Set amidst Dundrum’s suburban bustle is Airfield House, a classical building surrounded by a 38 acre working farm and gardens that have recently been re-designed to facilitate active learning focusing on food, farming and the land.
Formerly the home of the Overend family, sisters Naomi and Letitia established it as a charitable organisation for educational and recreational purposes in 1974. Way ahead of their time in many ways, they saw the need for people to refresh their connection with food and the land, and that is Airfield’s mission today.
It now offers visitors a unique rural experience in the city; the farm - famed for its Jersey cows - is very much open to the public (egg collection 10am daily, milking at 10.30), and there are wonderful woodland walks.
The sisters' enthusiasms included vintage cars as well as farming, gardening, charitable work and travel, and all of these are brought to life through the collection of photographs and other exhibits; cars on show include a 1927 Rolls Royce, which the two women maintained themselves.
Very much a family destination, Airfield offers a range of programmes for pre-school, primary and secondary children; workshops and events are also held throughout the year.
Restaurant
Named after Airfield’s benefactors Letitia and Naomi Overend, Overends takes its inspiration from Airfield farm and gardens, using fresh local ingredients, cooked simply to produce great tasting seasonal dishes.
The sisters, who established Airfield as a charitable trust in 1974, had a special interest in food production and quality. They were always actively involved in the farm and extensive gardens and, with great foresight, they saw the need for fresh and nutritious food as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Innovative chef Luke Matthews (formerly at Mews Restaurant, Baltimore) works daily with Airfield’s farmer Eamon Younge and food gardener Kitty Scully to produce a menu that reflects the best of Airfield’s seasonal produce in creative modern cookin.
Many ingredients for the lunch and evening menus are sourced from Airfield’s working farm, gardens and food tunnels, thus giving diners the perfect experience of enjoying ‘farm to fork’ in a unique urban destination - and with an exceptionally gfted chef at the helm.
