Lobster hauling, honey and handmade butter – discover Dermot O’Leary’s Taste of Ireland road trip

Fish for mackerel on the open seas, shuck some oysters and sample fresh local blueberries on this Dermot O’Leary-approved culinary tour

For Dermot O’Leary the scent of fried mackerel will always evoke something special. Every time he smells it, he’s a child again, somewhere in Ireland crammed into a caravan with his family. His mum is frying fish for tea, on the tiny stove, in a pan full of butter.

It was this scent that inspired O’Leary to set out on his latest foodie voyage of the island of Ireland. It sees him take a food tour of the land – catching his own dinner and churning butter at a hill farm.

Now in its second series, Dermot’s Taste of Ireland on ITV promises an epic road trip tracing the Wild Atlantic Way and the Causeway Coastal Route.

As O’Leary transports you to the island of Ireland’s rugged coastlines, you’ll be itching to open your laptop and book your very own foodie escape. But before you do, keep reading to find out how to eat your way around Ireland, Dermot-style.

Dine on a zero-waste, ever-changing menu

Lir, Coleraine, Causeway Coastal Route

As O’Leary arrives in Coleraine, there’s one thing on the menu – lobster, harvested directly from the ocean. He even dons his waterproofs and hauls in his own lobster pot. Back on land, he pairs up with chef Stevie McCarry, the co-owner of acclaimed seafood restaurant Lir, and together they turn O’Leary’s catch into fresh lobster rolls.

The dish often features on Lir’s menu, which showcases the restaurant’s zero-waste ethos, putting every edible element of its fish and other seafood to delicious use. When the Guardian catches up with McCarry he says that an evening meal at the restaurant is enhanced further by the sunset views which are “hard to beat”.

As for the food? “We’re surrounded by some of the finest natural ingredients in Ireland, from exceptional seafood landed just a short distance away to fantastic local farmers and growers. The landscape shapes everything we do in the kitchen, and having access to such a rich variety of ingredients allows us to create dishes that genuinely reflect this part of the world.”

With O’Leary calling the lobster rolls one of the “best meals we had” of the entire coastal road trip, Lir is a must-add to your foodie itinerary. Thankfully, you can leave the lobster pot hauling to O’Leary.

Discover nature’s healer

Donagh Bees, County Donegal, Wild Atlantic Way

Beekeeping is in Abdul Ahmad’s DNA – passed down to him from his father and grandfather in his native Syria. He tells O’Leary his powerful story during the show, how, as the war intensified, Ahmad and his pregnant wife were forced to flee, leaving behind their family and apiary of 20 hives. After living in refugee camps in Turkey and Greece – where their first child was born – they eventually settled in Carndonagh, County Donegal.

Adapting to a totally different culture and climate has been tough but he found solace in beekeeping and so Donagh Bees was born. “Bees mean everything to me,” he tells the Guardian. “Whenever I feel stressed, I go and watch them work. I’ve learned a great deal from them, they work tirelessly to produce honey, with remarkable discipline and organisation.”

Managing 50 beehives spread across six different locations, the company produces raw wildflower and heather honey, propolis powder and beeswax candles, all of which can be found in local markets and shops around Donegal. As for what Ahmad recommends you try? Using honey as a healer. “[It] has been valued for centuries for its potential health benefits,” he says. “One traditional way is to have a spoonful first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. Particularly if you have a cold.” Make sure to look out for the black and gold labels on your travels.

Enjoy a railway curry at Ireland’s best Indian restaurant 2026

Chandpur, Donegal Town, Wild Atlantic Way

Named after owner and head chef Rana Miah’s birthplace, Chandpur blends the flavours of Bangladesh with the ingredients of Ireland. And he’s done it so successfully that the awards just keep coming, most recently Ireland’s best Indian restaurant of 2026. The standout dish is its railway curry which, as O’Leary learns in episode six, was originally cooked from scratch in the first-class dining cars of long-distance trains during the British Raj. Chandpur’s version is more down to earth but no less delicious, with generously spiced Donegal lamb and Irish potatoes.

As for his inspiration? His mother, he tells the Guardian. “I learned everything about cooking from her, from traditional recipes to the importance of preparing food with care and passion.” Don’t miss a chance to tuck into a piece of culinary history, with an Irish twist, served right in the heart of Donegal.

From the ocean to your plate, catch your dinner with a local skipper

Ballintoy Boat Tours, Ballintoy, Causeway Coastal Route

The people are what makes the island of Ireland truly special, so it’s no surprise that Dermot’s Taste of Ireland showcases plenty of local legends. The man in the know when it comes to wild mackerel is Gordy Neill, a skipper who has been fishing the County Antrim waters since childhood.

He takes O’Leary out from Ballintoy harbour for a few hours on the open seas. “Nothing gives you an appetite for fish than being near the sea,” he tells the Guardian. “Fish traditionally would have been a plentiful staple for the hardworking people in the Ballintoy area but with a decline in fishing boats the only way to really experience eating mackerel caught fresh is by catching them yourself.

“We feel it is extremely important to try and preserve this heritage of fishing in the area, and offering trips lets locals and tourists alike get a chance to get out on the water with us to experience the magnificent coastline we are blessed with.

