Paul Flynn - Tannery

Paul Flynn owns and runs the Tannery in Dungarvan with his wife Moira. Previously head chef with Nico Ladenis in London, Paul has also worked in Dublin and is the author of An Irish Adventure with Food: The Tannery Cookbook. A second book is promised next year.

"Moving home to Dungarvan was never one of my long term plans. Once the excitement of city life grabbed me, I was hooked. If some wise old sage had suggested back then that I would one day own green wellies and a wax jacket I would have politely suggested they spend some time in the funny farm.

But I never accounted for the passage of time. After my 10-year tenure in London, I spent four in Dublin which I enjoyed immensely. However, the traffic finally got to me. The trips down the country became a lot more pleasurable so after four years we made the move. My own restaurant in my own town, who would have thought it? " "Dungarvan has undergone radical changes in the last eight years, not only physically. Its attitude to food has been confirmed by the presence of a weekly farmers’ market selling local produce directly to the customer. I have developed a rapport with a lot of these people through the restaurant, eagerly buying their apple juice, cheese, organic vegetables and homemade sausages.

A meeting with Tim Yorke an organic vegetable grower with a smallholding near Lismore (by the way, one of the most beautiful spots in Ireland) allowed me to understand the produce more than ever. Tell me what you want me to grow and I will plant it for next year, he said.

Something told me I had done the right thing. Going back to my roots certainly, but going back to the roots was so much more important, so I trundled around his tunnels thinking of ways to cook what he grew. This is how it was always meant to be, I have finally learned. The best of produce, picked that morning and covered in good honest dirt. The cooking is the simple part."

Paul Flynn
The Tannery