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A staple on our breakfast table, this wheaten loaf comes straight from the kitchen of our Executive Head Chef, Andrew Turner. It's a simple, traditional Irish bake - dense and hearty, with a gentle sweetness from the treacle and it comes together in one bowl with no proving required.

8 servings

Ingredients

300g coarse wholemeal flour

75g strong plain flour

5g salt

9g baking soda

25g rolled oats

20ml treacle

20g butter, plus a knob for greasing

400ml buttermilk

20ml milk

20g wholemeal flour and oats, for dusting the tin

Steps

1. Preheat the oven

Preheat the oven to 180°C and place a tray of water in the bottom to create steam. If using a steam oven, cook on half steam/roast.

2. Prepare the tin

Grease a 1lb loaf tin with butter and dust with 20g wholemeal flour and oats.

3. Mix the dry ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, combine 300g coarse wholemeal flour, 75g strong plain flour, 5g salt, 9g baking soda and 25g rolled oats.

4. Warm the wet ingredients

Gently warm 20g butter, 20ml black treacle and 20ml milk together until the it becomes liquid and add to the mixing bowl. Then add 400ml buttermilk.

5. Bring the batter together

Using a wooden spoon, mix the wet ingredients into the dry just until combined into a wet batter. Don't work it too much as it will become tough. Pour into the prepared loaf tin. Top with some oats.

6. Bake

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. 

7. Cool

Turn the loaf out of the tin and allow to cool before slicing.

Notes

For the best crust, don't skip the tray of water in the oven - the steam helps the loaf rise before the crust sets. Serve warm, generously buttered, alongside soup or a full Irish breakfast.

An Old Inn favourite and a family recipe from our breakfast chef Dermot, the traditional fruit brack is a moist, tea-soaked loaf filled with dried fruit and mild spice. Served as part of breakfast and our indulgent afternoon tea, it’s comforting slice of home-baked goodness. 

Ingredients

• 1x 900g Loaf
• 250g Soft Plain flour
• 15g Baking powder
• 125g  Soft brown Sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 250ml  Cold tea
• 250g dried fruit of your liking
• 50 g  Mixed peel
• ½ tsp Mixed spice
• Honey to brush the top of the loaf

Method

1. Start your loaf the night before, by soaking the dried fruit and peel in the cold tea, and place in a fridge to soften.
2. Pre-heat you oven to 150c
3. With a bowl and flour Sieve, pass your flour, baking powder and spice together, this makes sure that they are thoroughly mixed but also adds air to the flour which helps the rise. Add the sugar, and mix together.
4. Add the beaten eggs and then the soaked fruits, the mix is very wet almost like a batter.
5. Pour into a lined loaf tin and Bake for approx. 1 hour , remove oven allow to cool for 15 mins and then turn out on to baking wire. When cool brush with warm honey and if you like roll in Demerara sugar
6. Serve with cold salted butter and a hot cup of tea!

Ingredients For 4 portions

• 6-700g halibut fillet or any meaty fish you prefer, cut in to 4 portions
• 30g Sea purslane
• 12 leaves Sea beet
• 40g Samphire
• 10g chervil
• 10g chives

Crushed comber earlies

• 600g Cumber earlies
• 150g Salted butter
• 100g crème fresh
• 20 ml white wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper

Wash the potatoes, and boil in salted water until soft (approx. 15 mins), drain and break them with the back of a fork, add the salted butter, cream and vinegar, mix together until you have a soft crushed potato and season to taste, keep warm.

Brown shrimp

• 120g salted butter
• Lemon cut into segment and juice
• Parsley
• 150g Brown shrimp

Pickled Dulse

• 200 ml distilled white vinegar
• 50g sugar
• 10g salt
• 1 small bag dulse

Bring the vinegar, salt and sugar up to the boil, allow to cool and drop in the dulse allow to sit for 1 hour before using

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Heat a non-stick pan until smoking. Season the fish, add a splash of oil to the pan and place the fish in. Cook for one minute on each side to get a nice colour.
3. Transfer the fish to the oven and roast for approximately 4 minutes.
4. Once out of the oven, move the fish to a warm tray.
5. In a separate pan, add the salted butter and let it cook until golden brown. Add the shrimp, parsley, and lemon, then remove from the heat.
6. To plate up, place the warm crushed potatoes in the centre of the plate, gently lay the fish on top, spoon over the shrimp butter, and finish with sea herbs and pickled dulse.

