Dermot's Taste of Ireland

Day 1: Wexford

Located in Ireland’s “Sunny South East”, Wexford is famous for its beaches, its berries and… Dermot O’Leary (his parents emigrated from here to the UK). Dermot’s Wexford experience features everything from strawberry picking and walks on the beach to cooking crab, making butter and practising hurling.

Enjoy your own Wexford adventure with a long walk on Curracloe Beach, an 11km stretch of golden sand that has featured in movies such as Saving Private Ryan and Brooklyn. Buy fresh strawberries from John and Margaret at Danescastle Fruit Farm or pick your own at The Village at Wheelock’s – you’ll find out that there is a “right way” to do it so you don’t bruise the fruit.

Stop in for lunch at Mary Barry’s, a seafood restaurant serving up the freshest catch from the nearby fishing village of Kilmore Quay. And if you still have time, make your way to Saltrock Dairy to sample milk as you’ve never had it before. These folks put the “local” in local produce, selling fresh milk from their herd of happy cows in reusable glass bottles via a self-service vending machine.

Day 2: Dublin

We follow Dermot north to Dublin where he gets a crash course in the city’s street food from pal Donal Skehan, samples Ethiopian cuisine, meets chef Richard Corrigan and tries his hand at recreating some traditional recipes.

Take your own Dublin street food tour as you buzz between great spots such as Bambino Pizzas and Chimac Burgers. Or go with the pros and sign up for a food tour of the city with Fab Food Trails. Get a taste of authentic Ethiopian cuisine at Gursha – their injera flat bread made with teff flour is the perfect accompaniment to their hearty vegetable and meat stews (and it’s gluten-free). Another must is Mae restaurant where the menu is inspired by the culinary talents of chef Gráinne O’Keefe’s grandmother. It’s a great example of how Irish chefs are putting their own contemporary spin on traditional recipes and ingredients.

If you have the time, take a trip outside the city to Virginia Park Lodge, a beautifully restored 18th century hunting lodge in County Cavan. This is a labour of love for owner and Michelin star chef Richard Corrigan, with four acres of gardens supplying the kitchens and keeping the lodge as self-sufficient as possible.

Day 3: Kinsale

It’s often said that Kinsale in County Cork is the culinary capital of Ireland. This pretty harbour town is on show for the cameras as Dermot goes foraging, tries his hand at chocolate making, visits a Michelin starred restaurant and meets some friendly faces in the local pub.

It’s all about the ingredients in Kinsale so start your foodie adventure with a bit of foraging. Local guide Suzanne Burns from Kinsale Food Tours can take you on a seaweed hunt along the shore. Test your palate at award-winning restaurant Bastion and see if you can discern ingredients such as wild garlic foraged by Chef Paul McDonald.

Treat yourself to some luxury handmade chocolates courtesy of Frank Keane in Koko, Kinsale’s very own chocolatier. Then finish your day in a time-honoured tradition – down at the Bulman pub, where you can meet the locals and get the low-down on what else Kinsale has to offer.

Day 4: Cork

If any place was going to wrest the foodie title from Kinsale, it might be Cork city – capital of the “People’s Republic of Cork” and widely believed by all Cork people to be the best place on earth. Dermot gets the full experience with a visit to the city’s famous English Market to sample some true Cork delicacies, followed by a peek behind the scenes at an oyster farm and a chance to learn the secrets of distilling.

Do your own version of Dermot’s tour by rocking up to the English Market. As you wander among the stalls of fish, vegetables and baked goods, don’t miss the chance to sample spiced beef from Tom Durcan, buffalo mozzarella courtesy of Toonsbridge Dairy and a Cork staple, tripe and onions at Farmgate Café.

Then it’s time to head for the coast to pick up some native Irish oysters from Rupert Hugh-Jones’s Rossmore Oyster Farm. Round off the whole experience on a distillery tour with a difference. Located in a renovated factory in the city’s historic docklands, the Rebel City Distillery offers an intriguing prospect, the only absinthe distilled on the island of Ireland.

Day 5: Belfast

Dermot’s Taste of Ireland tour comes to an end in Belfast, a city with a stellar reputation for good food. His final day is filled with traditional Northern Irish sweet treats, a trip to a high-end cookery school, a deep dive into Ireland’s whiskey history and a big finale at the city’s award-winning Titanic Belfast.

Belfast has been quietly making its name as one of Europe’s go-to foodie destination for a while now. Savour that Belfast flavour at Great British Menu star Gemma Austin’s Mámo Patisserie, where you can try the macaroons inspired by one of Northern Ireland’s favourite treats, Fifteens. The name comes from the disarmingly simple recipe (15 of each ingredient – marshmallows, cherries, digestive biscuits – mixed together with condensed milk and refrigerated).

Brush up on your kitchen skills at Chef Niall McKenna’s Waterman Cookery School which offers a packed calendar of cookery courses and workshops on everything from French bistro cooking to bread making. Dive deep into the history of Irish whiskey when you visit the Friend At Hand, a unique whiskey off-licence and mini museum tucked away in the city’s trendy Cathedral Quarter. Continue your whiskey adventure with a tour at Belfast’s newest distillery, McConnell’s, located in what used to be the A-Wing of Crumlin Road Gaol.

End your day and your trip with a visit to Titanic Belfast, an award-winning interactive museum dedicated to telling the story of Titanic and its connection to Belfast, the city that built it.

Feeling hungry?

Dermot packed a lot into his trip and with a bit of planning, so can you. Our advice is to slow it down, take your time and savour every minute of your Taste of Ireland tour. After all, Ireland is a banquet, not a snack.

If you’ve been inspired by Dermot’s journey then check out some more of our food and drink experiences.