Summer Soiree at CastleGrove Country House Hotel

Last night we attended the magical – Walled Garden Dinner Party at CastleGrove Country House Hotel. This was the second year that CastleGrove have hosted this event. General Manager Karoline Sweeney and Head Chef Paul Brady certainly created a food experience to remember.

As we drove through the estate to the hotel we could see that we were in for a treat with a white linen draped table, full of floral arrangements and candles perched under a canopy of old oak trees on the lawn. We sipped on CastleGrove Country House own brand Strawberry Gin Cocktails and enjoyed the views over Lough Swilly while we waited on the other guests to arrive.

Guests were treated to a tour of the grounds – Walled Garden, which was the centre of attention on the evenings tasting menu. Chef Brady created his 9 – Course Tasting Menu from ingredients almost solely from the garden. Karoline and Chef Brady explained to guests that the bountiful array of produce was their inspiration for this event and they were excited to show people how good a vegetarian tasting menu can be. They demonstrated this well with a variety of flavors and textures being incorporated into the menu (see pictures above).

Considering the menu contained a lot of light dishes, we decided to go with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (always a crowd – pleaser) as well as an amazing Pinot Noir from New Zealand. We highly recommend the Eradus 2017 vintage Pinot Noir if you are frequenting CastleGrove over Summer, it is delicate and elegant with dark cherry and ripe tannin – the perfect light Summer red.

If you would like a taster of CastleGrove Country House, why not join us on tour tomorrow. We have a few seats left on our – Taste the North Donegal Food Tour. Tickets available until midnight tonight on https://donegalfoodtours.com/tour/?id=62