TULFARRIS HOTEL AND GOLF RESORT -NEW BALLROOM NOW FINISHED- -PREM GROUP INVESTS €7.4 MILLION AT WICKLOW HOTEL-

 

TULFARRIS HOTEL AND GOLF RESORT

-NEW BALLROOM NOW FINISHED-

-PREM GROUP INVESTS €7.4 MILLION AT WICKLOW HOTEL-

International hospitality company, PREM Group is well into the second phase of its ambitious renovation plans at the 4-star, Tulfarris Hotel and Golf Resort in Blessington Co. Wicklow.   The group purchased the 90-bedroom hotel in 2016 and by the end of 2019 had already spent over €6 million on the property in a bid to return the luxury hotel, golf course and 18^th century Manor House to its former glory.  Initial works included the addition of a contemporary clubhouse, all the bunkers were refurbished, two new championship tee boxes were added to the 1^st and 16^th holes and all of the greens were reseeded. In addition, 16 bedrooms were added to the hotel and all of the original bedrooms were upgraded. Meanwhile, a new lobby and new hotel bar were added while several grand reception rooms in the original Manor House were sympathetically restored.

The second phase of the renovation project continued throughout 2020 bringing the total investment figure in the property to €7.4 million.  In spring of this year, the spectacular new restaurant, ‘Fia Rua,’ a stylish and effortlessly chic bistro style eatery overlooking the 18^th green was created.  The work on the restaurant was completed by interior designer, Julie Goggin in March before PREM Group commenced the redesign and renovation of the ‘Russborough Suite’, the ballroom at the hotel. The ballroom renovation, which is now completed, was also overseen by Julie who sought to create a bright, contemporary and elegant space which could be used for weddings, gala dinners or events.

 “The previous space had created many happy memories and hosted a lot of special occasions, however PREM Group wanted to completely revamp the space in order for it to become more attractive, particularly for wedding couples,” said Julie.   “We wanted the space to feel light, luxurious and timeless and created bespoke panelling with inset mirrors to reflect light and add luxury to the room.  The panelling takes its inspiration from the Manor House at Tulfarris and from the nearby, Palladian mansion Russborough House. Essentially, the design is a modern interpretation of a classical ballroom”, said Julie.  “The colours throughout have been kept very pale and soft.  Warm white provides the main backdrop for the scheme while tones of blue provide the accent colours.”

Highly decorative crystal pendant chandeliers bring exemplary focal points to the ballroom and are complemented by hidden uplighters which bathe the bow shaped ceiling in swaths of warm white.

There is a large bar and seating area adjacent to the Russborough Suite which can be partitioned off from the ballroom or couples may opt to have it left entirely open. Here there is a balance between comfortable sofa seating with stone topped cocktail tables, traditional buttoned banquette seating and high bar tables paired with leather clad stools. The bar itself is painted in a deep midnight blue and is topped with natural stone.  Stylish panelling, crystal ceiling and wall lights and bevelled mirrors complete the look to stunning effect.

The new ballroom can comfortably hold 250 guests for dinner on round tables or 320 people theatre style.  A movable stage means wedding or event planners have more flexibility while wedding couples will love the easy and direct access the room has to the stunning gardens and courtyard. 

The redevelopment of the ballroom is aimed at attracting clientele from the wedding and special occasion markets, while the presence of the one AA Rosette award winning Fia Rua restaurant ensures that visitors to the hotel enjoy the finest cuisine served up by Executive Head Chef, Eddie McDermott. All ingredients are sourced locally from Irish farmers and suppliers where possible.

Darren Byrne, General Manager of Tulfarris Hotel and Golf Resort, said, “We are delighted with all of the works that have taken place here to date.  The aim is to continually innovate, renovate and improve our offering so that our discerning guests and wedding couples can have a memorable experience. The new ballroom is very elegant, and we are looking forward to hosting many special days here in the coming months and years.  We can also host civil ceremonies and humanist celebrations on the resort. The exterior grounds of the resort provide plenty of great locations for outdoor weddings and blessings.”

Jim Murphy, CEO of PREM Group said, “Although 2020 has been a challenging year for our industry we are committed to our plans to redevelop and add to the facilities at Tulfarris.  In 2021 we plan to add a light filled atrium lounge which will connect the original Manor House to the banqueting and conference areas.  We already completely redesigned the Bridal Suite in the Manor House and plan to redesign the remaining bedrooms in the early part of the next year.”