This is a classic for the Spring season; fresh duck eggs, finely shaved smoked duck, and duck fat-fried bread, finished with a sweet apple vinegar to cut through it all.

Dressing

• Ingredients: 100ml Chardonnay Vinegar, 200ml Pomace Oil, 2 Cloves Garlic, 1 Shallot , 2 Sprigs Tarragon, Salt & Pepper
• Method: Mix all together and allow to sit for 24hours before use.

Mayonnaise

• Ingredients: 4 Egg Yolks, 50ml White Wine Vinegar, 50ml Dijon Mustard, 250ml Neutral Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Smoked Paprika, Cayenne Pepper
• Method: Whisk the yolks, vinegar, mustard together, drizzle in the oil and emulsify, season to taste.

Onions

• Ingredients: 2 Large Spanish Onions, 100ml White Wine Vinegar, 100ml White Wine, 25 ml Dijon Mustard, 25ml Horseradish Cream, 100ml Crème Fraîche
• Method: Finely dice the onions, cover with the white wine and the vinegar and reduce until the pan is dry, cool. When the onions are cold mix in the mustard, horseradish and crème Fresh and season.

Fried Bread

• Ingredients: Brioche loaf, Duck fat
• Method: Break the brioche into small pieces, and fry in duck fat until golden

Apple Balsamic Gel

• Ingredients: 250ml Apple balsamic, 60g sugar, 30g Ultratex
• Method: Whisk all together and allow the Ultratex to thicken the vinegar until golden.

Method for plating:

1. For the plate you’ll need 4 duck eggs, 2 medium sized red onions, mayonnaise, dressing, fried brioche, smoked duck, celery salt, herbs and pea shoot to garnish

2. Bring a medium sized pan of water up to the boil

3. Meanwhile peel and cut your onions in half-length ways.

4. When your water is boiling, gentle drop in the duck eggs and onions, allow to simmer for 7mins & 30secs

5. When cooked refresh the eggs in iced water to stop them cooking any further.

6. The onion, remove and allow to drain but do not let it go cold, season with the celery salt and dress while still hot with the dressing.

7. Peal your duck eggs and cut in half the yolk should still be soft, season with the celery salt

Now to dress the plate:

1. Spoon a little of the onion in the bottom of the bowl arrange the eggs and red onions on top

2. Add a few dots of mayonnaise and apple balsamic vinegar

3. Arrange the shaved smoked duck and crispy fried bread around the plate

4. Finish with the herbs and pea shoots.

The Old Inn’s Head Chef Andrew Turner spent his childhood growing up in Weymouth, Dorset, where Cream Teas are a big thing. Plain or fruit? Cream on first or jam on first? Someone always has an opinion and normally isn’t afraid to share it with you. We say eat the scones as you prefer, with whatever and however you like.

Here’s the recipe we use at The Old Inn. It’s light, a little sweet, and always a treat.

Preheat your oven to 160c

• 600g Self-rising flour
• 17g Baking powder
• 135g Butter
• 75g Sugar
• 295ml Buttermilk
• 1Tsp Vanilla essence
• 1 egg

Additional for Fruit Scones

• 170g Sultanas
• 10 g Additional flour

For the plain scone

• Sieve all the dry ingredients together, rub in soft butter to the dry mix, then add the buttermilk and vanilla essence.
• Mix as little as possible until the ingredients have come together, roll out to about 4 cm thick and cut out using a pastry cutter of the desired size.
• Take the egg and beat with a fork, brush the top of each scone, being careful not to let any run down the side as this will stop the scone rising evenly.
• Cook until golden brown approx. 15/20 mins

For the fruit scones

• Shake the fruit and the 10g of flour together and mix into the dry ingredients then continue as above. 

