Living the Sheep's Head Way

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Manning’s Emporium Food Tours

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Manning’s Emporium Food Tours brings you to the very heart of West Cork’s foodie culture with its absorbing day tours

If you love the local food you’re tasting along the Wild Atlantic Way, take a Manning’s Emporium foodie tour and you’ll discover how the spirit of West Cork infuses the flavours on your plate.

Each of our exclusive tours gives a distinct flavour, not just of the region’s deservedly famous artisan cheeses, hams and other delicacies, but of the people who make them, and the places that inspire them.

Manning’s Emporium has a reputation as one of the best places to eat in West Cork. Now its guides will take you into the heart of West Cork’s foodie scene to meet our passionate producers, and to explore the landscapes in which they work.

This is the perfect way to get a taste for artisan produce, and to learn more about the people, places and seascapes that give West Cork food its unique character.

All Manning’s Emporium food tours must be booked in advance.

Location:Ballylickey, Bantry, Co. Cork [N71 - Bantry to Glengarriff Road]
Opening Hours:Daily, 9am-7pm
Winter Hours:Closed Mondays
Tel:00 353 (0)27 50456
Email:[email protected]
Website:http://www.manningsemporium.ie
Wheelchair accessible?Access to undercover area, however no bathroom facilities.
Wi-Fi Available?Yes
Credit Cards:Yes
Special Dietary Requirements?Vegetarian, options available. Wide variety of gluten-free speciality items.
TripAdvisor Reviews: Yes
Facebook:Yes
Twitter:@emporiummanning

Durrus Cheese

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Durrus Cheese has been made in the upland valley of Coomkeen since the late seventies. It all started as an experiment in cheese-making for the family in the farmhouse kitchen.

This proved to be a lifestyle choice and soon Jeffa Gill was producing the now well-known cheese which is sold all across Ireland and into the UK and the USA.

Durrus is a semi-soft cheese with a natural washed rind, which takes the name of the nearby Durrus village. Having started the business using milk from her own small herd of cows Jeffa eventually began working with milk from two top quality local herds and has developed this distinctive range of cheeses from cows grazing on nearby pastures, some of which border Dunmanus Bay with its dramatic landscape and salt drenched land.

Jeffa and her team in Coomkeen currently produce four award-winning cheeses. The original standard in large and small wheels, our smallest the Durrus Óg and the Dunmanus, a large wheel, matured for at least 6 months with a firmer texture.

Durrus Cheese is well known for being one of the original raw milk Irish farmhouse cheeses. We now make pasteurised versions throughout the year and our raw milk cheeses are made in the summer months when the cows are on pasture.

The Coomkeen Loop walk is a lovely way to explore the Sheep’s Head Way walking trail and it passes the Durrus farm.

Glenilen Farm

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When Valerie Kingston began bringing cheesecakes to sell at Bantry market in 1997, she found that people just loved the rich tasty milk produced on Glenilen farm in Drimoleague.

Today, Alan and Valerie’s cheesecakes, yoghurts and desserts have gained a reputation across Ireland and beyond, and the family farm is a hive of activity.

But while the business has grown, the cows continue to lead a blissful life by the Ilen River, and Valerie continues to work on developing mouth-watering recipes, thoroughly taste-tested by the Kingston family!

Glenilen Farm Visits

OPTION 1: GUIDED – ADULT GROUPS
1 hour guided tour, by Alan or Valerie Kingston or a member of Glenilen Farm staff.
• Observe production from viewing corridor.
• Brief history of Glenilen Farm.
• Visit farmyard; hens, calves, solar panels, milking parlour.

How much does it Cost?
€50 group rate for groups of 1-10 persons. For groups of more that 10 persons the charge is €5 p.p.
Rate includes a free jar of Glenilen Farm yoghurt.

OPTION 2: GUIDED – SCHOOL/UNIVERSITY TOURS
1.5 hour guided tour, by Alan or Valerie Kingston or a member of Glenilen Farm staff.
• Observe production from viewing corridor.
• Brief history of Glenilen Farm.
• Visit farmyard; hens, calves, solar panels, milking parlour.

How much does it Cost?
€3 p.p. up to a maximum of 50 students.Group split into two with groups over 30.
Rate includes a free jar of Glenilen Farm yoghurt.

What should we bring?
All visitors should come prepared for the Irish elements and wear wellies if possible.
Bring a raincoat, and/or sunscreen hat if necessary.

Email us on [email protected] or phone +353 (0)28-31179 to make a booking.
Bookings are by appointment only. Tours run each Monday morning at 10am, subject to availability.

Sheep’s Head Producers’ Shop

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Are you looking for art, crafts and artisan food that have been imagined, created and grown by people living in one of Ireland’s most remote communities?

Then look no further than the Sheep’s Head Producers’ Shop in Kilcrohane village. At the shop you’ll find ‘everything from paintings to potatoes’, all produced here on the Sheep’s Head peninsula.

We offer visitors an ever-changing range of local food, produce, plants, baking, hand-made crafts and art. There’s a treasure trove of items from ceramics, jewellery and driftwood creations to paintings, photography, knitwear and tweed hats in The Old Creamery. It’s a great destination for anyone who is interested in the best of what’s handmade and locally-produced, and it gives you the chance to meet the producers who share the task of running the shop and market.

The Sheep’s Head Producers began their work together when they started a Sunday Market in 2011. The shop at The Old Creamery, was opened in 2012. Both are run by a pioneering group of foodies, growers, craftspeople, designers and community activists. Some of us have lived here our whole lives, others have been drawn here from the UK, continental Europe and the USA. All of us have one thing in common: our passion for creating food, plants, art and crafts that reflect the unique character of the Sheep’s Head peninsula.

The work of more than 80 rural-dwelling artists, crafters and food lovers is gathered here, and you’ll get a real sense of the area’s rich and vibrant culture when you visit.

So, come and meet our producers and browse our wares in Kilcrohane village. We hope you’ll enjoy our unique showcase of the tastes and treasures from a magical place.
 
 

Details
Location:
Kilcrohane, Sheep's Head peninsula, Co. Cork
Opening Hours:Our Market Shop is open 7 days a week all year round.
The Sunday Market, is open from from 11am to 1pm during the summer months (see calendar for details).
Wheelchair accessible?Yes
Website:http://sheepsheadmarket.wordpress.com/
TripAdvisor:Yes
Google Maps:Yes
Facebook:Yes
Twitter:@shproducemarket

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