Tulfarris Hotel and Golf Resort is located just 40 minutes from Dublin and is set against the spectacular backdrop of the Blessington Lakes and Wicklow Mountains. The resort covers 220 acres and includes a luxury 4-star hotel, 18-hole championship golf course, clubhouse, conference centre, banqueting suites, a restaurant and bar and self-catering holiday homes. Set across three peninsulas around the lake shores, the stunning 18-hole championship golf course is a golfer’s paradise and is definitely an exhilarating test for both amateur and pro golfers. The 18^th century Manor House sits at the heart of the resort and its classic design and elegant proportions are typical of the 18^th century architecture of the time.

For more information on Tulfarris Hotel and Golf Resort or to make a booking see www.tulfarrishotel.com

press release

A Quart of Ale± #26A. Moving on over to craft. A Variety of Lagers.

A Quart of Ale± #26A

Moving on over to craft

A Variety of Lagers

Hope Underdog Hoppy Lager 4.8%, 440ml can via Ardkeen QFS

This modern hybrid style lager has a hazy gold colour, lots of bubbles on show, with a delicate quickly fading white head. Hops make their presence known in the nose. Very impressive introduction on the palate, with a terrific mouthfeel, malt sweetness and hop bitterness get along very well indeed. It is deeply refreshing, full of flavour and persistent. A big and pleasant surprise for me and one to note for sure.

They say: The malts and the yeast we use are traditional, but the hops are not. We use lager malt and other European malt such as Munich malt for flavour, and we use a classic German lager yeast: a strain originally isolated from the oldest brewery in the world. We also use modern American hops for flavour, such as Citra, El Dorado, and Mosaic, furthermore we use the dry hopping technique which is associated with IPAs rather than lager. Underdog hoppy lager is the result.

When it comes to food pairing it’s a brilliant all-rounder, great with BBQs, pizza, spicy foods like curries and for anybody who doesn’t like wine with their food.

Malts: Lager, Munich, Melanoidin, Carapils, Acidulated.

Hops: Magnum, El Dorado, Mosaic 

Yeast: German Lager

IBU 25

The Brewery: Hope Beer started out in 2015 when the brewery was founded by four friends with a passion for beer and business. What began as a series of late-night kitchen table discussions is now a state-of-the-art brewery, producing an extensive range of award-winning premium craft beers. All Hope beers are brewed, bottled, canned and kegged at Howth Junction on Dublin’s Northside and are crafted to be the perfect accompaniment to food.

The Story: During the American invasion of Mexico in 1846, Irishman John Riley came to the aid of the Mexicans in their hour of need. He formed the famous San Patricios Battalion and willingly joined the underdog by fighting against the odds. Ok, they lost, but they became Mexican heroes, remembered especially on St. Patrick’s Day, and on every other day of the year by their nickname: Greengo’s.

Duvel-Moortgat “Vedett Extra Blond” 5.2%, 330ml bottle Bradley’s of Cork

Thought I was buying a golden or blond ale here but turns out this one is more of a lager, a bottom fermented beer, a speciality of the Belgian brewery.

It is straw coloured, lots of bubbles rising, and a fluffy white head that diminishes slowly.  The “extra” here is because of the higher than usual abv. There is a moderate hoppy element in the aromas and on the palate, you immediately realise you have a thirst-quencher in your hand, dry and smooth with a finely balanced hoppiness and a subtle bitterness towards the finalé, always with a mild malt character in the background.

They say: An excellent companion for mushrooms, asparagus, mussels, sushi (with a hint of spiciness), fried chicken breast, calves’ liver, noodle and rice dishes, lemon grass, coconut milk, creamy cottage cheese or a goat’s cheese made with unpasteurised milk. Best served at 3 – 6 °C. 

This Vedett has been in production since the 1940s and was “refreshed” and re-launched in 2003. Brewed with 100 % natural ingredients: water, yeast, pale barley malt, rice. Saaz-Saaz and Styrian Golding hops.

Cotton Ball Indian Summer 4.7%, 500ml bottle and on draught, Cotton Ball Off-licence

Fancy the freshness of a lager, the flavours of an ale? Then check out the Cotton Ball’s Indian Summer.

