Boatloads of foodies will be sailing out to Sherkin Island this August. Of course, this nugget of rock off the west Cork coast always had a gastronomy all its own.
The wild Atlantic waters of Roaringwater Bay nurture the most delicious oysters, periwinkles, shrimps and crabs. “Eat Sherkin! A Celebration of Island Food” has an exciting programme this year stretching over three days, and incorporates sustainable food workshops, a traditional lane party and harvest mass, a catch-and-eat night, storytelling and music. There will be plenty of retail opportunities in the stalls of handmade farmhouse cheeses, fresh Sherkin vegetables and seafoods, artisan sweets, chutneys, preserves and west Cork charcuterie. Then there’s the magic of Sherkin itself, with its fields a riot of summer flowers, beaches of glittering sand and the circling schools of dolphins and the porpoises that gave the island its name. The festival runs August 14th-16th. Call 028-20802 for details.