For the Scotch Egg

Ingredients

• 2 free range hen eggs

• 200g sausage meat

• 200g plain flour

• 1 egg

• 200ml whole milk

• 200g panko breadcrumbs

Method

1. Put the 2 free range eggs into boiling water and boil for 4 minutes then put into cold water to cool quickly

2. Meanwhile in 3 separate bowls, you need bowl 1 the flour, bowl 2 whisk the 1 egg with the milk, bowl 3 the panko crumbs

3. When eggs have cooled, peel and first coat the eggs with the flour then into the egg wash and lastly into the panko crumbs

4. Leave aside to deep fry later

For the Gammon

Ingredients

• 200g gammon slipper

• 2 cloves

• 1 orange

• 1 tablespoon of sugar

Method

1. Steep the gammon overnight in cold water in the fridge to get rid of some of the sulfites

2. Next day wash off the gammon in cold water and put into large pot, cover with lots of fresh water add the remaining ingredients and boil for approximately 1.5 hours or until tender and breaking away. When cooked leave to cool in the cooking liquor.

3. When gammon has completely cooled, remove excess fat, and tear into large chunks and leave aside.

You will also need:

• 200g of good cheddar cheese, smoked if you prefer

• Sourdough bread

• 1 baby gem lettuce cut in half and washed

• 100g of washed watercress

• Pickled vegetables

• Piccalilli

• Goose fat

To Prepare

1. Deep fry your egg for 3 minutes or until golden and crispy, leave to cool for a minute

2. Wash the gem and watercress

3. Cut the cheese into 4 even wedges

4. Slice the bread thickly smear with the goose fat and chargrill

5. Cut the eggs in half being careful not to loose all the runny yolk

To Plate

1. On each plate put half the watercress and baby gem

2. 2 large tablespoons of the pickled vegetables

3. 2 halves of the scotch egg

4. 2 of the cheese wedges

5. A good portion of the pulled gammon

6. Heaped tablespoon of the piccalilli

7. 2 chunky slices of the goose fat charred bread Serve and enjoy!

The Old Inn Executive Chef Gavin Murphy has shared a delicious and nutritional recipe for you to enjoy cooking at home! 

Galgorm Collection are celebrating World Wellness Weekend this September, which aims to inspire and empower people to make healthier choices and enjoy an active lifestyle with family & friends. The Old Inn Executive Chef Gavin Murphy has shared a delicious and nutritional recipe for you to enjoy cooking at home!

Serves Four

Per serving: Kcal 618, Fat 6g, Saturates 1g, Carbs 78g, Sugars 18g, Fiber 11g, Protein 57g, Salt 1.3g

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil Plus a little for Drizzle

• 200g Chopped Onion

• 2 Teaspoons Smoked Paprika

• 2 Teaspoons Chipotle Paste

• 400g Tender stem Broccoli

• 800ml Hot Vegetable Stock

• 300g Med Orzo

• 1 Teaspoon Bunch Chopped Dill

• 2 Teaspoons Chopped Flat Parsley

• 100g Frozen Garden Peas

• 3 Skinless Cod Fillets (approx. 150g each)

• 300ml Fat-free Yogurt

• Half of Lemon

• Salt & Pepper

Method

1) Preheat oven to 200 degrees

2) In an oven proof frying pan add olive oil and diced onion cook slowly until tender

3) Add the Paprika, chipotle paste, broccoli and stock

4) Stir in orzo transfer to oven for 10 minutes

5) Remove from oven stir in peas and half the herbs

6) Place fish onto orzo

7) Drizzle with olive oil, season with paprika, salt and pepper

8) Place back into oven and cook for another 10/12 min until the fish is cooked and the orzo is tender

9) Mix the remaining herbs with the yogurt. Squeeze in the lemon and serve with the cod

10) Enjoy

Celebrate World Wellness Weekend at The Old Inn with a nourishing breakfast created by our Executive Head Chef, Gavin Murphy. Crushed Avocado with Poached Eggs and Tahini on Sourdough Toast. This nutrient-packed breakfast is designed to fuel your body and mind. Perfect for those looking to boost their wellness journey, this recipe will empower you to recreate a balanced, delicious start to your day at home.

Recipe x 4 Portions

2 Ripe Avocadoes

Juice from ½ Lime

½ Finely Chopped Red Chilli (No Seeds)

4 Slices of Sourdough Bread

4 Free Range Hen Eggs

4 table spoons of Tahini

50g toasted Sesame Seeds

20ml White Wine Vinegar

Salt and Black Pepper

Method

1. In a good size pot add the vinegar and ¾ fill with water. Put on the heat, bring to the boil and turn down to simmer.
2. Meanwhile cut the avocados in ½ and remove stones, remove flesh with a spoon into a bowl.
3. With a fork break up the avocado and add the lime juice, chili and a little salt and pepper. Leave aside.
4. Crack the eggs into the simmering water and cook gently for 5 minutes.
5. Toast the sourdough bread and put onto 4 plates.
6. Check the avocado mix for seasoning and divide evenly over 4 sourdough toast.
7. Remove the eggs and put one on each dish, add a drizzle of tahini. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and a little salt and pepper and serve.

