Co owner of Shanbally House and Gardens, Bridget Duggan knows a thing or two about food as she and her daughter Kate Duggan run the two hundred acre venue where medicinal plants and organic vegetables are grown.
Believers in achieving health through nature, the estate currently grows over 120 medicinal plant crops on the farm plus over 30 different vegetables that form the main ingredients in their plant-based menu for events catering.
Most of the food the guests eat at the venue is lovingly prepared by Bridget herself, creating a ground to fork food experience like no other. Here, Bridget shares the spots she believes makes Tipperary Ireland’s foodie haven and the importance of knowing where your food comes from.
What are your top 3 restaurants in Ireland?
A favourite we keep returning to is Kicky’s on George’s St. The food is amazing, staff are incredible and it’s perfectly located wherever you are in Dublin. A little closer to home, Larkins in Garrykennedy is on the shores of Lough Derg in Tipperary and is definitely up there, they have also just won the best pub in Ireland and everything about it is perfect. It’s a family run pub and everything from the staff to the setting are absolutely incredible. Lignum in Galway has to be my absolute favourite experience so would rate it highly among some of the best in Ireland. Every experience is different and the food is incredible, it is an expensive experience but worth doing at least once.
Best coffee spots in Ireland?
Coffeewerk + Press in Galway has to be my all time favourite coffee shop. Bean in Dingle in Kerry is a great spot with incredible coffee and then if I’m in Dublin, One Kinda Folk on Leeson St is such a nice find, and their peanut & jam banana bread is out of this world!
What county in Ireland does food the best?
I think I would have to be biased and go with Tipperary. Nenagh is such a foodie haven, with the likes of Country Choice known all over the country. We’re so incredibly lucky to live by Lough Derg where you have so many incredible options all along the lake, Goosers in Ballina, Larkins as mentioned above, Paddys in Terryglass and more. That’s before you even look at the Cashel Palace, Mikey Ryans or Chez Hans all in Cashel, again representing Tipperary to the highest level.
What’s your favourite meal to make?
If time is not an issue, I absolutely love to cook a slow roast beef with all the trimmings. We are an organically certified farm, grow all our own veg and herbs on site at Shanbally House & Gardens, including herbs such as organic rosemary & thyme, which have an incredible flavour and add to any roast dinner. There’s something about cooking potatoes that you dig fresh from the ground, be it mash or super crispy roast potatoes, every meal is enhanced and you feel like it’s really your own.
If you’re in a time pinch at home and need to rustle up a quick dinner, what is your go-to recipe?
Really simply, I take a look in the tunnels we have on our land, see what we have surplus and then pop it into a dish. We generally eat really healthily and predominately vegetarian as all the food from the tunnels is so tasty and organic, so a stir fry of mix veg, using the finest organic ingredients from Shanbally and then I stock make pesto and have that on hand all year round, it’s simple, quick but also healthy.
What advice do you have for aspiring foodies in Ireland?
Just start to cook, look up recipes and try them, it’s the only way you will learn. Try to step out of your comfort zone a little with what you try, you might be surprised. I think every aspiring foodie should also learn where their food comes from and to grow their own. Even just one variety in one pot, it gives so much satisfaction and tastes amazing that you will really lean into the full growing process thereafter.
