A handsome town with wide tree-lined streets, Castlecomer attracts many visitors for a day out at the fantastic Discovery Park which counts exciting tree top walks among its attractions, along with woodland walks, two fishing lakes (rainbow trout), a collection of wooden sculptures, picnic areas, and a children’s adventure playground.
Also a recently built (2007) but very sympathetically designed Visitor Centre, where you will find a spacious exhibition area - and this excellent café.
Run by Evan and Anna Stewart, it has become a destination in itself, thanks to the wholesome meals and great home baking that they provide from breakfast onwards every day.
It’s semi self-service (you order at the counter and the friendly staff will bring your food over to your table) and, on the face of it, the offering of things like salads and sandwiches, soups and baked potatoes may seem pretty standard.
But a simple thing like a cup of tea and a scone is transformed by the quality of the freshly baked scone, and the generous amount of butter, jam and cream that comes with it - likewise soups come with lovely homebaked bread, salads are lifted by carefully sourced ingredients such as Goatsbridge smoked trout and imaginative combinations, and hearty hot dishes include excellent local ingredients such as Olivia Goodwillie’s famous coarse-grained Lavistown sausages from Kilkenny, which go down a treat.
Teas and coffees with snacks and treats such as their ‘secret recipe’ sticky toffee pudding are available all day and some items are available to take away too.
A very inclusive place, which is both family-friendly (children’s options available) and wheelchair friendly, Jarrow Café’s reputation is well earned.
