On the trail of some great produce in Sligo

A new Sligo food trail offers a new take on the city — and a taste of the unexpected, says Caroline Hennessy.

Every city has a food story. There are other stories too. Ones about literature and art and history for visitors to dip into. But it’s the food story that everyone has to encounter, whether it’s a cup of coffee on the go or a riverside lunch. That Sligo’s food story has been developing and getting more exciting in recent years has been brought into focus with the establishment of a Sligo Food Trail (sligofoodtrail.ie), which covers city and county, producers, restaurants and experiences. This self-guided trail is not just about the great food on offer but about the unexpected: a thriving cafe with a focus on delicious plant-based food, foraged seaweed in your salad, a taste of oyster heaven tucked into the back of a café.

Sligo has a lot of surprises in store, and it’s closer than you might think. Back in the 1990s, it was a day-long journey on the bus from Cork’s Parnell Place, involving several novels, magazines, a walkman and a stack of tapes. Now, it’s motorways and podcasts all the way to Tuam, with a welcome change of pace when the road turns back into the old N17 to meander through a rosary’s worth of small towns like Milltown, Ballindine and Tubbercurry before emerging right into Sligo.

Ditch the car as soon as you arrive — Sligo is a city made for strolling. Head straight to the Tourist Information Office on O’Connell Street and pick up an illustrated copy of A Signposted Walking Tour of Sligo City. This excellent guide takes you through and tells you about some of the most interesting parts of the city and it’s easy to incorporate some food stops into this 4.5km tour.

Plan your campaign over brunch at the quirky Hooked. It’s owned by Sligo native Anthony Gray, who also has the nearby award-winning Eala Bhán bistro, and features an abundance of locally sourced food. The menu is put together as creatively as the interior of this bright, all-day restaurant — there’s something everywhere you look: a boat hanging from the ceiling, a Sharpie mural, an intriguing use of light shades. Their twist on avocado toast has sourdough slathered with almond butter, topped with avocado and finished with a pair of veg-flecked skinny egg white muffins. It tastes so good that it seems a crime to leave it purely for the gym bunnies. So don’t. There’s a walking work-out to come.

Before you embark on the tour, stop at Sweet Beat Café for some caffeine. In 2015, it took a certain kind of nerve to open a cafe focused entirely on plant-based food — but that’s just what Carolanne Rushe did. She initially started producing her Green Warrior products for the weekly farmers’ market in Strandhill; there was such a demand for her fresh nut milks, vegan salads, raw brownies and treats that she opened this buzzing café in Sligo just 10 months later. You’re here for coffee — they use 3fe beans — and you can stick with regular milk or choose from soy or nut options. Grab a bottle of their house-made kombucha while you’re there, for later hydration, and no one will judge if you pick up a treat from the delicious array on the counter. When the gluten-free double chocolate brownies look this good, it would be a sin not to.

The first part of the walking tour leads you around the south of the town, taking in historical spots like Summerhill College, St John’s Church (burial place of Bram Stoker’s mother) and a medieval Abbey (March to October, 10am to 6pm, entry: €5) with a tumultuous history. After all that history, it’s time for refreshments and Ósta Café & Wine Bar at the Garavogue Weir offers a warm welcome, including blankets if you wish to sit outside by the river. Ósta is owned by local food hero, the indefatigable Brid Torrades, and the cafe prides itself on fresh, seasonal and local food, avoiding waste by pickling and fermenting, and includes foraged ingredients, like seaweed, on the menu. It’s time for a light lunch — there’s always an interesting salad of the day (think beetroot, carrot and apple with turmeric beans) and don’t miss a chance to add on some local Zing cheese, made by Dozio’s of Mayo.

Time for a proper introduction to Sligo’s most famous family at the next stop, contemporary arts centre The Model (Tue–Sat, 10am-5pm. Sun, 10.30am-3.30pm). Yeats; Portrait of a Family – on until October 28 – draws together intimate portraits and personal items relating to painter John Butler Yeats and four of his children: writer William; Susan and Elizabeth, founders of the Dún Emer Guild/Cuala Press; and painter Jack. Jack and John Yeats also feature in the centre’s permanent Niland Art Collection, alongside a who’s who of 20th century Irish artists. The Model is also the base for Sligo Global Kitchen, a collaborative project that enables people living in direct provision to cook and share food from their different cultures at a monthly meal that is open to all. Rock up on the right evening (check Sligo Global Kitchen on social media for dates) for a chance to taste food from Zambia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. No charge for the meal but donations for the next event are accepted.

En route back into town, take a detour into WB Coffee House. Head straight through the bustling café, down to an enclosed room space in the back, home of the Sligo Oyster Experience. Owner Aisling Kelly serves a superb oyster menu (Thurs-Sat, 3pm-6pm, oysters start at €2) featuring the delicate and sweet Sligo Bay oysters any way you want: naked, dressed or baked (the four cheese version is an unexpected delight) with a glass of wine or local craft beer.

Cross the Hyde Bridge, over the Garavogue River, which flows out to feed the oyster beds in Sligo Bay, to the nineteenth century red brick Yeats Memorial Building. This is the home of the prestigious Yeats Summer School, which gathers scholars from around the world every year to discuss all things Yeatsian. For those of us who prefer to dabble, the permanent Yeats in the West exhibition (Mon-Fri 10am–5pm, Entry: €3) will cover most bases.

With all that food and culture and literature and art and walking under the belt, it’s time for a pint. While Sligo is blessed with no end of decent bars to while away an evening, both Hargadon Bros and Thomas Connolly have the ideal combination of dark, cosy snugs and a choice of Irish gins and local beers from breweries like Lough Gill, White Hag and Mescan. Sit back and raise a glass to Sligo, full of food stories.

Where to stay

The stylish Glasshouse Hotel (www.theglasshouse.ie) is right in the city centre so perfect if you want to abandon the car and walk everywhere. They also do elegant afternoon tea upstairs in the View Bar, overlooking the Garavogue River. Just 20 minutes out the road, Temple House (www.templehouse.ie) is a gloriously historic country manor on a private estate. Evening meals are served to residents and drop in guests on Fridays and Saturdays.

What to bring home

Voya Spearmint & Rosemary seaweed soap: if you don’t get as far as the seaweed baths in Strandhill, pick up a bar of this soap and make believe that you’re at the beach. You’ll find it, and lots of other gorgeous Voya products, at Kate’s Kitchen, a one-stop shop for beauty/ coffee / lunch / artisan food products.

Clo’s Chocolates: French chocolatier and patissier Clothilde Rambaud at Le Fournil makes all her chocolates on site, stocks superb sourdough and – just an FYI – Fridays are doughnut days.

Sea spaghetti foraged seaweed from SeaShoreVeg: cook some with regular spaghetti, toss with sauce and don’t tell the children.

Sweet Beat’s Faux Gras: a umami-rich mushroom and lentil pate that works as a dip, spread or even mixed through into that sea spaghetti dish.