Pig in the poke
They've got 5½ acres of land on which they live an almost self sufficient existence, producing a variety of produce for their restaurant from the farm and garden. They have two tunnels, a few cattle, some ducks to eat the slugs and hens which recycle the scraps from the restaurant and produce eggs a few days later. Local fishermen land their catch in the little bay below the house and the catch of the day, be it mackerel or turbot or a crate of mussels, goes on the menu.
Otto and Hilde (who is of Dutch origin) arrived in Ireland from Germany in 1980. At first, Otto was a social worker supervising the foster care of German children. But even as a student in Berlin, he loved food and spent countless hours trying to recreate dishes he tasted in restaurants. He longed to make his hobby his profession, so after much soul searching he picked up courage to knock on Gerry Galvin's door.
