History

The Irish farmhouse cheese revival began in the 1970s when cheesemakers in Munster and West Cork started producing raw-milk artisan cheeses using Irish pasture milk. Sheridans Cheesemongers, founded by Kevin and Seamus Sheridan on Churchyard Street Galway in 1995, was the most important factor in making Irish farmhouse cheese commercially viable, connecting small producers in West Cork and Munster to the Dublin food scene. The Galway Saturday Market Sheridans counter became the city cheese anchor where visitors first encountered Gubbeen, Ardrahan and Cashel Blue.

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Common allergens: Milk

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 20 minTotal 40 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 100g Gubbeen semi-soft washed-rind cheese (West Cork)
  • 100g Ardrahan washed-rind cheese (Co. Cork)
  • 100g Cashel Blue (Tipperary)
  • 100g Durrus semi-soft raw-milk cheese (West Cork)
  • Quince paste or Connacht honey
  • Walnuts and hazelnuts
  • Sliced sourdough baguette or water crackers
  • Fresh or dried fruit: Medjool dates, grapes or dried figs

Method

  1. Remove all cheeses from the fridge 30-40 minutes before serving; cold cheese has muted flavour.
  2. Arrange on a slate or wooden board moving from mildest to strongest: Gubbeen, Durrus, Ardrahan, Cashel Blue.
  3. Add quince paste or honey in a small dish. Scatter nuts around the board.
  4. Place fruit at the edge for contrast. Add crackers or sliced bread.
  5. Serve with a natural white wine or a dark fruit beer.

Tip from the editors. Cheese boards need 30 minutes at room temperature; the rind aromas of Ardrahan especially need warmth. Buy from Sheridans at the Galway Saturday Market.

Where to eat burren farmhouse cheese board

Burren Farmhouse Cheese Board in Galway

Sheridans Cheesemongers ★ 4.8

€ MarketLatin Quarter

Sheridans Cheesemongers on Churchyard Street Galway is the benchmark for Irish artisan cheese; the market counter sells raw-milk Gubbeen and Cashel Blue.

Directions

Aniar 1 ★ ★ 4.9

€€€€ Tasting €125Tasting menuWestendChef JP McMahon

Aniar in Galway has held one Michelin star since 2012; JP McMahon serves tasting menus on foraged herbs, cured west-coast fish and Connacht smoked meats.

OrderThe tasting menu, which changes with each day's wild and local produce from Connacht

Book3-4 weeks ahead

TipBook Tuesday to Saturday; the kitchen is closed Sunday and Monday.

Directions Book

Ard Bia at Nimmos ★ 4.7

€€ €14-24BrunchSeasonal Irish riverbank brunch with natural wineSpanish Arch

Ard Bia at Nimmos on Spanish Arch Galway serves brunch in a medieval stone room; the organic egg dishes and seasonal salads make it the most scenic brunch.

OrderWild Atlantic smoked salmon on house soda bread with creme fraiche on the river terrace

Directions

Cava Bodega ★ 4.5

€€€ Wine barLatin Quarter

Cava Bodega on Middle Street Galway runs the deepest Iberian wine list in the city, matching the 200-bottle Spanish collection to a Basque pintxos menu.

PourTxakoli Basque white by the glass with a plate of Iberico ham

WineSpanish and Iberian wines, 200-bottle list, Basque-style small plates

FoodBasque pintxos, Iberian charcuterie and fresh oysters

Directions

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