As the days grow colder, The Coach House’s chefs share a taste of the season with dishes that celebrate local ingredients, slow cooking, and the simple joy of good food.
In the Wicklow village of Roundwood, The Coach House has become a true gathering place – where local ingredients, slow-cooked flavours and community spirit come together by the fire. Chef Mark McGillicuddy shares some of their seasonal favourites to try at home.
Goat’s cheese and roast beetroot with candied walnuts, bread crisps and balsamic and honey dressing
Serves 4
Ingredients
250g St Tola goat’s cheese
2 yellow beets
2 red beets
2 candy cane beets
4 thin slices of sourdough brushed with olive oil and sea salt
60g caramelised walnuts
80g leaf mix
50g aged balsamic vinegar
100g pomace olive oil
100g extra virgin olive oil
50g honey
2g sea salt
20g Dijon mustard
100g of pickled candy cane beets
50g thyme
6 cloves garlic
20g chopped dill
Method
1 Peel the outside of the St Tola off, careful not to waste any unnecessarily, soften with the back of a spoon until you can pipe easily. Transfer to a disposable piping bag and refrigerate until later. 2 Take the different coloured beets and place each one on a piece of foil with a piece of thyme and garlic, sprinkle with salt and olive oil and wrap tightly individually. 3 Bake the beets at 160°C for approximately one hour, depending on size, pierce with a knife after 45 mins to see if cooked,the knife shouldn’t have any resistance. 4 Bake the thin slices of sourdough between two flat trays for approximately 30 mins until golden brown. 5 Make a dressing by adding the honey, Dijon, pomace, extra virgin olive oil, shake well together with salt and pepper. 6 Wash the leaves. 7 Peel the beets and cut into generous chunks, dress with the balsamic dressing and sprinkle with chopped dill. 8 Assemble by piping four generous blobs of goats cheese, place the beets around the cheese. Break a few crisps of bread around it, sprinkle with caramelised walnuts and dressed leaves, and add a little extra dressing at the end.
Black Pepper & Treacle Cured Organic Salmon, Horseradish crème fraîche, Pink Grapefruit, Dill, Guinness & Treacle Bread
Serves 6
Horseradish crème fraîche
200g crème fraîche
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
50g finely grated horseradish root
20g chopped dill
Salt and pepper
Method
1 Simply mix together and taste for seasoning. 2 Prepare 10 red grapes by cutting in half and dressing with a splash of red wine vinegar and olive oil.
Dill Oil
Ingredients
200g dill
400g Sunflower oil
Method
1 Warm the oil until it is 60°C, check with a thermometer. 2 Transfer the oil and picked dill (no stalks) to a blender and blend on highest setting for a few minutes. 3 Pass through a JCloth in a fine sieve. 4 When passed through refrigerate, it should be bright green.
Cured Salmon
500g organic salmon
150g demerara sugar
150g caster sugar
200g sea salt
50g horseradish
2 cloves garlic
Zest of two lemons
50g Sichuan pepper
60g treacle
60g pomegranate molasses
10 radishes sliced thinly and put in iced water
2 pink grapefruits, segmented
10 slices of pickled yellow beetroot
Method
1 Mix the grated horseradish, lemon zest, Sichuan pepper, demerara sugar, salt, chopped dill and caster sugar. 2 In a roasting tray, generously sprinkle with this mix then place the skinned and pin boned salmon on top (ask your fish monger to do this, we use full sides but you can use a section of a side for home use) 3 Cover the top with the curing mix. 4 After 12 hours flip over and re-cover with the mix. 5 After 24 hours, wash off well and pat dry. 6 Mix the treacle and pomegranate molasses together and brush all over the salmon front and back. 7 Toast the sichuan pepper and then use a pestle and mortar to grind down. 8 Sprinkle the top of the salmon with the pepper. 9 Transfer to a wire rack and air dry in the fridge before slicing into 2cm slices.
Guinness & Treacle Bread
1 can Guinness
1850g coarse wholemeal flour
462g strong flour
1 cup vegetable oil
1850ml buttermilk
778g Treacle
6 eggs
28g salt
28g brown sugar
48g baking soda
Butter
Rolled oats for dredging
Method
1 Whisk the Guinness with the Buttermilk, egg, veg oil and treacle. 2 Fold in the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. 3 Brush 6 1lb loaf tins with softened butter, line with rolled oats. 4 Split the mix between the six loaf tins, sprinkle with rolled oats and bake at 160°C for approx 25 mins. 5 Once baked, decant from tin and cool on a wire rack.
