Page 128 - WDT MAGAZINE IRELAND ISSUE WINTER 2018

reland’s verdant countryside - where sheep and cows tion of factors, including soil and climate, that gives
graze, and rustic farms hide behind hedgerows – is the wine its distinctive character,” he explains. “In our
Ian Eden visitors find irresistible. restaurant, we use to word to describe our food that
These days, so do the country’s chefs. comes from this specific place, which is Galway and
Innovative food pros are putting Ireland on the map the west of Ireland, from our farms, the wild lands and
as a culinary destination by drawing deeply on its shores that surround us.”
homegrown bounty. In Michelin-starred restaurants, In his best-selling cookbook, “Irish Pantry,” acclaimed
B&B dining rooms, rollicking pubs and cozy tea shops, chef Noel McMeel of Northern Ireland’s Lough Erne Re-
Ireland today proudly dines off the abundant land and sort shares a similar culinary philosophy “with roots in
surrounding sea. my homeland’s ancient past with a modern twist: Find
For Chef JP McMahon, “terroir” best explains this the very best locally grown seasonal ingredients. Sup-
modern approach to food that earned a Michelin star port farms and grocers that respect the earth. Prepare
for his Galway restaurant Aniar. “Terroir is the combina- meals that delight and excite the senses … Above all

128 WDT MAGAZINE WINTER 2018