Irish Country Hotels

Fowl Play at Fitzgeralds Woodlands Hotel, Adare

06 June 2012

The Perfect Buyer - Supplier Partnership

At Fitzgeralds Woodlands House Hotel & Spa, food has always been at the centre of the operation. Since winning the Guaranteed Irish Award earlier this year, this has become even more the case. One such example are the Eggs that the hotel uses. The hotel takes on a high level of integrity when it comes to the sourcing of produce. Its so easy to bulk buy eggs and not know where they come from. Eggs are even supplied in buckets of powder to the hotel and catering Industry.

The fact that the Fitzgerald family come from a farming background, and that the hotel is a pivotal part of its local community, probably helps in the choosing of our suppliers. Our eggs come from Guiry’s of West Limerick, who are a local producer of Free Range Eggs.

Executive Head Chef at Fitzgeralds Woodlands House Hotel, Bill Duggan, Says “Eggs are one of our key larder ingredients, along with milk, flour, bread and butter, eggs are used in so much of what we make. If you make a cupcake from the ready made or battery eggs that are available to, and popular in the catering trade, then compare that to one made with free range eggs, and you will notice a superior cupcake. You will have a moister cupcake that has a richer colour, a deeper flavour, and a distinct fresh buttery taste.”

Guirys of West Limerick 

Mike Guiry has 18 years experience of egg production. He produced hatching eggs from 1994 to 2008, then became a certified member of Bord Bia in 2009 in recognition of their new free range enterprise. Like the Woodlands, the business started from humble beginnings, Christine operated a stall at Adare Farmers Market every Saturday morning for over a year until they got too busy with deliveries! As part of the Guaranteed Irish manifesto at Woodlands, food must be as local and community friendly as possible. Considering Guiry’s Mission statement is, “To supply the freshest eggs to local customers and reduce the food miles”, this can be seen as the perfect buyer – Supplier partnership.
Guirys retail both large and medium sized eggs, and supply trays of 30 eggs to restaurants and hotels. The hens can be viewed on our farm in Knockaderry (near Newcastle West) anytime after the first egg picking of the day – usually from 11.30am onwards. They seem to enjoy being out and about for longer when the weather is slightly dull.  On really bright sunny days they prefer to stay in the shade of the house and underneath the hedgerows.  Any farm visit is not complete without a purchase of TODAYS eggs from the farm gate shop. Find out more on Facebook   -  Guirys West Limerick
Mike looks after the hens and the egg production side of the business, while Christine looks after grading and sales. New customers are always welcome to contact her on 086 - 1095807.

Further information
Jason Sleator 087 7744677 jsleator@woodlands-hotel.ie
Christene Guiry 086 1095807 guirys@eircom.net