REGARDLESS of your budget you can put a truly tantalising West Cork spin on your Christmas feast this year, writes Kate Ryan.

The traditional Christmas dinner of turkey and ham is hard to beat, but often by the time the big day rolls around, I’ve eaten so much of both on festive menus it’s hard to muster the enthusiasm to go at it one more time!

Thankfully, in West Cork, we are so spoilt for choice with the range and quality of produce on our doorstep that we don’t have to fall into the same old tropes when it comes to the most anticipated meal of the year.

And as the home of rebels, maybe we should dig into that rebellious streak more and make our festive plates all about our West Cork larder this year – more #grownnotflown?

Think of this as part-inspiration and part-shopping list with some of my favourite farm-to-fork producers for your Christmas menu. Whether your budget is open to a purely luxurious menu, something bang on the money, or perhaps something a little more on the thrifty but still super-tasty side, I’ve got you covered from starters to dessert.

STARTERS

If you’re going bananas with the main, there’s no need to go over the top with your starter to whet the appetite of your diners, but keep the quality high.

PURE LUXURY

Woodcock Smokery Wild Irish Smoked Salmon | from €90

A rare delicacy – rarer than hen’s teeth – but when tasted it’s clear why!

What is available in the wild for Sally Barnes to create her multi-award winning cold-smoked salmon is decreasing each year, so snap it up where you see it. If there’s a waiting list, put yourself on it – you might get lucky.

ON THE MONEY

Skeaghanore Smoked Duck | €10 for 220g

This is a great option as a starter, especially if going with an alternative main course. Ready to eat as a cold cut, but there’s no harm in gently livening it up in a hot pan.

Delicious in a seasonal salad with bitter leaves like chicory and radicchio, seasonal blood oranges, toasted walnuts, and a garlicky sourdough crostino.

It’s meant to be sliced thinly, so a little goes a long way.

TASTY AND THRIFTY

Seasonal Soup with Great Bread and Butter

Comforting, full of flavour, and ultra versatile, soup is an ideal starter for showcasing West Cork’s local veg growers.

Make a beeline for your local weekly farmers’ market and find out from the horse’s mouth what’s great now.

• If it’s parsnips, make a fabulous Curried Parsnip Soup.
• If squashes are in their prime, a velvety soup flavoured with smoky bacon and chestnuts is just the thing.

Seasonal veggies are great value for money, so pair it with an exceptional loaf of sourdough bread from:

• Pike Deli, Clonakilty
• Baking Emporium (Clonakilty and local markets)
• Diva, Ballinspittle
• Wildflour, Innishannon
• Kalbo’s, Skibbereen

The Main Event and Sides

I'm not saying turkey and ham has had its day, but there are other delicious things to grace our tables, especially when it comes to the main event.

MAINS
PURE LUXURY
Rib Roast Beef On The Bone | 3kg for approx. €65

Roast beef on the bone is a beautifully flavourful cut of meat. The rib roast, with its French trim of bones, is also a showstopper to bring to the table.

Beef from your local West Cork butcher is going to be some of the best finished and prepared that you’ll get anywhere. Simply season and let the quality of the meat shine through.

ON THE MONEY
Whole Turbot on the Bone | 2kg for approx. €40

It’s the king of fish in Irish waters and becoming a popular choice for the Christmas table. Lighter than meat and large enough to serve four people, the best way to cook a whole turbot on the bone is in the oven, making it straightforward to cook without a la minute pan-frying.

Depending on demand and supply, price can fluctuate, but it’s worth chatting with your local fishmongers to figure it out beforehand.

TASTY AND THRIFTY
Large Free Range Chicken | approx. €20–€25

If you simply must have the majesty of a golden-hued bird, opt for the best quality free-range chicken you can get.

They cost more than your average supermarket chicken for sure, but you’ll get plenty more and better tasting meat, ensuring it goes much further than just one meal.

Nowen Rock Farm, near Dunmanway, is a small-scale regenerative farm that raises "broiler" chickens, sold pre-frozen, at the farmgate via the honesty shop.

Contact John Kingston on 086 3311139 to enquire.

SIDES
Whatever your budget, support your local veg growers. From Ballycotton spuds to seasonal goodies from Lisheen Greens, your local market is a great place for the best tasting and freshest produce, and buying only what you need helps with a budget. Then get creative with your sides:

A gratin makes great use of potatoes, turnips, celeriac, and parsnips all in one dish to bring extra deep flavour.
Sprouts are excellent roasted.
There’s a lot of eating in a couple of large beetroots.
Mashing a couple of extra large carrots with lots of butter will guarantee you enough to feed your gang.
Gravy Tip: Keep an eye out for Spice O’Life’s excellent heat-and-eat beef gravy. Scally’s Supervalu in Clonakilty also does a very good roast chicken gravy. Zhuzh it up by adding a few Allspice berries and the juice of two clementines to make it more like yours.

 Dessert: A Sweet Ending
A meal isn’t complete without something sweet on the table. Go with quality, and you’ll find a little goes a long way with these indulgent ends to a meal well spent.

DESSERT
PURE LUXURY
Diva Boutique Bakery Christmas Cake & Bûche De Noël | €60 & €58

The Diva Christmas Cake takes months to make. Absolutely packed with luscious fruits laced with booze and beautifully finished with festive icing, ribbons, and candied fruits, they are jewels. The Bûche De Noël is layered with coffee and cardamom Swiss meringue buttercream, chocolate almond bark, decorated with meringue mushrooms, pistachio moss, and candied cranberries.

ON THE MONEY
 

Alternative Christmas Pudding – Dubai Chocolate | €30

Using the best quality chocolate and their signature dual grind of biscuit crumb for a luxurious texture, these handmade puddings are worth every penny. This limited-edition flavour is going to fly out the door, so if you can’t get your hands on this, try their gluten-free and vegan Brandy & Christmas Spices flavour, which scooped a silver award at this years’ Blas na hÉireann.

TASTY AND THRIFTY
Pick ‘n’ Mix Cake Tier | Various

Bring the wow factor by making use of a three-tier cake tower and piling it with dainties: Wildberry Bakery’s mixed box of award-winning brownies, a couple of jewelled tartlets from Heaven’s Cakes, a selection of Hungry Crow chocolates, sweet treats from The Souk at Scally’s SuperValu, and cupcakes from The Menu Cakery. Portioning brownies and tartlets makes them go a little further.

Cheeseboard | approx. €8.50–€10 for a small cheese round (200–390g)

One great way to present a cheeseboard to suit every budget is to pick just one cheese.

The three great West Cork cheeses of Durrus, Milleens, and Gubbeen all create dainty cheese rounds.

Pick one, serve with Folláin’s Spiced Irish Apple Jelly and Seymour’s West Cork Shortbread.