Behind every great chef, you’ll invariably find a slew of local food producers. Chef Alan Foley, who operates the award-winning Cellar Restaurant and 1808 Brasserie at The Step House Hotel in Borris, Co Carlow, is no exception to the rule. We chatted with Alan, a multi-award winning chef with a wealth of experience, about his life and approach to food. He also calls out his favourite suppliers: the Gray family, who operate Feighcullen Farm and produce the duck, chicken and turkey, which regularly feature on Alan’s menus.
The chef: Alan Foley, The Step House Hotel, Borris, Co Carlow
Q: What are some of your fondest childhood food memories?
A: Growing up in rural Ireland was just the perfect landscape. My dear Grandma Foley was a strong woman who took everything in her stride. We would chat and walk down to the chicken house to collect fresh eggs, a wicker basket always dangling from her arm. My first job was to count the chickens – just in case there had been an “unwanted visitor” the previous night. After the chickens, the cows would be milked. Grandma would always bring back litres of fresh milk for dessert dishes: rice pudding, bread and butter pudding, tapioca pudding – my God, they were delicious.
Q: Did you always want to be a chef?
A: From a young age, I had an interest in food. My mum was always baking and my auntie Pauline was a fantastic cook. She studied hotel management in the Gresham Hotel back in the day, so she was a big influence on me. I took home economics in secondary school and then I went to catering college.
At 15, I started working in the [now closed] Manor House in Bagenalstown under the guidance of Mary and Andy Clarke. From there, I went to the Lord Bagenal in Leighlinbridge – which is still a great place. Then, I went to Ashford Castle, followed by Sheen Falls Lodge in Kenmare [my first experience with Michelin star food; head chef Fergus Moore was a very disciplined man with high standards], then Peacock Alley in Stephen’s Green before going on to Chapter One, where I worked under the stewardship of Ross Lewis – a legend of the trade.
Alan regularly features Feighcullen Farm duck on his menus at Step House Hotel. \ Tom Clarke
Q: The Step House Hotel is an historically significant building in Borris. Can you tell us about it?
A: The Step House, with its unusual steps to the front door, was the old Dower house to the MacMurrough Kavanagh family [the old high kings of Leinster], so the hotel holds a strong historical presence in Borris. The Coady Family – my family – have been custodians of The Step House for some years now, with James and Cait Coady steering the ship.
Q: Can you tell us about your approach to food and hospitality?
A: My approach to food, more or less, has never really changed. We like to offer good-quality, local and seasonal food at reasonable prices. We take a very personal approach to business at The Step House – James and my mum are always on-site to meet, greet and entertain our guests [and many have become long-time friends]. Each morning we bake our breads and churn our ice creams; bake our biscuits and make our desserts.
Our suppliers are of great value to us – Mary from Ballon Free Range Eggs has been doing business with us a long time now. We get our lamb from Tommy Brennan in Clonmore Meats. We use Salters Free Range Pork and then, of course, Billy and Annemarie from Feighcullen for their ducks. We have such wonderful suppliers on our doorstep.
Q: Okay – and finally, the question of the hour: what’s your favourite way to use Christmas dinner leftovers?
A: That’s always a difficult decision in our household, with so many opinions floating around. I’ll compromise for the greater good. A turkey and ham club sandwich is always nice for a later start on Stephen’s Day [don’t forget to add a little bit of stuffing, if you’re partial]. If that’s not your gig, my personal favourite is a turkey, ham, leek and mushroom pie with shortcrust pastry, served with a tossed salad and piccalilli.
The producer: Billy Gray, Feighcullen Farm, Rathangan, Co Kildare
Billy and Annemarie have four children who are all happily involved in the family farm. \ Damien Eagers Photography
Q: Tell us about your farm and family.
A: Our farm is organic cattle, sheep and tillage, and then we do free range poultry – so turkey, ducks and chickens. We have our own on-site abattoir, so we are able to bring our produce from day-old chicks right through to the finished product. The business is comprised of myself and my wife, Annemarie. Our two eldest daughters are studying agriculture [one at UCD and one in SETU Waterford] and both plan on following into the family business. Our third daughter is training in veterinary in England, and then we have a younger son who likes to help out a lot as well which is great.
Q: When it comes to raising a great-quality duck, is there a special knack to it, or are they similar to other types of poultry?
A: The number one thing about our ducks is that the sheds are very open and we also bed them on straw, which you don’t see very often. While our farm is organic, our poultry isn’t [certified organic]. However, we never use fertiliser or chemicals, so the poultry is not exposed to any of that. People often ask us why our poultry isn’t organic – really, we started our free-range poultry before we converted to organic. Our market for the poultry is free-range and we didn’t see the need to change that.
Q: Which breed of duck do you specialise in?
A: We raise Aylesbury ducks, they are all Irish-born and sourced from a farmer in Arklow, Co Wicklow. Aylesburys develop to the right size at a good age, and they pluck really well. We use a wet plucking system and often chefs find it easier to cure the meat when it’s done this way. Also, they find the skin will crisp up better. Because we bed the ducks on straw, there is natural picking in it alongside their feed, which adds to the overall flavour of the duck.
Q: Do you enjoy working closely with chefs?
A: We would have a good few close relationships with chefs and we really enjoy working with them. Since the pandemic, we do a bit of everything: around 45% of our business is with butchers, 25% is with supermarkets and 30% is focused in the catering trade, including restaurants. It’s hard to name all of the chefs and restaurants we work with as there are so many.
Q: Tell us about your plans for Christmas this year. What will be on the menu in the Gray household?
A: It’ll be turkey for us. Always. Turkey and then in the new year we’ll have a leg of lamb from our own stock.
