‘I am bred and buttered in Connemara.”
If there was ever a poster child for this coastal Co Galway region, it should be Sinead Foyle. The love she has for her home can be heard in her voice, but it is also exemplified through her work in local food and hospitality.
Hospitality isn’t just a career option – for many like Sinead, it is a calling. And for Sinead, in particular, it is in her blood.
“My grandmother was driven by hospitality,” she tells Irish Country Living Food. “She was quite formidable; a powerhouse for her time.”
In the early 20th century, Sinead’s grandparents settled in the village of Clifden and developed a strong hospitality presence there. All of their seven children, except one, also ended up working in the industry – and now their grandchildren are following suit.
“There is an entire group of us who are all working locally in hospitality,” Sinead says with a laugh. “From motels and hostelries right to Blue Book estates and private country houses – all are family-run, all individually-run. We support each other, but we are independent of each other.”
Having studied travel and tourism before attending Ballymaloe Cookery School in the mid-90s, Sinead had the itch to travel. And travel she did; working different jobs in tourism all over the world for well over a decade, while experiencing new foods and cultures.
Homecoming
When she decided to return and settle in her beloved Connemara, she brought all of this experience home with her. When she was introduced to local chef Philippa Duff, the pair realised that by working together, they could do something extraordinary – soon enough, they developed The Sea Hare.
“Philippa is an exceptional cook – she is just phenomenal,” Sinead says. “I was looking to start a local food business and people told me to talk to her. Where I am a busy bee; she is calm and collected. It makes for a phenomenal partnership.
“Pre-pandemic, in 2019, I could see local pubs were closing down or limiting service. I thought – there’s empty premises here; let’s talk to the publicans and see if we might be able to rent space or use it until they open in the evening – so we started out in a place called Joyces in Cleggan.”
While she isn’t a vegetarian, Philippa has always loved working with local vegetables for her menu items. Sinead wanted to incorporate local seafood into their offering, as well. Both women are heavily influenced by their love of travel and global flavour, so The Sea Hare quickly became a haven for comforting, vegetable-focused meals packed with exotic flavour.
New sauce
Once they opened, they also started producing their Sea Hare Tamarind Sauce, which proved so popular with diners they ended up bottling and selling the condiment for retail. On Thursdays, they would offer a weekly fish dinner, and quickly their popularity grew among visitors and locals alike.
“The whole thing just grew legs; it got big so quickly,” Sinead recalls. “I love the craic, I love having a laugh, I love live music, and you never knew what might be on offer. It grew very organically for us.
“More importantly, though, we were bringing a year-round offering to our local community,” she adds. “Too many businesses [on the Wild Atlantic Way] are only open seasonally, which I understand, it costs to stay open. But the locals need access to good food, and we want to be able to serve them as much as the visitors. Open three days a week if you’re worried. If you build it, they will come.”
The pair did exceedingly well their first year in business, and even during the ups and downs of the COVID-19 lockdowns, Sinead was pleasantly surprised to see how they were able to come out of it. However, in 2023, their lease agreement was broken; suddenly leaving the beloved eatery without a home.
Sinead and Philippa announced that they would have to put their business on hiatus. While the pair took some healing time afterwards, they were soon eager to get back into the saddle.
Today, while still in the process of finding a permanent location, The Sea Hare refers to itself as “a nomadic café” specialising in pop-ups and special events throughout the region.
“People have been very kind in supporting anything we do,” she says. “What I have found is, when something wrong happens to you, the amount of people who come behind you is astonishing – I was blown away by that support.”
Today, the duo are working closely with Irish food icons Jeni Glasgow and Reuven Diaz, formerly of Eastern Seaboard, who also sadly had to close their Drogheda, Co Louth restaurant several years ago.
“Reuven has been our head chef for two years and I adore him,” Sinead says. “I have a team around me, ready to go and we’re very hopeful we will have a permanent new home soon. Reuven is very much on board with me and he’s just wonderful, and Jeni as well.
