the comments about the food served that evening are unfair and misleading in the extreme.

Our chef prides himself in producing all of his food from scratch. The “industrial” soup was freshly made, the “Paxo-like” stuffing was freshly made, and the “chemical gravy” also freshly made.

People laughed when “Basil” stated that when soup was spilled he would simply “open another tin”, This was a comment that people found funny simply because, as many of the people there have been to Raheen House before, they know well that the use of tinned or “industrial” soup is absolutely out of the question in our kitchens.

The use of the words “chemical”, “industrial”, the use of the word “vegetable” in inverted commas, and the association of mass-produced stuffing with our food is horrendously offensive and libellous.

What should be understood is that the food was produced on a budget of €18 per head, the balance of the money from the sale of the ticket went back to the performers and the Junction Festival organisers. Despite the budgetary constraints we did not compromise on freshness and quality. Our profit margin was very small on this event, but we enjoyed it thoroughly and are glad to facilitate the Junction Festival in any way possible.

What must also be considered are the chaotic circumstances that our chef and staff had to operate in to allow the performers the freedom to perform. Given the limited budget and the difficulties posed by the logistics of getting the food out the menu had to appeal to most palates and be easy to serve. Yes, that rendered it limited and unimaginative. However, despite this, the food was freshly made and tasted good. These are the absolute minimum standards that Raheen House operates by. For any other occasion our menus are varied and the food, again, tasty and freshly prepared, but the budgetary and logistical limitations are not a factor.

We did not receive one complaint in the five evenings the show was on about the food, apart from yours. The vast majority of the plates left the function room completely empty.

You are perfectly entitled to dislike the food and to explain why. Your palate is obviously far superior to the vast majority of the people that attended the event. However, you have absolutely no right to bluntly state that our food is anything but freshly made. This is potentially damaging to our reputation. Anyone reading the article would have the impression of an establishment with absolutely no standards in respect of its food. Yes, that might be Fawlty Towers, but it is certainly not Raheen House.

The show received standing ovations in four out of the five performances. At the end of the day it was about the performance and not the food. Perhaps it would have been more appropriate to feature the review of an entertainment or theatre correspondent and not that of a food critic.