Warm Welcome to Blairs Inn Banishes Bleak Midwinter Blues. Amazing Venison Casserole Highlight of a Hearty Lunch

Warm Welcome to Blairs Inn Banishes Bleak Midwinter Blues.

Amazing Venison Casserole Highlight of a Hearty Lunch

No shortage of craft beer in Blairs

There’s something about family run and owned places. And you see it first hand when you enter Blairs Inn, in the countryside close to Blarney and less than 30 minutes from Cork city centre. Brothers Richard and Duncan (the chef) Blair now head up the pub their parents ran for quite some years. Here, the hearty dishes are a personal expression and you find signs of seasonal and local authenticity in the well-filled plates and bowls. 

Provenance is given pride of place on the menus and, while the presentation may not be as eye-catching as in some slicker more expensive operations, it is also a long ways from being slapdash. The aim of the kitchen here is to make a pleasant impression in your belly, not necessarily on your phone camera

We are warmly greeted to the traditionally decorated inn (it is just before Christmas) by the boys' mother Anne, who guides us to our fireside table. Richard is finishing off the day’s menu, we are a little early, but soon those menus are at hand along with some of their top notch stout infused brown bread! Just a little more detail on the bread to underline the Inn's commitment to local produce: Macroom Mills Flour, Treacle and Stag Stout are the ingredients. They also do a Sherkin Lass Pale Ale, Cheddar and Herb bread.

While there is an excellent wine list here, the Inn is well-known for its selection of craft beer (which chef Duncan regularly dips into to use in the various menus). And you will note a beer or a wine suggested with the main courses.

Corned beef classic

Mains include a Roast Stuffed Loin of Timoleague Pork with apple sauce and a Longueville House Cider gravy. Naturally, a bottle of the Longueville cider is suggested here. If you’ve picked the Cottage Pie then they suggest a pint of O’Hara’s Red Nitro. On the Roast Irish Chicken? Then the Cotton Ball’s Kerry Lane Pale is the drink for you.

CL though has picked what is probably the pub’s signature dish: O’Crualaoi’s Corned Beef served on champ and cabbage with parsley sauce and the Sherkin Lass from the West Cork Brewing Co. in Baltimore is a terrific pairing here. We regularly order this dish here and it is a classic and highly recommended.

I’m always on the lookout for game this time of year and the Blair boys are also noted for serving it here. The Casserole of Wild Wicklow Venison & Stag Stout with a hint of dark chocolate catches my eye and soon my tastebuds are enjoying it. The combination, enhanced by various spices and herbs, is magnificent, quite a feast at lunchtime! And the drink? Well that’s an easy one. It’s the  equally magnificent Stag Saor from the crew at 9 White Deer, a gluten free stout stuffed with flavour.

And talking about being stuffed. Well, we were. Along with those two mega dishes, came a bowl of seasonal veg and another full of unblemished and perfectly cooked Rooster potatoes. By the way, the place was filling up nicely now and, above the rising level of conversation, I heard quite a few people ordering the venison.

Aside from the various meats, there’s also about three fish dishes available, a curry, plus various salads and sandwiches. Wicklow Pheasant is also on the menu this time of year as well as a Roast of the Day.

There’s a terrific choice of starters too including a Confit of Twomey’s Pork Belly, McCarthy’s Black Pudding with a Gubbeen Chorizo and Bean Ragu. Check out also the Tartlet of Bluebell Falls goat cheese with creamed leeks and caramelised onions. Those starters are substantial enough but some, such as the Cromane mussels Poached in a white wine and cream sauce, can also be upgraded to a mains.

Indeed, that was also the case with my pick, the Warm Salad of Cashel Blue Cheese, Roasted Pears and Honeyed Walnuts (a delicious opener at €9.40 or a mains at €14.50).  

Those of you who have not been will, I’m sure, enjoy this traditional Irish pub, the unexpectedly quality of the food (all from local produce), those craft beers, the warm fire and the very warm welcome from the whole crew here, a great place for locals and tourists alike. If you are calling at weekends for food, you would be as well off to make a reservation.

