Countdown to St. Paddy's Day - Day Four

Our theme today was Game of Thrones, so we set off to explore Ireland's castles, shorelines and mountains in search of Three-eyed Ravens, White Walkers, and Direwolves.

In Connemara, we learned all about the Kylemore Abbey, their neo-Gothic church and their lush 6 acre Victorian Walled Gardens from the sweet Benedictine Nuns who have been living there since 1920. We enjoyed a delicious home cooked lunch at Mitchell's Cafe. The scones with locally made jam are a must!

We headed for the top of the mountains with a head of steam in search of the Sacred Heart Statue.

Unfortunately, after a couple of hours of trapesing through wet boggy fields, we were forced to turn around due to a series of barbed wire fences and pouring rain. I would suggest hiring a professional guide from the Abbey. 

We headed back to the castle with our Medieval feast on our minds. We stopped at a cheese shop and bought every Irish cheese available for our dessert course.

Chef Raychel O'Keeffe of Keel Catering had our delicious feast awaiting. 

Medieval Feast Menu

Starters

• Irish oak smoked organic salmon with roast beetroot salad and horseradish creme fraiche and traditional soda bread
• Irish pork spare ribs with organic honey and whiskey sauce
• Brie, portobello mushroom and cranberry Wellington with berry balsamic reduction
• Irish wild nettle soup with touch of cream

Main courses

• Crackling roast stuffed pork shoulder stuffed with potato and breadcrumb stuffing, with roasted root vegetables and Irish cider apple sauce
• Beef and Guinness stew with potato dumplings
• Pea risotto with mint, mange tout, crumbled Irish goat cheese and roasted wild hazelnuts

Dessert

• Guinness and chocolate mousse with cream and shavings of artisan chocolate
• Bread and butter pudding paired with Bailey's Irish Cream
• Assortment of Irish cheeses, oat biscuits and chutneys paired with honey Mead

We tried every cider we could find for sampling. Stonewell's and Cockagee Pure Irish Keeved Cider were our favorite ciders overall and Falling Apple was preferred among the younger crowd because it was a bit sweeter. Honestly, they were all quite good - Orpens, Dan Kelly's, and Llewellyn's Bone Dry Cider were better as an aperitif, Craigies Ballyhook Flyer and Tempted Elderflower were better with cheese, Longueville House was best with the meal.