Wild food, kimchi and fire dinner at Esk Mountain

IF foraging is your thing or you’ve always fancied having a go then there is a unique event later this month that you should have on your radar.A unique culinary event deeply rooted in the West Cork landscape takes place on Sunday July 26th – and places are limited. Epi Rogan, of Fiáin Wildflowers, and chef Pádraig Nagle, of the renowned Miyazaki, are hosting an immersive Forage & Feast event at Esk Mountain. This is being billed as a highly exclusive experience which invites guests to connect directly with the local terrain. Those taking part will forage for elements of their own meal, participate in a live kimchi workshop, and cook over an open fire.

The menu is a celebration of West Cork’s natural bounty, utilising wild local produce, seasonal farmed vegetables, and deer culled directly from Esk Mountain. Its focus is firmly on local food heritage, sustainability, and unique West Cork talent. Epi teased: ‘This will be a wild food evening in the temperate rainforest zone of Glengarriff: a guided foraging walk, seasonal kimchi workshop and fire-cooked dinner using wild plants, local produce and Japanese-inspired techniques.’ Foragers Epi and Klöe will lead guests on a guided walk to gather the wild plants that will be included as ingredients in the meal.

Guests will also make their own kimchi and take part in cooking over the fire. The menu will feature venison culled on Esk Mountain, alongside wild and seasonal ingredients picked, culled, or sourced in Cork. Esk Mountain is a 270-acre nature restoration project in Glengariff, built around immersive, interactive, flavour-led experiences. Visitors explore mixed-species woodland, temperate rainforest, wet meadow, stream, lake, heath and bog habitats, with a woodland kitchen made from natural materials harvested on site.

Aside from the guided foraging walk, kimchi walk and fire-cooked dinner the day or evening event also includes ‘Wild drinks’, time in Esk Mountain’s woodland kitchen, and kimchi to take home. The event takes place on Sunday July 26th with two groups – the first from 11am to 2.30pm and the second from 4.30pm to 8pm. Capacity is 12 people per sitting (please advise of dietary requirements), and you are advised to bring outdoor layers, walking shoes, and rain gear depending on the forecast.

Booking at eskmountain.com