Foreword by Neven Maguire

Foreword

Neven Maguire

I am delighted to have been asked to write a few words about the Burren to celebrate the publication of this wonderful book, which tells you more about the food and people of the Burren than I ever could. These recipes feature the interest in food, the landscape, the fine local produce and the seasonality of this wonderful part of the world. If I’m in Galway with my family we always take a trip out to enjoy the peace of the area, the drama of the Wild Atlantic Way and the uniqueness of places like Aillwee Cave. We are now very familiar with the bears that were happily living there long before gastropubs were ever thought of.

As you would expect, the food is my first passion, and there are so many quality, passionate producers and chefs in the Burren who work their magic! I always enjoy eating food from the local chefs, where the use of wild berries, seafood and meats of the area is influenced by the changing seasons. These are chefs who understand how special the place and its produce is.

One of my favourite artisan producers is Birgitta in the Burren Smokehouse. She has been one of the most iconic people in Irish food over the years, plus she is an absolutely fantastic businesswoman and, as any of us who work in the industry know, that is an important side of the work. We have been using her produce in MacNean for a long time and customers love it. She is excellent at what she does and, in my mind, one of the pioneers of showcasing our great produce.

We have also been proud to use St Tola cheese in the restaurant, which we source through Sheridan’s. I love their goat cheese because it is all hand-made. They have a fantastic, delicious creamy cheese rubbed in ash – the Ash Log – which is always consistent and has picked up a well-deserved Gold Blas na hÉireann award.

Gregans Castle near Doolin is another unique place in a special part of the world. I love the attention that Simon, the owner, and Chef Robbie bring to the arts of inn keeping and cookery.

Then there is the great siopa búistéara of Neil Hawes, the Burren Craft Butcher, Ireland’s Number 1 rural butcher. He is very active on Twitter, which is part of all our businesses these days. Follow him – I do. The Burren has it all. Food is best eaten with friends in a beautiful environment and cooked by people who care for the sustainability of our industry and our planet. There is a lot to care for in the Burren and this book captures a great sample of what is special about this part of our country.