I was reminded of the qualities of the Cotton Ball’s Indian Summer, produced first as a seasonal but now very much a core beer, during a visit to one of Cork’s newest restaurants in MacCurtain Street. 

A delicious pint (left). The brewery indicate Indian Summer is “a hybrid beer made with lager and crystal malts but with an ale yeast and is an excellent thirst quencher….  great with an Indian Friday night take away.” 

I had my pint in the new Thompsons restaurant (where the Cotton have a micro brewery) and it paired very well indeed with a Nduja pizza. The recipe for this hybrid may be somewhat unusual but it has impressive character, giving the drinker the best of both worlds.

They say: Our Pale Ale made with Irish lager malt, crystal malt and ale yeast while being delicately bittered using three new world hops. 

This beer gives a citrusy aroma with a light clean palate and a lingering hoppy bitterness. This beer is for sure a thirst quencher! 

Metalman Equinox Wheat Lager 4.6%, 330ml can Ardkeen QFS

A beer for a sunny day! Even if that sunny day was just above freezing as winter sneaked in.

It’s a hazy mid-gold colour with a myriad of little bubbles rising towards a white head that doesn’t hang about. Orange and lemon peel have been added for a burst of citrus, along with some ground coriander to give a hint of spice at the end. It seems to have worked well as the wheat lager is very refreshing, full of flavour and totally quaffable with a clove-y hint there too. Nice finish also.

Very satisfactory overall and good too that you are able to get it in keg, cask and can.

Pearse Lyons Brown Bear India Pale Lager 5.2%, Aldi

Something of a hybrid like the Cotton Ball’s Indian Summer. A more serious beer than I first thought and quite a satisfactory one as well. Not a big fan of the discounts but credit where credit is due, so a big thumbs up for this particular Brown Bear. Colour is more amber than gold, the aromas are hoppy and the fruity finalé is more ale than lager.

Cork Cancer Survivors working in the food industry sought for new initiative

 

Cork Cancer Survivors working in the food industry sought for new initiative

Breakthrough Cancer Research, Ireland’s leading cancer research charity, is embarking on an exciting new awareness campaign that will launch early in The New Year.

The charity is looking for Cork based cancer survivors working in any capacity in the food and hospitality industry, to get involved with the initiative which will help raise awareness of the importance of cancer research.

They could be a producer, a jam maker, a chef, a waiter, a baker, a food supplier, a cheese maker or food packaging and distribution staff.

If you or anyone you know working in the food or hospitality industry has survived cancer, Breakthrough wants to hear from you.

This initiative will be a follow up to the multi-award-winning Shop That Nearly Wasn’t – the world’s first shop 100% stocked and staffed by cancer survivors. Featuring craft and art producers, creatives and entrepreneurs the pop up shop opened in Dublin’s Temple Bar on World Cancer Day 2020 and continues to operate online at https://shopthatnearlywasnt.ie/ .

Anyone interested should contact survivor@breakcancer.ie or telephone 021 4226655.

BLACKS - FULL OF CHRISTMAS CHEER & AWARD-WINNING BEER!

 BLACKS - FULL OF CHRISTMAS CHEER & AWARD-WINNING BEER!

 Blacks Brewery & Distillery Celebrate Prestigious International Beer & Spirit Award Wins  

 

Blacks Sour Sailor Cocktail

 

While this year has been challenging, Blacks, Ireland’s first co-located brewery & distillery, proved unstoppable, receiving international awards as a mark of their passion and dedication to their craft.

 

Maudeline and Sam

Located on the Wild Atlantic Way in Kinsale, Blacks have one simple mission, to escape the mundane of the mass market by producing beers with passion, personality and lots of hops, while also pushing the boundaries of flavour when crafting their range of spirits. Having just been announced as winners for two prestigious competitions - USA Spirit Ratings & the European Beer Challenge, Blacks are proving their mission complete.

 

A USA Spirit Ratings medal is the ultimate seal of approval in the global spirits industry. Blacks took home the coveted Gold medal for their Blacks Irish Gin, one of only two Irish gins to receive this accolade, and Silver for their Blacks Golden Rum at this renowned competition. The USA Spirits Ratings looks to recognise, reward and help promote spirit brands that have successfully been created to identify with and target a specific spirit drinker. These awards shine a spotlight on the spirit brands that consumers really want to buy and have a clear market value for trade buyers.

