Ireland is a country well known for its home grown ingredients. The most traditional of all Irelands foods are stews, featuring lamb or mutton, onion and potatoes, throwing in extras such as stout, oysters, or beef that can add flavour. More recently a new breed of chefs have come through making traditional dishes with a little flair, still true to the roots but re-creating and adapting them to modernise the dishes.

When you think of Irish food and drink you may think of a hearty local breakfast washed down with tea. Most will contain bacon, sausages, fried eggs, white pudding, black pudding and toast, normally accompanied with black tea and milk. Potato cakes are sometimes served as well. Baked beans, fried tomatoes and/or mushrooms may sometimes be served. A very popular alternative is the breakfast roll, which contains some of these ingredients in a foot long french stick. Usually a light lunch of salad, soup or sandwiches will be followed by a main meal in the evening.

The countries meat is internationally acclaimed, especially Aberdeen Angus beef and lamb from the west coast, Achill lamb from Mayo and Skaeghanore Ducks from west Cork.

A rich variety of fresh fish and seafood are sourced from the Atlantic and Irish seas and include shellfish such as Dublin Bay prawns to herring, mackerel, plaice and cod. The lakes and rivers are home to salmon, trout and eels. Galway salmon is regarded as some of the country’s finest, and it’s in Galway that the famous oyster festival takes place.

A large proportion of the Irish diet is made up of baked goods such as soda bread, potato bread which is fried, or eaten cold as a cake and farls. Expect to have breads and cakes after a main course as is traditional.

There is a large variety of farmhouse and cheddar cheeses that are concentrated in Munster and reportedly top 1000 tonnes a year. Legend has it that Irish monks exported to secrets of cheese making to the rest of Europe. Some of the best to try are carragaline, cashel blue, cooleeney, durrus, gubbeen, milleens and St killian as well as many others.

Traditional recipies for Irish food and drink can be found by clicking here

Unless you want some very awkward looks its best not to order a bright blue alcopop from a traditional Irish pub. Of course you will find them, and of course they are popular in many inner city bars with the younger generation of drinkers, but as is customary when in The Emerald Isle then stout and whiskey are the most popular. Guinness is still the favoured tipple, with few visitors leaving without a taste. Stouts such as Beamish and Murphy’s are also worth a try. Whiskey, which means ‘water of life’ in Gaelic, is smoother and more refined then its Scotch counterpart. Popular brands are Jamesons, Powers and Paddys. Irish coffee, comprising whiskey is also a favoured winter warmer.

To fully appreciate some of the famous Irish food and drink when visiting the country have a look at the restaurants and pubs in your destination.