“I tend to watch the trends of what’s going on in food and hospitality in North America and Australia – I know we have something very magic here in Connemara,” she continues. “I just feel so privileged having all of this on my doorstep.”
If you are lucky enough to find yourself in Sinead and Philippa’s
part of the world this spring,
why not try some of their favourite recipes to pack up for a seaside picnic?
Serves 6
Ingredients
300g dried chickpeas
100g dried yellow split peas
1 tsp baking soda
2 cloves garlic
1 onion, roughly chopped
50g fresh parsley, chopped
50g fresh coriander, chopped
1 tsp Lebanese seven spice (a mixture of ground cloves, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, black pepper and nutmeg)
½ tsp chilli powder
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking soda
1.5L vegetable oil, for frying
Method
1 Soak the dried chickpeas and split peas in cold water mixed with 1 tsp baking soda overnight.
2 The next day, drain the water from the soaked legumes and place the chickpeas and split peas into a food processor.
3 Add the garlic, onion, chopped parsley and coriander, all of the spices, the salt and the remaining 2 tsp baking soda to the food processor.
4 Blitz until all of the ingredients are well-chopped and combined. The mixture should form into a consistent, but coarse, texture which can be shaped into balls that don’t fall apart.
5 Scoop the mixture up in heaping tablespoonfuls and form into balls. Place each falafel on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
6 Using a deep, heavy-bottomed pot or deep fat fryer, heat the vegetable oil to a temperature of 170°C. Being careful not to crowd the pot, gently place 3-4 falafel into the oil at a time.
7 Fry the falafel for approximately 5 minutes each, turning them halfway through cooking. They should be golden brown on the outside, with a slight crunch, and mealy on the inside.
8 Place the cooked falafel on a tray lined with kitchen towel to drain any excess oil. Let them cool slightly, then serve with our shatta, quick pickles, flat breads and salad.
Flatbread: Makes 4-6
Ingredients
200g plain or wholemeal flour
¼ tsp salt
100ml warm water
2 tbsp olive oil
Method
1 Mix 75ml of the water in with the flour and salt until you have a shaggy dough which just comes together.
2 Add the rest of the water, bit by bit, until you have a dough which is soft, but not sticky.
3 Add the olive oil and knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover the dough with a clean, slightly damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
4 Divide dough into four to six pieces and roll into balls.
5 Sprinkle a small bit of flour on your work surface and roll out each ball into a circle 8-10cm wide. Cover the rolled out dough pieces with the damp cloth to keep them from drying out.
6 Heat a frying pan on medium high (no oil needed). Pop a flat bread onto the pan and cook on one side for 2 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side for 1-2 minutes.
7 Wrap in a clean tea towel to keep warm and all the breads are done.
Shatta: Serves 6
Ingredients
300g red chilli peppers
15g sea salt
Juice of ½ lemon
Olive oil, to cover
Method
1 Stem and roughly chop the chillis (remove the seeds if you don’t like too much heat).
2 Combine the chillies with the sea salt in a large mixing bowl.
3 Mix thoroughly and add the mixture into a clean, sterilised jar. Leave in a cool, dark spot for three to five days, opening and re-closing the lid once a day to release any pressure.
4 Once there are some bubbles forming in the mixture, add the lemon juice and stir. At this stage, cover the top of the shatta with a layer of olive oil and store in the fridge.
5 Once chilled, the fermentation of the chillies will slow and the oil will keep them from oxidizing. You can store the shatta in the fridge for up to two weeks.
6 Use a dollop on poached eggs, a smear on a ham sandwich or drizzle over falafels.
Quick Pickles
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 large red onion
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp vinegar
Method
1 Peel and cut the onion into thin half-moon slices. Pop into a glass or ceramic bowl and add the salt, sugar and vinegar (you can use cider, white wine, rice vinegars – each will give you a different flavour in the pickle).
2 Mix together and gently massage the onions until they start to release their juices (they’ll feel slippery). Marinate for an hour.
