ITV's Dermot O’Leary returns to his roots with Dermot’s Taste of Ireland
Dermot’s Taste of Ireland, produced by Rock Oyster Media, supported by Tourism Ireland, will lead viewers on a gastronomic tour of the island of Ireland, from Kinsale to Belfast, meeting the local farmers, fishers, producers, artisans, and chefs at the very heart of Ireland’s thriving culinary scene. The series follows Dermot as he explores his passion for Ireland, its people and cuisine, reminiscing about his childhood holiday memories and tasting plenty of what is on offer to visitors.
During the five-part series Dermot visits Kinsale, Cork, Wexford, Dublin and Belfast - cooking up a storm in kitchens across the island recreating traditional recipes and modern cuisine with local chefs, restaurateurs and food producers. From a behind the scenes visit to the O’Leary family favourite Mary Barry’s in Kilmore, Dublin’s thriving street food scene with friend and local Donal Skehan, and making artisan chocolates with seaweed in Kinsale’s Koko, the series is a love story to Irish cuisine shaped by Dermot’s personal experiences and memories of his time in Ireland.
The series also sees Dermot embark on some of his passions, including taking part in one of Ireland’s most treasured sports, hurling, with members of the Wexford team, delving into Belfast’s city’s shipbuilding heritage at Titanic Belfast and cooking traditional recipes including Boxty.
A food scene which for years has been overlooked, gastronomy on the island of Ireland is booming. The series will give viewers an insight into the incredible, diverse, food scene found on the island of Ireland.
On the new series, O’Leary comments; “The island of Ireland has a very special place in my heart, it's where I have my earliest and most fond memories and makes up a huge part of my identity. Filming there for this series was such a wonderful experience, bringing back some really happy memories and also allowed me to experience lots of new things I hadn’t seen before, and see how Ireland has evolved.”
He adds; “The new food scene in Dublin with its international inspiration was fascinating to see and the development of the Titanic Quarter in Belfast with the distillery in the Crumlin Road Gaol are huge additions to the city and definitely a reason to visit. I know it's a cliche, but everyone we met across the island was so warm and friendly and their warmth and passion for the local produce really shone through.”
David Nottage of Rock Oyster Media, producers of Dermot’s Taste of Ireland, comments; “Dermot’s Taste of Ireland has been such a joy to work on. Seeing Dermot’s passion and love for Ireland, its people and its food is infectious and it’s been wonderful to help showcase this incredibly rich food and drink culture that Ireland has to offer.”
Dermot’s Taste of Ireland debuts on ITV1 and ITVX on Monday 23rd September.
Visit Ireland.com for more information