Wedding Menus
Food for thought
Food and drink are a huge part of a Ballyvolane wedding, and we like the whole weekend to feel generous, relaxed and very well fed.
Entertain The Night Before
The dining room can host an intimate dinner for family and close friends the evening before the wedding, with up to 30 guests seated across three tables.
Weather permitting, we can also arrange a long-table dinner on the lawn - a lovely way to begin the weekend.
Drinks Reception
The drinks reception normally takes place in the gardens.
We serve Champagne or Prosecco, homemade elderflower Bellinis and pints of Guinness and Heineken from our 1950s caravan in the garden.
If the weather turns, guests can move into the main house, using the hall, dining room and drawing room. We also put up a small Raj-style marquee on the lawn, offering shade on hot days and shelter when Cork weather behaves like Cork weather.
The wedding cake is usually displayed under the marquee.
Wines
We have an extensive and eclectic wine list and take great care to offer wines that are both delicious and good value.
Couples are also welcome to bring their own wine, subject to corkage. This covers receiving, storing, chilling and serving the wines, as well as glassware and disposal of empties.
From Canapés to the Main Event
Our menus change with the seasons and are built around the best ingredients we can source.
We grow a substantial amount of fruit, vegetables and herbs in our walled garden, keep free-range hens and ducks, and are enthusiastic foragers.
Where possible, we work with excellent local and Irish producers, including Fitzgerald’s Butchers in Fermoy, Caherbeg Free-Range Pork in Rosscarbery, O’Connell’s Fish Merchants in the English Market and Ballycotton Seafood.
Being in Cork, we are rather spoilt when it comes to good food.
The menus below are examples and will change according to season and availability.
Canapés
€19 per person - choose four
- Selection of Irish cured meats with pickles
- Sautéed garden courgette and Ardsallagh goat’s cheese
- Parmesan, crushed pea and garlic bruschetta
- Tomato and basil bruschetta
- Ham croquettes with smoked pimentón aioli
- Yakitori chicken skewers
- Gubbeen chorizo on sautéed potato with sour cream
Main Wedding Meal
€100 Per Person
The main meal is generous country-house food, served with a mix of plated courses and sharing dishes.
A seasonal cheeseboard, tea and coffee are included.
We are happy to accommodate vegetarians, vegans, coeliacs, allergies and other dietary requirements, and children’s menus are also available.
A tasting will be arranged for the couple in advance of the wedding.
First Course
Choose one soup and one starter.
Soups are served individually in espresso cups, while starters are presented on platters for guests to share.
Soups
- Pea and mint
- Fresh tomato and basil
- Chilled gazpacho or cucumber
- Half the garden soup
Starters
- Cured Goatsbridge rainbow trout, cucumber pickle and dill mustard
- Hederman’s smoked mackerel pâté, celeriac and fennel remoulade
- Ardsallagh goat’s cheese and roasted beetroot salad, hazelnut dukkah
- West Cork buffalo mozzarella, tomato and basil salad
- Chicken liver parfait, onion and thyme marmalade, toasted sourdough
- Ham hock terrine with walled-garden piccalilli
Main Course
Choose one main course.
Main courses are plated, with seasonal potatoes and green vegetables served to the table to share.
- Skeaghanore duck confit, Puy lentils and red wine jus
- Roast free-range saddleback pork, crackling and cider jus
- Roast Irish chicken, thyme jus
- Chargrilled rump of Irish lamb, salsa verde
- Seasonal market fish, lemon, caper and butter sauce
- Roast Irish fillet of beef, béarnaise and watercress (supplement applies)
- Roast rack of Irish lamb, garden herb crust and redcurrant jus (supplement applies)
For non-meat eaters
- Vegetable tagine, couscous and garden herbs
- Pea, broad bean and pecorino risotto
- Aubergine, tomato and Parmesan bake
Puddings
Choose one:
- Eton mess
- Buttermilk panna cotta, seasonal fruit compote
- Lemon posset, homemade shortbread
- Dark chocolate and hazelnut tart
- Tiramisu
Cheeseboard
A selection of local artisan cheeses with biscuits, fruit and quince, served from an antique sideboard in the dining terrace for guests to help themselves.
Midnight Munchies
€11 per person
Later in the evening, we normally serve Bacon Blaas - soft floury baps from County Waterford - with cheese and chutney for non-meat eaters. We also serve the wedding cake to guests at this time.
Loose-leaf Barry’s tea, Maher’s coffee and fresh herb infusion
No service charge applies.