Delicious Midweek Lunch in Ballymaloe's Conservatory.

Delicious Midweek Lunch in Ballymaloe's Conservatory

Simple Irish Cuisine

Ballymaloe use the three words above to headline their food offering.

"When you dine in our historic country house, you are dining in the internationally recognised birthplace of modern Irish cuisine. Since 1964, we have built this reputation on sustainable food principles, seasonal menus and master craftsmanship. Today, we continue to serve simple Irish cuisine using the freshest seasonal ingredients that we grow in our walled garden, rear on our on-site farm and buy from the most trusted local suppliers."

On the Ballymaloe plate, there are no fancy tricks or gimmicks to make it look appetising, so no Espuma, no Liquid Nitrogen, no liquids turned into powder. No need. The local produce, in the skilled hands of Head Chef Dervilla O'Flynn, speaks for itself.

Simple. Simply Superb!

Lunch in the Conservatory is served Monday to Saturday 12:30 to 14:00. More on dining at Ballymaloe here.

Slow Roast Shoulder of East Cork Lamb with (the amazing) Thyme Jus, Gremolata & Braised Crushed Turnip. No long list of ingredients for the above main course, they keep it simple. Gremolata, as many of you know, is a green sauce made with chopped parsley, lemon zest, and garlic, regularly served with Ossobuco. But here its match with the lamb was a happy and delicious one.

The simple pattern is also evident in the superb Pan Fried Ballycotton Sole (below), Saffron, Vermouth Sauce & Braised Garden Leeks. Other dishes that appear under Mains in the menu - it can change from time to time - are Braised Short Rib of Beef, Horseradish Crème Fraîche, Confit Onion & Garden Kale,  and also Roast Caherbeg Free Range Bacon, Fennel Jus, Pancetta Stuffing & Sautéed Wild Garlic. In addition, there is a vegetarian option. 

Shellfish Arancini with Pickled Ginger Aioli  above, and below, the Ballymaloe Farm Pork & Apricot Terrine with Mostarda, and Toast, that I enjoyed and was absolutely superb. The arancini also went down a treat and another starter on offer last week was the Portobello Mushroom Soup with Thyme Gremolata.  

Sweet ending.

Pistachio Meringue with New Season Rhubarb & Vanilla Ice Cream. Again, just three main ingredients and a terrific combination with the vegetable often thought as a fruit at the heart of it. We both agreed on this choice leaving the Twice Baked Chocolate Cake for another day. We finished off this very enjoyable lunch with a shared pot of the high quality Golden Bean Coffee. Also on offer was Herb Tea and Barry’s Tea. 

Head Chef Dervilla O’Flynn is the guiding hand here. So well done to her and her team, and thanks also to  our well-informed and discreetly attentive server who enhanced our experience and made the visit a very pleasant one indeed.