Ashford Castle’s Cullens at the Cottage restaurant has reopened with a spectacular new seasonal menu featuring produce from more than a dozen local Irish producers, together with produce grown, picked, pickled, foraged and produced on the Ashford Castle estate.
Cullen’s at the Cottage traditionally closes for the winter but planning starts up to 12 months in advance, with Ashford Castle’s head chefs collaborating with head gardener, Alex Lavarde, who oversees the estate’s kitchen gardens.
Executive Head Chef, Liam Finnegan and Head Chef, Amélie Le Guennec meet with Alex Lavarde almost daily to consider crop, planting and harvesting cycles. And this year the newly launched menu at Cullen’s at the Cottage features more fantastically fresh and estate grown goods than ever before. Asparagus, rhubarb, wild garlic, lovage, fennel, mixed leaves are among the estate-grown produce currently starring on the menu at Cullen’s at the Cottage, which will change with the seasons.
Sous Chef, Hilary Casey, who heads up the hotel’s Wild Food project complements dishes with her homemade pickles, condiments and preserves. Connemara oysters are served with Hilary’s hot sauce, which is made from chillis harvested in late summer, fermented with red pepper and salt brine. Guests will also enjoy estate made butter, breads, buttermilk and honey when dining at Ireland’s first Forbes Five-star rated hotel.
Diners will be treated to produce from some of the west of Ireland’s finest artisan producers including Burren House smoked salmon, Connemara crab and lobster, Killary Fjord mussels, Andarl farm pork, Martin Jennings steak, Kinvarra lamb, St Tola Goat’s Cheese and Velvet Cloud dairy produce, together with Goatsbridge Rainbow Trout and Ring’s Farm Chicken.
Located in Cong, Co Mayo, Ashford Castle offers guests multiple dining experiences all of which feature seasonal menus packed with estate and locally sourced produce:
- fine dining in the historic George V Dining Room
- bistro style dining in the atmospheric Dungeon
- both casual and private dining options in the intimate setting that is Stanley’s
- award-winning Afternoon Tea in the elegant Connaught Room, which is available to non-residents (booking essential)
- private dining in the hotel’s stone-clad wine cellars
- lunch and casual dining with spectacular views in the Drawing Room and of course, Cullens at the Cottage, which is open not only to guests of Ashford Castle but to those staying at The Lodge at Ashford. Cullen’s at the Cottage also welcomes bookings from non-residents
In addition to its world-class, Irish food offering, Ashford Castle offers 83 elegant rooms and suites, a luxury spa and gym, an equestrian centre, leisure complex, Ireland’s School of Falconry, a nine-hole golf course, an extensive wine cellar, and a private cinema. Bookings at Cullen’s at the Cottage required, subject to availability. www.ashfordcastle.com
CULLEN’S AT THE COTTAGLE SAMPLE MENU – SPRING 2025
STARTERS
- St Tola goat’s cheese croquette, beetroot, estate wild garlic & nettle
- Estate asparagus, mixed leaves, heritage tomatoes, Wildwood balsamic dressing
- Connemara oyster, Hilary’s hot sauce, celery, cucumber
- Burren house smoked salmon, cucumber, fennel, estate buttermilk
- Connemara crab, brown crab butter, brioche, land cress, pickled vegetables
- Razor clams, cockles & Killary Fjord mussels, wild garlic pesto, white wine, flatbread
- Bobotie spring roll, Mrs Balls chutney, pickled vegetables
- Andarl farm pork belly, estate rhubarb & ginger, lovage, soy
MAINS
- Crispy basil polenta, courgette, aubergine, pepper, tomato, labneh dressing
- Dukkah crusted Goatsbridge rainbow trout, clams, estate asparagus, sorrel butter sauce, trout caviar
- Pan fried black sole, almond brown butter, pink fir potato, spinach
- Estate wild garlic pappardelle, prawns, mussels, clams, samphire, chilli and coriander cream sauce
- Grilled Connemara lobster, garlic butter, seasonal vegetables, fries
- Seafood papillotte, lobster, langoustines, prawns, Noilly Prat, dill, seasonal vegetables, fries
- Josper grilled aged Martin Jennings rib eye, bone marrow & persillade, triple cooked chips, landcress, peppercorn, garlic butter or béarnaise
- Ring’s farm half péri péri organic chicken from the rotisserie oven, Mr’s Tollman’s broccoli slaw, fries, péri péri sauce
- Kinvarra lamb rump, grilled courgette, pink fir potato, olive, Velvet Cloud labneh & mint dressing
DESSERT
- Rhubarb & apple crumble, raspberry sorbet
- Valrhona Komuntu 80% dark chocolate mousse, caramelised pecan
- Vanilla custard tart, blood orange sorbet
- Profiterole, vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce
- Irish farmhouse cheese, crackers, chutney, condiments