Blairs Inn

Cloghroe

Blarney

Co. Cork

Tel: (021) 438 1470

Facebook Page here 

Celtic Ross. Dinner Supreme in Kingfisher Brasserie

Celtic Ross. Dinner Supreme in Kingfisher Brasserie

Terrine

Spring roll

Had heard lots of good things about the Kingfisher Brasserie in the very popular Celtic Ross Hotel in Rosscarbery. And it was with great anticipation that we studied the menu, instantly encouraged by the stated commitment to local producers. 

Local drinks too and we sipped our Sherkin Lass Ale by the West Cork Brewery as we we went through our dining options. Earlier we had sampled two of the area’s spirits, whiskey from the West Cork Distillery in Skibbereen and gin from Beara.

So how could I not pick something from Rosscarbery for my meal? And I did, starting with a superb Ham Hock and Rosscarbery Black Pudding terrine (€8.50), with Jerusalem artichoke and shiitake piccalilli, wild garlic pesto, artichoke crisps. Superb. We shared. 

And we also shared the other opener, the Skeaghanore Duck Spring Roll (€8.95) Confit duck, carrot and apricot chutney, blue cheese, ruby red sauerkraut, cos lettuce. Thumbs up from each side of the table for the work of the kitchen under Shane Deane (Head Chef) and Alex Petit (Executive Chef) in this family owned hotel.

Chicken

Time now for the mains, chicken supreme. But not just any chicken supreme. Their Shannonvale Chicken Supreme Zaatar (€20.50) with Aniseed carrots, chickpea, harissa and golden raisin stew, minted chimichurri will have your taste buds dancing to a different beat. Supreme indeed!

The Irish Trout Fillet (€20.50) Crushed sweet potatoes, quinoa, sunflower seed and orange granola, wild garlic pesto, again illustrated that expertise and the little things (the quinoa, the seeds, the granola, the pesto) can make a delightful difference.

Sat back then for a wee spell and relaxed in our comfortable seats and after a chat with our friendly and informative server, decided to share the final round. The Citrus Plate (Yuzu curd, physalis drizzle cake, lemon sorbet, mint crème fraiche, lemon tuile) was tempting as was the West Cork Cheese plate (a collection of the classics) but the one we picked and enjoyed was the Medovik Cake Honey sponge, sour cream, caramelised walnuts, chocolate tuile.

Second drink!

All this in the split level brasserie, part of the adjoining eating areas here. You also have the option of choosing from the Kingfisher Bistro menu which includes starters such as Woodcock Smokery Smoked Haddock Tartare and mains like Seared Union Hall Brill. So no shortage of choice, no shortage of quality either.

Having finished the Medovik Cake, we stepped through the open door to the bar which was also busy and we took our ease as a trio of young fellows played some traditional music and one of them seemed set to crack the timbers with a dazzling display of Irish dancing. A relaxing end for us to an evening in Rosscarbery that had begun with a walk across the causeway and then down towards Warren Strand, watching the estuary birds eagerly feeding as we strolled. 

Celtic Ross Hotel 

Rosscarbery

Co. Cork

Email info@celticross.com

Tel +353 (0)23 88 48722

Also on this 24-hour trip:
A day out with West Cork Farm Tours
Super Food at Ardfield's Mountain Bar

CorkBilly’s Drinks Digest. Wines, Spirits and Beers. Hurry over to Leslie!

CorkBilly’s Drinks Digest

Wines, Spirits and Beers

Hurry!!! Leslie Williams to host Annual Wine Tasting Fundraiser this evening.

Leslie's ready for you!

“Nasc will be hosting our Annual Wine Tasting Fundraiser on Friday 7th December 2018, in conjunction with Crawford & Co.

Where: Crawford & Co., Anglesea Street, Cork

When: Friday 7th December at 6:30 PM

Tickets are €25 and can be purchased through Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/nasc-wine-tasting-fundraiser-tickets-52715471394).

Proceeds will go towards maintaining Nasc's free legal service, which provides support to refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrant families.

The event will be hosted by Sommelier Leslie Williams of the Irish Examiner.

Attendees will sample red and white wines, bubbly and port. They will also receive nibbles and be in with the chance of winning one of the many spot prizes up for grabs via our raffle.

Please join us on the night and help support Nasc's work!

