In 2015 Dervla James, her husband Johny Conlon and their daughter Edith moved back from Dublin to Dervla's home town, to set up this lovely café and bakery with views of Easkey Castle and the Atlantic Ocean.
It was something of a triumphal march, as Dervla already had a huge following at the much-loved Pepper Pot Café in Dublin’s Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, which she started with her business partner Marion Kilcoyne, and who still runs it very successfully. The opening of a small café in a small village on the North-West coast wouldn't usually be the kind of news to attract the attention of editors, and it says a lot about Dervla's high standards that the move was covered in the national press as well as all the local papers.
At home in Easkey - a village that has improved a lot recently, and much of it is community driven - Easkey House is part of a local/County Council/Heritage scheme and was opened by President Mary Robinson in 1996. As well as Pudding Row, it houses a pottery shop, a gift shop, information centre and a surf shop.
Bright and airy with white painted walls, the first floor restaurant boasts wooden features designed by Jonny Walsh and Colin Richie of Mud and Wood, using floor boards from the old school house in Dromore West, along with attractive mix and match crockery and cutlery that includes some handsome bone handled knives from Sheffield. With a mouthwatering display of freshly baked goodies and and fresh flowers on the counter, it has a lovely informal friendly feeling and a sense of quality.
There is an all day breakfast, organic porridge, homemade granola, a choice of breakfast bagels with Burren Smokehouse smoked salmon, free range bacon or avocado, spiced tomato and apple and tomato chutney. For simple deliciousness, a breakfast dish of creamy free range scrambled eggs and bacon on crunchy white toast would be hard to beat - just perfect and so full of flavour.
Lunchtime dishes change every day and may include a broccoli toasted cumin and almond soup, some free range Italian spiced sausages with braised red cabbage and apple with a runny egg, or perhaps a spiced root vegetable pie with home made puff pastry and thyme crème fraiche.
Dervla is a baker by training (and offers baking classes in winter) so many people pop in especially for something from her fine selection of desserts and pastries, to be enjoyed with excellent teas and coffees. Everything served is made in house, using locally produced ingredients as much as possible, and many ingredients are name checked to credit the small producers that Dervla holds in such high regard.
The place is really great, with staff, food and the pleasant surroundings all making a lovely combination. Even on a chilly day off season there's likely to be a good buzz with plenty of locals in, and it's a terrific place to know about when exploring the Wild Atlantic Way.
Dervla James deserves great praise - and Pudding Row is definitely worth a detour.
*** Just down the street in Easkey, Pudding Row the Grocer opened during the pandemic, selling all of their breads, cakes and lots of savoury options, all to take away. Also a lot of other retail items from great Irish producers - and bespoke 'Comfort Kits' for delivery nationwide. The main focus is on the Grocer until things settle down and the café can reopen with confidence.
