More good news for the Irish hospitality industry as the Virgin Media Business Gold Medal Awards program recently named the “best of the best” in hotel and catering operations across the country. The award-winners were announced at a gala ceremony at The Galmont Hotel & Spa in Galway.
Now in its 35th year, the Virgin Media Business Gold Medal Awards are recognized as the leading independent awards program for Irish hospitality. Judged both by industry experts as well as the public, the judging panel chose candidates in a wide range of “best” categories ranging from five-star resort to family friendly hotel and chef of the year. Silver and bronze medals were also awarded for second and third place winners.
Five-star Hayfield Manor, Cork City (hayfieldmanor.ie) was crowned the “Supreme Winner.” Situated in the heart of Cork City beside University College Cork, the Scally Family opened the hotel to five-star standards in 1996, and it remains the city’s premier five-star hotel. Other five-star winners were Adare Manor, Adare, Co. Limerick (adaremanor.com), "Best Five Star Resort"; Glenlo Abbey Hotel & Estate, Galway City (glenloabbey.ie), “Best Five-Star Guest Experience”; and James O’Sullivan, The Park Hotel Kenmare, Kenmare, Co. Kerry (parkkenmare.com), “Best Five-Star Chef.”
Castle Leslie Estate, Glaslough, Co. Monaghan (castleleslie.com) was named "Ireland's Favorite Place to Stay"; Cork’s Vienna Woods Country House Hotel, Glanmire, Co. Cork (viennawoodshotel.com), “Best Grand Wedding Venue”; The Merrion Hotel, Dublin (merrionhotel.com), “Best Afternoon Tea Experience”; and Ashford Castle, Cong, Co. Mayo (ashfordcastle.com), “Best Wine Experience.” Other properties across the nation were also praised such as Hotel Isaacs Cork, Cork City (hotelisaacscork.com), "Best Three-Star Hotel," and Renvyle House Hotel & Resort, Renvyle, Co. Galway (renvyle.com), “Best Four-Star Resort.”
Hayfield Manor.
I had the good fortune to visit Renvyle House last spring, charmed by its affable general manager Anne Marie Kelly, impressed by its ties to Irish history and literature, and overwhelmed by its stunning, seductive location on the Renvyle Peninsula in Connemara. The historic seaside hotel, which sits on 150 acres, has its own kitchen garden and orchards, pool, tennis court, and spectacular white sand beach. A powerful Gaelic chieftain in the province of Connaught once lived there, and in more modern times it was the home of Irish poet, statesman, and surgeon Oliver St. Gogarty. The house has also played host to many notables, including William Butler Yeats and Winston Churchill. Its Rusheeduff restaurant, reflective of the deliciousness of Connemara, offered the recipe for this yummy roulade, which also appears in my latest cookbook Delicious Ireland.
PEAR, APRICOT & Almond Roulade
Serves 6
4 ounces dried apricots, chopped
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh lemon Juice
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 Anjou or Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and diced
1/4 cup ground almonds
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the apricots, honey, lemon juice, brown sugar, and pears; cook for about 5 minutes, or until the apricots begin to soften. Remove from heat; let cool. Stir in the almonds.
3. Sprinkle a work surface with flour. Unroll the pastry sheet; roll into a 14 x 11-inch rectangle. With the long side facing you, spoon the fruit mixture onto the lower third of the pastry. Starting at the long side, roll up like a jelly roll. Tuck the ends under to seal. Place the pastry, seam-side down, on the prepared baking sheet; brush with egg wash. Cut several 2-inch-long slits 2 inches apart on the top.
4. Bake the roulade for 25 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes; dust with confectioners’ sugar.
5. To serve, cut the roulade into slices; serve with ice cream, if desired.
Another personal favorite, Castlewood House in Dingle (castlewooddingle.com) scooped the gold medal for “Best Breakfast Experience,” adding to its already impressive collection of awards garnered through the years, including “Best Irish Welcome,” “Best Customer Service,” “Accommodation of the Year,” and “Top 25 Small Hotels in Europe.” I enjoyed a wonderful three-night stay there a few years ago and reported in the Echo on its beautiful morning meal:
“Cooked breakfasts include the obligatory ‘full Irish’ along with more gourmet choices like goat cheese and tomato frittata, eggs Benedict, and porridge with your choice of toppings like brown sugar, dried fruits, Bailey’s, Jameson, or Irish Mist! One of the most delicious offerings on the cold buffet was this dish of pears poached in Champagne and turmeric!” Sprinkled with homemade granola and a dollop of yogurt, the recipe is worth repeating.
CHAMPAGNE-TUMERIC POACHED PEARS
Serves 6 to 8
Castlewood hosts Brian and Helen Heating have developed their unique breakfast menu over the years. According to Helen, “We close In January for six weeks and we sit together to try to figure out what would people like? What can we do to make it better?” She said they don’t like complacency in the menu and are always trying to “up our game.” Obviously, the strategy has paid off.
1 (2-ounce) piece fresh turmeric, peeled and sliced
2 cups dry white wine
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 cinnamon sticks, broken
1 vanilla pod, split, or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
5 green cardamom pods
1/2 cup orange juice
Juice of 2 lemons
8 medium pears, peeled, cored and quartered
16 ounces Champagne
2 ounces dried Gogi berries or currants
2 ounces dried cranberries
2 ounces dried blueberries
1. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, combine turmeric, wine, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla pod or paste. Cook, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves.
2. Add cardamom, orange juice, and lemon; simmer for 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Add pears, Champagne, and berries. Place a round of parchment paper on top; cover with a lid. Reduce heat to low.
4. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, turning pears occasionally, until pears are very tender. Serve warm or at room temperature.
For a full list of categories and winners, visit goldmedal.ie.
Margaret Johnson’s “Recipes” page also includes “Ireland Hopping: Adventures in Food, Drink, and Travel.” For further details on her work, or to order her cookbooks, visit irishcook.com.
