Neven Maguire has inspired leagues of viewers with his food trails, from balmy Spain and Portugal, to at home on the Emerald Isle.
It's to our own back garden that the celebrated chef travels in his new series, but this time he's taking the scenic route. Neven's Greenway Food Trails, a new six-part series, sees Neven travel some of Ireland’s most spectacular Greenways, and meets more of Ireland’s best food producers and chefs.
The series will follow along as he explores some of Ireland's most stunning scenery, stopping off at established Greenways such as The Great Western Greenway in Mayo, The Limerick, Waterford and Royal Canal Greenways; and he follows the routes of future Greenways planned for South Kerry and Connemara in Co. Galway.
He begins his epic journey on The Great Western Greenway, Co. Mayo, visiting some of the leading food producers on the West coast.
Of course, such a trek requires plenty of fuel, and it doesn't take Neven long to sniff out some local food producers. He tastes venison in Dromcollogher in Co Limerick, organic beef burgers beside Lough Owel in Co Westmeath, and mussels in Cromane, in Co Kerry.
The Greenway network is a sight to behold, following the routes of abandoned railway lines and canals which have been revitalised as cycling and walking tracks, passing through dramatic mountainous landscapes, lakeshores and seascapes.
Neven learns about the history of the Greenways by meeting local historians who tell him all about these 19th century feats of engineering which had a transformative impact on the whole country. Many of the original aqueducts, viaducts and tunnels form part of the Greenways today and feature in the series.
First up, the Great Western Greenway: a 42km cycling and walking trail which follows the route of the old Westport to Achill Railway line, passing through spectacular scenery with views of Clew Bay, the Nephin Mountains and Croagh Patrick.
Neven starts his journey in Westport, sampling everything from locally roasted coffee from Bean West Coffee, to specialty sourdough bread by The Cornrue Bakery that is unique to Ireland and takes five days to complete.
While in Newport, Neven visits Kelly's Butchers, artisan producers renowned for their black and white puddings, bacon, and fourteen varieties of sausages. Next door is Kelly’s Kitchen, an award-winning café run by the Kelly family, specialising in meat dishes. Head Chef José González cooks a Trio of Beef Casserole using lesser-known cuts of beef – oxtail, beef cheek, and feather blade.
Neven also checks out one of the historic hotels in the area, the Mulranny Park Hotel, a former railway hotel located directly on the Greenway. Here, he meets local historian Joe McDermott and learns more about the historic railway and the origins of the Greenway.
In Achill Neven meets the Calvey family who have been producing Achill Mountain Lamb for four generations. Their Mayo Blackface Mountain sheep are free to roam from the Atlantic beaches to the hills. Neven meets Martin Calvey to round up some sheep on the beach, and learns how the salty air and seaweed diet enhance the flavour of the meat.
Back in Westport for dinner, Neven calls in at Sage, an award-winning restaurant run by Bulgarian couple Shteryo Yurukov and Eva Ivanova. Shteryo cooks West Coast Monkfish with Pork Belly, Curried Lentils Bonbon, Celeriac and Tarragon Mustard.
Watch Neven's Greenway Food Trails on Wednesday at 8:30pm on RTÉ One.
