Head Chefs enjoy Ireland 2023
It was typical Irish weather when the plane landed in Belfast International Airport! Drizzle and cloud welcomed us as our head chefs jumped into cars driven by owners Mary and Tim heading out to the spectacular north coast and the ‘Giant’s Causeway’ which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The day brightened slightly as we walked down to the coastline to take in the stones and the views. The other great thing about the Giant’s Causeway is its proximity to Bushmills Distillery. Bushmills was given a license to distil whiskey way back in 1608 making it the oldest distillery in the world. The tour is a ‘must do’ when out in these parts. The sheer scale of Bushmills is unreal as it distils whiskey for the world! Using the water of the River Bush the mills are dotted around the river hence the name. Of course, we had to taste a few drams before we left for our lunch.
The onward journey took us into Derry and on to Co. Donegal in the Irish Republic. Here in the tiny village of Glen the chefs checked into Tara’s Cots for the night. The rooms are situated next to the famous Glen Bar where supper was booked. The Glen Bar has won many awards of late and their Head Chef Kieran is cooking up a storm. Our Head Chefs could relax in the knowledge they were in very good hands! A great night followed!
The next day we headed off to our next Whiskey distillery and one of the newest in Ireland. The Crolly Distillery in Crolly, Donegal, is a must visit too. The polar opposite of Bushmills in terms of age and production levels. Yet still great history. This is the first distillery in Donegal for 180 years and to celebrate this has 180 ‘Founders’ who have all invested in a barrel of whiskey each. Our company with Tim and Mary at the helm have barrel number 160. The chefs were able to see the barrel and visit this small yet amazing distillery. Officially in October 2024 our whiskey will have been in the barrel three years and one day making it officially a whiskey! We will then wait two further years before we decide what to do with it…..bottle it or age it for another 5 years!
The chefs enjoyed a great (and much needed) Irish burger for lunch at a local restaurant before we headed back to the airport to head home after what was a fantastic trip.
Thank you to everyone for making us feel so welcome.
