I am so beyond delighted to be back hosting my first supper club in almost six months. I’ve missed curating delicious menus inspired by the land and the seasons and, most importantly, cooking up a storm for all you lovely guests. I’ll be hosting this supper club in a new venue, the beautiful Mother of the Woods Retreat. Located between Saintfield and Lisburn this is a gorgeous Georgian house and retreat centre owned and run by Essential Nature Yoga.
Bealtaine (which refers to the whole month of May and means ‘mouth of fire’ or bright fire in Gaelic) is the Celtic festival that marks the beginning of the lighter half of the year - the return of warmth and sunshine and marks the beginning of summer. The festival is heralded by the return of the frothy almond-scented hawthorn blossom to the hedgerows and would have traditionally been a time of celebration and feasting. The perfect time for a celebratory supper club.
For this menu I’ll be using the best of the season and what’s garlanding the hedgerows in May, plus some delicious local produce I’ll be taking you on a culinary journey from Thailand to Ireland to Italy via sunny Mediterranean Greece, tantalising your taste buds and surprising you with a few unexpected but delicious flavours. Think of gingery magnolia, unctuous slow-cooked lamb, lemony asparagus, punchy wild garlic, zingy goats cheese, almond-scented hawthorn, the richest chocolate and plenty of springtime greens.
Bealtaine Supper Club @ Mother of the Woods Retreat
Friday 4th & Saturday 5th May 2024
On arrival:
Magnolia flower iced tea
Dandelion flower fritters with cream cheese and honey dip
Thai fishcakes with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce
To start:
Griddled asparagus, homemade soda bread, lemon & dulse butter, bacon crumb
To continue:
Wild garlic malfatti dumplings with tomato sauce and roasted hazelnuts
The main event:
Kleftiko - ‘stolen lamb’ slow-cooked with oregano, cinnamon and roasted vegetables
Stacked spring greens lasagne with creamy bechamel and Hegarty’s cheddar
Buttery new potatoes with mint, dill & scallions
Roast carrots & beetroots, labneh and dill with a lavender & orange dressing
Green salad with elderberry dressing
To cheese:
Cnoc Dubh goat’s cheese, quince & rosemary jelly, homemade crackers
For pudding:
Neary nogs chocolate fondants with hawthorn blossom and cherry ice cream and pistachio brittle
Round the fire pit:
Chamomile & honey tea
Gorse flower shortbread
The drinks: This event is BYO. Please bring a bottle (or more) of your favourite tipple. A welcome drink will be provided on arrival
The time: 7pm on Friday 4th or Saturday 5th May 2024. If you are planning on booking a taxi or organising a lift we’d suggest organising that for 11pm.
The place: Mother of the Woods Retreat, 31 Back Road, Cargacreevy, Lisburn , BT27 6TR (please see the event confirmation email for full details on how to find the venue - but DO NOT go to the Back Road in Drumbo)
The cost: £68 per person (includes booking fees), for a six-course menu plus a few extras.
Keeping warm: This event will be hosted inside the beautiful dining spaces at Mother of the Woods. Weather permitting welcome drinks will be outside and we may light the firepit at the end of the evening. Please bring an extra layer or two to keep you cosy during the welcome drinks and around the fire pit.
Seating: You will be seated with other guests. If you are not comfortable sitting with other people then please do not book tickets as unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to seat groups separately.
Dietary Requirements: This menu is suitable for vegetarians. We can cater for gluten-free guests, please do let us know in advance if you are gluten-free. Unfortunately this event is not suitable if you are vegan or dairy-free. For all other dietary requirements just let us know when you book and we’ll try our absolute best to accommodate you.
Cancellation Policy: We have recently updated our cancellation policy and we now charge an administrative fee for cancellations up to one week in advance of the event. If you cancel less than one week before the event we cannot offer a refund unless we can resell your tickets. All tickets are transferable if you can find another guest to come in your place. For full details of our cancellation policy please click here.
