GUIDED FUCHSIA FOOD TOUR ON MIZEN PENINSULA

Run in parallel with The Turas on June 17th, this tour offers a journey through West Cork’s food culture, visiting a selection of local artisan food producers. The tour begins with a visit to Gwen Lasserre’s choclaterie at 1 pm in picturesque Schull. Gwen, who is originally from the Basque country of South West France, has been successfully making chocolates in the best chocolatier tradition for many years now. He and his wife produce the finest selection of artisan handmade chocolates and confectionery that will satisfy even the most discerning chocolate lover. Each of the superb chocolates and the range of patisserie ready for you to buy have been individually made from the finest natural ingredients without any additives or preservatives.

A bus will then take you along winding country roads to Gubbeen Smokehouse and Cheese Dairy, set in a 60 acre farm. This is a real family enterprise. Tom and Giana Ferguson currently make the cheese. Fingal, their son has opened a second business on the premises smoking meats and producing hams, rashers, sausages, salamis as well as planning his own range of pates, etc. Clovisse, their daughter is the newest addition to the business supplying local restaurants and shops with her organic vegetables and herbs. Fingal also uses Clovisse’s herbs in his traditional cures.

The next stop off point will take you through breathtaking views of West Cork to the most southerly point of Ireland, the Mizen Head. In the café of the Mizen Head Visitor Centre, you will meet Bill Hogan of West Cork Natural Cheese who with Sean Ferry produces two hard Swiss-style cheeses (Desmond and Gabriel). Bill and Sean were recently awarded the Observer Food Monthly Annual Award for Outstanding Achievement. You will get an opportunity to taste his superb cheeses along with sampling some local mussels produced by Murphy’s Irish Seafood. The bus will return to Schull by 5 p.m.

It will be a guided tour and Ivan McCutcheon from Fuchsia Brands will provide a background to the food culture in West Cork en route.

Tickets are €15 per person. As places are limited it is essential to book in advance. For further information and booking please contact Jean (086/6682672) or Kevin (086/2672288).