Ingredients 

500g Comber Earlies

100g Natural Smoked Cheddar Cheese/Grated

200ml Double Cream

100g Diced Shallots

25g Chopped Flat Parsley

25g Chopped Chives

10g Chopped Dill

10g Chervil/not chopped for Garnish

100g Salted Butter Salt and Black Pepper

Selection of Summer Salad Leaves

35ml Raspberry Vinegar

100ml Rapeseed Oil

½ Teaspoon English Mustard

Method 

1. Wash, do not peel, and boil the potatoes in lots of boiling water until tender but still have a little bite. Leave aside to cool a little.
2. Meanwhile using all the butter cook off your shallots slowly without any colour.
3. Add all the cream and reduce a little to approx. 70 percent of original volume.
4. Reduce the heat and add the cheese, cook for two minutes or until all the cheese has melted into the sauce. Slice all the potatoes into 4mm slice and add to the cream mixture.
5. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed, leave aside to keep warm but not hot.
6. Meanwhile make your dressing by putting the vinegar, mustard and oil in a bottle with a little salt and pepper, put on top and shake until all ingredients have come together.
7. Give your summer leaves a quick wash in fresh running cold water and allow to drain.
8. Ready to plate, add the chopped soft herbs to the potato mixture and stir gently.
9. Divide the potato mixture evenly between four plates, dress a selection of the leaves. Divide in four and place onto the potato mixture, garnish with the chervil and serve.

Happy Cooking!

Introducing a new addition to our Spring menu: the exquisite duck egg custard tart served with a side of our handcrafted nutmeg ice cream. Executive Head Chef Gavin Murphy has meticulously crafted this dish, and now, we're excited to share the recipe with you. Be sure to tag us in your creations on our social media platforms for a chance to showcase your culinary skills.

Ingredients

For the tart case:

• 500g Plain Flour
• 250g Icing Sugar
• 250g Unsalted Butter
• Pinch of Salt
• 4 Large Egg Yolks

For the custard filling:

• 6 Duck Eggs
• 210g Caster Sugar
• 450ml Double Cream
• 450ml Full Fat Milk
• 3 Drops Vanilla Extract

For the ice cream:

• 450g Double Cream
• 180g Egg Yolk
• 360g Caster Sugar
• 150ml Water
• 10g Ground Nutmeg

Method

For the pastry:

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Add egg yolks and a teaspoon of cold-water mix into a dough. Do not over mix.

3. Wrap pastry in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.

For the tart filling:

1. Heat the milk and cream in a pot, do not boil.

2. Meanwhile in a large stainless-steel bowl add the eggs, sugar, and vanilla.

3. Whisk until all combined, add the not boiling milk and whisk until combined.

4. Strain through a fine sieve and chill.

For the ice cream:

1. Put the sugar and water into a pot, bring to the boil and cook until the mixture reaches 127°C.

2. Meanwhile in a mixer whisk the cream until soft peaks, leave aside.

3. In a mixer whisk the egg whites until light and fluffy, pour over the sugar mixture and continue to whisk until cold.

4. Fold in nutmeg and double cream and freeze overnight.

To cook the tart:

1. Take pastry from fridge roll out on a floured surface until it is approx 5mm thick.

2. Grease a 12-inch tart case with a little butter and line with pastry.

3. Leave to rest for an hour in fridge.

4. Remove from fridge, prick the pastry with a fork, line with parchment paper and fill with baking beans. Cook blind for 5 minutes at 170°C.

5. After 5 minutes remove paper and beans, brush with egg wash and bake for a further 5 minutes.

6. Turn the heat down to 130°C and fill the tart with the custard mixture, bake for approx 1 hour.

7. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

To serve:

Cut the tart into 12 portions and plate, add a good size scoop of the ice cream, and serve.

Enjoy.

Happy Cooking!