In pictures: Inside St Fin Barre’s Cathedral as it hosts its first-ever food event for Cork on a Fork
Diners gather for Cork on a Fork's supper event at St Fin Barre's Cathedral on Thursday night. Picture: Larry Cummins
Several passing tourists in Cork thought that St Fin Barre’s Cathedral was closed for a wedding on Thursday evening — but the glamourous guests entering the iconic venue were in fact attending a black-tie food event as part of the Cork on a Fork festival.
The wedding vibes continued inside the gates as guests mingled outside the front doors of St Fin Barre’s, complementing dresses, clinking glasses of Maharani gin, taking selfies, and using that most Corkonian of phrases under the setting sun: “Aren’t we haunted with the weather?”
It’s not every day you get the opportunity to indulge in some fine dining within the walls of an iconic cathedral, so dozens of diners enjoyed exactly that novelty for The Cathedral Supper.
The event saw Michelin-starred chefs Lewis Barker of Terre and Paul McDonald of Bastion join forces within the cathedral for an intimate standing small-plate supper with guests sampling dishes and drinks over two hours.
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The landmark venue has never been host to a food event before, so attendees at the social supper were the first to indulge their taste buds at the historic heart of Cork City and it went down a treat.
Following a local drinks reception and a welcome from the Dean of Cork, Nigel Dunne, guests enjoyed four courses of small plates and bowls which platformed local ingredients, all paired with wine, music, and exclusive insights from experts on the culture and history of the building.
The two chefs spoke to diners before the service began, with Paul McDonald describing it as an honour to serve food in such a landmark venue.
“Isn't it an honour to be able to do a service in a building like this?” he said.
Lewis Barker also spoke about their use of local ingredients in the dishes being served.
“We're going to showcase some of the best ingredients available tonight, and have fun with both dishes,” he added.
Upon entering the cathedral, guests were ushered behind the altar where tables were laid out with a sourdough bread selection from The Grumpy Bakers.
The first dish was Dublin Bay scallops served with Terre garden tomato, tomato ponzu and shiso, accompanied by a Bianca 2025 white wine.
Next up was Bastion’s dish of halibut fillet, with pickled sweetcorn and roasted hazelnut salad and sweetcorn sauce, paired with a glass of Nedjma 2024 wine.
The third round of plates saw Terre return with a 72-hour Irish Dexter beef short rib, with onion miso truffles potato and braised shiitake, paired with a Vino Rosso 2021 magnum.
Finally, dessert came via Bastion and was the cherry on top of the evening’s menu: Bushby strawberries and white chocolate cremeaux, strawberry consomme, and elderflower crème patisserie with a glass of Ancestral Confiscat 2022.
Diners mingled at shared tall tables while opera music was performed, toasting the success of a unique event as part of the festival.
- The Irish Examiner is a proud media partner of Cork on a Fork Festival
