Rosemary Fahy and Marie Keenan opened their super little bakery in the centre of Dunleer in 2014 - and the sheer quality of their excellent breads, gorgeous patisserie and the speciality products they sell soon earned them a following in the locality and beyond. Not surprisingly, perhaps, it wasn't long before they moved to a busier location in Ardee, which was a sad loss to Dunleer although they have continued to supply their delicious breads and baked goods to Larry Hands Butchers in Dunleer (delivered on Thursday, Friday and Saturday).
The bigger size of the premises in Ardee and its busier location has allowed them to develop the café - which, charmingly, was only a couple of tables in Dunleer - but their philosophy is unchanged.
"Natural and Authentic: making the best of tradition and heritage to meet your taste" is their mantra, and this ethos is applied both in the sourcing of ingredients - which are as local as possible and include the Workman family's wonderful organic Dunany flour, produced nearby at Togher - and the preparation and cooking methods of their breads, which are kept as simple as possible (no additives). This ethos has allowed them to be accepted as members of the prestigious organisation Real Bread Ireland (realbreadireland.org).
As well as their lovely range of breads, the team at Knead are also dab hands at knocking up some pretty gorgeous pastries and sweet treats - and the café has become a popular meeting place for coffee or a light lunch too.
Although artisan bakeries are making a comeback, they're still far too thin on the ground and it's great to see a welcome for the quality products they offer.
It's well worth stopping to take a break here - and to buy some real goodies to take home. But get there early or the shelves may be bare.
