Our great grandfather Michael J. O’Neill cultivated the food philosophy of the O’Neill family at Fernhill when he bought the Georgian manor house in the 1940’s. He was a farmer & butcher by trade who had a deep understanding of what makes the very best ingredients.
Today, all of the O’Neill’s have an appreciation for food & service. Michael snr worked as a Chef for 40 years, Teresa has overseen service for decades and their sons grew up at the hotel learning what exceptional food & service is. Our food is locally sourced where possible & we are lucky that our location in West Cork affords us access to beautiful fresh fish from the sea, meat from green pastures and many fantastic artisan producers. We grow herbs, bay leafs and much more in our landscaped gardens, forage for things like wild garlic for breads & sauces while we use pure water from our onsite well.
We also grow a selection of vegetables from rhubarb to leeks, lettuces to apples in our kitchen gardens and orchards and use these in many of our dishes. Our walled gardens provide a local and sustainable setting for growing our own vegetables. We are proud to grow our own and serve the very freshest to our guests.
We are constantly striving to improve and ensure that you, the guest, enjoys a dining experience worthy of our tradition. After all, every meal has to be excellent when the reputation of four generations of your family is on the table.