To Assemble
1 Dress the plate with horseradish crème fraîche and dill oil. 2 Add the sliced salmon, sliced radish, yellow beetroot, grapes, pink grapefruit and pickled dill. 3 Serve with warm Guinness and treacle bread and Kerrygold.
Braised Guinness beef cheeks, spinach and wholegrain mustard mash, parsnip crisps, and honey-glazed parsnips
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 beef cheeks
1 head of celery, diced
2 Spanish onions, diced
thyme, finely chopped
garlic, finely chopped
2 carrots, diced
1 pint Guinness
1 bottle red wine
2 litres beef stock
100g flour
1kg rooster potatoes, peeled and halved
100g butter
150ml milk
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
100g baby spinach leaves
4 parsnips, peeled and quartered
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large parsnip, peeled into thin ribbons
Vegetable oil, for frying
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Season the beef cheeks generously with sea salt and coat lightly in flour. 2 In a large ovenproof pot, brown the mirepoix (celery, onions, carrots, garlic and thyme) in a little oil, then remove and set aside. 3 Sear the beef cheeks on all sides until well browned. 4 Deglaze the pot with the red wine and Guinness, scraping up any browned bits, and reduce by half. 5 Return the vegetables to the pot, add the beef stock, and cover with parchment and foil. 6 Braise at 160°C for about 4 hours, until the cheeks are tender and easily pulled apart. 7 Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, then drain and mash with butter and milk. 8 Stir in the mustard and season to taste. Fold in the spinach just before serving so it wilts gently in the heat. 9 Toss the parsnips with honey, olive oil and sea salt. 10 Roast at 180°C for 25–30 minutes until golden and sticky. 11 Heat the vegetable oil in a deep pan. Fry the parsnip ribbons in batches until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with sea salt. 12 Assemble by spooning the mustard mash onto each plate, top with a portion of braised beef cheek and spoon over some of the rich sauce. Add the glazed parsnips and garnish with parsnip crisps.
Roast cod, butter bean, cockles and mussels, white wine and chicken butter sauce, grilled organic leeks
Ingredients
4 pieces of 200g cod, thick portions
2 cans of butter beans
1 bottle of white wine
1 litre of reduced brown chicken stock
250g cockles
250g mussels
2 whole leeks washed
1 celery stick
5 shallots, diced
1 sprig thyme
250g butter
20g Dijon mustard
100g chives, finely sliced
50g tomato puree
2 lemons
50 ml olive oil
½ pound Kerrygold butter
1 pint double cream
Bay leaf
3 garlic cloves, minced
50g chervil, cut finely
50g flat leaf parsley, cut finely
Method
1 Place a heavy-based pot on the stove and heat. Add the cockles and mussels, cover with a lid and steam for 3 minutes until they open. Strain off and keep the cooking liquid. 2 In another pot, sauté the shallots with half the leeks and garlic. Add the shellfish cooking liquid, white wine, cream and reduced brown chicken stock. 3 Reduce until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, then whisk in a quarter of the butter and add lemon juice. 4 Stir in the strained butter beans and all the chopped herbs. 5 Chargrill the remaining leeks until soft, season, and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice. 6 Check seasoning on the butter bean mix and keep warm. 7 Heat a heavy-based frying pan, add olive oil and fry the cod skin-side down until golden brown. 8 Transfer to a hot oven for 5 minutes, then remove, add a knob of butter, baste and flip the fish. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice. 9 Add the cockles and mussels back to the bean casserole and warm through for 1 minute. 10 To serve, ladle a portion of the butter bean mix onto the plate, top with a piece of roast cod and garnish with the chargrilled leeks.
