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for Independent Travel:

Culinary Gems of Ireland

Includes Dublin and Counties Cork & Kerr

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Friendly people, spectacular countryside, a wonderful capital in Dublin and, now, truly great cuisine, make Ireland a grand destination. If Ireland does not strike you as a culinary travel destination, please read on as we insist on changing your mind! We are confident that you will discover that Irish cuisine is so much more than boiled cabbage and bacon, Irish stew and coddle. Some of our very favorite Ireland culinary travel experiences for clients include the following:

  • A leisurely Epicurean Walking Tour through Dublin to include its finest markets, cheese shops, pubs and perhaps a stop at the Jameson distillery
  • A delightful session at Ireland’s most celebrated cookery school
  • A visit to a salmon smokehouse in the Burren, where the tastings are indescribable
  • Dining in Kinsale: a beautiful seaside village that serves as Ireland’s gastronomic capital thanks to an exceptional range of powerhouse restaurants. Start the day with artisan food producer visits in West Cork, which might include cheesemakers, organic farms and a stop in Clonakilty, home of the famous black pudding
  • A private tour of Cork’s butter exchange, which was started in 1770, served as the world’s largest exporter of salted butter and now houses a very interesting museum. Pair this with a tour of Cork’s famed English Market, founded in 1610.
  • A pint of Guinness at the Gravity Bar atop the Guinness Storehouse featuring panoramic views of Dublin and the surrounding countryside. Then, a few days later, oysters paired with Guinness in Galway. It doesn’t get much better.

The green fields of Ireland have always been home to exceptional farmland and high-quality produce, direct-from-the-sea seafood, scrumptious regional cheeses, such as Cashel Blue, Gubbeen and Millens, as well as free-range beef, lamb and pork. Thanks to an economic resurgence that began more than 25 years ago, the bland, stereotypical cuisine of Ireland has been supplanted by New Irish Cuisine, a much more sophisticated version that includes techniques brought to the island by chefs who trained in the great kitchens of Continental Europe and elsewhere around the globe.

On Irish menus, you might see items such as salmon gateau with a whole grain mustard sauce or raviolis filled with John Dory. Meanwhile, new, lighter and healthier versions of fundamentally-sound Irish classics are experiencing a resurgence. Several world-class cooking schools have attracted large followings, Irish celebrity chefs travel the globe and the number of Michelin star restaurants is on the rise. It is a long way from corned beef and cabbage!

For those so inclined, we delight in arranging complex educational scotch whiskey tastings in great settings. And we don’t have room to discuss the differences between Guinness and Murphy’s stout, but it’s safe to say that Guinness is indeed better in Ireland than anywhere else!

Let us help you experience the delights of Ireland that are sure to enthrall your senses.

Please view our Sample Epicurean Itineraries and contact us so that we may begin the process of handcrafting an exceptional travel experience for you and your group of two or more.