SPONSORED: The Blackberry Café – a little slice of heaven, now open seven days a week

HERE’S some tantalising news for food lovers: county Kilkenny’s iconic Blackberry Café is now a seven-day operation.

The critically acclaimed Thomastown eaterie is now open every Sunday, from 10am to 5pm – serving savoury food until 4pm and teas, coffees and cakes until 4.30pm.

Owner Jackie Hoyne said the move has gone down very well with the café’s many regulars, plus the steady influx of visitors to the picturesque South Kilkenny town as the busy summer period approaches.

The increased demand is also good news for her local suppliers, who are at the heart of the Blackberry’s food offering.

Jackie and her team are proud to showcase their suppliers’ organically produced food, which has been a key ingredient in the café’s success since it first opened in December 2007.

The Blackberry is a member of the Kilkenny Food Trail, and its insistence on only using organic, locally sourced foods has further enhanced its reputation as one of Kilkenny’s finest cafés. It serves dishes using David Ward Organic Vegetables, bread from Keogh’s Bakery in Callan, Pat O’Neill’s Dry Cured Bacon, Kells Wholemeal from Bennettsbridge and free-range eggs from Kevin McKenna in Kilmacow.

As Jackie puts it: “My aim is to develop a reinvigorated local food culture and to become a destination for local, national and international visitors.”

The Blackberry offers a delicious array of homemade food, salads, sandwiches, soup, quiches, and freshly ground roast coffee. Jackie has also developed her own homemade range of baked goodies fuelled by locally sourced ingredients and traditional recipes, including her Blackberry, Apple & Almond Tart and Kilkenny Apple & Brandy Cake.

Much-loved by locals, the café is also a big hit with visiting tourists and ‘foodie’ experts.

It has received numerous glowing reviews from leading food and restaurant publications. The Bridgestone Guide said: “Jackie’s food drives home a message of timeless goodness, using local specialty foods and her own vividly creative baking. A slice of that apple brandy cake and a cup of tea, my friend, and you are in heaven.”

For more information, log on to: http://blackberryrestaurant.ie/