ManicMammy’s Blog

The first two episodes of this series I have to admit bugged me a bit. Kevin Dundon and Denis Cotter are both chefs who I think are great at what they do and the food they produce fabulous. But their episodes were a bit cringeworthy to say the least: Kevin cooking a boxing ring and Denis in a cattle mart. There just wasn’t enough of a focus on the food in my opinion which was a pity.

This week, it was Kevin Thorton’s turn. We had eaten in his restaurant a few years ago so I was looking forward to seeing how he fared and what food he served.

The setting was interesting, the Rock of Cashel in Kevin’s hometown, a place I have passed on many occasions but have never been in. It looked great, but the challenge was to get the food served quickly so that the freezing temperatures of the outdoor kitchen would not lead to cold food on the plate. The waiting staff were under pressure.

The menu started with sea urchin, scallops and included rabbit and poached pears. The programme showed him scuba diving for scallops off the West Cork coast and catching rabbits with the aid of ferrets and a large net. All quite interesting and entertaining. The food looked delicious. There was a bit of reminiscing about growing up in Cashel and some cajoling of locals to spend the €150 required to experience the meal at the site.

He stressed he wished to use local ingredients and couldn’t be faulted with the pears apparently harvested off a neighbour’s pear tree and the locally caught rabbit.

I hope this trend continues and that the rest of the series continues to show the chefs at their best, cooking excellent food. Fingers crossed.