Programme: Delish Destinations: Republic of Ireland
Broadcast date: October 7th, 2018
Story: Bellingham Castle, Surf & Turf dish
Presenter: Trevor Cochrane

Ireland, one of the most beautiful countries in the world, is booming from a food revolution. Trevor explores Dublin and the surrounding Boyne Region to find out just how incredible the local produce is.

• Ireland’s capital, Dublin, sits on the country’s east coast by the River Liffey, located at the base of the Wicklow Mountains. It’s full of pubs, restaurants and 1.2 million of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet.
  Dublin was a 7th century Viking settlement before being invaded by the Normans in the 12th century, which later brought the country into the United Kingdom. It became part of the Irish Free State in 1922 after seceding from the UK and not long after began calling itself Ireland.
• The Boyne Valley region is part of Ireland’s Ancient East. It’s an area filled with ancient castles, abbey ruins and old graveyards, and despite being only 60 minutes from Dublin you feel like you’ve gone back in time thousands of years.
• The region is home to an ancient culture that’s over 5000 years old and monuments that date back past the ancient Pyramids of Giza. The rolling farmlands of the region are home to a growing number of artisan producers where their products are used in a number of restaurants and eateries. There’s plenty of food festivals and distilleries to explore, offering up a wide range of culinary delights for visitors.
• Trevor’s first stop on the famous food trail is the magnificent Bellingham Castle, a place of culinary delight. Built in 1660, Bellingham Castle is a picturesque scene set on the banks of the River Glyde, nestled in the heart of the Boyne Region.
• Head chef at Bellingham Castle, Tom Dudzick, is renowned for his culinary creativity and use of fresh, seasonal, local ingredients. Ireland is fortunate enough to have the best of both worlds when it comes to produce from land and sea, with world renowned beef and seafood.
• Tom cooks up his popular dish surf and turf which includes shrimp, mussels, seaweed, local beef, soda bread and black pudding, a popular cuisine, it’s a type of blood sausage that originated from Ireland and Great Britain, it’s made up of pork blood, pork fat, barley (or sometimes oats) and breadcrumbs.
• Ireland’s food culture has really boomed in the past few years and their produce has become highly sought after throughout Europe and well worth exploring.

W: tourismireland.com