'40 for dinner': How the family at one Cork hotel plans to spend Christmas 

Family-owned Dunmore House Hotel in Clonakilty was named Hotel Restaurant of the Year at the Restaurant of the Year Awards, for Adrift. Its fine dining restaurant beat off competition from the likes of The George V Dining Room at Ashford Castle and Ballymaloe House Hotel.

While Adrift may not have the grandeur of Ashford Castle, it does have an endless vista of the Atlantic Ocean overlooking Clonakilty Bay and the kind of service, attention to detail and welcome guests receive truly makes it a place apart.

The hotel has been in the same family for four generations. Carol Barrett alongside her husband, Richard, and son Peter, general manager, make it a family business through and through.

It has an imperious commitment to serving local in-season ingredients, many coming from their own organic gardens, meaning diners are always treated to the very best from West Cork’s incredible artisanal larder.

Adrift has been included in the Michelin Guide since 2022 and in Georgina Campbell’s Ireland Guide even longer. Shortlisted for the award before, now they take home the accolade for their team.

Carol said: “We are delighted to win Hotel Restaurant of the Year. I am so proud of our son Peter, Manuel Canapini, our lead chef, his team, and Miriam Rea, our manager, who make dining at Adrift a joyful experience.

“It means so much to us as an independent, family business to be recognised in this way and to be nominated in such an incredible category alongside some of the most prestigious hospitality brands across the country.

“We absolutely love what we do at Dunmore House and to be named Hotel Restaurant of the Year is so very special.”

I asked Peter about the Barrett family Christmas and he painted a picture of conviviality, community, good food and fun.

“Christmas is always a very special and personal time for our family, and Carol is always at the heart of it”, says Peter. 

“We close the hotel for a few days, but in many other ways it doesn’t close. We have a lot of extended family stay in the hotel and we celebrate Christmas Day here.

“We extend the welcome to our team. Some don’t make it home for Christmas for whatever reason, so we invite them to be part of the festivities, and we invite people from our local community to spend the day with us as well.”

Peter, his brother and sister spend Christmas with mum Carol in the kitchen, baking brown bread and layering sherry trifles, all packaged up and delivered to homes of people nearby. It’s a tradition that has gone on for many years.

“On Christmas Day, we set up a long table in the restaurant, the ocean in the background. There can be 40 of us sometimes! Carol decorates the table with beautiful arrangements from Howe Hill Flowers, and we sit down to eat late, at 6pm,” says Peter.

It’s always a traditional menu. Soup, prawn cocktail with brown bread, turkey and ham with all the trimmings and bread sauce, with Christmas pudding for dessert.

“After, we head down to the lounge bar and have a couple of drinks; maybe later a bit of a sing-song – that’s the kind of family we are!

“Christmas is always fun. It’s about coming together with nice food, a bottle of wine, and taking it easy.

“Carol is always at the heart of things on Christmas Day, wanting to make sure everyone is looked after; never switching off from caring and giving. A real-life Mrs Christmas!”