Celtic Ross team all geared up to look after you well in Rosscarbery

Celtic Ross team all geared up

 to look after you well in Rosscarbery 

Union Hall (on the left) and Glandore (tucked away on the right) are just a few minutes from the hotel

A cool and welcome drink

Rosscarbery’s Celtic Ross was the last hotel we stayed in before the Covid hit and the first visited after the lockdown was lifted. And you could see the team here had worked their socks off to make the current experience as safe and as comfortable as possible for all their guests. No shortage of personnel to help you as you arrived and in the dining room later on.

The only place you didn’t see any staff member was in your room. That room had been sterilised by fogging machines prior to check-in. The room was then sealed until our arrival and no staff member allowed enter until we left. They have taken a myriad of precautions and you may see the full list here. 

The new normal

You’ll notice too that your room has been pared back - no hotel guide (but you can check it online via a QR code). Same with your dining table - no extras. Pared back perhaps but, masks or shields, there’s no cutting back on the welcome. It’s as warm as ever and we also had a terrific dinner and breakfast here.

Earlier, we had been driving around West Cork and were feeling the heat. A cool glass of water helped immediately on arrival and our order for a couple of Blacks Brewery Session IPAs was soon delivered to our room and we enjoyed them! Revived, we took a short walk in the direction of The Warren and watched some of the many seabirds that visit here as they fed on the incoming tide.

Sri Lankan Style Curry

There were some excellent choices on the dinner menu, though we both felt like ignoring the mains and eating through the list of starters. They were all very tempting indeed. And there were a few specials as well. We continued with the beers here, that Session along with the Roaring Ruby Red Ale (on draught) our choices.

Rosscarbery Pork Belly

Speaking of choices, my starter was Korean fried Rosscarbery Pork Belly Popcorn, Culture Food Co kimchi, Gochujang Korean style chili sauce, toasted sesame seeds. Very happy with that one, high in quality and not lacking in quantity either. And that local kimchi impressed very much indeed, so much so that I purchased a jar of it the next day in the deli in the Customs House in Baltimore.

Dessert

Local suppliers are always well supported here and CL’s choice was the Sun View Goats Cheese Salad Rolled in pistachios, heirloom tomatoes, pickled fennel and pinto beans, salsa verde cocida. That cheese comes all the way from Macroom! And was well used here in a delicious salad.

CL continued with Shannonvale Chicken Supreme (GF), Crushed peas, herb and potato cake, crispy onions and red wine jus, another local supplier well highlighted here, another excellent plate. We did call for a side order of fries but, to tell the truth, there was little need for them.

Breakfast pancakes

I stayed on an Asian tack, ordering the Sri Lankan Style Cashew Curry Chickpeas, potato, roasted vegetables, spiced pilaf rice. And I took the option of adding chicken, another piece from Shannonvale. This was one of the best curries I’ve eaten out, full of flavour but nothing at all extreme and indeed it would have been quite sufficient even without the added chicken (lovely and all as it was).

They have always prided themselves on their shielded breakfast buffet but that too has changed. Now you get a menu and a pencil and you tick your choices, like doing an exam our server joked. Worked quite well though and, while I know the Full Irish would have been gorgeous, we both decided on the pancakes. And they were top notch - might have been improved a bit with a few local berries (thinking Bushby’s here!) but “doused” with Maple syrup we enjoyed them very much indeed. 

Soon, we were heading out, having been seen off in style. Even if the desk was shielded, we had a lovely chat and all the details were correct. 

We were heading for lunch at the Customs House where top Chef Dede now operates. There was no rush so we decided to detour to Glandore and Union Hall (another place that doesn’t come up on our Sat-Nav, by the way). On the way to Glandore, we were asked to detour as there was a funeral on the regular road. So we did as requested and got some lovely views of the two villages and the water between them.

Eventually we got away on a narrow side road (with grass in the middle), only to find that blocked by a truck delivering fuel who had the little road blocked! Will we ever make to Baltimore in time? But, fortunately, he was nearly finished and soon moved off. A few minutes later we were on our way to a sunny Baltimore and a delicious lunch. 

Also on this trip:
Mizen Head Visit
Lunch with Chef Ahmet Dede at Customs House in Baltimore