We are making our long awaited return to Ireland so find out what makes it so special
Jeremy unveils the tantalizing flavours and hidden gems awaiting on our 2025 Gourmet Ireland tour. Get ready for an unforgettable culinary adventure
Our 2025 Gourmet Ireland tour opens some new doors as well as revisiting some familiar ones. It’s exciting to be planning our return after the Covid hiatus and if you’re on the tour there will be experiences you’ll expect and some new ones to surprise you.
Exploring the Distilleries: Bushmills and Midleton have historically been twin pillars of the Irish whiskey industry at opposite ends of the island. Midleton in Cork is the stable for some legendary single pot still whiskies, from Redbreast and Green Spot to Powers John’s Lane and the incomparable Midleton very rare. Bushmills is closer to Islay than Dublin and, as the oldest distillery In the world, source of a range of magnificent aged single malts as well as the Northern Irish staple Black Bush. We visit both on our tour but don’t miss the chance to try Slane whiskey at the castle and the stunning gin and whiskey from Shortcross near Belfast.
Savouring Culinary Excellence: Ballymaloe is the original well of Irish fine dining, from the acquisition of Ireland’s first Michelin star to its internationally beloved cookery school. We love our visits there but equally relish our return to Galway, home to the Spanish Irish since Armada days and to Ireland’s best Spanish restaurant at Cava, where JP McMahon continues to shake up and reinvent the very best of what Irish cuisine can be with a little imagination. So too do we revel in the magic of Tracey Jeffries who showcases the best traditions of Ulster bread making on the gorgeous shores of Strangford Lough, still one of the island’s very best secrets.
Delighting in Local Flavours: As if that’s not enough, there’s time to enjoy the story and taste of Cashel Blue cheese on its home farm and to kick start the tour with the arch wine storyteller Raymond Blake in a wine bar on St Stephen’s Green in Dublin. A gourmet trip to Cork couldn’t miss the English Market (the name despite not because of the late Queen Elizabeth’s visit) and a trip to Belfast could only end at the sumptuous Michelin starred Ox on our last night.
Cultural Immersion: All of that and we still have time for a Walled City tour and brewery visit at the home of Derry Girls, whose cultural influence we will toast overlooking Northern Ireland’s second city.
We don’t run our Irish tour frequently but we’ve very proud when we do. Each time the standard and range of experiences jumps a bit higher. The warm welcome was always assured, it just keeps getting tastier!
