Contact Tourism Ireland to arrange Interviews with Any of our Visiting Ambassadors, whether Celebrity Chefs or Garden Afficionados

Highlights | Regional Flavors | Useful Links | Recipes

The Gourmet’s Guide to Ireland

Varied rural landscapes, the natural friendliness of the people, the tradition of hospitality and the unique quality of the food experience make Ireland a wonderful place for a holiday.

The island is small enough to reach any point within a few hours and you’ll be surprised at the amount of terrain you can cover over a short period of time. For such a small island, you’ll also be pleasantly surprised at how much there is to see and do.

Dublin, for instance, has a multitude of historic buildings, art galleries and museums, not forgetting the Guinness Storehouse, where you can learn how the country’s world-famous stout is produced. County Antrim justifiably boasts the historic Bushmills Distillery, and is also a perfect base for exploring the Causeway Coast – including breathtaking seafront walks and the internationally celebrated Giant’s Causeway. Cork, meanwhile, is a certified food-lover’s destination – visit the fascinating Butter Museum, and experience the hustle and bustle of the city’s historic English Market, which specialises in regional and artisan foods, and also sells everything a food connoisseur could ever need, from traditional Irish food to the downright exotic at times.

The unique food experience in Ireland is far more than just tasting regional foods, such as air-dried hill lamb from Connemara, eels from Lough Neagh and blaas (a floury bread roll) from Waterford. Visit specialist shops and food markets to meet with farmers, artisan food producers and farmhouse cheesemakers – all of these highly skilled people have a passion for food that has been passed down through generations. And travelling through Ireland, you will quickly appreciate the healthy, verdant landscape as the source of these fine food ingredients.

Today, Ireland produces and exports grass-fed meat (beef, lamb, pork, wild boar and venison); while dairy produce is also an important industry, selling milk, butter and creamery-produced cheese around the world. You only have to stand at the piers in Killybegs, County Donegal, Kilkeel, County Down and Dunmore, County Waterford, to watch foreign buyers frantically trying to outbid each other for the day's catch to understand the importance of Irish fish and seafoods.

Irish whiskeys Bushmills and Jameson have also travelled well; likewise, there are few who wouldn’t instantly recognise an Irish stout in the guise of Guinness, Beamish or Murphy's; while Irish ciders, Bulmers, Magners, and cream liqueurs, such as Bailey's Irish Cream, are as familiar worldwide as they are at home. The history of Irish Whiskey can be traced on guided tours through any of the Irish whiskey visitors centres - The Irish Whiskey Corner in Dublin, Bushmills Distillery County Antrim and The Jameson Heritage Centre in Midleton County Cork, 12 miles east of Cork City.

back to top

Learning to cook in Ireland

There are few things more enjoyable than whiling away an afternoon up to your elbows in flour, baking a loaf of soda bread, or learning to combine kale, scallions, potatoes and butter to make the perfect dish of colcannon. Plentiful in Ireland, cookery schools allow visitors to combine a holiday with a short cookery course. Those with a serious interest could take an intensive short course, or even a three-month certificate course aimed at giving students the skills to cook professionally.

Complementing this expert tuition are the idyllic locations of some of these cookery schools: the Belle Isle School of Cookery near Enniskillen is deep in the heart of the lush Fermanagh lakelands; while Ballynocken House and Cookery School is nestled in the hills of the Garden of Ireland, County Wicklow.

If hands-on seems like too much hard work, then why not try a thoroughly satisfying afternoon demonstration by celebrity chef Darina Allen at the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Shanagarry, East Cork. Here – and, indeed, in most Irish cookery schools – you can investigate the kitchen garden where much of the food used is grown using traditional or organic farming methods.

For a full listing of cookery schools in Ireland, visit www.discoverireland.com

back to top

Ireland‘s Culinary Scene – “Homegrown with a dash of exotic”

Few people outside of Ireland saw this one coming, yet the entire island has slipped quietly into a new role as a must-visit destination for food-lovers from all over the world.

Just weeks ago, champagne corks were popping in restaurants across the country when the latest batch of Michelin Stars was awarded. Ireland now has seven Michelin Star restaurants. The two new additions to the fold - Mint Restaurant and Bon Appetite in Dublin - both managed to secure the coveted status within 2 years of opening which is an indication of how truly dynamic and vibrant the Irish culinary scene has become.

In Northern Ireland, Restaurant Michael Deane maintained it’s outstanding record and received the illustrious accolade for the 12th year running.

The style of food obviously varies greatly at these restaurants but what they all have in common is the warmth and individuality that has always been at the heart of Irish hospitality - and, no matter how diverse the courses, the basic building blocks are the excellent raw materials for which Ireland has a wonderful reputation.

Our famous pastures make for a wide range of fabulous products, notably beef and lamb, while our rivers and seas provide an abundance of fresh fish and seafood. Local produce is a point of pride in the best kitchens everywhere and a growing interest in specialist production is reflected in the availability of products like hand-smoked fish and meats, baked goods and preserves plus a wide range of organic vegetables and fruit, many of which are sold at local farmers markets.

As well as sampling our fine dining restaurants, a visit to a cookery school is a major part of the Irish culinary trail.

Ireland’s most famous cookery school is run by Chef Darina Allen in the lush, rolling countryside of East Cork. At Ballymaloe, you might find yourself spending a half day learning how to make the most of fish from nearby Ballycotton Harbour or you might simply like to take the mystery out of jams and preserves.

The most important ingredient of the Irish Cookery School experience is to learn in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, as can be found at Elizabeth Kennedy’s school in Belfast. Students are taught classic or creative modern cookery in a homely setting that leaves you always wanting seconds.

The final cog in the Irish culinary wheel can be seen at some of the stunning luxury hotels popping up across the island. These wonderful properties are only too aware that along with beautiful lodgings they must provide outstanding cuisine to match.

The Merchant and The Culloden in Belfast, and The Dylan in Dublin – are all examples of hotels that have embraced this approach. They have invested in Chefs with years of international expertise and they are reaping the rewards of providing the ‘total hotel package’.

Their kitchens, like many others throughout the island, have taken Ireland’s ‘homegrown’, sprinkled in a dash of ‘exotic’, and now offer a dining experience to rival anywhere in the world.

back to top