Burns Family Playing A Blinder At Home On The Farm

Burns Family Playing A Blinder

 At Home On The Farm

Joe and Sandra at the Farm Shop.

The Killeagh farm of Joe and Sandra Burns is pretty well known for its stall at local farmers market and for its delicious vegetable crisps (available all around the country). They were going well on both fronts until Covid19 struck. Bang went the markets. Bang went the food festivals and with them a huge chunk of the crisps business.

But the resilient pair are fighting back. The business from the markets has been largely replaced by their superb Farm Shop. Believe it or not, the idea for this came from a little pioneering venture at the farm gate last year by daughter Meghan, one of their three children.

Parsnips. No shortage!

In the middle of all this, instead of feeling sorry for themselves, they found time to think of people less fortunate. Back in May, with huge help from the neighbours, they raised over €600.00 for Pieta House at an event in the farm.

And Joe told me that it is the neighbours who are the mainstay of the success of the Farm Shop. Here, though the shop is in the yard by the house, they operate a “honesty box” system. The price list for the vegetables is displayed (also available online); cash payment is put in an envelope and then into the box.

Joe, with Toby, and daughters Meghan (left) and Katelyn.

And what a choice you have! Fresh out of the nearby fields, you can have carrots (including rainbow carrots), parsnips, swede/turnip, white turnip, cabbage, red cabbage, broccoli, white cauliflower, purple cauliflower, romanesco, beetroot, kale, rhubarb, celery, courgette, onions, plus eggs, strawberries, mushrooms, tomatoes.

All the colours of the beet!

Of course, there are spuds, new at the moment, Queens or Ladyclaire. And Roosters. By the way, those Ladyclaires are the ones they use for their crisps (the white ones) and they are very good for boiling, steaming and chipping. And speaking of crisps, well they’re there too, the original Veg (carrot, parsnip and beetroot), Beetroot, and Mixed Potato.

A superb selection of fresh produce in the middle of the lovely East Cork countryside. Not in the middle of nowhere, by the way. This treasure trove is just about six minutes off the main Cork-Waterford road (N25) in the village of Killeagh. 

If you’re coming from the city, instead of turning right for Youghal at the eastern end of the village, take the small road (L3806) straight up past the church. Tap P36 X582 into your Google maps and you’ll be there in no time. You’ll see a sign or two for the farm as you get closer. 

One of the highlights from last year was the pumpkin picking season. Groups of kids - play school, primary, families - came for the picking. No less than 83 children in one group from Mayfield. They enjoy the picking but also get the full tour, lots of tasing of raw veg - the coloured beetroot is a big hit. 

It is educational in a fun way for the visitors and the Burns family absolutely enjoy it themselves and are looking forward to December 2020. In a year or two, there’ll be apples to be picked as well. Joe has planted some 100 trees. The deers, displaced by clear-felling in nearby wooded hills, took an interest at first but seem to have eased off and the apples are growing well.

Pumpkins, sheltered by the barley.

Close to the lines of apples, a couple of hives have been installed by a local beekeeper as Joe and Sandra seek to improve pollination of the apples and other fruit and also expand the diversity of the farm. Another section of land has been planted with oats and linseed and it is allowed grow for the benefit of the birds under a Glas scheme.

Purple cauliflower and Romanesco

Sandra is perhaps best known for the crisps, originally produced in a small mobile kitchen (2014*). In fact, they had really started in the farmhouse kitchen. The mobile kitchen was quickly outgrown and now they have a very impressive brand new permanent facility on site. Here they can do much more. The packaging though is slow and proving something of a bottleneck. A new machine had been eyed up to ease the pressure but, being a fairly large expenditure, its purchase has had to be postponed because of Covid.

All quiet in the crisps unit!

With the farmers markets now off his agenda, Joe is enjoying some extra spare time and they, as a family, are getting out and about a bit more to cheer on their local teams and so on. Still, there’s always something being planned. Take Sandra for instance. She recently shared a Beetroot Brownie recipe with the shop’s customers and “it went down a treat.” She promises to work on another few! No standing still around here!

Sandra and Meghan at a festival in Ballymaloe. Covid19 put a stop to all that. Fingers crossed, festivals will be back soon

The Farm Shop is open every Thursday Friday & Saturday 10-6

Joe’s Farm 

Drishane More

Ballycurraginny

Killeagh, Co. Cork P36 X582

* Back in 2014, I tweeted: Just got to get Joe's Farm Crisps on Twitter. Brilliant product. They're still not on but at least you'll find them on Facebook now!

Down on the farm!

O'Mahony's Launch New Farm Shop For Watergrasshill

O'Mahony's Launch New Farm Shop For Watergrasshill

• O’Mahony’s of Watergrasshill Launch New Deli & Takeaway Offering 
• Local Produce, Fresh Baked Goods and Coffee Available
• New Heat@Home Range of Dinners to Enjoy at Home 

Award-winning gastropub O’Mahony’s of Watergrasshill (Cork) is set to add a new addition to their offering; O’Mahony’s Stores, a new farm shop and deli, will open on 12 August. 

In light of the impact of the changing landscape for hospitality caused by the global pandemic, the bar and restaurant will reopen later in the Autumn. The team behind the award-winning food destination have been busy these last few months working on the exciting new venture in response to customer demand.

Proprietor Victor Murphy said “Throughout lockdown we ran weekly Neighbourfood markets and were constantly asked when we could make this a more regular thing. We are very excited with the launch of O’Mahony’s Stores as it enables us to sell amazing produce to our customers that we would only use ourselves in the restaurant. We will also have a new range of freshly made food in our deli section as well as hot drinks and treats. Our new store will remain open when the restaurant and bar reopens later in the Autumn.”

The new delicatessen items will include dishes from the kitchen that can be taken away and a new ‘Heat@Home’ range.

Fresh-baked pastries alongside Golden Bean Coffee will be available from the counter; a sit-down cafe-style option to enjoy hot drinks and baked goods will also be available both inside and outside and all in line with new socially distanced guidelines. 

O’Mahony’s Stores will also sell a delicious selection of freshly baked sourdough breads and quality locally grown vegetables, fresh bread from Bread and Roses, Gloun Cross Dairy milk and dairy products and delicious apple juice from Future Orchard.

There will be a selection of Irish cheeses, free-range eggs from Adams eggs, Greenfield yoghurts, cured meats, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, vinegars & sundries from ‘Olives West Cork’. For the sweet-toothed they will stock the most incredible chocolate goodies from David Chocolatier. They will also stock natural beauty products from the Sun Vale Soap Company and Little Red Skincare.

O’Mahony’s Farm Shop will officially open August 12, from Wednesday to Friday 8am-7pm, and Saturday & Sunday 12-6pm. 

For more visit omahonysofwatergrasshill.com or check them out on Facebook and Instagram @mahonysofwgh

press release

Taste of the Week

Taste of the Week
On the Double

Two excellent local products here, each a great taste in its own right. The cheese, from the Farm Shop in the Ballymaloe Cookery School, is creamy and full of flavour, not yet showing the dry flakiness that comes with longer maturing. You don't often see Loganberry jam nowadays but this gorgeous pot, by Follain, is available in Bradley's, North Main Street. 

In the Basque Country in South West France, and probably over the border in Spain as well, they often serve sheep cheese with a cherry jam. So why not put those two together, I thought. And it worked a treat, my Taste of the Week!