The Thatch & Thyme

Joanne McEldowney is playing a blinder in The Thatch & Thyme, cooking soulful food that draws in the hungry from miles around little Kildorrery, appreciative folk happy to bring their appetites to this colourful, reed-thatched, flower-bedecked building with flagstone floors and a comfy courtyard. Joanne’s cooking is truly painstaking: the care evident in ageless dishes such as seafood chowder, the house BLT, or coronation chicken on fresh soda bread means that these classics taste newly minted, and it truly gladdens the heart to see such attention to detail, such finessing of flavours and textures. But whilst the simple things are rock steady, T&T can also push the boundaries, and 18-hour beef with cinnamon and espresso rub, or wild venison bourguignon with smoked bacon and mushrooms, show top-flight skills that bless this modern Irish country cooking with truly professional verve and imagination. There is real love in Thatch & Thyme food, and charming staff seal the deal on a true North Cork classic.