 

Spirits were judged in three categories; Quality, Value and Packaging. Only those spirits who scored consistently high across each of the three criteria were awarded medals. To receive Gold Blacks Irish Gin was awarded an impressive score of 90 - 100 points, with Blacks Golden Rum coming away with its Silver medal and 80 - 89 points.

 

Continuing this winning streak, Blacks, founded by husband and wife duo, Sam & Maudeline Black, were honoured to accept Double Gold at the European Beer Challenge for their innovative Maui Wowie High P.A. and also their World's End Imperial Stout. This unstoppable pair also proudly accepted silver for their flagship beer, Kinsale Pale Ale (KPA).

 

The annual European Beer Challenge brings together Europe’s leading beer buyers and top beers from across the globe against the backdrop of the dynamic and strategically important EU & UK beer market. This year thousands of samples from 39 countries fought head-to-head, with Blacks coming out on top not once, but three times. During the European Beer Challenge judging session each product is subjected to a rigorous blind tasting process which allows newcomers to compete fairly against the world’s leading brands. This is the highest level of recognition in the industry - the Oscars of the Beer World.

 

The award winning Blacks

Speaking with pride in relation to their award wins Blacks Brewery & Distillery Co-Founder, Sam Black commented, “This has been an amazing year for us at our Brewery & Distillery in Kinsale. While the global Covid19 pandemic threw a lot of challenges our way, the entire team rose to the test and we continued to produce exciting craft beers and spirits. To receive Double Gold, Gold and Silver medals for both our craft beers and spirits is recognition for the passion we have for our craft. It is a testament to the time and talent invested by all of our team in Kinsale, and to receive this acknowledgment on a global scale, especially when up against such long standing and established brands it was just phenomenal.’

 

Fancy sampling Blacks Gold winning Irish Gin over this festive season? It is delicious served neat over ice, or as a tall drink with a premium mixer, but if you like your spirits shaken not stirred why not try this Blacks’ signature Gin cocktail:

 

 

Blacks Sour Sailor

 

Ingredients:

 

·      60ml Blacks Irish Gin

·      30 ml Fresh Grapefruit Juice

·      15ml Fresh Lemon Juice

·      10ml Simple Sugar Syrup (This can be easily made at home by mixing sugar with water - 1:1 ratio Sugar : Water)

·      1/2 Egg White

·      Dash of Angostura Bitters

 

Method:

 

1.    Add all your ingredients, except the bitters, into a cocktail shaker

2.    Dry shake all ingredients for 10 seconds

3.    Add ice and shake again for a further 10 seconds

4.    Fine strain into a chilled martini glass

5.    Add a dash of Angostura Bitters

6.    Sip & enjoy

 

To find out more about Blacks award-winning Blacks Irish Gin, Blacks Golden Rum and craft beers visit www.blacksbrewery.com, or stay connected online at Instagram/blacksbrewery, Twitter @BlacksBrewery or Facebook/BlacksOfKinsale

press release

 

Tip Top Tapas and a lovely experience at Vikki's in Sunday's Well

 Tip Top Tapas and a lovely experience at Vikki's in Sunday's Well

Camembert 

“Wild mushroom and truffle arancini” 

“Tempura prawn, wasabi mayo” 

“Burrata, tomatoes, olives and sour dough”

“Mackerel Pate and watercress salad”

 “Wild mushroom bruschetta”

“Miso glazed tofu, sesame and smoked almond crumbs”

All and more chalked on the tempting Tapas Board at Vikki’s (which comes under the Blue Haven wing) in Sunday’s Well. 

Add in the Charcuterie board (Ballinwillin goat salami, bresaola, Serrano ham, Ummera smoked duck, salami, olives and croutons). Plus the Cheeseboard of Cashel Blue cheese, Hegarty's cheddar, Macroom mozzarella, Taleggio, Knockanore vintage red cheddar, sundried tomatoes, Ballymaloe relish, grapes, crackers, apple chutney. I could see I was in for a tapas treat.

