Neven enjoys the delights of Clon and Baltimore
By Finnian Cox
Episode four of Neven Maguire’s new show, ‘Neven’s Coastal Trails’ saw the chef visit the West Cork gems of Clonakilty and Baltimore.
The new six-part series sees Neven visiting some of Ireland's most popular coastal towns in Wexford, Waterford, Sligo, Donegal and Clare, as well as Cork and sampling their food produce.
Last night’s episode saw him visiting the Clonakilty Food Company, who manufacture one of Ireland’s most famous foods - Clonakilty black pudding.
He met owner Colette Twomey, who shared her recipe for black pudding and chorizo potato cakes.
Also featured in the episode was An Súgán, a renowned seafood restaurant based in the town. Neven spoke with the owner Sinéad O’Crowley, who cooked him two seafood dishes.
The first dish was a crab crème brûlée, which was made with fresh local crab, followed by a poached smoked haddock on a bed of colcannon with a poached egg and mustard beurre blanc.
Also visited in the show was the Baking Emporium, an artisan continental and Irish bakery established by the Haubold family. Hailing from Germany originally, Baker Bjoern Meyer showed Neven how to make an authentic Bavarian pretzel.
The finally culinary visit of the episode was to Fernhill House Hotel. Here, Neven met the hotel’s head chef Lukasz Tomaszewicz, who prepared a rack of lamb with puy lentils, aubergine, shallots and a red wine jus. While well-known for the quality of its food, the hotel’s gardens are also included in the West Cork Garden Trail.
As well as sampling the cuisine in each town, the show also sees Maguire exploring the area and trying out the tourism opportunities each town provides.
This week’s episode saw him head to Baltimore. This week’s episode saw him heading to Baltimore, to travel the 8 miles to Cape Clear Island on the town’s ferry service.
As well as bringing passengers to the island, the ferry service also gives tours around Fastnet Rock Lighthouse, the most southerly point of Ireland. It’s available on RTÉ Player.