West Cork Food

I was down in West Cork over the August Bank Holiday weekend. It's an area that I have strong ties to. My Grandfather was born in the small village of Glandore and we went there on holidays from the year I was born. We used to spend entire summer's there and I suppose I consider it a home-from-home.

The other plus about it these days is that there is no mobile coverage in Glandore, so when I go there these days, I am uncontactable. There is also no broadband access, so I can't do any work...making a place I can totally switch off in.

I was quiet a fussy eater when I was younger, but now that my tastes have broadened, I can appreciate the wide variety of fresh foods that are available in West Cork. Compared to where I live now, there is no comparison.

The first place worthy of a visit is Field's Supermarket in Skibbereen. Now it may look like your typical SuperValu from the outside, but they seem to stock all the items a specialty food shop would have along with all the other stuff supermarkets of today stock. I've picked up pastas, coffee beans, sauces there that I have not been able to get anywhere else in this country. They are also very good at stocking produce from local artisan producers such as Ummera Smoked Foods, Gubbeen Cheese and Meats, Caherbeg Free Range Pork and lovely mousse, cheesecakes and butter from Glenilen Farm to name just a few. They also stock a huge range of fresh fish from the local fishing ports of Union Hall, Castletownsend and Schull. They also have a in-store bakery and a little coffee shop too.



While in Skibb, Kalbo's Bistro is a good spot for lunch. It's cheap and cheerful and will fill you up. Good for dinner too, but I've not been in a while.



Moving out to Union Hall, there are two restaurants worthy of mention. When I say restaurants here, I mean pub grub. First off is Dinty's. It's got all your typical pub fare with a skew towards fish. The portions here are HUGE. So skip the starter unless you are starving. They don't take bookings, so you can be waiting a while for a table but that's a great excuse to have a drink while you wait.



Across the road is Casey's Bar which is a bit smaller. There are only about 12 tables in the bar itself but they do have a beer garden out the back which backs onto the sea. Their catch phrase is "the fish we will be selling tomorrow has not been caught yet". And they are probably almost right. The trawlers of Union Hall berth about half a kilometre down the road, so the fish couldn't be fresher. They have nightly fish specials. When I was there on Monday night, I had fresh cod in a tomato and basil sauce served with new Irish potatoes and honey roast vegetables. Very nice and I didn't have room for desert, which for a sweet toothed person like me, is a good sign.



Across the bay is Glandore village. Here you can choose from the Glandore Inn which does steaks, chicken and fish or soup and sandwiches during the day. The gem in the village is Hayes' Bar who serve fantastic sandwiches, home-made soups & chowders and gourmet coffee with sweet treats. Well worth stopping off here for lunch. The best bit is you can eat/drink outside and take in the view




Five miles away is Rosscarbery. The Celtic Ross Hotel is good for lunch while up in the village itself, a good place for dinner is O'Callaghan-Walshe's. The best way to describe this restaurant is eccentric. The menu hangs from clothes line in the window and the decor is quaint. However, the food speaks for itself. The menu is 99% seafood, the 1% is steak they do for meat-lovers. Monkfish, John Dory, Turbot, Prawns, Oysters all feature on the menu which changes daily. The deserts are lovely too, so make sure you save some space!


Other places in the area worthy of mention are Mary Ann's in Castletownsend



Again, sea food is the main attraction on the menu but be sure to book in advance or you could be turned away from a full restaurant!



If you are heading back from West Cork to Cork City, be sure to take a detour into Kinsale. If you are there around lunch time, head straight to the Fishy Fishy Cafe and join the queue for a table. They don't do reservations, so it's first come, first served...but really worth the wait. The fish here is so fresh it's practically jumping on the plate and it's cooked and served with real imagination. Plus they source all their ingredients locally.

I notice now that they have also opened a shop, which I've not visited yet. A good excuse to go back!

Finally, if you happen to be around the Kinsale area for Dinner or Sunday Lunch, be sure to head off the beaten track to Casino House which is in Kilbrittain. Again, book in advance to avoid disappointment. It's the kind of place that takes a couple of hours to have dinner or you can lounge over a long lunch on a wet Sunday afternoon.