Irish Food Writers’ Guild do the “Wild, Milk and Honey” tour

Local food and travel experts Anthony O’Toole and Lorraine O’Dwyer from Gallivanting.ie delivered a showstopper of a tour for the Irish Food Writers’ Guild Summer outing in August.

The ‘Wild, Milk and Honey’ tour took place across North County Wexford, visiting Wild About, Dots Plots Donkey Rehoming Hub (a neighbour to Wild About), Salt Rock Dairy, Tara Hill Honey, Bean and Goose, and Ashdown Park Hotel. They ended the delightful day with an evening producers’ dinner at Table 41.

Below is a quick update on what they got up to while visiting some of North Wexford’s agri-food producers and hospitality establishments.

WILD About

Their first stop was Wild About, an IFWG (Irish Food Writers’ Guild) Award Winner and Blás an hEireann Supreme Champion, to meet the makers, Fiona Falkoner and her husband, Malcolm. In recent years, Wild About has expanded its range of jams, chutneys, pestos and jellies to include sparkling nettle and fennel drinks. Fiona walked through her busy permaculture gardens and spoke about the joys of producing all things wild and delicious. Everyone enjoyed tastings through her extensive range alongside Isle of Crackers and Meadowfield Goat’s Cheese, both neighbours of Wild About. Marisa from Meadowfield Cheese came along and spoke to the group about her cheese and skincare range made from goat’s milk.

Visit the WILD About website to learn more.

Dots Plots Donkey Rehoming Hub

A short walk down the road, we met Jodie, owner of Dots Plots Donkey Rehoming Hub. This is where much of Fiona’s waste nettles end up as food for the Donkeys. The group fell in love with the donkeys while Jody talked about how she rehilibrates the donkeys before they find their forever home.

Afterwards, Lorraine brought the group around the farm for a spot of foraging and explained a little bit of Ireland’s rich heritage and folklore. Lots of people were taking notes and loved how immersive Lorraine is with her lively stories!

Visit Dots Plots Donkey Rehoming Hub's Instagram page to learn more.

Salt Rock dairy

We met Catherine Kinsella at her farm gate, where she welcomed everyone into her home. The group toured the beautiful dairy farm known for selling milk directly to locals through its travelling vending machines. While Catherine was giving the tour, Anthony was in the kitchen preparing a delicious farmhouse lunch with locally sourced ingredients to enjoy, from Regan Organic chicken to beautiful vegetables from his own edible garden. During the tour, we all learned how Catherine is not interested in large expansions but rather in a more traditional approach of selling to locals, keeping the food mileage as low as possible. During lunch, we tasted her range of flavoured milk and heard her plans to introduce other products, such as farmhouse yoghurt and butter.

Visit Salt Rock Dairy Instagram page to learn more.

Tara hill honey

Tara Hill Honey sits just 5 minutes up the road from Salt Rock Dairy. Here, Anne and Michael produce a range of honeys from their Apiaries that sit along the East Coast. Ivy, Blossom, and Heather honey were there for us to taste. Everyone got a chance to be a beekeeper, dressing up in bee suits and tasting warm honey straight from a hive! Ann explained why honeymaking is a strong industry in the Wexford region and their own multiple-generation story as beekeepers.

Visit the Tara Hill Honey website to learn more.

Bean and Goose

Off to a chocolate factory where we met sisters Karen and Natalie, who took us through making their famous chocolate creations using inspiration from the Irish landscape. Bean and Goose work with Original Beans to source their couverture, a company as passionate as they are about ethical and sustainable choices. A company leading the chocolate industry from exploitation to regeneration was recently awarded six green eggs from The Good Eggs Awards.

Visit the Bean and Goose website to learn more.

Ashdown Park Hotel

At the Ashdown Park Hotel, we met Paul (general manager), Andrea (in-house horticulturist) and Andrew (head chef), where we enjoyed a refreshing Jackford Irish Potato Gin tasting with Poachers Drinks. Renowned for beef and vegetables supplied by its farm just 20 minutes away, the team briefly explained their sustainable approach to their menus with a tour of their kitchens and a few samples to taste. Everyone on the tour was very impressed, asking so many interesting questions. Many of the Guild members stayed here for the night, marking it as a hidden gem as they checked out!

Visit the Ashdown Park Hotel website to learn more.

Table 41

We finished our gallivanting around North Wexford with an exceptional producers’ dinner at Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant, Table 41. Chef Andrew Duncan served his special Taste Wexford menu, showcasing the best ingredients available at that time - Macamore buffalo, Mylers smoked fish, and Green’s Berry Farm raspberries. The group was also joined by some of the producers we visited, allowing us to speak to them further.

Visit the Table 41 website to learn more.