Top South East Ireland Food & Drink

Good food is in abundance in Ireland, but if you want to be able to make replicas of some of the best traditional dishes yourself when you get back home, then book this Irish cuisine cooking class. You’ll go into a local’s home in County Waterford, and learn to make three dishes that incorporate the health benefits of seaweed, including bread, soup, and a dessert.

It’s said the best way to get the measure of a place is to spend time with local people, but meeting and greeting strangers on foreign shores isn’t always easy. On this afternoon or evening homestay experience, visit the welcoming 18th-century home of Richenda and Michael in Kilkenny. Savor a home-cooked meal of traditional Irish dishes, share conversation with like-minded travel-oriented people, and experience the best of Ireland’s famous hospitality.

You will be warmly welcomed by your host Richenda and Michael into their historic home and enjoy a welcome cup of coffee or tea with biscuits or scones in their gorgeous living room. Next, enter Richenda’s kitchen where you will learn to learn to cook an authentic Irish meal with Richenda’s creative touches from recipes that have been passed down through generations of her family. Your cooking demo will involve watching your host prepare 4-5 dishes from scratch. You will watch her prepare an Irish stew the traditional way, brown soda bread (her mother’s recipe) and a soup, or dessert. Your meal might also include a few dishes that Richenda may have prepared in advance. Please note that this is a demonstration, not a hands-on cooking class, and will last about two and a half hours. Enjoy learning about Richenda's secret tips and techniques involved in Irish cooking before you sit down at the table to share the meal together over delightful conversation!

Learn about the history of Irish whiskey on this tour of the only family farm whiskey distillery in Ireland, Ballykeefe Distillery. Expect to be educated and entertained on this distillery tour, where you can find the answers to all your questions about Irish whiskey's origins and taste the distillery's products.

Meet your host Marie at her home for a cup of hot tea or coffee before heading out to the beach to start your seaweed foraging tour. You will drive to the Copper Coast beach in County Waterford. Explore the rocky shore, learn to identify edible seafood and discover how to sustainably forage for seaweed. Marie will explain the connections between the moons and tides so you have a real in-depth understanding of how and where on the shore you can find different types of seaweed. Back home, you will learn to cook a creative Irish meal that incorporates the seaweed you foraged into every single dish! During your interactive seaweed cooking class you will be making three delicious dishes from scratch. You will learn to make a bread, a soup (Mulligatawny soup with kelp) and a dessert like sticky date and walnut pudding with seaweed. Enjoy learning all about how to use seaweed in your cooking before you sit down at the table to share the meal you helped prepare!

This is an interactive experience, and Helena and Seán are passionate about sharing their knowledge of Irish folklore, music and beer! You’ll be encouraged to sing along, ask questions and enjoy a tasty pint throughout. So settle in with your favourite Irish beer and enjoy the warmth and hospitality of an Irish pub in your own living room.