For more information, visit our website: www.nascireland.org"

West Cork Brewing at Fionnbarra’s

A Birthday Party. December 8th from 8.00pm

Roaring Ruby - a super red ale

Hosted by West Cork Brewing Company

“Hi everyone! Its our 4th Birthday soon so we have decided to organise a special shindig in Fionnbarra Bar on December 8th for all our friends and customers! We will have a tap takeover on the night with Sherkin Lass, Roaring Ruby,The Rapids Rye Ale and a special keg of Breakfast in Baltimore Stout for one night only!

Delicious nibbles, special prizes and great beer are just the start of what the night has to offer!! Hope to see ye all there :-)”

Hey Dudes. It’s Flower Power for the Bees.

The Friary Saturday 8th at 7.00pm

“Hey brothers and sisters, it's time to hang loose and give some love (and moolah) to our awesome bee buddies - 60's flower power-style! We invite you to The Friary for a night of psychedelic music, shirts and flares, way out tunes, out of sight prizes, raffles and boss brews.

And all the righteous cabbage (cash :) ) we raise will go to our good amigos in Ballincollig Tidy Towns who are installing and maintaining bee-friendly sites just outside the city.

We'll have food (including brownies - not that type!), Honey Moonshine and mead cocktails (thanks to Blacks Brewery&Distillery and Kinsale Mead Company) and the Mostest Groovy Costume prize. DJ Mike Darcy will play 60's classics all night and also your requests :D The Hippie Wheel of Fortune will be going all evening for free drinks.”

More at https://www.facebook.com/events/2029135337132987/ 

Clonmel’s Red Nose Wine are ready for you!

with Christmas Offers and Sunday Openings 

“As announced last week, our Christmas Specials are now ready for you all.

You can pick up a copy of the offers here ( and also our Corporate / Gift brochure for all your gift needs ).

We also have a range of new wines ( Italy, Spain and France ) that just arrived today, and we will have loads open to try all the way to Christmas.

And we are now open Sundays ( from 2-5 ) all the way to Christmas. A good day to call in if you have a busy week.” 

O’Brien’s Wines Limerick. Christmas Tasting

In Store from 4.00pm to 8.00pm, this Friday.

The Parkway Shopping Centre.

Festive Night: 18 different suppliers popping in. Whiskeys Gins Wine Craft Beer Brandy's and cocktail making.

Note too that O’Brien’s Fine Wine Sale nationwide ends at close of business next Sunday the 9th. Here are a few to tempt you:

insert pic from downloads.

Riojan Vineyard Turns Back The Clock - by 50 Years!

Now Arturo and his brother Kike, who joined Artuke in 2010 and spends most of his time on the vineyards, work their land like it was done 50 years ago and have returned to macerations that last six days (“if you work well in the vineyard and have moderate yields, there’s no need to force things at the winery”), cement containers, wooden vats and large 500- and 600-litre barrels, although they still use stainless steel tanks. 

Read the full story (via Spanish Wine Lover) here 

The Growing Wine World: Everyone Wants In, according to Wine-Searcher

Wine drinkers live in all parts of the globe and the wine world needs to adapt.

By James Lawrence | Posted Wednesday, 28-Nov-2018

If one were to imagine the most likely destination for an ambitious sommelier to thrive and prosper, the United Arab Emirates might, to put it mildly, not come very near the top of the list.

Yet despite the theoretical confines of Islam in the Middle East, record numbers of students are enrolling on WSET programs in the region, while leading hotel chain Jumeirah has started running courses in-house for staff. read more here .

Taste of the Week. Roaring Ruby Red Ale

Taste of the Week

Roaring Ruby Red Ale

I was eating out recently in Timoleague's Monk’s Lane where Gavin and Michelle have, since they started out a few years back, been strong supporters of local craft brewers. They have a very long list of beers, both in draught and in bottle.

I spotted the Roaring Ruby Red Ale by the West Cork Brewery from Baltimore in draught and noted the “dangerously drinkable” in the blurb.

I can vouch for that having sipped my way through a smooth pint of its delicious caramel and toffee flavours, a superb red ale almost crossing into stout territory. And our Taste of the Week is great with food.

The West Cork Brewery is based at Casey’s of Baltimore, Ireland’s first Brew-Hotel, and was launched in December 2014 by Dominic Casey, Henry Thornhill and brewer Kevin Waugh. They also produce the Sherkin Lass Ale and Stout x Southwest. Wouldn’t mind being down there now in that sun trap beer garden, sipping a pint of Roaring Ruby and the boats coming and going on the blue waters.

