BANDON
Foodie Town
Bandon’s identity today reflects its heritage as a riverside market town. Historically Bandon was a hub of mills, distilleries and marts and the commercial and social bustle that accompanied those industries.
Today it remains the key market town of West Cork. It is at the centre of a cluster of international food producers (e.g. Bandon Co-Op; Carbery; ABP); national producers (e.g. Heron Foods; Coolmore Cakes) and many artisan producers (e.g. Ummera Smokehouse; Katie’s Chocolate; Seymour’s Fine Foods).
Visitor Experience
On a day-to-day level, providing visitors with the best food experience when in Bandon is the primary focus of the Bandon Food Trail; it identifies and opens the door for visitors to access the leading local food focused businesses from producers to food providers to accommodation. Notably for a town without large-scale accommodation, 3% of the Mc Kenna’s Top 100 Best Places to Stay 2013 are in the Bandon Food Trail.
The Bandon Farmers Market is now a well-established and award winning weekly occasion with a core of long-term stall holders (e.g. Finders Inn; Ballinascarthy Ladies; Heavens Cakes; Hollies Horticulture) as well as seasonal producers. Its manager, Shirley Kingston, was recently presented with a Pride of Ireland award.
Bandon’s enhanced culinary experience in recent years is summarised by comparing its 2 entries in the Mc Kenna’s Bridgestone Food Guide 10 years ago and 11 entries in the latest edition of Mc Kenna’s Irish Food Guide.
Visitors also have an unprecedented daytime; retail and evening time culinary choice in Bandon. The town boosts top owner managed food-experience based businesses such as:
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Good Food Ireland Food Shop of the Year 2013, Urru Culinary Store (proprietor Ruth Healy)
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Michelin Bib Poachers Inn (Chef Barry Mc Laughlin)
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Highly popular Chapel Steps Restaurant (chef Kevin O Regan)
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Newly opened barista trained café Warren Allen Coffee & Duchess Tearooms and About to open Black Ivy Bistro
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An impressive range of food experiences in surrounding villages: Diva Café Ballinaspittle; Rohus Food Market, Innishannon; Glebe House Afternoon Tea, Ballinadee; evening meals in The Glen Guesthouse.
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Two Master Butchers – Martin Carey Meats (McKenna’s Irish Food Guide) and Dan Moloney Meat Centre (own abattoir)
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Best in Munster 2013 Country Market (ICA) on Fridays & Saturdays
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Buttimers 200 year old fish stall at the “Fish Corner” as well as the newer ex-fisherman owned Fish Shop.
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Community focused Caulfields SuperValu
The calendar of festivals & social/ cultural events across the year in Bandon increasingly has food and its provenance as a core element (details in Section 4 and 5). Each event tailors the food experience to the nature of the occasion. This means that the Walled Town Festival in August focuses on demonstrating the skills of food preparation in times gone by; the Bandon Arts Festival Programme in September included a “Domestic Godless” Interactive Food Installation event; on- street farmers markets & food creators discussion series (e.g. In conversation with Norman & Veronica Steele and planned for 2014 In conversation with the Ferguson Family of Gubbeen House. The bi-annual Bandon Showcase/ Extravaganza is a glitzy fashion and food evening that is a no-holds-barred show-off production of the Best of Bandon that consistently attracts breakthrough numbers.
