Just Ask Restaurant of the Month for June - Avoca Garden Cafe at Mount Usher Gardens

The “Just Ask!” Restaurant of the Month winner for June is The Avoca Garden Café at Mount Usher Gardens, Ashford, Co Wicklow

Widely acknowledged among the great gardens of the world, Mount Usher Gardens are very easily accessible just half an hour from Dublin with the main entrance in the centre of Ashford village.

Planted in the Robinsonian (informal) manner in the mid nineteenth century, with The River Vartry as their central feature, this garden of Eden treats visitors to a series of glorious prospects and a magnificent collection of trees, plants and shrubs in sylvan settings throughout the 20 acre site.

Since 1980 Mount Usher has been owned by the Jay family, who continue to live here, but the stewardship of these wonderful gardens was taken on by the Pratt family of Avoca several years ago – and, along with careful management of the gardens, they brought their reputation for good food and added a new dimension to the property, as a destination lunch stop for visitors to this scenic area, or travellers passing through on the N11.

The Head Chef at the charming Avoca Garden Café is Andrew Holmes, a young chef who is committed to using as much local and Irish artisan produce as he can. This is reflected in menus which change with the seasons and showcase a wide range of local producers, as well as observing the fundamental principle of traceability in a general sourcing statement. (“All our beef, chicken, lamb, pork & eggs are 100% Irish origin & sourced from members of Quality Assurance Schemes & local suppliers.”)

All of the meat and poultry comes from Ashford butcher, Niall Dowling, fish is supplied by Beshoffs of Howth, County Dublin, and Andrew is fortunate to have some of the country’s best producers nearby, many of them organic.

For eggs, for example, he looks no further than Martha & Gary Crocker’s organic farm, which is only down the road, and he works closely with growers like Marc Michel of Kilpedder (spring onions, aubergines, cucumbers); Gold River Farm, Aughrim (potatoes and leaves); Ann Kuntz of Kilcoole (tomatoes and courgettes); Keoghs Fruit Farm in Enniskerry (rhubarb); and Sweetbank Farm at Newcastle, who supply cherries, raspberries, strawberries.

John & Bernie Hempenstall’s wonderful Wicklow Blue will always be among the range of Irish farmhouse cheeses offered and, while there is huge emphasis on homemade food – notably the bread, cakes and pastries, which are baked daily by Avoca – it is a great compliment to Bernie Burke of Tara, Co Meath, that she has been selected to supply the famously delicious ice cream she makes with the creamy milk of the family’s Jersey cows – apple crumble is a favourite...

The new menu just brought in for early summer features all the great bakes that Avoca is renowned for, of course, and the must-have classic dishes such as Avoca fish pie (organic salmon, smoked haddock & cod in a creamy dill sauce with mashed potato, mixed leaves & charred lemon).

But it also celebrates the freshness of the season, with drinks like homemade lemonade and prosecco with raspberries, starters such as Poached & smoked salmon rillettes with hickory & dill mayonnaise and sourdough crostini, main courses that include wild garlic from the gardens and side dishes like Chargrilled new season asparagus with shaved Parmesan

The Wicklow Gardens Festival (www.visitwicklow.ie/gardens) runs from June 11th to 20th this year and includes not only guided tours of Mount Usher and a diverse collection of about thirty other gorgeous gardens to visit, but also activities, some of them unexpected – anyone for singing (or poetry, or even knitting!) at Gorse Hill, or Tea & Tunes on the terrace at Huntingbrook?

And no prizes for guessing where the most popular lunch destination will be.


