GO IRELAND: Eat, drink and be merry, for Ireland is alive with delicious hostelries off the beaten track, from farmhouses to guest houses and from Carlow to Kerry. Come for the food and stay for the hospitality, writes ALANNA GALLAGHER
Farmhouse cooking
Down on this farm you wake to the sound of the rooster crowing and go to sleep to the gentle lull of the cattle lowing. Coolanowle House in Co Carlow is an organic farm run by Bernadine and James Mulhall. They cure their own bacon, make their own pastrami from dry-cure beef that is rolled in spices and left for a few weeks, then roasted and sliced, and make their sausages and white pudding. All grace the table. They serve their own milk and yogurts and are starting to make their own cheese. You can’t have any fewer food miles from farm to table that we have here, says Bernadine. The house has seven guest rooms.
Cost:Rooms from €100 B&B at weekends – that's €50 pps per night. There are also self-catering cottages that sleep four and cost €250 for a weekend and €450 for a week in July.
Contact: Coolanowle House, Ballickmoyler, Carlow, Co Laois, 059-8625176, coolanowle.com
Catch of the day
Aldridge Lodge is a gem of a guest house, with a very fine restaurant that is open to non-residents. The three-bedroom establishment is unpretentious. Food is the main attraction here. Joanne Harding manages front of house, while Billy Whitty mans the kitchen. They have their own kitchen garden and grow everything from courgettes, tomatoes and potatoes to carrots, herbs, beans and peas, and they keep much of the produce sourcing in the family. Billy’s father Thomas is a fisherman, so much of their shellfish comes from his catch. You can even take a trip out on his boat and eat your own catch that night. A sister is an organic pork farmer who makes superb sausages that grace your plate at breakfast.
Cost:dinner, bed and breakfast costs €80 pps at weekends and €75 pps during the week. A set dinner costs from €38.
Contact: Aldridge Lodge Restaurant and Guesthouse, Duncannon, New Ross, Co Wexford, 051-389116, aldridgelodge.com
Gourmet central
The village of Adare is ripe with delicious options. There are several first-class eateries within walking distance of each other. Stay at the Dunraven Arms Hotel, an ivy-clad, family-run establishment that is high on hospitality. Two nights’ BB and one dinner costs €185 pps at The Dunraven. Dine in-house on arrival night. On Saturday why not explore the grounds of Adare Manor before indulging in afternoon tea, served in the drawing room from 2pm to 5pm. It costs €26.50 per person. That night cross the street and pay the The Wild Geese restaurant a visit. Try pan-seared Castletownbere scallops served with Clonakilty black pudding and deep-fried leeks, followed by roast rack of spring lamb served with a rosemary and thyme potato gratin with creamed leeks and rosemary jus. And if you fancy staying another night, why not make The Mustard Seed your dinner destination.
Contact: Dunraven Arms Hotel Adare, Co Limerick, 061-605900, dunravenhotel.com
Barons of beef
The cow connoisseurs of this world will love Inch Country House and Restaurant in Co Tipperary, where owners John and Nora Egan work a farm of some 250 acres of tillage. They grow their own oats, barley, wheat and potatoes, and buy other vegetables and beef locally. Their fillet and sirloin steaks are legendary. They make their own chutney, marmalade and breads and their own black pudding, which is now selling nationwide. Next year they hope to serve their own oats at breakfast. The Egans have been known to hold black-pudding demonstrations – without divulging their own secret ingredients.
Cost:rooms are €45 B&B pps. Dinner is €55 pp for a five-course meal. A la carte mains start from €22. And there is an early-bird menu from Tuesday to Friday, where three courses cost €35. The menu is available from 5.30pm to 7.30pm (7pm on Fridays).
