Irish Food Beyond the Stew and Pub Fare

To fully experience this new dawn of delicious Irish Food, travellers must head to the quaint coastal town of Kinsale (from the Irish, Ceann tSáile - 'Head of the Sea'), just under an hour’s drive west of Cobh. Dubbed “the Culinary Capital of Ireland”, Kinsale, with its brightly painted cottages, yacht-filled harbour, and highest concentration of quality restaurants anywhere in the country, enjoys a well-deserved reputation for its gourmet restaurants serving the most exquisite locally-caught seafood.

Devoted foodies and the casual fine food admirer alike can savour mouth-watering dishes at Kinsale restaurants such as the Fishy Fish Cafe with its skate wing and samphire – deliciously tender salty asparagus-like stalks – served with capers and chanterelles, Hake with a fennel purée and coriander buttered clams, or breast of duck with caramelised apples and Calvados at Toddies. Both the Fishy Fish Café and Toddies, whose fresh menus change daily, were honoured as top 100 Irish restaurants in the prestigious Bridgestone Irish Food Guide.

Kinsale’s International Festival of Autumn Flavours, held every October, presents the food lovers with a delectable treat, showcasing the best of the town’s restaurants through tastings of fresh seafood, world cuisine and traditional Irish cooking. This world famous festival is the time when the town greets visitors from across the world with the Gaelic phrase “Céad Mile Fáilte” or “One Hundred Thousand Welcomes”.

An hour east of Kinsale past Cobh lies Shangarry, a small village known for The Ballymaloe Cookery School, one of Europe’s finest. Ballymaloe claims to be the only cookery school in the world located in the middle of its own 100-acre organic farm and strictly adheres to the principles of modern Irish cuisine – fresh ingredients locally grown, the use of seasonal produce and awareness of environmental impact.