A very Cork welcome

Last year when Mr T and I went to Canada to see his son, I was given a wonderful tour around Toronto with all the best food stops by his daughter-in-law Lewanne.

Last Saturday, I was able to repay this favour by showing Lewanne my Cork. The morning looked a bit dull with rain still falling but by the time we arrived in Cork, the sun started to peek through the clouds.

We began our day with the best waffles in town in Idaho Café where I introduced her to Mairead, Richard and their charming team. The waffles were warm, soft and came with a generous amount of maple syrup and crispy bacon. The coffee was strong and the tea was a perfect brew.

The morning was off to a good start and Lewanne had a smile on her face. Next, I took her to Vibes & Scribes Craft Shop in Bridge Street – Lewanne is an amazing artist and we got her enough material to start a painting (which already looks stunning, although not finished yet). The three-floor shop got her creativity singing (and my loyalty card got filled up nicely).

The Farmer’s Market in the Coal Quay was a must and we got lovely bread from Pana Bread, apples from the apple stall, tasty gouda from Ballinrostig and white sprouting broccoli from Caroline’s Stall.

I told her about the shawlies and that St Peter’s was the trading place in Cork many moons ago where you found shawlie women selling their wares.

From here, we went to the English Market – we couldn’t leave it out. More cheese from On the Pigs Back, tasty chicken stock from the Chicken Inn (thank you Tim for the lovely chat and your generosity), wine from Bubble Brothers, kippers from O’Connells and I showed her O’Reilly’s tripe and drisheen stall as well but she stuck with a sausage on a stick instead (phew).

We also ran into Jean Baptiste, cheesemaker at Hegarty’s, watched Seamus O’Connell picking out the best langoustines from Ballycotton fish stall and admired the beautiful displays at the Olive Stall (and couldn’t resist a selection of olives).

All this chatting and food shopping resulted in a thirsty throat and I took Lewanne to my favourite pub in town where manager Judy persuaded her to try all of the Rising Sons beers – which she did (poor me was on driving duty).

As it is Lewanne’s birthday this weekend, we ordered a keg of the Grainu Ale as it was her favourite.

I pointed out all the stunning old buildings and asked her to look beyond the steel, glass and concrete and she was able to see the beauty of Cork with all its quirks.

There was of course so much more to see and taste but the legs got a bit tired and we made our way home and enjoyed a beautiful dinner with all the awesome produce we gathered throughout the day. Thank you Cork – you were amazing last Saturday with sunshine, chats and laughter - you all made Lewanne feel welcome and at home.