The Garden at Ballyfin Demesne
Our inspiration starts in the grounds. Eight acres of walled garden, full year-round with a rich variety of fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs all expertly grown and tended to by our team of gardeners.
Ballyfin Demesne
The six hundred and fourteen acres of grounds bring a diverse collection of wild foods throughout the year. In Spring the woodlands are filled with ramsons leaf, wild garlic and wood sorrel's delicate white flowers. Then in Autumn, the forest floor is littered with hedgehog mushrooms, giroles and sometimes, in just a few secret corners of the estate, the King of the forest floor appears, the magnificent Cep(s).
Hidden away near the picnic house live Ballyfin's Bees, a Buckfast hybrid, Irish born and bred. They make us honey, honeycomb and wax from Spring until Autumn. Bernd, our bee man, tends to the hives checking on the bees weekly, collecting the comb and then extracting the honey a little further up the Slieve Bloom Mountains, only 5 kms from us here at Ballyfin (as the bee flies).
A hop over the wall and you will find our producers who supply us with exceptional ingredients. Our Butcher, Mick Keegan, rears beef, pork and lamb for his shop 8 kms away in Mountrath. Patricia Butler produces chicken in her farm in County Kilkenny. The seeded sour dough comes from bakery and coffee shop Mueller & O'Connell in nearby Abbeyleix.
Travelling out of Laois, our fish is landed and then delivered daily by The Duncannon Fish Company out of Kilmore Quay, and SSI sea foods out of Dublin. The butter on the tables is from Glenilen Farm in County Cork.
Our Menus
Our Menus are a team effort with the Kitchen, Gardeners, Sommelier and Restaurant all working together to produce a seamlessly enjoyable evening. Dishes are simple in delivery, focusing on bold flavours and balance - food that is meant to be enjoyed!
