It’s no surprise, says Georgina Campbell of Georgina Campbell’s Ireland, that The White Cottages in Skerries won both Best B&B in Ireland 2014 and the Best B&B Breakfast. “The businesses coming to the top have to work extremely hard and provide great value for money. Breakfast has to be one of the great things they do. The B&Bs that are winning have great chefs, great service and are very creative. To be an award winner, you have to stand out and that’s what Joe and Jackie O’Connor do in the White Cottages. It’s a very special place.”
The White Cottages is a four-bedroom B&B in Skerries in north County Dublin. Run by a husband and wife team, it has an incredible location right on the waters edge with the Cooley and Mourne mountains forming the horizon across an unbroken sea view. Their rooms and outdoor terrace make the most of this view but an equally strong USP is their breakfast. They use only Irish ingredients and if they stray outside their locality, they say, it’s only to source the best, such as the smoked salmon that arrives by courier from a family-run business in Union Hall in Cork.
This attention to ingredients is crucial, says Campbell. “A lot of people see breakfast as an easy option. But it’s so important to get breakfast right, and that’s hard. It sweetens the bill and is the last memory your guests have of your business. It’s what people come back for.”
There were four best breakfasts in this year's Georgina Campbell awards:
Best Country House Breakfast: Newforge House, Magheralin, Co Armagh
Best B&B Breakfast: The White Cottages, Skerries, Co Dublin
Best Hotel Breakfast: Limerick Strand Hotel, Limerick
National Winner Irish Breakfast Awards: Newforge House, Magherlin, Co Armagh
These winners aside, Georgina Campbell’s favourite breakfast has to be at Ballymaloe, she says, which she first visited in 1971. “Every ingredient has a story, from the oatmeal to the eggs. It’s so simple. Simplicity done well creates a most satisfying spirit and the most vivid memories.”
Georgina Campbell's Ireland – the Best of Irish Food and Hospitality is out now. See ireland-guide.com for more
