Built on the site of a deserted village in a Wicklow valley, this extraordinary food, drink and leisure complex exists thanks to the vision of three brothers, Evan, Eoin and Bernard Doyle.
Below we outline the various strands that make up this very complex operation – but, as you will sense from the bright helpful staff and an atmosphere of care about the place, this very special operation is more than the sum of its parts.
The driving force is Evan, a pioneer of the new organic movement when he ran The Strawberry Tree restaurant in 1980s Killarney.
Here in Wicklow their hotel and restaurant has earned national recognition for its strong position on organic food (BrookLodge has been a winner of the Guide’s Natural Food Award, in association with Euro-Toques); and their little “street” is thriving, with an olde-worlde pub (Actons), a café, gift shops selling home-made produce and related quality products and La Taverna Armento.
This alternative dining choice for guests is the result of a continuing collaboration between Evan and the towns of Armento and Basilicata in southern Italy; décor, food, and wines are all influenced by sources and personalities from that area, and the result is an authentic casual dining experience offering really good artisan food and an intimate ambience.
Organic food markets, held on the first Sunday of the month from March to October, have also proved a great success.
The hotel itself is spacious and welcoming, with elegant country house furnishings, open fires and plenty of places to sit quietly or meet for a sociable drink - and there are accommodation choices between the original rooms, which are furnished with quite traditional free standing furniture, and state-of-the-art mezzanine suites, which will please those who relish very modern high-tech surroundings.
A luxurious adult-only spa centre, The Wells, features an indoor-to-outdoor swimming pool, juice bar and a wide variety of exclusive beauty and health treatments.
Midweek, weekend and low season special offers are good value, and staff are friendly and helpful.
*BrookHall, which is effectively a separate 24-bedroom hotel used for weddings and events, allows the original BrookLodge Hotel to operate as a dedicated food and spa hotel; the River Room at BrookHall is a beautiful banqueting room for up to 200, with French windows, a patio and mezzanine bar. BrookHall also has a separate swimming pool and gym, for the use of all guests.
* The adjacent Macreddin Golf Club, a beautifully situated 18-hole par-72 championship course, was the first to be designed by European Ryder Cup Captain, Paul McGinley.
The Strawberry Tree:
Ireland’s first certified organic restaurant, The Strawberry Tree was established in Killarney in 1986 and moved to Wicklow when the hotel opened in 1999. Like everything about the food operation at this unique destination, it reflects the BrookLodge philosophy of sourcing only from producers using slow organic methods and harvesting in their correct season - and The Wild Foods Pantry, adjacent to the restaurant, is a treasure trove of preserved seasonal and wild foods for use in the kitchen that is well worth seeng.
While this fine dining restaurant allows head chef James Kavanagh and the team to stretch their culinary muscles, the empahsis is on showcasing a little of the best in season and menus are not too long or too fussy: dishes have strong, simple names and, except when underlined on the menu as wild, everything offered is organic; the wine list also offers an exceptional range of organic wines, from €30 per bottle.
There’s a great buzz associated with the commitment to organic production at BrookLodge, and it makes a natural venue for meetings of like-minded groups such as Euro-Toques and Slow Food, especially on market days.
Dining at the Strawberry Tree is a unique experience - and good informal meals can be equally enjoyable at The Orchard Café, Actons pub and La Taverna Armento (see above).
Given the quality of ingredients used and the standard of cooking, all meals at BrookLodge represent very good value.
