Mayo’s Gourmet Greenway is a gastronomic trail of culinary delight

by Tom Gillespie

COVID may have interrupted the staging of the annual Gourmet Greenway banquet in Mulranny Park Hotel for two years.

However, it allowed the artisan food producers, dotted along the Great Western Greenway, to further hone their crafts and return this year with even greater enthusiasm for the mouth-watering foods they produce.

And this came to a delicious head when the producers gathered at Mulranny Park Hotel to showcase their wares for the 13th year.

Those present at the sold-out elaborate banquet were not disappointed when they sat down to a delicious 10-course meal, prepared by Sri Lankan head chef Chamila Manawatta and his culinary team.

Mulranny Park Hotel general manager Dermot Madigan told a packed dining-room: “We started out 13 years ago with five members, which has now grown to 22 members.

“That would not have happened without the support of the producers and the venues along the route which is unique to the west of Ireland.”

Initially the guests gathered in the Waterfront Bar for canapés - Croagh Patrick Seafood baked oysters sea meringue, Calvey’s Achill black-faced lamb bon bons, Kelly’s farmhouse muffin, Croagh Patrick Seafood black mussels curry and quail eggs and Keem Bay smoked salmon.

There were all served with a choice of Portillo Sauvignon Blanc and Portillo Malbec or Mescan Brewery’s Baltic Porter.

The guests then moved to the Nephew Restaurant for a gastronomic feast which commenced with a baked section consisting of Cafe Rua focacca bread, Cornue Bakery sourdough and Wild Wood Vinegar balsamic.

All the guests’ place names were hand written on sycamore leaves.

Amuse bouche - small savoury items of food served as an appetiser before a meal - were roast pumpkin soup with Mulranny seaweed flavoured omelette, accompanied by Kilka Sauvignon Blanc.

Starter - Irish American Whiskey and hibiscus cured Clare Island organic salmon, black garlic and miso aioli, squid ink flavoured tuile, fermented cucumber and Wasabi caviar.

Middle course - Velvet Cloud sheep curd parfait, pistachio, turmeric flavoured pears, Chamila’s Ceylon spiced tomato chutney, beetroot, lime and honeycomb, all washed down with Saientein Barrel selection Chardonnay.

The diners then took a breather and had some homemade jackfruit ice cream.

Fish course - Clew Bay mackerel, octopus salad, carrot and lemongrass flavoured puree, ponzu, Achill Island sea salt, scallop and potato linguini, all of which was complemented by Salentein Barrel selection Pinor Noir.

Main course - Kelly’s pork fillet and belly pork and Mulranny seaweed dumpling, black pudding flavoured biscuit, Sinead’s apple curry, kimchi sesame and peanut crust, washed down with Salentein ‘Numina Gran Crote’.

Desserts - Rhubarb parfait, meringue clouds and pistasho flavoured crumble, lemon and Yuzu curd, and Sinead Orchard apple mousse, washed down with Salentein Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc.

The guests then retired to the Waterfront Bar for Bean West Coffee and Marlene’s Chocolate Haven and Nephew Restaurant petit fours.

As well as the Mulranny Park Hotel, the other sponsors of the night were Forrestal Winemerchants, Salentein Valle De Uco, Mescan Brewery, Mayo County Council and Bunzl McLoughlin.

The wine selections were introduced by Janine Smink, exports manager Bodegas Salentein for Europe and Asia.