Arcadia Ireland

This week was a real treat, as our students in University College Cork embarked on a Fab Food Tasting Trail. These trails are specifically designed to showcase local produce and business and to appreciate the rich culinary tradition in Cork.

The first stop was to Filter Café, a small owner occupied coffee shop on the river. The barista and owner showed us a variety of different coffee beans (which smelt amazing!), explained where they came from, how they were picked, dried and finally roasted locally. Filter has two coffee bars so we sampled both; first trying filtered coffee and then the same bean in an espresso. Perfect to awaken the senses!

Next stop was Fenn’s Quay restaurant to sample one of the most famous products of Irish cuisine – Black and white pudding! Pudding is typically eaten as part of the Full Irish Breakfast, but in Fenn’s Quay we enjoyed West Cork pudding on fresh Irish soda bread with melted local gubeen cheese and caramelised onion – delicious! The chef explained how everything they use is locally sourced, from the butter milk in the bread, to the cheese, to the meat they use. Their mantra is that behind every product you eat, is the story of a family.

We pushed on the English Market, an absolute gem in the heart of Cork City. The English Market has been open since 1788 and is a great source of organic, local, fresh food. There we visited Tom Duncan’s butcher counter where we sampled Spiced Beef – this Cork Classic is Ireland’s answer to salami! We continued on to O’Connells Fish where our brave students knocked back oysters – it’s like eating the sea! The oysters were washed down with some home smoked mackerel and haddock, as well as olives wrapped in sardines. 

Our next destination was The Rocket Man – a contemporary salad bar. Rocket Man himself was travelling back from Iceland where he’s organizing collaborative food production between Irish and Icelandic chefs – watch this space! But his mother was there to guide our taste buds and tell us how The Rocket Man was inspired by American salad bars and concept of healthy fast food. Again, all their produce is locally sourced from the milk in the coffee (which looks a little different in winter than in summer) to the rocket in the salads. The students were encouraged to keep exploring Irish cuisine and remember that "Food is a fantastic window into any culture".

Dessert time! We left Rocket Man and continued down the street to Nash 19. This restaurant was opened 23 years ago and has lived through evolution of the food industry in Cork City. We were treated to some superb chocolate brownies topped with cream and raspberry. Yum!!

The final stop was the Mutton Lane Inn, an iconic pub just off the English Market (where they used to bring in the Mutton!). Along with an excellent selection of locally brewed craft beer, the Mutton Lane also has a fantastically cosy atmosphere with the old style furnishings, candles and fairy lights year-round. We were given a little taster of a Belgium style wheat beer, brewed less than mile away.

A tasty finish to a truly tasty trail!!