Déise Delights: head to the Waterford Way for a culinary cruise
Lismore Castle and Gardens in Co Waterford.
Hello, autumn. The beech trees are rusting, there’s an ‘r’ in the month and Ireland’s blackberries, apples and oysters are bursting for harvest.
All the better time for a culinary getaway, then? September makes a perfectly scenic time for a rustic road-trip — but by pit-stopping routes with visits to local food producers and markets, the travel experience can really go up a gear. Don’t get me wrong, my self-catering supplies frequently come courtesy of an Aldi haul. But this week, I attempted to shop a little more local, by touring the Waterford Food Way and savouring some true Déise delicacies.
My journey geared off in perhaps my favourite Irish town, Lismore. Dramatically located along what was once the buzzing Blackwater, today Lismore feels refreshingly sequestered away from mass-tourism, considering its drop-dead gorgeous backdrop.
Every Sunday outside Lismore Castle, the town hosts its ridiculously idyllic farmers and craft market, in a setting so astoundingly chocolate-box, you almost feel transported to a Sussex country village. Stalls are suitably quirky (artisanal dog treats from Maison du Chien, for example) but I headed to market newcomer New Shoots who began growing and selling their range of herb cuttings during lockdown. A fine bushy basil plant cost me just €3. That was my garnish sorted, at least.
Lismore market is a member of Food the Waterford Way; almost 40 restaurants, markets and producers who’ve created a hospitality network to spotlight the local food scene. Many producers are open by appointment too, so I was keen to stitch some in. In Dungarvan, I met Liam McDonell of Legacy Cider who was just gearing up for the season’s harvest and offered me samples of his zesty dry and medium varieties, bursting with bramley bite.
Down the coast along Waterford’s scenic Gaeltacht, An Rinn is home to one of the country’s finest shellfish farms, Harty Oysters. Here, I was welcomed by Joe Harty who shared tales of the oyster’s odyssey journey from Famine fodder to global delicacy before furnishing me with a box of his deliciously cucumber-hinted oysters (down to the algae, apparently).
Food scenes don't have to be pretentious. By adding more Waterford flavour to my self-catering break, I not only connected to my destination better, but I supported a more sustainable model for Irish tourism and indeed my road-tripping habit. And that’s probably the best route for the future.
Every county should have one. Celebrating the best of local fare, Food the Waterfood Way offer an excellent resource of the county’s finest producers. Further highlights include Blackwater Distillery and Barron’s bakery in Cappoquin, Baldwin's Farmhouse Ice-cream in Knockanore and the Dungarvan Brewing Company whose friendly beer tours make a popular chaser after touring the nearby greenway. For a handy map of the region, see foodthewaterfordway.com
Castlemartyr Resort was my ideal base to explore the rivalled — but culturally symbiotic regions — of west Waterford and east Cork. The resort’s Heron’s Reach lodges are contemporary, light-filled boltholes which blissfully bypass the design abyss of so many Irish self-catering complexes. The kitchen was fully kitted, came gilded with a welcome pack of breakfast staples and was a perfect spot to rustle up those road-trip goodies. If you fancy eating out (but still ‘in’), the hotel’s Bell Tower fine-dining restaurant enjoys a strong flavour of local producers, from fish straight from Ballycotton Seafood to honey from local beekeeper, Niall Coffey of East Cork Bees. Six-person lodges from €120/200 per night based on a five/two night stay;
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Just across the Blackwater, east Cork pairs well with west Waterford as a food-lovers getaway. To get a taste of the region, I toured its coastal byways, sourcing organic greens and East Cork Bees honey from the Ballymaloe Cookery School shop, nutty cheddar from Ballinrostig homestead (they also have their own honesty box) and nuts and dressings from Castlemartyr’s Village Greengrocer. Together with some locally foraged blackberries, I’d created an East Cork salad lunch Rory O’Connell could only dream of. For other locally-minded food outlets in the area, check out Sage 2.0 in Midleton and the town’s legendary farmer’s market on Saturdays.
Self-catering breaks offer truly immersive getaways. Let’s face it, there’s only so much you can do with a bunch of organic carrots staying in a hotel suite. Garryvoe Holiday Homes, near one of east Cork’s favourite beaches, offer fresh, modern accommodation with six-person homes from €190 per night (garryvoebeachhomes.ie; pet-friendly). In west Waterford, Dromana House offers a spectacular location over the Blackwater and an eight-person wing oozing with period drama (dromanahouse.com; from €619 per week). To really self-cater in style, you won’t find a more design-led kitchen to rustle up your breakfast than at Saoirse Fitzgerald's lighthouse keeper’s cottage in Youghal (@thelighthousekeepsher; €490 per night; sleeps six).
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