Beautiful Bealtaine marks the beginning of summer here in Ireland and the beginning of abundance in the fields and hedgerows. Bealtaine - meaning bright fire - is the Gaelic word for the month of May; a magical month that marks the transition from cold to warmth and light to dark. Very soon the hedgerows will be swathed in starry hawthorn blossom and the first local strawberries and gooseberries will be peeking out under leaves. So much promise in the waking land!
Join me this May for a delightful, communal supper to celebrate everything that is deliciously seasonal. For this supper club, I’ve drawn inspiration from recent travels in Morocco and from my enduring love of cooking with flowers and leaves that I can gather in the County Down countryside. Expect almondy hawthorn blossom, tangy rhubarb, salty olives and preserved lemon, tender, slow-cooked chicken, crispy dandelion fritters, smoky aubergine, caramelised onions, sweet dates, tonnes of fragrant herbs and much more.
I’ll be hosting this supper club in 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.
***Tickets will go on sale on Thursday 17th April at 6pm***
Bealtaine Supper Club @ Mother of the Woods Retreat
Friday 16th & Saturday 17th May 2025
On arrival:
Rhubarb & rose bellini
Dandelion flower fritters with honey and blue cheese dip
Spicy Thai mushrooms lettuce cups with a zingy dressing and roasted peanuts
To start:
Homemade gravadlax, lemon & dulse butter, chopped radish, cucumber & poppyseed salad
OR Marinated & chargrilled courgette, lemon & dulse butter, chopped radish, cucumber & poppyseed salad
To continue:
Spring spanakopita – wild garlic, nettles, spinach, feta & dill with romesco sauce
The main event:
Chicken, preserved lemon and green olive tagine AND/OR New potato, chickpea, preserved lemon and green olive tagine
Saffron roasted cauliflower, caramelised onion, dates and toasted almonds
Green salad with mustard and caper dressing
Fragrant couscous with butter and herbs
Zaalouk, a Moroccan burnt aubergine & tomato salad
To refresh:
Gooseberry & elderflower sorbet
For pudding:
Hawthorn blossom cake, poached rhubarb, mascarpone cream & honeycomb
Round the fire pit:
Mint tea & coconut macaroons
***Tickets will go on sale on Thursday 17th April at 6pm***
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 16th or Saturday 17th May 2025. 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: £70 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 we may light the firepit at the end of the evening so please bring an extra layer or two to keep you cosy during 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 dairy free/vegan guests, but you must let us know in advance if you require this option this menu is not suitable for gluten free guests. 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.
Beautiful photos by Sharon Cosgrove Photography