Something is happening in Clare. Volunteers are boiling vats of water taken from the sea off Loop Head to extract table salt. Children are picking hazelnuts in the Burren and getting ready to extract oil from them. Butter is being churned in Liscannor from the milk of cows born and reared in north Clare.

Next Friday, October 10th, chef JP McMahon, owner of Galway’s Michelin-starred Aniar Restaurant, will create a harvest banquet for 250 people using only ingredients produced in Co Clare.

The Clare Harvest Banquet takes place at the Old Ground Hotel, in Ennis. Starting with tapas and cider, guests will work their way through courses featuring wild blackberries and raspberries, meat, fish, apples, grapes, cheeses, sea vegetables, herbs, vegetables, salads and, of course, hazelnuts gathered by children in the Burren. Tickets are €50 and available from the Old Ground; tel 065-6828127.