Kate Ryan on Epicurean Tour of Wicklow
SantinaWITH COORDINATOR SANTINA KENNEDY WHO WELCOMED FOOD WRITER KATE RYAN TO WICKLOW
Earlier this year, Wicklow Naturally co-ordinator Santina Kennedy was delighted to welcome award winning food writer Kate Ryan to County Wicklow for a whistle stop tour of some of the culinary highlights of the Garden County. Kate, who writes for many publications, is also the founder of flavour.ie, a platform dedicated to promoting Irish food and drink.
Santina recalls their tour, where she was very proud to bring the esteemed visitor to some of Wicklow’s gems:
‘I was really delighted to welcome Kate Ryan to County Wicklow recently. She’s a very well regarded and trusted, multi award winning food writer , and a Blas na hÉireann Producers Champion 2023 , so she knows a thing or two about quality Irish food produce. I was sure that I could impress her with some of Wicklow’s finest epicurean delights.
While Kate was on a particular quest to discover County Wicklow’s great historic houses who offer food and drink options to visitors, she was of course also interested to learn about the food and drink produce, and dining and tasting experiences of the Garden County, along her way.
County Wicklow, known as the Garden of Ireland, is celebrated for its grand historic houses and lush landscapes, including the Wicklow Mountains and Glendalough. Among these estates, a renewed focus on food and vegetable gardens is helping reconnect them with local communities and visitors alike. Beyond the walls of these historic houses and throughout County Wicklow, hotels and restaurants are paying attention to the increasing consumer interest in tasting local premium produce and luckily the Garden County is abundant in high quality food and drink produce. ‘
POWERSCOURT HOUSE AND GARDENS
- The first stop was a visit to Powerscourt House and Gardens. Our visitor picked up her Visit Wicklow Passport and received her first stamp!
We discovered some of the estate’s food history, from its well-stocked rivers and lakes, walled gardens and hunting grounds. The orchard in Powerscourt still stands today, and nestled amongst the apple trees are the beehives from Olly’s Farm, where the bees produce Powerscourt Blossom Honey. A visitor’s Powerscourt tasting experience could also begin on the beautiful Avoca Terrace Café, overlooking the iconic vista of the terraced gardens (voted 3rd in the world by National Geographic Magazine). Or it could be a picnic of Wicklow Naturally treats gathered in the Avoca retail shop, where homemade breads and cakes sit on shelves abundant with local produce such as Ballynerrin Free Range eggs, Wicklow Farmhouse Cheese, Janet’s Country Fayre, and delicious treats like chocolate from the Chocolate Garden of Ireland, Miena’s Nougat and OpenHive Honey.
POWERSCOURT HOTEL
- Next stop on the trip was the stunning Powerscourt Hotel. Here we met Gretta Doyle who walked Kate through the dining options at the hotel including the Sally Gap Bar and Brasserie, The Sika Restaurant and The Sugarloaf Lounge. After a delicious treat of freshly baked scones and coffee in this lounge with the most stunning view over the grounds and the Sugarloaf beyond. Powerscourt Hotel also offer an outstanding Afternoon Tea in this space, and though we didn’t have time on this visit we have vowed to return as we noticed other tables enjoying virtual works of art in patisserie form, seated in spacious luxury while overlooking the stunning Wicklow vistas. The Sally Gap Bar and Brasserie, The Sika Restaurant and The Sugarloaf Lounge all offer an impressive selection of local produce.
POWERSCOURT DISTILLERY
- It was then time to visit the Powerscourt Distillery, where the beautifully restored and extended old estate millhouse is now home of Fercullen Whiskey. Here, Kate met Head of Brand, John Cashman, who showed our visitor around the distillery floor with its beautiful copper stills before inviting her on a tour of the maturation warehouse. Stepping over the threshold into the warehouse we were immediately struck by the aroma of wood and whiskey, which is known as the Angel’s Share, which refers to the amount of liquid that evaporates from aging casks. She learned from John, who was recently named inductee Number 100 in the World Whisky Hall of Fame, about the relationship between the new make spirit that has just been distilled and the time that same spirit spends in oak casks. John told us how those cask choices, including old Sherry, Maderia and red wine casks combined with the length of time spent aging determine the flavour profile of the whiskey. Fercullen Whiskey has celebrated multiple prestigious awards in recent years, and its Single Malt is the first Whiskey distilled in Wicklow for over 100 years. Following this experience, we returned to the Powerscourt Distillery Visitor Centre where the team had prepared a delicious Food and Whiskey pairing experience using produce from the abundant Wicklow Naturally larder. With tastings that included Coolattin Cheddar, Olly’s Farm Honey, Wicklow Farmhouse Cheese, Le Paysan Pate, and Wicklow Rapeseed Oil Crackers, followed by a taste of The Chocolate Garden of Ireland whiskey truffles, Kate was really starting to get a flavour of County Wicklow.
THE GLENVIEW HOTEL
- Following our visit to Powerscourt it was time to go to the Glenview Hotel. Nestled in the heart of scenic County Wicklow, The Glenview Hotel offers the perfect blend of history, luxury, and natural beauty. Surrounded by 30 acres of lush woodlands and landscaped gardens, it’s a peaceful retreat where guests can relax and reconnect with nature – indeed the perfect place for our guest to relax and enjoy the magnificent views over the Glen of the Downs, which many consider to be the dramatic gateway to Wicklow, at the Glenview, Kate was delighted to meet Executive Head Chef Sandeep Pandey, who told our guest of his commitment to local sourcing and the Glenview’s larder full of foraged treasures from wild strawberry cordials to wild garlic oils. He then prepared a stunning 3 course meal, and each course was truly a work of art on the plate, with extraordinary talent and attention to detail evident in every mouthful. Kate enjoyed an overnight stay at the Glenview Hotel, and appreciated the hotel’s very own Woodland Walk, followed by a delicious breakfast overlooking the Glen of the Downs, before departing for Day 2 of the trip. I was really delighted to be able to show Kate a great first impression of the flavours of Wicklow on her first day, and was very confident that Day 2 would be just as flavourful!
