Taste Your Way Through East Cork: Ballymaloe, Midleton & Fresh Farm Food

Pour farm-fresh milk at Rostellan, learn world-class cooking at Ballymaloe, and savor premium whiskey at Midleton Distillery

Today, you'll head east from your hub in Kinsale to the villages of Ballycotton, Ballymaloe & Middleton

It's an hour drive to Ballycotton where you can stretch your legs on the cliff walk, take a boat to the lighthouse, then reward yourself with some food and finish the day with a nice whiskey.

Ballycotton Cliff Walk

This spectacular cliff walk leads you along the cliffs of Ballycotton. It's 8km long and you have stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Ballycotton Lighthouse. Do this walk, it’s one of my favorites in Cork.

Video credit: Matt Aucott on YouTube

Boat to Ballycotton Lighthouse

There are many boat tours in Cork, some on large, touristy boats where you're herded on like animals boarding the Ark.

Ballycotton (Baile Choitín in Irish) means 'Town of Small Boats', so it's fitting that Ballycotton Sea Adventures' boat only carries ten visitors, making it my favorite in Cork. It's cozy and conducive to chat, exactly how a boat trip in Ireland should be.

The 175 year old Ballycotton Lighthouse is one of the 12 Great Lighthouses of Ireland. Enjoy the views from the top across the mountains of Munster and The Atlantic Ocean.

Ballycotton's Ghost Ship

You may be picturing an 18th century ghostly shipwreck, but this one is more recent, 2020. The MV Alta drifted across the Atlantic after engine failure until it crashed on the shores of Ireland.

Video credit: Drone Hawk on YouTube

Ballymaloe. The Home of Irish Cooking

Ballymaloe transformed Irish food and the thinking behind it. Darina Allen founded it in 1983, and it has grown to become the most famous cooking school in Ireland. Their 100-acre organic farm supplies their own produce, inspiring a change in how Ireland thinks about food. This little corner of Ireland is now known throughout the culinary world.

People come from all over to do their 12-week course, which guarantees a position in any kitchen in Ireland. For the rest of us, they do half-day classes and serve lunch. Ballymaloe Cooking School 

Rostellan Farm. Midleton's Second Favorite Drink

If you want a more local, and less world famous lunch, head for Rostellan Farm. Their cafe features their own home grown produce, but it's their milk vending machine that makes them unique. They milk their Holstein Herd every morning and you can pour your own milk from a vending machine. Supersize please!

Midleton Distillery

Speaking of delicious liquids, next up is some liquid gold at Midleton Distillery.

I prefer to support local distilleries, but if you're into whiskey, Midleton is probably why you came to Ireland. Fair warning though, Midleton Very Rare ruined me!

I was happy with my Connemara, a smoky peaty whiskey that was easy on both pocket and tongue. Then a happy client bought me a pour of Midleton Very Rare at the end of our tour. My poor Connemara never tasted the same again. I still savor that lingering Very Rare tingle on my tongue.

Tip: Try The Spot whiskeys (Yellow, Green, Red) from the same company. They're beautiful whiskeys at a better price. Buy all your whiskey at the airport Duty Free, it's a lot cheaper there.

Midleton Farmers Market

There's a lovely farmers market every Saturday if you're there on a weekend. If you're not there on a Saturday, you won't go hurngy. Midleton is that kind of town with lots of IG worthy bakeries, cafes. But I still think Rostellan Farm is the better option.

Get Lost in Cork

We'll point you in the right direction, but the real adventure is when you wander off on your own. Because in Ireland, there's no such thing as a wrong turn. Just don't ask the locals for directions unless you've got time for a chat.

Explore 9 More Cork Day Trips

There's 5 day trips in our central Cork guide. And we have 5 more Cork day trips in our West Cork guide. You'll be speaking like a Cork native if you do all ten!

Have Questions?

Need help planning your trip? Got a burning Cork question? Leave a comment below or on Facebook.