Contact:Inch House Country House Restaurant, Nenagh Road, Thurles, Co Tipperary, 0504-51348, inchhouse.ie
Veg heaven
It’s difficult for foodie vegetarians to find a place of their own. Cafe Paradiso is one of the best celebrated escapes in Ireland, but what happens when you’ve already been there? Gort na Nain is a small farm some six kilometres from Kinsale that supplies said cafe with much of their produce. Try their full Irish with a twist: homemade chestnut sausages served with fried potatoes from their fields, poached eggs from their own hens and spicy tomato chutney. Or choose scrambled eggs with rosemary and Gabriel cheese and drop scones served with their very own honey and seasonal soft fruit. In addition, they bake all their own breads and make all their jams, chutneys and relishes. Why not rally some foodie friends and book the three rooms out? Bring your own booze, though – they don’t have a licence.
Cost:Two nights' dinner B&B costs €290 per room. Or try a twin destination vegetarian extravaganza: one night at Cafe Paradiso in Cork and one night on the farm for €330 for two.
Contact: Gort na Nain, Ballyherkin, Nohoval, Co Cork, 021-4770647, gortnanain.com
Taste tradition
Enda Conneely runs Fisherman’s Cottage Restaurant on Inis Oírr Island, one the Aran Islands off the Co Galway coast. This a grown-up retreat for adults only. The restaurant serves the best of local produce, fresh fish such as cod, mackerel and haddock, as well as local lamb. His signature dish is crab linguine. And if you’re lucky the menu might also include locally foraged foods such as limpets and dulse. Starters on the à la carte menu are priced form €5, mains from €15.95 and desserts from €5. There are only four rooms to stay in, and it is very tempting to book the place out for a get-together. Nearby are two beaches to explore, and the snorkelling is magic thanks to the fact that the shore floats up to meet you. Ferries depart Rossaveel and Doolin for the island. Crossing time is 70 minutes and 40 minutes respectively. Aer Arann also fly to Inis Oírr.
Contact: South Aran House and Fisherman’s Cottage Restaurant, Inis Oírr, Aran Islands, Co Galway, 099-75073 southaran.com
Feast in style
Emlagh House is a B&B run by mother-and-daughter team Gráinne and Marion Kavanagh. Actors Gabriel Byrne and Clive Owen are both fans of its 10 individually styled rooms. Breakfast is a who’s-who of local produce: the Ashe family from Annascaul make their sausages and black and white puddings; their eggs are from Manning’s Farm in Lispole and their smoked salmon and kippers Iasc Uí Mhathúna. Marion makes the accompanying jams, breads and compotes. Should you wish to explore the Blasket Islands or climb Mount Eagle they will happily organise a picnic, with thermos and blankets. Complimentary afternoon tea with fresh cake, homemade biscuits, tea and coffee is served daily in the drawing room overlooking Dingle Bay. Dingle is a serious foodie town, rich with eating options.
Cost:Rooms cost €85-€110 pps, depending on room type, all through August. Dingle Food Festival is on October 1st-2nd.
Contact:Emlagh House, Dingle, Co Kerry, 066-9152345, emlaghhouse.com
West coast cooler
Vaughan’s is a simply decorated seven-room establishment in the heart of Liscannor, Co Clare, that has already won the hearts of Niall Quinn, Keith Wood and Christy O’Connor jnr. Dinner is a la carte. On the menu is a wide selection of fresh fish, from lobster caught by local fishermen to a cold fish platter that takes you on a tour of all Irish waters have to offer: smoked salmon, crab, prawns, oysters and smoked mackerel served with bread and salad. It costs €25.95. Enjoy the wine list without fear of having to drive anywhere, and if you want a little after-dinner music pay nearby McHugh’s pub a visit for a sing-song and a night cap. When you’re ready to retire, climb upstairs in Vaughan’s for the night.
Cost:Each of the seven rooms is en suite and costs €35 B&B pps. At breakfast, dine on Limerick bacon and sausages and local eggs.
Contact:Vaughan's, Main Street, Liscannor, Co Clare, 065-7081548, vaughans.ie
