Where and what to eat sustainably in Ireland
Afternoon tea, Irish-style with Cooleeney Cheese
Sustainability is a bit of a buzzword in the food industry that many use, but not many adhere too. In days gone by, we never labelled this movement as sustainability, but instead, the Irish like to describe this as a “contract with nature”, constantly renewing and improving their respect for the environment.
The Republic of Ireland boasts the only national food and drink sustainability programme in the world uniting government, the private sector and food producers through the Irish Food Board – Bord Bia. It’s a bold initiative that has been running for six years under the Origin Green banner, with the objective of helping all farmers, manufacturers, along with retail and food service providers across Ireland become sustainable. Under this charter, producers make commitments towards raw material sourcing, manufacturing processes, social sustainability, plus health and nutrition.
To put this in perspective, Ireland is a country of five million people, yet produces enough to feed 25 million – hence why exports are valued at nearly EUR13 billion, including to the UAE. And that’s partly because two thirds of Ireland’s land is used for agriculture (80% in grass). This compelling video paints a picture:
I learnt all this and more on a press trip to Ireland visiting Origin Green sustainably certified producers, interspersed with restaurants serving local, seasonal ingredients. Here’s a guide to the sustainable Irish produce you should eat when in Ireland (and where to find it in Dubai), as well as a round-up of tried and tasted restaurants in Dublin, and across the Emerald isle. For something similar on Northern Ireland, have a read of my guide here:
SUSTAINABLE IRISH PRODUCE:
- Duck from Silver Hill Farm: if you’re a fan of crispy Peking duck, there’s no doubt you would have eaten Silver Hill’s duck in premium Chinese restaurants around the world. Founded in 1962, family-owned Silver Hill in Emyvale, Co. Monaghan hand rears its own distinctive breed of duck that are fed on a natural diet, evident in the flavoursome, succulent meat. Worth noting ducks are in season from October to March. Breeding, egg production, hatching and selection, to processing, cooking (for some clients) and packaging are all handled in-house at the farm. Feathers are even recycled to make high quality duvets and pillows. In addition to supplying the trade and retail, there’s a farm shop on site. Silver Hill is due to restart trade supplies to restaurants in Dubai.
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Spot the salmon – pens by The Irish Organic Salmon Co.
Salmon from The Irish Organic Salmon Co: salmon has been farmed since 1995 in Ireland’s exposed westerly waters by Clare Island in Co. Mayo – the first salmon farm to achieve organic certification at the time, which we visited by boat. The company now boasts ten salmon farms across Ireland, with full product traceability. It takes three years to rear salmon from egg to fork. The fish are fed a diet of only organic, natural ingredients from sustainable by-products of fish, fish oil and vegetables – and are reared in large pens to allow them to follow their natural shoaling behaviour. The salmon’s pink colour is acquired naturally in the wild from the crustaceans they eat. The high tidal exchange rates ensure that the oceanic water continually flushes through the pens, avoiding any build-up of parasites or pollutants. A visit by boat to the plethora of Clare Island pens is fascinating – they should launch consumer tours. It’s my go-to salmon purchase at Spinneys. And for trade through Fresh Express.
- Beef from John Stone: if you’ve never eaten John Stone beef (and lamb) in Dubai, you’ve been living in a cave. Many licensed steakhouses in Dubai (and around the world) serve their cuts. The 50+ year-old family-run company produces some of the world’s most premium beef that adheres to five principles – environment, farmer, selection, ageing and butchery. They work with small Irish farms whose cattle (maximum 20 per farm) are 100% free from hormones, and who graze freely outside on a diet of grass for 300 days, which gives the beef its distinct earthy flavour. In-house butchers are led by operations manager-cum-master butcher Martin Casey who toured us around the facility. They hand pick the best loins using their own unique marbling criteria. The meat is dry-aged for 21-28 days to increase tenderness and flavour, de-boned, and hand-trimmed to perfection. Available to online order in Dubai through Secrets Fine Food website, and for trade through mother company Classic Fine Foods.
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Irish oysters at Matt The Thresher, Dublin
Cheese from Cooleeney Farm: established over three decades ago in Thurles, Co. Tipperary by Breda Maher whose husband inherited the land. The Friesian dairy cows are a closed herd and all replacement animals are bred on the farm, which helps reduce the risk of disease. At the crack of dawn every morning, the cheese maker pumps the milk into the cheese vats where the cultures are added. Later when the rennet goes in, curds are formed and after the moulds are filled, drainage takes place in a temperature-controlled room. The cheese is turned on a regular basis to keep it evenly moisturised. The following day the cheese is brined and placed into special controlled ripening rooms where the process of flavour development begins, until the cheese is matured. Once the cheese is fully moulded, it is wrapped and packed for sale. Cooleney produces a range of 11 cow’s milk cheeses including a superb beer-washed Brie that we tasted, and one goat’s cheese. The cheeses are available in Dubai for trade only through Classic Fine Foods, but you will find it in some of Dubai’s five star hotels. INTERESTING TIP: The ‘Use By Date’ is simply an indication of the maturity of the cheese. Cheese is a live product and you may wish to mature the cheese for a longer period to acquire those wonderful umami flavours. Always take your cheese out of the fridge at least an hour before consumption for optimum flavour.
