Culinary Tour of Ireland, Autumn 2006

Our ten days in Ireland this autumn were filled with great food, breathtaking scenery and warm welcomes all along the way.

Following is a sampling of our adventures:

Andy and Alice step up to the challenge of sampling a variety of whiskeys at the Old Midleton Distillery, home of Jameson’s. It’s a tough job, but . . .

Before we get down to the serious business of making our lunch at Ballyknocken Cookery School, our group first tours the herb garden, to see what we have on hand to use.

Carol and David take charge of the lamb for our scrummy lunch at Ballyknocken Cookery School, just a stones throw from the Irish Sea in County Wicklow.

Katherine Fulvio, proprietor of Ballyknocken Cookery School, shares her technique for making good scones with Leo and Glennalie.

We don our disposable wellies and troop out to the “factory floor” to meet the Baileys Ladies, some of those special cows who provide the essential element in Baileys Irish Cream.

These specially-selected Baileys Ladies work 24/7, producing uncommonly rich cream at this farm in County Wicklow.

Noreen Kinney, THE pioneer of culinary touring in Ireland, graciously offered me the chance to participate in this tour . . .

Don’t worry—I’m not singing! Each day I provided commentary on different aspects of culinary Ireland, including seafood smoking (you can inhale all you want!), the phenomenon of “bog butter,” the amazingly versatile seaweed, and that illegal, knock-your-socks-off elixir known as poitín.

Stephan takes us through the stages of raising fish at his trout farm in County Wicklow, just south of Dublin. Ireland produces a wealth of both saltwater and freshwater fish.

John learns the proper technique for pulling a Guinness at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. And, yes, it DOES taste better at the source!

At Cashel Blue in County Tipperary, we learn how cow’s and sheep’s milk is turned into Cashel Blue and Crozier Blue cheeses, two of Ireland’s finest exports.

After the curd is developed and broken up, it is massaged into molds, where it will magically be transformed into Cashel’s blue cheeses.

Meats available at Cork City’s English Market include a broad range of the freshest farm-produced meats and fowl. Offerings at the market include a dizzying array of fresh fruit and veggies, dairy products, eggs, honey, seafood, locally-produced charcuterie and freshly-baked breads.

Two local specialties of County Cork are drisheen and tripe, both of which are, ahem, shall we say acquired tastes. Here at the English Market, both are prepared for sale to walk-in customers and for use by the Farmgate Café upstairs.

At Hunter’s Lodge we settle in for a lovely meal at the oldest coaching inn in Ireland.

Loo confusion: Not all loos are bilingual, so it isn’t wise to wait until you’re desperate to decide which one to use!

At Molaga Honey in County Cork, Jerry demonstrates how he extracts honey from the comb. He explained that you can tell which flowers the honey is made from by the color of the honey itself. That’s a good thing, since the bees are quite mum on the subject.

Our group gathered across the harbor from Kinsale for a quick photo. The final stop on our tour, the southern coastal town of Kinsale is the heart of culinary Ireland and the setting for the annual Kinsale International Food Festival.

We breezed into Kinsale in time for the opening night’s reception of the 30th annual Kinsale International Food Festival. Rosemary, David, Ken and Andy raise a glass of champagne in honor of the occasion.

© 2008, The Hungry Passport