3 Store in the fridge for up to three days.
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‘I am bred and buttered in Connemara.”
If there was ever a poster child for this coastal Co Galway region, it should be Sinead Foyle. The love she has for her home can be heard in her voice, but it is also exemplified through her work in local food and hospitality.
Hospitality isn’t just a career option – for many like Sinead, it is a calling. And for Sinead, in particular, it is in her blood.
“My grandmother was driven by hospitality,” she tells Irish Country Living Food. “She was quite formidable; a powerhouse for her time.”
In the early 20th century, Sinead’s grandparents settled in the village of Clifden and developed a strong hospitality presence there. All of their seven children, except one, also ended up working in the industry – and now their grandchildren are following suit.
“There is an entire group of us who are all working locally in hospitality,” Sinead says with a laugh. “From motels and hostelries right to Blue Book estates and private country houses – all are family-run, all individually-run. We support each other, but we are independent of each other.”
Having studied travel and tourism before attending Ballymaloe Cookery School in the mid-90s, Sinead had the itch to travel. And travel she did; working different jobs in tourism all over the world for well over a decade, while experiencing new foods and cultures.
Homecoming
When she decided to return and settle in her beloved Connemara, she brought all of this experience home with her. When she was introduced to local chef Philippa Duff, the pair realised that by working together, they could do something extraordinary – soon enough, they developed The Sea Hare.
“Philippa is an exceptional cook – she is just phenomenal,” Sinead says. “I was looking to start a local food business and people told me to talk to her. Where I am a busy bee; she is calm and collected. It makes for a phenomenal partnership.
“Pre-pandemic, in 2019, I could see local pubs were closing down or limiting service. I thought – there’s empty premises here; let’s talk to the publicans and see if we might be able to rent space or use it until they open in the evening – so we started out in a place called Joyces in Cleggan.”
While she isn’t a vegetarian, Philippa has always loved working with local vegetables for her menu items. Sinead wanted to incorporate local seafood into their offering, as well. Both women are heavily influenced by their love of travel and global flavour, so The Sea Hare quickly became a haven for comforting, vegetable-focused meals packed with exotic flavour.
New sauce
Once they opened, they also started producing their Sea Hare Tamarind Sauce, which proved so popular with diners they ended up bottling and selling the condiment for retail. On Thursdays, they would offer a weekly fish dinner, and quickly their popularity grew among visitors and locals alike.
“The whole thing just grew legs; it got big so quickly,” Sinead recalls. “I love the craic, I love having a laugh, I love live music, and you never knew what might be on offer. It grew very organically for us.
“More importantly, though, we were bringing a year-round offering to our local community,” she adds. “Too many businesses [on the Wild Atlantic Way] are only open seasonally, which I understand, it costs to stay open. But the locals need access to good food, and we want to be able to serve them as much as the visitors. Open three days a week if you’re worried. If you build it, they will come.”
The pair did exceedingly well their first year in business, and even during the ups and downs of the COVID-19 lockdowns, Sinead was pleasantly surprised to see how they were able to come out of it. However, in 2023, their lease agreement was broken; suddenly leaving the beloved eatery without a home.
Sinead and Philippa announced that they would have to put their business on hiatus. While the pair took some healing time afterwards, they were soon eager to get back into the saddle.
Today, while still in the process of finding a permanent location, The Sea Hare refers to itself as “a nomadic café” specialising in pop-ups and special events throughout the region.
“People have been very kind in supporting anything we do,” she says. “What I have found is, when something wrong happens to you, the amount of people who come behind you is astonishing – I was blown away by that support.”
Today, the duo are working closely with Irish food icons Jeni Glasgow and Reuven Diaz, formerly of Eastern Seaboard, who also sadly had to close their Drogheda, Co Louth restaurant several years ago.
“Reuven has been our head chef for two years and I adore him,” Sinead says. “I have a team around me, ready to go and we’re very hopeful we will have a permanent new home soon. Reuven is very much on board with me and he’s just wonderful, and Jeni as well.
