Meal Ticket: The Tannery, Dungarvan, Waterford

The Tannery was the first place I ever ate Irish asparagus. It had been picked from their cookery school garden a few hours before it found itself on my plate. The combination of its woody texture and earthy flavour has been implanted into my memory bank of exceptional taste experiences. It was served, smartly shaved, alongside some seaside samphire and a plump piece of roasted monkfish covered in herb butter.

Of course, it’s ruined all other asparagus for me seeing as Irish-grown asparagus is thin on the ground and our shops are full of imported spears that have travelled too far to have retained that same intense taste.

The Tannery is all about special experiences. Located in the sweet seaside town of Dungarvan, its restaurant boasts a light-filled dining room on the top floor and a relaxed bar on the ground floor. Here you’ll find copies of the cookbooks its proprietor Paul Flynn has written. You might know Paul from his recipes for Lidl, or from his RTÉ TV show with Martin Shanahan. He and his wife Máire opened The Tannery in 1997, and their business has expanded in the last 20 years to include a cookery school and a guesthouse, all located on the one street.

While Paul and his team work cleverly with local, seasonal ingredients, Máire expertly works the front of house. It’s the combination of their talents that makes visiting The Tannery such a joy.

After our meal, we slipped off to sleep in The Tannery Townhouse, their gorgeous guesthouse across the road that overlooks their cookery school and restaurant garden, where my asparagus had come from.

Enjoying the eating experience here is an investment, with main courses on the Á La Carte menu hovering between €25 and €30. Get there earlier in the evening for their Easy Evening menu and you can try their set menu for €30 for three courses.