In Kinsale, Torode visits some of the food and drink hot spots including Rare 1784 restaurant and cocktail bar in the Blue Haven Hotel, Koko of Kinsale to sample their artisan chocolates, Kinsale Mead Co. for their modern take on an ancient craft and legendary restaurant Fishy Fishy.

At Kinsale Mead Co. Torode got to learn about how team at Kinsale Mead Co. have brought this beautiful drink back into production as , taste it. “We were excited to have John visit us and discover some of the food and drink producers and chefs in this small corner of the world that we call home,” said Kate Dempsey, founder of Kinsale Mead Co. and Denis Dempsey, husband and co-founder added “We had a great afternoon introducing John to mead, this ancient drink made in our modern meadery from honey, water and yeast and berries,”

One of the stops on Torode’s tour of the town was Rare. Rare is an exciting Craft Irish Cocktail and Dining experience located in the heart of Culinary Kinsale at the Blue Haven.  They have recently opened a new Moët Garden, which you can enjoy before choosing to dine from either their tasting menu or the small plates á la carte menu.  The Blue Haven’s Ciarán Fitzgerald and Head Chef Meeran Manzoor along with the Rare team were delighted to welcome John Torode and his film crew to the restaurant over two days to film and sample their unique creation at Rare. Ciarán commented ‘’We were so honoured to have one of our food icons John Torode come and experience what we are doing at Rare… We are very proud of our team and delighted their work will get to be showcased to a global audience on the John Torode series.” 

Chef Meeran commented “I come from India and when I was a teenager growing up, we used to watch Masterchef. It was something that I always followed. It’s crazy to think it has come full circle, from me being a viewer to now taking part in a show with John Torode,  cooking a dish for him and with him. It was a special moment for me to cherish”

The episode will air at 9pm on Thursday 11th August on The Food Network, repeated over the next few days as well as being available online on Discovery Plus. Tune in to find out what John said of his first taste of mead and what other delights he found in West Cork.