August - Gourmet Month!

It’s the first of August people and supposedly the first day of Autumn in our neck of the woods! For those who call it Fall, I’m not so sure if it’s Fall yet, but regardless, I wish you all a joyous welcome to Autumn!

Anyway, I should probably be clear from the outset that this post is going to be a tad self-indulgent and boastful. If you’re still there and want to continue reading, that’s super!

So this month holds two amazing gastronomic delights for me and I have been looking forward to it for quite some time.

To start with, my two loving, kind, flawless sisters (am I overdoing the praise a little?!) presented my husband and I with a voucher for Neven Maguire’s MacNean Restaurant in county Cavan in December last. I have spoken to a cousin of mine who was there for a mammoth tasting menu a few months ago, also to  a couple of lovely foodie ladies – Nessa and Adrienne who have eaten and/or had hands on experience there – they have all had nothing but the most positive things to report! I’ve seen photos, I’ve watched the TV shows, and I’ve tried out some recipes from the fabulous “MacNean Restaurant Cookbook". Neven is truly a master at what he does and I am feeling ultra-excited and very honoured to be heading there for a night’s stay including dinner and breakfast later this month. I’ve heard tell that breakfast is two courses… Let’s just hope they’ve a crane on standby there to transport us out of the building when the unhappy time comes for us to bid them farewell!

My other foodie delight will be a trip to Kinsale, which I was lucky enough to win earlier in the year, thanks to the generous people at Bord Bia - The Irish Food Board! Woohoo! On this trip to the pretty county Cork coastal town, we will be treated to a meal at Martin and Marie Shanahan’s Fishy Fishy Restaurant. This restaurant has an excellent reputation as one of the best fish and seafood restaurants on this entire island of ours. With all the sea and ocean surrounding us, that’s saying something! I am dreaming of crab and lobster and monkfish and prawns, and lots of other tempting water-based creatures!

If you have been to either of these two Irish foodie havens, please let me know in the comments how you got on, with any recommendations and/or advice. I will post again soon with reviews and recipes (and probably a slightly inflated, but very satisfied food belly!) Now, my bragging is well and truly done! 

Till next time! X