For Part 2 of our St. Patrick's special minisode and in celebration of the Celtic Ross Hotel's 25th birthday, we talk to two of the hotel’s local producers – Jeffa Gill of Durrus Cheese and Caroline Murphy of West Cork Eggs. Both multi-award winning women were born in England. They also belong to two distinct generations of producers, and hence have different stories to tell.


Legendary cheesemaker Jeffa Gill of Durrus made her first cheese in 1979, and together with Veronica Steele of Milleens, engendered the modern Irish farmhouse cheese movement. The semi-soft Durrus cheese is renowned all over the country for its pinkish-mottled rind and grassy, buttery flavour.


Self-dubbed “City Chic turned Country Chick” Caroline was born in London to Irish parents, and although she spent many childhood holidays in West Cork, she never thought she would end up there. Nevertheless, in 2009 (thirty years after Jeffa made her first cheese) she found herself husbanding her first flock of hens, which would eventually produce the West Cork eggs that are so coveted today.


Join us as we talk eggs and cheese, community, cottage farming, and most importantly, why women have been so crucial in shaping the West Cork artisanal food movement.


For more about Durrus cheese: https://www.durruscheese.com/

For more about West Cork eggs: https://www.neighbourfood.ie/producers/west-cork-eggs/8844

For more about the Celtic Ross Hotel: https://www.celticrosshotel.com/

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