Conveniently located just an hour from Dublin or Belfast airports, the Carroll family's 18th century house is attractively situated in its own walled grounds on the edge of medieval Carlingford village, with views across the lough to the Mountains of Mourne.
The current owner-manager, Paul Carroll, has been discreetly upgrading the already comfortable accommodation at this characterful Blue Book property in recent years, and introducing modern amenities. Paul's mother, Joyce Carroll, established one of Ireland's first cookery schools here; she is still involved with it and the current focus is on programmes tailored especially for groups. Dinner is, of course, a high priority at Ghan House and a six-course tasting menu is offered midweek, based mainly on quality home-grown (vegetable, fruit and herbs), home-made (breads, ice creams, everything that can be made on the premises) and local produce, notably Cooley lamb and beef, dry cured bacon, free range eggs - and seafood. And there is plenty to choose from, depending on the season - oysters are synonymous with Carlingford and there are also mussels from the lough and lobster from Ballagan, while smoked salmon and crab come from nearby Annagassan.
Joyce is also responsible for all of the jams (about six varieties) and marmalades served at Ghan House, and her recipes are behind many of the treats that appear on the breakfast menu, including 'Joyce's Homemade Muesli' (a particularly interesting mixture, with grated fruits and honey added to the mix each day), the house wheaten bread and the dried fruit compotes. Breakfast is open to non-residents and well worth considering for business or before heading up for a day in the hills. The hot choices include classic poached kipper with butter, classic free range egg dishes and The Ghan House Fry, featuring local Cooley sausage and free range eggs, alongside Kelly's black and white pudding, tomato and mushroom.
Carlingford village is a delightful place to visit, especially midweek when it is less crowded. It backs onto the Cooley Mountains and makes a great base for a walking break, or for touring, and a scenic car ferry service between nearby Greenore and Greencastle in County Down gives easy access to the Mountains of Mourne.
The lucky winner of this free competition will have a short break for two people sharing (subject to availability), to include:
• 2 nights midweek accommodation • Full Irish breakfast each morning
• Dinner on one evening
Read more about Ghan House website
To enter the competition simply tick the answers to the questions below (you must be a member, click here to join, it's free):