Yakitori

And that it would be enhanced by some excellent wines. Quite a few whites by the glass including the Blue Haven Collection Sauvignon Blanc by Better Half in Marlborough, New Zealand, and reds too such as the Johnny Q Shiraz-Viognier (South Australia). Fancy a full bottle? No bother. I can rarely resist a Gruner Veltliner and they have the Peter Scheiger Kogelberg among their whites, while the red list includes Chateau Maucoil Chateauneuf-du-Pape (Rhone, France).

No shortage of sparkling or rosé either. And they also offer local drinks in bottle such as Blacks of Kinsale KPA and Stonewell Cider Medium Dry, each a favourite of mine. As we started making tapas decisions, we sipped two terrific whites, the Abadia de Seixo Albariño and the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. The Marlborough has been created in partnership between The Blue Haven Collection and Better Half Wines Marlborough, a small family winery sourcing premium grapes from thirteen hard-working, local growers in the Wairau and Awatere Valleys. Each was impressive in its own way.

Cauliflower

Soon our opening tapas were on the table and the sharing began. The cauliflower pakora with its mint yogurt was a pleasant opener but it was the Chicken Yakitori that came with its crunchy slaw and spicy dip that stole the opening act of a very pleasant and satisfactory meal.  All part of an easy-going evening with pleasant and good humoured staff who knew the menu and had time for a chat and a laugh or two.

I often feel that local chefs can better display their talents through smaller dishes and indeed we often agree that we would sometimes prefer to eat nothing but starters on certain occasions. And this is more or less what we were doing here because the tapas portions are equal in quantity to many starters.

Quantity and quality came together again in our next double. First up was the Baked Camembert with chutney and sourdough. Another superb dish, another highlight of the evening, the experience enhanced no end by the stunning plum chutney.

Cauliflower

We had now moved on to a couple of red wines. One was Organic “Authentico” Bobal Tempranillo, an excellent tapas wine, a rounded, fruity and persistent blend of Bobal and Tempranillo organic vines by Covinas. Bobal is a relatively unknown grape despite being widely planted in Spain. As it turned out, we both leaned towards our other red, the  “Original” Malbec by Rigal, from the South of France, a smooth fruity and harmonious wine.

The Bobal Tempranillo really came into its own with the Wild boar and Gubbeen cheese croquettes, perhaps the least photogenic of our tapas, but packed full of robust flavours and a delight to dispatch, especially with the lively sauce on which they were laid.

Would we like dessert? Reluctantly, we shook our heads, even though earlier we had put an eye on the Tunisian almond and orange cake in the short selection. We had enjoyed our tapas and the wine and the evening in Vikki’s and decided to call a halt!

You’ll find all the details, opening times and menus, on their website here and stay up to date with last minute changes by checking their Facebook page.  By the way, their Covid 19 precautions are some of the most impressive around. Delighted to take up an invite to visit this comfortable venue.

Tapas are served here from Wednesday to Sunday. They also do lunch and brunch - see social media. Below is a screenshot of their Christmas opening times (subject to Covid changes).

Taking a Walk in Cobh on a Sunny Winter's Day

 Take a Walk (or a Run) in Cobh

 on a Sunny Winter's Day

Cobh's Sonia O'Sullivan, the town's well-loved daughter
with the cathedral in the background. All pics taken 12/12/20
Check out my summertime walk (2020) in Cobh here.

Cobh, taken from the Titanic Memorial Garden at eastern end of town.

Looking west from Titanic Memorial Garden. The building on the right is the Port of Cork Operations centre from where the harbour traffic is observed and coordinated.

One of the old piers

Another shot from The Mall, Cuskinny.

The glass memorial wall at the Titanic Memorial Garden in The Cove, Cuskinny.
Here the 123 passengers who boarded the ill-fated liner in Cobh
are listed, survivors among them have an asterisk by their names.

Enjoying the winter sun in The Mall, Cuskinny.

Just one of quite a few similarly planted windows in the local credit union.

Looking west from the signposted spot known as The Bench.

Once the offices of the Cunard Shipping line.

St Colman's Cathedral (1879)

The Preacher's Steps or the Preaching House Steps
 took you to the first Methodist Church (1810) on the terrace above

The local garda station.

In the foreground is the Titanic Experience (in the former White Star offices);
on the hill above is The Crescent

The Georgian buildings of Westbourne Place rise above
 the town's promenade and bandstand.

Check out a summertime walk (2020) in Cobh here.