The Ballymaloe chef on a pioneering vegetarian restaurant, his local pub and the farmers’ market that’s “probably the best in the country”
EATING OUT
Café Paradiso
16 Lancaster Quay, Mardyke, Cork City, Ireland; paradiso.restaurant
Veg-obsessed restaurant in Cork City run by the great Denis Cotter. “Really good: it’s led the way in vegetarian cooking in Ireland.” – Rory
The Blackbird
Main St, Ballycotton, Co. Cork, Ireland; www.blackbirdballycotton.com
Rory’s local. “Where I’d go for a pint. It’s one of those pubs where you could walk in on your own.”
Farmgate Cafe
The English Market, Princes St, Centre, Cork, T12 NC8Y, Ireland; www.farmgate.ie
“Definitely interesting – they have a cafe going all day and they always have some traditional Irish dishes from food they buy from the market people downstairs.”
Miyazaki
1A Evergreen St, Ballyphehane, Cork City; Facebook
“It’s a tiny Japanese restaurant. [The chef Takashi Miyazaki] only has six seats so a lot of people use it as a takeaway or stand and wait for him to cook the next thing. He’s the most adorable man.”
BUYING IN
Ballymaloe grows and makes much of its own produce. Food, says Rory, “sort of lands in our lap – you know, the chanterelle people come, and it just all happens.” When he does shop, he most often goes to markets.
Mahon Point farmers’ market
Mahon Point Shopping Centre, Co. Cork, Thursdays 10am-3pm; www.mahonpointfarmersmarket.com
“Probably the best farmers’ market in the country. It’s actually run by my nephew-in-law. I’d get raw milk from a guy called Dan Ahern: it’s unbelievable, you look at the bottle and there’s so much cream, it’s out of proportion. Also chorizo or cheese from Fingal Ferguson at Gubbeen Smokehouse.”
The English Market
Princes St, Cork City, T12 RW26; www.englishmarket.ie
“Iago is a deli that’s particularly good for cheese.”
Coal Quay market
Coal Quay, Cork, Saturdays; Facebook
“Where I go on Saturday morning. There’s just a few people but brilliant produce.”
Midleton farmers’ market (pictured above)
20 Park St, Townparks, Midleton, Co. Cork, Saturdays; Facebook
“The market closest to me. I buy Ardsallagh goats’ cheese there.”