Springfort Hall Country House Hotel

Tucked away amid tranquil woodlands, Springfort Hall Hotel in Cork is a hotel for all seasons

We think this is one of Cork’s best kept secrets. Springfort Country House Hotel has been in the Walsh family for 24 years. Mrs Eileen Walsh and her son Paul manage the house, with family values and traditional Irish hospitality at the forefront of their style. In the local area, Springfort has always been known for good country house fayre and as a divine wedding venue. That doesn’t surprise us. The spacious and well kept grounds and magnificent period house with original features is a lovely spot to host that dream wedding. And now, with young and enthusiastic Head Chef Bryan McCarthy at the helm in the kitchen, you can be sure the wedding feast will be as exquisite as the a la carte menu in the restaurant. Dedication to sourcing ingredients, considerable culinary flair from the chef, and home produced and baked items from the kitchens here mean good food at all levels of dining. We at Good Food Ireland are proud to unleash the Springfort Hall secret on a wider public!

The country house style is evident here as soon as you drive in off the road. This house dates back to the 18th Century, and as such, possesses the large elegant proportions that marked the architectural style of those days. A long curved driveway leads up to the house, just visible through the surrounding greenery as you turn the corner at the top. Inside the large front door with big brass handle, the welcoming lobby and reception area gives a taste of what’s to come inside. Visitors are welcomed and checked in here then invited into the drawing room to enjoy tea or coffee and home made scones after their journey. For private parties and weddings, the hall and lobby area is where reception drinks are served, prior to the guests retiring to the separate and self-contained banquet suite. This is an extension to the house, and includes the old stone wall of the original stables regularly occupied by friends of the four legged equine variety in days gone by. Behind the stone wall, the banquet kitchen buzzes with activity when there’s a party to be celebrated. Muslin drapes at the ceiling and large windows are lit with fairy lights behind, tables are swagged with white linen and bows, and majestic silver candelabras and dramatic table flower arrangements command visual attention.  The airy conservatory style room really takes on a magical feel. Guests will be seated, and on their entrance, the happy couple will be welcomed like royals – you don’t need to be a Prince or Princess to feel like that on your wedding day at Springfort! The lawns outside have wrought iron garden furniture for guests to enjoy a drink outdoors if the day is fine. And a drinks reception marquee can be set up here too for larger weddings.  Fairytale, if you ask us!

For residents and non residents, The Lime Tree Restaurant at Springfort provides a quiet and graceful environment to enjoy the much anticipated efforts of the culinary team here. Bryan’s fairly recent appointment to Head Chef has made a huge difference to the style and presentation of the food. This young man is coming into his own here, supported by the family who have given him free reign to design a fine dining menu around as much local produce as possible. Another member of the extended family is masterminding the farming of free range pigs, ducks and turkeys in the grounds at Springfort, allowing Bryan to prepare and showcase these meats in various ways. From the north cork region, Old Mill Bank Smokehouse smoked fish, Mary Burns Adrahan Cheeses, Jane Murphy’s Ardsallagh Goat’s Cheese, McCarthy’s of Kanturk Black Pudding also make an appearance. A local farmer in Midleton supplies his Pure Black Angus beef, while a local butcher also supplements this with other meats from a nearby farm. The Ballyhoura Apple farm in this region also produces Apple and Beetroot Juices while Hazelwood Farm Mallow supplies free range duck and hens eggs – both of these appear on the breakfast menu.

At dinner time, we just had to try the Roulade of Jack McCarthy’s Black Pudding with Springfort Glazed Pork Belly, Celeriac Coleslaw, Apple Puree and a very complimentary Bulmers Cider Jelly. The home reared pork belly is full flavoured but delicately portioned as a first course. You won’t take the edge off your appetite – but you will be impressed.  Bryan has been experimenting with slower cooking cuts of other meats too, so for main we went for the Pot Roast Hereford Feather Blade of Beef. This unusual cut requires pot roasting over many hours. It was melt in the mouth tender and intensely flavoured, served with a fluffy celeriac mash and rich roast gravy made from roasting juices. This is one for those who really love their beef, and want to try something different to the average sirloin or fillet cuts. We loved it. There are good fish choices too – a classic prawn cocktail was given the Springfort treatment with house Marie Rose sauce, and for main the Seared Fillet of Wild Cod had a twist of Chilled pea, ham and Sundried Tomato Saad, with a spicy Jalapeno Pepper and Scallion Salsa. We like Bryan’s cookery style very much, he just does what he does with the ingredients he finds and it always works!  For pud, the dedicated pastry chefs provide a wealth of choice on a daily basis, we tried a platter of taster puds too numerous to name here, but we can say we couldn’t choose a favourite – they were all delicious! A daily menu is also served in the Lime Tree from midday to early evening. This menu is shorter and simpler but nevertheless just as well constructed as the dinner menu. For a wine partner to whatever you eat here at whatever time of day, you’ll be browsing the list for quite some time. Many of the wine producing regions of the world are represented. There’s a good selection by the glass, including champagne and rose, and some nice half bottles too.

After lunch or dinner, you can retire to the Baltydaniel Bar for a cognac or a whiskey. The bar area is light and sunny during the day and cosy with candles at night. Conservatory style doors lead out onto a terrace where garden tables are available. If you’re staying here, the level of accommodation is comfortable too – 49 large rooms and ensuite bathrooms provide spacious surroundings for a peaceful nights sleep. All have unique décor and furnishings, Superior rooms come with separate sitting areas, and all rooms with hairdryers, tea and coffee making facilities, garment presses and multichannel TV.  Home from home. To make the stay even more special, choose from a menu of Goodnight Goodies – this includes hot chocolate and chocolate bar, and a host of romantic indulgences like Sparkling wine or Champagne and Strawberries. We particularly like the Relax and Unwind option – a good book, a good bottle of red wine and a Bath Bomb to soak away those stresses – the Springfort literary choice includes thrillers, chick lit, classics, you name it. Breakfast in the morning, served in the Lime Tree Restaurant, will include that lovely Ballyhoura Apple or Beetroot Juice, a selection of cereals and homemade porridge with cream and honey, and coming soon, Springfort’s own cured bacon and sausages from the latest herd of free rangers as the main feature of the full Irish. For business purposes, Springfort Hall also has conference and Syndicate meeting rooms, with full facilities of the hotel and accommodation bookable as required. 

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Contact Details

To Contact a Member Directly, please click on the email or website below

Mallow Co Cork
+353 (0) 22 21278
Email: stay@springforthall.com
Web: www.springfort-hall.com

 

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