Wild Irish Game venison haunch, fondant potato, parsnip purée, organic beets, cavolo nero, pickled blackberries
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 x 180 g venison haunch
50 juniper berries, crushed
Black peppercorns, crushed
Black peppercorns
50g chives
4 large rooster potatoes cut into 3-inch cylinders
½ pound butter
500g brown chicken stock
1 sprig thyme
1 clove garlic
4 parsnips, sliced thinly on a mandolin
200g milk/200g cream
2 red beets and 2 yellow beets roasted, peeled and cut rustically
1 punnet of blackberries
150ml raspberry Vinegar
100g sugar
250ml venison and red wine reduction
Bunch cavolo nero
Method
1 Slowly cook the parsnips in the milk and the cream with a piece of parchment on top until soft, then strain off and blend until silky smooth in a bar blender, adding a little of the liquid if necessary. 2 Prepare the potatoes so you get four cylinders that are cut flat on both sides, use a steel cutter to achieve this. 3 Sear the potatoes in a frying pan until golden brown on both sides, add chicken stock and butter, place a sheet of parchment on top and cook until soft and it has absorbed a good bit of the chicken stock and butter mix. 4 In a small pot, warm together the raspberry vinegar and sugar until dissolved, when warm, add the blackberries. 5 Brown the venison in pan, when browned, put in oven and cook until medium. 6 Take out and allow to rest. 7 Blanch and saute a piece of cavolo nero. 7 To assemble, place a few blobs of parsnip puree on the plate, place fondant potato on top, heat the beets and add to the plate, carve the venison and display, garnish with some pickled Blackberries and a piece of cavolo nero, and finally, heat the sauce and add to the plate.
Raspberry and crème fraîche panna cotta with oat and nut crumble
Serves 4
Ingredients
450ml double cream
600ml crème fraîche
180g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, scraped
zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
7 leaves gelatine, softened in cold water
500g frozen raspberries
200g caster sugar
juice of 2 lemons
100ml water
4 leaves gelatine, softened in cold water
100g unsalted butter, diced
75g brown sugar
30g porridge oats
80g plain flour
60g flaked almonds
Method
Panna cotta
1 Warm the cream and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. 2 Add the vanilla seeds and lemon zest. 3 Stir in the softened gelatine until fully dissolved. 4 Remove from the heat and whisk in the crème fraîche until smooth and fully combined.
5 Pour into serving glasses and refrigerate until set.
Raspberry jelly
1 In a saucepan, combine the raspberries, sugar, lemon juice and water. 2 Boil for 6 minutes. 3 Blend with a stick blender, then pass through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. 4 Stir in the softened gelatine until dissolved. 5 Allow to cool to room temperature before gently pouring over the set panna cotta. 6 Chill until the jelly is set.
Oat and nut crumble
1 Rub all ingredients together in a bowl until a rough crumble forms. 2 Spread on a lined baking tray and bake at 155°C until golden brown. Allow to cool. 3 To assemble, garnish each panna cotta with 6 fresh raspberries and a generous sprinkle of oat and nut crumble.
Malted barley and Guinness sticky toffee pudding, macadamia praline, vanilla ice cream
Serves 8
Ingredients
250g dates
225ml Guinness
110g butter
250g caster sugar
2 eggs
250g flour
5g baking powder
5g baking soda
200g cream
zest of 1 orange
125g muscovado sugar
200ml cream
100ml Guinness
20g butter
2g Maldon salt
100g malted barley extract
500g macadamia nuts, roasted until golden brown
500g caster sugar
4 scoops good-quality vanilla ice cream
Method
Sticky toffee pudding
1 Cook the dates with the Guinness in a small saucepan until the liquid is reduced and fully absorbed, then set aside to cool. 2 In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy. 3 Beat in the eggs one at a time. 4 Fold in the flour, baking powder and baking soda. 5 Add the cooled date purée, cream and orange zest, folding until fully incorporated. 6 Pour the batter into a pre-lined baking tray and bake at 165°C for 15–20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
Malted barley and sticky toffee sauce
1 Combine the muscovado sugar, cream, Guinness, butter, Maldon salt and malted barley extract in a saucepan. 2 Bring to the boil, then blend with a hand blender until smooth.
Macadamia praline
1 Roast the macadamia nuts at 160°C until golden. 2 In a heavy-based pot, make a dry caramel by gradually melting the sugar until golden. 3 Add the hot nuts and stir to coat evenly, then pour onto a silicone mat and allow to cool fully before crushing with a mallet. (Take care – the caramel will be extremely hot.) 4 To serve, place a generous portion of sticky toffee pudding on each plate, drizzle with the warm toffee sauce, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and finish with a sprinkle of crushed macadamia praline.
Photography: Jasmine Hughes
This article originally appeared in the Winter 2025 issue of IMAGE. Have you thought about becoming an IMAGE subscriber? Our Print & Digital Magazine subscribers receive all four issues of IMAGE Magazine and two issues of IMAGE Interiors directly to their door along with digital access to all digital magazines and our full digital archive plus a gorgeous welcome gift worth €75 from Max Benjamin. Visit here to find out more about our IMAGE subscription packages.
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