Autumn leaves: Seasonal breaks for foodies

Autumn, season of fruitfulness, is well upon us so what better time therefore than to enjoy the harvest fare? There are loads of great gourmet getaways to choose from.

Brook Lodge & Macreddin Village in Wicklow is a great destination for foodies. Its Strawberry Tree restaurant was Ireland's first certified organic restaurant and has a daily changing menu that reflects the seasons.

The hotel has a full-time food forager and as a result the restaurant has its own Wild Foods Pantry, with meats cured in its own smoke house.

Founder Evan Doyle gained a passion for wild foods from early foraging trips in Connemara. He was one of the first of the new crop of restaurateurs to name the farmer, producer and supplier on his menus, putting food provenance, good animal husbandry and the value of local suppliers centre stage.

He also believed in naturally grown ingredients with no tolerance for chemicals and was the first restaurant in Ireland to import organic wines directly. See the fruit of his labours for yourself with B&B rates including dinner in The Strawberry Tree from €134 per person, based on two sharing.

In Mayo, the Mulranny Park Hotel has helped promote the locavore movement too, thanks to its work creating the Gourmet Greenway.

This part of the world is famous for the Great Western Greenway but the Gourmet Greenway put the region’s wonderful artisan produce firmly on the map.

"We wanted to make staying at Mulranny Park Hotel attractive as a destination, not only for its beauty, wealth of activities and hospitality but also for its food," says general manager Dermot Madigan.

“Essentially the Gourmet Greenway highlights the unique award-winning food produce and award-winning chefs located along the Great Western Greenway. The pocket-sized map of the Gourmet Greenway presents the opportunity for visitors to get a real taste of the Mayo countryside through what they eat in the venues. The visitor has the real opportunity to visit and talk to the actual producer, which gives them a connection to the food they taste and an appreciation of where it comes from.”

Gourmet Getaways at the Mulranny Park Hotel start from €149 per adult, based on two sharing, staying two nights B&B with one evening meal in its Nephin Restaurant.

Stay west for a luxury gourmet escape to beautiful Breaffy House in Castlebar, also in Mayo. It has great offerings for gourmands, including a Tuscany Wine Celebration Weekend in October, and the Taste of Mayo Weekend in November. It takes place on the weekend of November 16th and 17th and is a celebration of the outstanding-quality food produced on the doorstep of the Wild Atlantic Way.

Food for thought

It offers food for thought as well as food for tums; local food producers will showcase their produce, share their expertise and provide tasty samples and demos.

Stay over for the food and wine weekends for two nights B&B plus special five-course Mayo-themed celebration dinner, with wine, from €149 per person sharing.

If you can’t wait that long, head down for its Tuscany wine celebration weekend, October 11th, to taste six award-winning wines produced by the Sensi Family of Italy, plus five-course Italian-themed menu, for the same price.

Staying along the Wild Atlantic Way, October 4th sees historical Westport House open the doors for its Taste the Island Harvest Banquet, in association with Fáilte Ireland, starting with pre-dinner drinks from 7pm followed by a banquet with wine pairings at 8pm.

Its crack team of chefs, partnered with local artisan producers, are already considering menu items such as starters featuring goat’s cheese, beetroot, Clew bay shrimp or Achill Island smoked salmon and smoked haddock. After a suggested blackcurrant sorbet, main-course options might include such delights as Killala Bay monkfish, black-faced lamb, Newport black pudding and local seasonal vegetable and potatoes followed by a harvest fruits Pavlova and closing with Dozio’s of Mayo farm cheese.

Gather the team or celebrate with family and friends because tickets for this gourmet seven-course meal are on sale now at €100 per plate. For even more delicious value, stay over in four-star Hotel Westport from €189 per person sharing to include the banquet ticket.

Feed your eyes and indulge your palate with an Art & Wine Weekend at The K Club in Kildare, the original Straffan House, built by the renowned wine-making family, the Bartons, in 1832.

Running from September 27th, the Art & Wine Weekend offers a choice of one or two nights’ bed and breakfast in a deluxe room. Guests enjoy a wine cellar tour by Lisa O’Doherty, The K Club’s expert sommelier, accompanied by a cheese and Barton & Guestier Collection wine pairing, matching four Irish cheeses with select B&G wines.

One night, including tour, pairing and four-course dinner in the Byerley Turk restaurant is available for €269 per person sharing, with two nights for €379 per person sharing.