After an early start and a flight from Stansted to Kerry I was met at the airport by Artie and Ann, my local foodie expert and guide, respectively. Our first stop was for a quick coffee at the Phoenix cafe en route from the airport, a quaint little café with herbs and vegetables growing in the garden and some quirky accommodation options in the garden.
From there we were off to meet Greta, originally from Cork but long since settled on the Dingle peninsula, and the local herb specialist. It was late in the season so there wasn’t much left to see but Greta happily showed me around anyway, and explained a little about the herbs she grows – mostly for culinary use but some for medicinal purposes too. From Greta’s we drove past the mussel growers in Cromand Bay and on to the Annascaul Black Pudding Company where they showed me their handmade sausages, their organic black pudding (pig’s blood sausage) which they made without the usual barley and with fresh blood unlike most black pudding which gave it an especially smooth texture and meant it could be either fried or grilled. The factory produces about 1,800 sausages per day but it is a labour-intensive process and the place was abuzz with activity. One of their newest products was a combination black pudding sausage which looked great but unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to sample.
Our next stop was “Chicken George’s place”, the local free range egg guy who showed us the sorting process and the machine tasked with the delicate process of sorting the eggs by category. Such a gentle machine I don’t think I’ve seen before. George showed us the hen house and the gentle process that encourages the hens to lay indoors in the central shaft so that the eggs all come out on a conveyor belt and completely clean. When they are not laying the hens have the free run of the field outside. I had never seen a hen farm before so it was interesting to see the whole process for real. Their “hen dog” (as opposed to the traditional sheep dog) stood at the open door to make sure none of the hens came out other than the way they were meant to!
From there we headed back into Dingle town we had lunch at the Garden Café, and I tasted the famous Dingle Dog, a locally baked bun custom made with two of Jerry Flaherty’s sausages inside and some caramelised onion. Truly delicious! One of the main initiatives in Dingle Food is the “L” that is seen on many menus throughout the town and the peninsula, which signifies that all ingredients are locally sourced. There are a very large number of artisan producers delivering top quality local food so the whole idea works very well.
After lunch I checked into the lovely Emlaugh Appartments, and on arrival Chicken George pulled up in his van with his delivery of eggs for the following morning. Myself and Artie took a wander through the town once I had settled in and he showed me some wood carvings in the church grounds from a Peruvian artisan who came in search of the local priest who he had heard was a patron of the arts and was duly commissioned. Impressive stuff and a great story. We visited Jerry Kennedy’s butchers who explained a little about the process of making his sausages and about the Blasket Island beef that had just come in that day but wouldn’t be ready for sale for another five or six days.
After a little more wandering we found ourselves in a pub that was also a hardware shop, a quirky combination but not especially unusual in rural Ireland. Across the road we visited another pub, Currans, which would have been an ideal spot for a photo diary with people sitting behind the counters reading papers, shirts hanging from the shelves and all sorts of old and interesting tidbits all over the place.
Next door we went for dinner in one the town’s top restaurants, the Global Village, rated one of Ireland’s top 100. And the food lived up to its billing – I chose a crab and cognac bisque as a starter and the flavour was superb and the texture was soft and lovely. For main I had delicious Pollack while Artie had lamb, and we opted for a cheeseboard for dessert. There was a good selection of cheeses – gruyere, cheddar, a creamy goat’s cheese - but the highlight for me was a cheese from West Cork called Gobeen which was lightly smoked and had a slight sharpness. I put it on my shopping list immediately!
Myself and Artie headed down to the waterfront after dinner for a nightcap and to watch some local musicians in one of the local pubs who were pretty good. A long but very enjoyable day I have to say.
Our next stop was “Chicken George’s place”, the local free range egg guy who showed us the sorting process and the machine tasked with the delicate process of sorting the eggs by category. Such a gentle machine I don’t think I’ve seen before. George showed us the hen house and the gentle process that encourages the hens to lay indoors in the central shaft so that the eggs all come out on a conveyor belt and completely clean. When they are not laying the hens have the free run of the field outside. I had never seen a hen farm before so it was interesting to see the whole process for real. Their “hen dog” (as opposed to the traditional sheep dog) stood at the open door to make sure none of the hens came out other than the way they were meant to!
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