“On a trip you can see the remains of an industrial past of fishing as well as quarries and geological formations which helped shape our community and local culture.”

They offer multiple tours but if you want to taste your catch, try the Fisherman Feast Experience. Learn a sustainable method of fishing known as slow-pitch jigging from the man himself (no not O’Leary, Neill!). The enjoyment doesn’t end when you’re back on dry land either, as your catch will be delivered to a local restaurant and paired with seasonal produce for your delectation.

Churn butter on a heritage farm

Willow and Lore, County Antrim, Causeway Coastal Route

Ireland is famous for its delicious breads – soda farls, potato bread, Waterford blaas, the list goes on. Of course, the only way to do them justice is to top them with real Irish butter. In Dermot’s Taste of Ireland, O’Leary heads to Willow and Lore, nestled in the hills of County Antrim, to churn his own. You too can step back in time and experience traditional Irish rural life on your very own visit.

Owners Declan and Sabrina Scullion offer craft workshops, farm tours and opportunities to help out on the farm. “We grow traditional crops like flax, oats, potatoes; we keep heritage stock – rare-breed Jacob sheep; we use traditional machinery and we adopt traditional methods for things like fertilising our soil and feeding our livestock,” says Declan. “We have four core values that shape everything we do – heritage, environment, sustainable life and community.”

Their signature offering is the Fire, Feast and Folklore experience where, depending on the time of year, you might churn butter by hand or harvest potatoes using old-school methods. And the best bit? Afterwards, you gather around an open-hearth fire to cook traditional dishes on the griddle and listen to local ghost tales and folklore.

Go foraging on an ethical farm

Broughgammon Farm, Ballycastle, Causeway Coastal Route

Among the fields of wild flowers and the bleats of baby goats, something revolutionary is happening on Broughgammon Farm. O’Leary headed to Ballycastle to meet husband and wife team Charlie and Becky Cole and learn all about their “forward-thinking farming”. There are no compromises on sustainability here – think no-waste solutions, solar-powered machinery and soil-regenerative methods.

Guests can learn more (and fill their plates) by visiting their shop: “We stock local produce as well as our ethical meat and regenerative vegetables,” says Becky. “But we also love letting our customers explore and ask us questions. We started off with just a caravan and some goats, so we love to share our journey.”

For something more intimate than a shop and a pootle round the farm, you could also book a private farm-to-fork tour (finishing with ethical charcuterie paired with homemade, foraged elderflower cordial). Other enticing options are a foraging course or an artisan cheesemaking workshop.

Sample a Dermot O’Leary-endorsed blueberry tart on the coast

Ursa Minor Bakehouse, Ballycastle

A series standout was the blueberry tart O’Leary helped lovingly craft at Ursa Minor Bakehouse in the coastal town of Ballycastle. You can sample the dish for yourself at the cafe in the summer and early autumn when the local blueberries are in season and at their freshest. But there’s no need to stop there, why not tuck into an Ursa Minor croissant? This is no simple white flour affair, instead it’s made with UK and Irish wholegrain that’s stonemilled to retain the most flavour and fermented for several days for extra crunch. If you’d like to take some of the Ursa Minor ethos home with you (small-batch, hyper-local and seasonal) why not sign up to a class at their baking school?

Eat fine award-winning food, all sourced locally

Eala Bhan, Sligo, Wild Atlantic Way

Sitting right on the banks of the Garavogue River, you can watch swans and other local wildlife from the floor-to-ceiling windows as you tuck into food bought directly from local craft butchers and fisher boats (try the Mullaghmore lobster, flambéed in cognac). Owner Anthony Gray was named by the Irish Restaurant Awards as the region’s “local food hero” for his work promoting Sligo as a major foodie destination.

“My late-father was a butcher, so I grew up with local produce,” he tells the Guardian. “I like keeping money within the town and writing the menus based on what’s available locally – the customer’s eyes just light up when you explain to them where the fish is from, the chicken is from.”

As for his favourite dish? The surf and turf. “We have unbelievable beef here, and crustaceans. We have the coldest waters, the luscious lands and that’s what creates a beautiful menu.”

Visit a working oyster farm

Sligo Oyster Experience, Wild Atlantic Way

Jumping on a tractor, at low-tide at Sligo Bay, O’Leary rolls up his sleeves and shucks a few oysters before cooking them over open coals, pairing them with a local craft beer for a true hyper-local experience. Fancy experiencing it for yourself? A tour grants you access to the farm to learn all about the process, while taking in the views of the mountains Benbulben and Knocknarea, before sampling oysters at the shore.

Not an oyster fan? You can still find lots to enjoy, says founder and owner Aisling Kelly Hunter. “What you’re there for is the experience of learning how we cultivate an ancient food, the way we grade them, the equipment and tractors that we use,” she says, adding that she serves cheese, crackers and wine at the end as well as the oysters themselves. But for those who do love them? You’re in for a treat. “Oysters are like wine, they take in the environment, you’re getting all the minerals that we have, the forestry, the greenery, the surroundings … that’s why I believe they taste so good.”

Discover more at Ireland.com