“I tend to watch the trends of what’s going on in food and hospitality in North America and Australia – I know we have something very magic here in Connemara,” she continues. “I just feel so privileged having all of this on my doorstep.”
If you are lucky enough to find yourself in Sinead and Philippa’s
part of the world this spring,
why not try some of their favourite recipes to pack up for a seaside picnic?
Serves 6
Ingredients
300g dried chickpeas
100g dried yellow split peas
1 tsp baking soda
2 cloves garlic
1 onion, roughly chopped
50g fresh parsley, chopped
50g fresh coriander, chopped
1 tsp Lebanese seven spice (a mixture of ground cloves, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, black pepper and nutmeg)
½ tsp chilli powder
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking soda
1.5L vegetable oil, for frying
Method
1 Soak the dried chickpeas and split peas in cold water mixed with 1 tsp baking soda overnight.
2 The next day, drain the water from the soaked legumes and place the chickpeas and split peas into a food processor.
3 Add the garlic, onion, chopped parsley and coriander, all of the spices, the salt and the remaining 2 tsp baking soda to the food processor.
4 Blitz until all of the ingredients are well-chopped and combined. The mixture should form into a consistent, but coarse, texture which can be shaped into balls that don’t fall apart.
5 Scoop the mixture up in heaping tablespoonfuls and form into balls. Place each falafel on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
6 Using a deep, heavy-bottomed pot or deep fat fryer, heat the vegetable oil to a temperature of 170°C. Being careful not to crowd the pot, gently place 3-4 falafel into the oil at a time.
7 Fry the falafel for approximately 5 minutes each, turning them halfway through cooking. They should be golden brown on the outside, with a slight crunch, and mealy on the inside.
8 Place the cooked falafel on a tray lined with kitchen towel to drain any excess oil. Let them cool slightly, then serve with our shatta, quick pickles, flat breads and salad.
Flatbread: Makes 4-6
Ingredients
200g plain or wholemeal flour
¼ tsp salt
100ml warm water
2 tbsp olive oil
Method
1 Mix 75ml of the water in with the flour and salt until you have a shaggy dough which just comes together.
2 Add the rest of the water, bit by bit, until you have a dough which is soft, but not sticky.
3 Add the olive oil and knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover the dough with a clean, slightly damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes.
4 Divide dough into four to six pieces and roll into balls.
5 Sprinkle a small bit of flour on your work surface and roll out each ball into a circle 8-10cm wide. Cover the rolled out dough pieces with the damp cloth to keep them from drying out.
6 Heat a frying pan on medium high (no oil needed). Pop a flat bread onto the pan and cook on one side for 2 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side for 1-2 minutes.
7 Wrap in a clean tea towel to keep warm and all the breads are done.
Shatta: Serves 6
Ingredients
300g red chilli peppers
15g sea salt
Juice of ½ lemon
Olive oil, to cover
Method
1 Stem and roughly chop the chillis (remove the seeds if you don’t like too much heat).
2 Combine the chillies with the sea salt in a large mixing bowl.
3 Mix thoroughly and add the mixture into a clean, sterilised jar. Leave in a cool, dark spot for three to five days, opening and re-closing the lid once a day to release any pressure.
4 Once there are some bubbles forming in the mixture, add the lemon juice and stir. At this stage, cover the top of the shatta with a layer of olive oil and store in the fridge.
5 Once chilled, the fermentation of the chillies will slow and the oil will keep them from oxidizing. You can store the shatta in the fridge for up to two weeks.
6 Use a dollop on poached eggs, a smear on a ham sandwich or drizzle over falafels.
Quick Pickles
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 large red onion
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp vinegar
Method
1 Peel and cut the onion into thin half-moon slices. Pop into a glass or ceramic bowl and add the salt, sugar and vinegar (you can use cider, white wine, rice vinegars – each will give you a different flavour in the pickle).
2 Mix together and gently massage the onions until they start to release their juices (they’ll feel slippery). Marinate for an hour.
3 Store in the fridge for up to three days.
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