Summer Substacks: Vaut le detour

The M1 Dublin-Belfast

1. McNally’s Farm Shop

“Do you know what you guys should do?” said Paul, whom we met when out west, after not having seen each other for decades.

“You should write about good places that are close to the main roads, where you can get something nice.” Paul said.

What Paul was looking for was a place like McNally’s Farm Shop, close to Junction 5 on the M1 motorway between Dublin and Belfast.

The detour? Three minutes – that’s all – will take you off the motorway, through a couple of little roundabouts, and along the narrow, Alexanders-lined track that leads straight to the Farm Shop.

Three minutes to get the good stuff.

And what will you find? A place that can accommodate all your needs, is what. The McNally family have been a powerhouse in Irish food for many years now, supplying their organic vegetables to the Dublin markets – people were queueing at 9am waiting for the stall to open at Temple Bar Market when we were there earlier this year – and supplying the best Dublin restaurants.

But the McNallys also have a shop and café at their 99 acres in North Dublin, and it’s a treat of a detour. Even early on a Sunday morning, there are shoppers, caffeine seekers, cyclists sitting at the tables, the diaspora of the hungry and curious. It’s just sweet and lovely.

All the good stuff is here. If you just need the coffee fix, then the beans are from Ariosa, and there are lots of treats both sweet and savoury to grab and go.

But slow down, and browse the shop, and you will find that it's easier than pie to spend €66 euro, which is what we did in seemingly a matter of minutes.

What did we buy? All the greens, including coriander microgreens. A great big black radish. A big bunch of heritage kale. Lots of Corleggy cheeses. Half a litre of Atavica organic olive oil from Tuscany. Nice dirty carrots. A loaf of sourdough bread. A jar of gooseberry preserve.

But what we love about the Farm Shop is the very expert curation of lovely things that they sell. Where other delis flood the shelves with every jar from every artisan, here things are carefully chosen, from the freezer with the outstanding produce from Broughgammon Farm to the really nifty selection of wines and vermuts to the trio of Dublin and Meath coffee roasters they sell.

Next door in the coffee shop, grab an apple galette or cinnamon bun, whilst a house sourdough focaccia with roasted jerusalem artichoke with garlic confit dressing and soft boiled eggs from their own hens will make a delightful mess of your shirt when you try to eat it in the car as you head up to Belfast.

Better to grab a chair outside in the yard and soak up some rays as you reflect on what is pretty much the best 3-minute detour on the East Coast.

McNally Family Farm Shop, Balrickard, Co. Dublin, K32 RW08 Junction 5 M1 Motorway

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Finding Good Food just off Ireland’s Major Roads