SAMPLE MENUS

The Avoca Garden Café at Mount Usher Gardens

Early Summer Menu

Aperitif

Jug of homemade lemonade €5.95 still / €7.95 sparkling

Prosecco with raspberries €7.00


Starters

Soup of the day with Avoca breads €5.95

Poached & smoked salmon rillettes with hickory & dill mayonnaise and sourdough crostini €8.50

Avoca duck liver pâté with pistachio, apricot & port, charred olive bread, cornichons & spiced apple chutney €7.95

Ground Wicklow lamb with warm spices, hummus, crème fraîche & pita €8.95


Salads

Glazed Five-Mile town goats cheese & red pepper salad with bulgur wheat, mung bean & lentil shoots, Mount.Usher wild garlic & rocket and red pepper vinaigrette €7.95 starter €12.50 main

Superfood salad of charred asparagus, broccoli, peas, quinoa, bulgur wheat, flax seeds, tomberries, red cabbage & alfalfa with toasted sesame & poppy seed dressing
€7.95 starter €14.50 main

Chargrilled Jerusalem artichoke salad with toasted hazelnuts, watercress, rocket, aged Parmesan & hazelnut vinaigrette €5.95 starter €10.95 main

Antipasti platter
Charcuterie, tapenade, hummus, tomato pesto, olives, cornichons & toasted olive bread
(vegetarian antipasti also available) €16.95


Mains

Medallions of monkfish in herbed panko breadcrumbs, asparagus, peas, spinach, sorrel, Mount Usher wild garlic, butterbeans & vermouth cream with basil & lime vinaigrette €16.95

Warm, maple-glazed Ummera smoked duck breast salad with mixed leaves, Seville orange, spice-roasted pecans and black pepper & maple glaze €14.95

Mount Usher braised beef & coconut sukka curry with basmati & red rice
toasted naan, raita, smoked cashew nuts and peach & cardamom chutney €15.50
(vegetarian curry also available with sweet potato, chickpeas & cauliflower) €13.95

Avoca fish pie; organic salmon, smoked haddock & cod in a creamy dill sauce with mashed potato, mixed leaves & charred lemon €14.95

Beef burger in a crusty bap with marinated beef tomato, organic rocket,  chunky chips & aioli €14.95

Pasta of the day €14.95 (V)

Side dishes

Rocket & Parmesan salad with Avoca honey & mustard dressing €3.95

Mashed creamed potato €3.95

Chargrilled new season asparagus with shaved Parmesan€3.95

Chunky chips with garlic aioli €4.50

If you have any allergies please tell a member of staff.

Local and National Produce used in Avoca Restaurant, Ashford
Meat and Poultry Niall Dowling, Ashford
Fruit and Vegetables including: Potatoes and Leaves Gold River Farm, Aughrim
Tomatoes and Courgettes Ann Kuntz, Kilcoole
Spring Onions, Aubergines, Cucumber Marc Michel, Kilpedder
Cherries, raspberries, strawberries Sweetbank Farm, Newcastle
Rhubarb Keoghs Fruit Farm, Enniskerry
Cheeses, various Irish Cheeses including: Wicklow Blue John & Bernie Hempenstall
Ice cream Bernie Burke, Tara
Fish Beshoffs, Howth
Bread, Cakes and Pastries Baked daily by Avoca
Eggs Martha & Gary Crocker



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VIEW ALL JUST ASK RESTAURANT OF THE MONTH WINNERS

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“Just Ask!” is a public awareness campaign that aims to encourage consumers when eating out to look for information on where the food (particularly meat) on their plate comes from, and encourages chefs to provide this information on their menus. The programme supports both large and smaller artisan suppliers, encouraging both Irish diners and visitors from abroad to support restaurants that are in turn supporting their suppliers.

Here at Georgina Campbell Guides we have always been avid supporters of the ‘eat local’ concept, and we always enjoy reading menus that have a real sense of place. The dining experience is greatly enriched by knowing that the food on your plate is inspired by the produce and traditions of the area, and sourced nearby – and we would love to see more chefs sharing that precious information with their guests. 

If you are a visitor to the area, learning a little about local food and the people who produce it adds a special extra dimension to the visit – and, for residents, it reinforces a natural pride in the good things of their locality and makes a meal all the more enjoyable.

So, we are delighted by the high standard of menus that continue to be submitted for our ' “Just Ask!” Restaurant of the Month Competition', menus that really speak of the best of Irish foods – and the dedication of both the people who make them, and the chefs who select them to create wonderful dishes with real Irish flavour for our enjoyment.