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Hello friendly cows – Killowen Farm
Yoghurt from Killowen Farm: being Greek-Cypriot my consumption of yoghurt is typically as an accompaniment to lunch or dinner, not as a breakfast dish, but since my return to Dubai armed with a cooler bag of live cow’s milk yoghurt pots, I have changed my routine and breakfast it is 🙂 The lemon curd and local Wexford gooseberry with real fruit and no added sugars are my favourite for their tangy flavours. Killowen Farm, located at the foot of Blackstairs mountains in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, has been in the Dunne family for over two centuries, currently run by Nicholas Dunne, his wife Judith, and sister Pauline. The yoghurts are 100% natural made from only milk and live cultures, with no preservatives or additives. Any fruit that is added is sourced locally. The friendly dairy cows that we visited live out in the fields from February to November munching on 70kg of grass daily. In winter they move indoors and feed on a diet of grass silage, maize silage, beet, straw and meal. They walk into the parlour where they are milked, with the fresh milk travelling less than ten metres through a pipe before being churned into yoghurt. In Dubai, the yoghurts are only available from Classic Fine Foods for trade/ restaurants, as well as on Emirates, but only first class, sadly.
RESTAURANTS SERVING LOCAL, IRISH PRODUCE:
DUBLIN:
I have listed these restaurants in order of my favourites. Those marked with an asterisk* are paid for by myself when I extend my stay over the weekend – for the remaining, we are hosted by Bord Bia.
- The Winding Stair *: winding up the stairs from a bookshop sits my best dining experience in Dublin. A bistro priding itself on Irish artisan produce with provenance clearly stated on the menu, views across Ha’Penny Bridge and River Liffey, and an energetic vibe. Make sure to ask for a window table. Irish cheese croquettes – pictured below left. Chicory, peas and picked red onions. Walnut gremolata. Black garlic purée. A wonderful marriage of flavours and textures. Across the riverbank is Temple Bar, in case you fancy a pint (cider in my case, not Guinness) and live music in one of the many pubs after dinner.
- Matt The Thresher *: crab doughnuts with a saffron aioli. Mussels in a chermoula sauce. A dozen oysters. Malt bread with salted butter. All Irish produce – below left. Washed down with rose, and to the tune of a pianist. Just a light lunch. This brasserie-style seafood restaurant quite rightly comes highly recommended by many, including Anthony Bourdain. Yet again, ask for a window table.
- Asador: Irish octopus?! I am convinced it is Spanish, but no, it hails from the southern shores of Ireland. A tender chargrilled tentacle served with a Romesco sauce, a cucumber mooli (daikon) salad, and a mango salsa. The aptly named Asador grills Irish meats and seafood over charcoal. This starter is followed by a glorious whiskey-flamed grass-fed chateaubriand with decadent bone marrow.
- Locks *: this smart dining room overlooks the banks of the Grand Canal – top right. Serves contemporary Irish fare, with yet again local produce. The plating of a lamb from Castlemine Farm is a little too fussy for my liking though.
- FX Buckley: a small chain of steakhouses operated by butchers turned restaurateurs, we eat in the original Pembroke Street location (opposite Matt The Thresher). The duck liver parfait is excellent, but the accompanying Yorkshire pud (to spread the parfait) is stale. My steak tartare (pictured right) lacks flavour. Those who order steaks fare better it seems.
Cafés:
- Noshington *: on Dublin’s southside at the corner of Washington Street (hence the Noshington name) sits what looks like a non-descript neighbourhood café. However, the food at breakfast impresses for the quality and portion size. The Irish fry (pictured right), along with smashed avocado and poached eggs on malt brown bread are delicious choices.
- Bewley’s *: this coffee house institution on Dublin’s Grafton High Street has re-opened after years of restoration, with the wonderful stained glass windows still intact. We pop in for an Irish coffee with the cream poured table-side, but I much prefer mine with whipped cream.
For more restaurant recommendations in Dublin, check out this comprehensive guide in the Daily Telegraph that helped with my research, along with online e-magazine The Taste Ireland.
ACROSS IRELAND:
- The Duck Restaurant: a one and a half hour drive south from Dublin on the coast on the outskirts of Gorey, Co. Wexford sits this restaurant in Marlfield House hotel, a Relais & Chateaux property – and my favourite dining experience outside Dublin. A conservatory building with French doors opens out on to a sandstone terrace overlooking a glorious kitchen garden, so you can eat both indoors and al fresco. The modern Irish menu with ingredients from the garden and locally boasts an Italian influence. The wild sea bass I tucked into hails from Duncannon fishmongers – below left. Forty minutes north towards Dublin, you must make a pit stop at Avoca’s flagship location in Kilmacanoge, Co. Wicklow, a mesmerising retail concept housing artisan products, food included – as well as delis, cafes, florists and garden centres.
The Fatted Calf: it’s always beef o’clock at this restaurant one and a half hours west of Dublin in Athlone, Co. Westmeath, owned and operated by a husband and wife team. I had been looking forward to John Stone’s free-range, grass-fed and dry-aged beef all week. A tour of the plant in Ballymahon preceded this wonderful lunch feast over three different succulent and tasty cuts of beef – pictured right.- The Oarsman: a gastro-pub lunch in pretty riverside town Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim, a two hour drive north west of Dublin. Pan-fried hake – above right. Chorizo and raisins add an umami flavour dimension to the veggies. Irish coffee for dessert. We leave satiated.
- Sage: over three hours drive to the west coast of Ireland in touristy yet pretty Westport sits Bulgarian-owned Sage restaurant. Rammed like sardines for a week night dinner, the food, once again, screams local produce, including my main course of Silver Hill duck cooked two ways, and a starter of creamy Kilary rock oysters – both pictured below.
Any more restaurant tips for Ireland, or Irish produce worth seeking out?
A bientôt.
FooDiva. x
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