Check out three other top Irish beers all on the darker side here

The Other Side of Monk's Lane

The Other Side of Monk's Lane

Temple of Good Food and Drink in Timoleague

Perfect Pork

A country classic, for sure. (McKenna’s).

Those in the know happily take a drive out from Kinsale and Cork city to enjoy Michelle O'Mahony and Gavin Moore’s lovely restaurant. (Georgina’s Campbell’s Ireland Guide).

I have seen the future and it’s in Timoleague. This is a pub that manages to be utterly unpretentious but which also ticks every conceivable box.. (Irish Mail).

Most of you know by now that Monk’s Lane, a gastro-pub in Timoleague, is a must visit. But did you know, that across the lane, they now have a Gin Bar and a private dining area. And, indeed, in the lane itself, there is a beer garden, part of it covered, an inviting summertime venue.

Just some of the good beer (and cider) available here.

That Gin Bar is well endowed and serving a long list of Irish and English gins. The Irish list is as long as your arm, the English almost as long as the other one.

And another distinguishing factor here, since they opened, is the craft beer menu. No  messing here with a token bottle or two. Quite a few by draught and even more by bottle. We were there the other night and I enjoyed Roaring Ruby Red Ale by the West Cork Brewery, one of the best red ales I've come across, fantastic body and flavour all the way from Baltimore (not too far really!).  CL's pick was the Black's 1601 lager.

Here too you may have an aperitif, White Port and tonic for instance. Wine of the Week perhaps? A white from Italy, from Puglia, a Garnacha from Navarra. And there are three  cocktails on offer: based Black’s of Kinsale gin, a Longueville Mór Martini and a Gunpowder Gin du Jour. Wines, by the way, come in five different sized servings, starting with a convenient 100ml.

The burger and salad

You'd never know by these opening paragraphs but we did come here for the food and glad to say it is as varied and as good as ever, local produce well cared for, well cooked and neatly presented and delivered to the table with care and a smile. And at a fair price too.

So let us start! There are eight or nine starters to choose from and also a trio of sharing plates, virtually all featuring local produce. CL picked the Crozier Blue, apple and candied pecan salad. Hard to go wrong with that combination and it was superb, that creamy blue, those delicious nuts.

Mine was a bit more exotic: Lamb Quesadillas, with salsa fresca, salad and lime yogurt. That, with a couple of dips, one cooling, made the taste buds sit up and take notice! Have to say too that the salad leaves in both starters were as fresh as could be and well dressed, simple stuff, simply well done. By the way, each of these starters was also available in a large size.

Crozier Blue salad

On then to the mains and again we were picking from a good long list, everything from Haddock Fish and Chips, to Sea Trout, to 10 ounce sirloin. Garlic and Thyme Marinated Pork Medallions (17.95) was one of our picks and it was served with spring onion mash, char-grilled red onions, apple and raisin chutney and a cranberry gravy. Silence reigned while that was being demolished!

I wasn't doing too much talking myself either as I made my way through quite a delightful plateful: Chorizo and Rosemary Infused Wagyu Beef Burger (18.50) , on a flour bun, topped with melted buffalo mozzarella, homemade aioli, tomato chutney, sautéed onions, hand-cut chips and salad. Some wild garlic in there too. All good, the beef outstanding, loved the chutney, the chips of course and again that salad played a key role providing colour, flavour and crunch.

Be sure and check out the lane to the left!

We were feeling fairly full at this point and dessert was being turned down until we were “persuaded” to share the Rhubarb and Ginger Cake with ice-cream and cream. It didn't last long, the ginger adding a certain “je ne sais quoi” to the combination! 

Just goes to show that one ingredient can lift and distinguish a dish. We had seen it earlier with the chorizo in the burger, the candied pecan with the cheese. Get the big things right and use something small to make the difference. Looks like they do that here a lot. Worth a trip not to mind a detour.

Monk's Lane

15 Mill Street

Timoleague

Co. Cork

tel: 023 884 6348

Email: INFO@MONKSLANE.IE

Web: http://monkslane.ie/ 

See other recent posts from this area:
Courtmacsherry Hotel
The Lifeboat Inn
Monk's Lane