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Trio of firms to feature on RTÉ's Nationwide

July 3rd, 2017 5:45 PM

By Southern Star Team

Mags Riordan and Steve Davies of Bumblebee Flower Farm in Drimoleague, left, with Rachel Hickey of Daisy Chain Cakes in Ballydehob and Timo Stern, owner of Liss Ard Estate in Skibbereen. (Photo: Anne Minihane)

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Three West Cork businesses are set to feature on RTÉ’s Nationwide this month.

THREE West Cork businesses are set to feature on RTÉ’s Nationwide this month.

The firms – the Liss Ard estate in Skibbereen, Bumblebee Flower Farm in Drimoleague and Daisy Chain Cakes in Ballydehob – were filmed recently in a show to be broadcast during the month of July.

‘The theme of the programme is weddings and flowers,’ explained Justine Fay of Liss Ard. ‘And they wanted to film scenes here in Liss Ard as a wedding location. They also filmed the cake and the edible flowers on top.’

Bumblebee Flower Farm were invited to talk about their innovative business, supplying edible flowers for weddings and other special occasions.

Mags Riordan and husband Steve Davies run the flower farm, based in Castledonovan, Drimoleague, and supply their organically grown edibles to a number of restaurants and businesses and just last weekend supplied flowers to the Long Table dining event in Cork city.

‘We also supply flowers for bespoke weddings. Real flowers on cakes are very popular at the moment,’ Mags said.

‘We grow a range of flowers, including edible phlox, alliums, gladioli and more,’ she added. With edible blooms becoming increasingly popular, Bumblebee Flower Farm is also supplying the likes of Castlemartyr Resort, Carton House and Greene’s restaurant in Cork. ‘The market is really starting to take off.’

Rachel Hickey of Daisy Chain Cakes was also invited. She runs her business from the family farm at Skeaghanore with her husband, dairy farmer Brian Hickey. Rachel, a former banker, specialises in wedding cakes and makes everything from the ‘classic, elegant’ cake to this year’s trendy ‘naked’ cake – a sponge with no icing, just fruit and edible flowers.

‘We also make our own cake toppers, although they are not hugely popular, but we can do sugar flowers, or be inspired by wedding or bridesmaids’ dresses, reflecting pink ruffles or scalloped edges, for example,’ explained Rachel.

Both companies were delighted to be included in the programme, and set up their wares at the stylish Liss Ard estate which played host to actor Gabriel Byrne recently, and members of U2 last year.

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