It's all about local seasonal food - and especially food produced on site - at the brilliant food truck at Ballymaloe Cookery School (the mothership).
'Truck' isn't an adequate word for this casually chic (and equally seasonal) operation - the cool silver Airstream is parked just in front of the cookery school and it's all delightfully set up in the trademark rustic style.
Mismatched shelves and display cabinets showcasing all kinds of desirable edibles and homemade drinks (lemonade, kefir, kombucha...) are dotted around under atmospherically makeshift shelters (against wind, rain and - perhaps even - sun), while burgeoning baskets and buckets of flowers and vegetables add colour and interest to the scene.
Set up in a rough semi-circle around the truck, it's basic and informal as you’d expect, but - with nice little garden chairs and tables and cutlery (and even a little jar of garden flowers) already on the table - it's charming and a lot more comfortable than most street food operations.
The system is set out clearly on a blackboard (why don't more places do that?). It's simple, and it works: check the board, order and pay, then find a seat and wait for your food.
The menu is short and sweet - and totally of the place, using produce from the school garden and the organic farm. There are superb hot and cold soups, for example - Carrot and Cumin, perhaps, and Cold Cucumber Soup, both served with more-ish breads from the cookery school's own 'bread shed' and hand rolled butter.
Hot and Spicy Slow Roasted Lamb Taco is another regular - it comes with chipotle mayo, hot sauerkraut, cooling avocado, and fiery rocket and it's not hard to see why it's such a favourite. It's presented in two tacos and not too fiery, so you'll get the full flavour of all of the components, but a lively dish nonetheless. And salad lovers will be in heaven when the daily Farm Salad appears - exactly what you'll get depends on the fresh ingredients available on the day (leaves, beetroot, radishes, heritage tomatoes...) and, topped with a delicious egg supplied by the happy hens that wander around the grounds, it's certain to be a winner.
And it shouldn't come as any surprise to find that the desserts are especially delicious here - gorgeous cakes take centre stage, of course, and you’ll find it hard to beat the Tahini Cake with Farm Yogurt or the indulgent Mocha Choca Cake - but there will also be some irresistible fruits summer fruits, including home grown strawberries from the farm, served with their very own Jersey Cream...And even the excellent Golden Bean coffee comes from the on-site roastery at nearby Ballymaloe House - it doesn't get much more local than that.
Everyone one seems to be a regular here and, if you need a hand, prompt and friendly students are available to help - it's a brilliant summer destination and you'll soon find out why it is such a favourite.
There's no website dedicated to the Garden Café Truck, but you can keep up to date with opening times via their Facebook and Instagram - where photos of menus are posted too.
