Longford cookery school named best in country

The Abbeyshrule based establishment was named the Best Cookery School in Ireland at the recently held Irish Restaurants Awards.

Fiona Egan, who has been at the helm of the south Longford enterprise since 2012, told of how she had been “absolutely blown away” by news of the award.

“It was absolutely fantastic,” she said, when reflecting on the triumph at Dublin's Clayton Hotel last Monday week (May 15).
Now in their 14th year, the Irish Restaurant Awards have become one of the biggest events in the Irish food calendar.

Fiona spoke of how the school itself might not have been set up but for an impromptu encounter just over a decade ago.

“The cookery school started by accident I suppose,” she said.

“I was asked to do a kids class in 2012 and after that it ran on an ad hoc basis until 2018 when I said to myself: 'Right, that's it, I am either doing it or I am not.”

Fiona's enterprising and self-starting mindset was one she employed with her husband Michael Farrell in bringing the Cloughan brand from a mere idea into a sustainable and now award winning reality.

“I took out a wall and sledge(hammer) myself and got it (school) up and going in 2019, but then, of course, Covid kicked in,” she said.

Despite having to navigate its way through undoubtedly the greatest health emergency this country has ever seen, the husband and wife double act have been no strangers to the award winning spotlight.

For two years in succession, the enterprise was named local food hero at the same Irish Restaurants Awards it now occupies as the country's most outstanding cookery school.

That honour, in recognition of its ability to promote food culture at a local level would ultimately lay the foundations for further success at regional and more recently national level.

Fiona's penchant for farming needs little by way of introduction. The daughter of renowned ploughman Eamon Egan, Fiona has three decades of her own behind her while husband Michaal is a fourth generation farmer in his own right.

“We are representing the farming and rural communities,” she said.

“What this is (award) is due recognition for the farm gate and its contribution to the tourism and agri food industry.”

Fiona reserved a special mention for Longford County Council, Longford Tourism Fáilte Ireland and the Restaurants Association of Ireland.

“All four combined have done huge work in stepping outside the traditions of tourism by providing a new platform of tourism by bringing it into the farm and for that we are very grateful,” she said.