Lismore Castle: Food and Flowers from a Historic Irish Garden

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Overlooking the Blackwater Valley, Lismore Castle is home to the oldest formally cultivated gardens in Ireland, which are visited for their wild beauty and provide organic produce and flowers for the Castle. Written by Laura and William Burlington to celebrate their Irish home, this beautiful book explores the history and interiors of the Castle alongside its rich local food heritage and a modern take on classic Irish recipes. As well as giving a glimpse into one of the great Irish house interiors and a short history of the castle, this book offers over forty recipes inspired by the Irish locality and the garden’s variety of produce including Irish Soda Bread, Beetroot Gravadlax fished from the Blackwater River, and an assortment of chutneys and jams. With a farm to fork ethos, these recipes, created by the castle’s resident cook Teena Mahon, journey through the seasons and are made with what is fresh and available from the garden. The kitchen works hand-in-hand with Lismore’s gardeners, farmers and riverkeepers to oversee the ingredients’ short journeys to feed the Castle’s residents and guests. Recipes and reflections from Lismore today are accompanied by stories of the extraordinary people – gardeners and artists, bishops and kings, and even one Hollywood star – who have designed, cultivated, celebrated, and shared the castle and garden over eight centuries. With essays by Laura and William Burlington, who have taken on responsibility for Lismore Castle from William’s parents - the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire - and atmospheric photographs by Anna Batchelor, the book offers special insight into of one of Ireland’s most celebrated houses.