Read more
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Behind every great chef, you’ll invariably find a slew of local food producers. Chef Alan Foley, who operates the award-winning Cellar Restaurant and 1808 Brasserie at The Step House Hotel in Borris, Co Carlow, is no exception to the rule. We chatted with Alan, a multi-award winning chef with a wealth of experience, about his life and approach to food. He also calls out his favourite suppliers: the Gray family, who operate Feighcullen Farm and produce the duck, chicken and turkey, which regularly feature on Alan’s menus.
The chef: Alan Foley, The Step House Hotel, Borris, Co Carlow
Q: What are some of your fondest childhood food memories?
A: Growing up in rural Ireland was just the perfect landscape. My dear Grandma Foley was a strong woman who took everything in her stride. We would chat and walk down to the chicken house to collect fresh eggs, a wicker basket always dangling from her arm. My first job was to count the chickens – just in case there had been an “unwanted visitor” the previous night. After the chickens, the cows would be milked. Grandma would always bring back litres of fresh milk for dessert dishes: rice pudding, bread and butter pudding, tapioca pudding – my God, they were delicious.
Q: Did you always want to be a chef?
A: From a young age, I had an interest in food. My mum was always baking and my auntie Pauline was a fantastic cook. She studied hotel management in the Gresham Hotel back in the day, so she was a big influence on me. I took home economics in secondary school and then I went to catering college.
At 15, I started working in the [now closed] Manor House in Bagenalstown under the guidance of Mary and Andy Clarke. From there, I went to the Lord Bagenal in Leighlinbridge – which is still a great place. Then, I went to Ashford Castle, followed by Sheen Falls Lodge in Kenmare [my first experience with Michelin star food; head chef Fergus Moore was a very disciplined man with high standards], then Peacock Alley in Stephen’s Green before going on to Chapter One, where I worked under the stewardship of Ross Lewis – a legend of the trade.
Alan regularly features Feighcullen Farm duck on his menus at Step House Hotel. \ Tom Clarke
Q: The Step House Hotel is an historically significant building in Borris. Can you tell us about it?
A: The Step House, with its unusual steps to the front door, was the old Dower house to the MacMurrough Kavanagh family [the old high kings of Leinster], so the hotel holds a strong historical presence in Borris. The Coady Family – my family – have been custodians of The Step House for some years now, with James and Cait Coady steering the ship.
Q: Can you tell us about your approach to food and hospitality?
A: My approach to food, more or less, has never really changed. We like to offer good-quality, local and seasonal food at reasonable prices. We take a very personal approach to business at The Step House – James and my mum are always on-site to meet, greet and entertain our guests [and many have become long-time friends]. Each morning we bake our breads and churn our ice creams; bake our biscuits and make our desserts.
Our suppliers are of great value to us – Mary from Ballon Free Range Eggs has been doing business with us a long time now. We get our lamb from Tommy Brennan in Clonmore Meats. We use Salters Free Range Pork and then, of course, Billy and Annemarie from Feighcullen for their ducks. We have such wonderful suppliers on our doorstep.
Q: Okay – and finally, the question of the hour: what’s your favourite way to use Christmas dinner leftovers?
A: That’s always a difficult decision in our household, with so many opinions floating around. I’ll compromise for the greater good. A turkey and ham club sandwich is always nice for a later start on Stephen’s Day [don’t forget to add a little bit of stuffing, if you’re partial]. If that’s not your gig, my personal favourite is a turkey, ham, leek and mushroom pie with shortcrust pastry, served with a tossed salad and piccalilli.
The producer: Billy Gray, Feighcullen Farm, Rathangan, Co Kildare
Billy and Annemarie have four children who are all happily involved in the family farm. \ Damien Eagers Photography
Q: Tell us about your farm and family.
A: Our farm is organic cattle, sheep and tillage, and then we do free range poultry – so turkey, ducks and chickens. We have our own on-site abattoir, so we are able to bring our produce from day-old chicks right through to the finished product. The business is comprised of myself and my wife, Annemarie. Our two eldest daughters are studying agriculture [one at UCD and one in SETU Waterford] and both plan on following into the family business. Our third daughter is training in veterinary in England, and then we have a younger son who likes to help out a lot as well which is great.
Q: When it comes to raising a great-quality duck, is there a special knack to it, or are they similar to other types of poultry?
A: The number one thing about our ducks is that the sheds are very open and we also bed them on straw, which you don’t see very often. While our farm is organic, our poultry isn’t [certified organic]. However, we never use fertiliser or chemicals, so the poultry is not exposed to any of that. People often ask us why our poultry isn’t organic – really, we started our free-range poultry before we converted to organic. Our market for the poultry is free-range and we didn’t see the need to change that.
Q: Which breed of duck do you specialise in?
A: We raise Aylesbury ducks, they are all Irish-born and sourced from a farmer in Arklow, Co Wicklow. Aylesburys develop to the right size at a good age, and they pluck really well. We use a wet plucking system and often chefs find it easier to cure the meat when it’s done this way. Also, they find the skin will crisp up better. Because we bed the ducks on straw, there is natural picking in it alongside their feed, which adds to the overall flavour of the duck.
Q: Do you enjoy working closely with chefs?
A: We would have a good few close relationships with chefs and we really enjoy working with them. Since the pandemic, we do a bit of everything: around 45% of our business is with butchers, 25% is with supermarkets and 30% is focused in the catering trade, including restaurants. It’s hard to name all of the chefs and restaurants we work with as there are so many.
Q: Tell us about your plans for Christmas this year. What will be on the menu in the Gray household?
A: It’ll be turkey for us. Always. Turkey and then in the new year we’ll have a leg of lamb from our own stock.
Read more
Food innovation needs the right supports to succeed
‘Every dish I cook has a story to tell’
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