Irish Soda Bread Baking: Explore Food Heritage and Cultural Insights in Westport, County Mayo
5.0
28 Ratings
Westport
Immerse yourself in Irish food heritage and culture while learning to bake traditional soda bread and scones in Westport, County Mayo. Join us for a hands-on experience filled with laughter, fascinating insights, and authentic Irish hospitality!
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Clew Bay Hotel - Make traditional Irish soda bread and scones yourself while getting an insight into Irish food culture and heritage. When your scones are baked smother them with lashings of Irish country butter and locally made homemade jam over a cup of tea and a chat.

Bring home with you the brown soda bread that you baked yourself! What better way to get to know Ireland than through its people and its food!

What's Included
  • Brown Soda Bread
Additional Information

Experience the delight of learning to bake in the Irish Soda Bread Way, a journey interlaced with Irish food traditions and the saga of soda bread. We present a distinctive ‘hands-on’ experience, fit for every age and skill level, in the picturesque heritage town of Westport, County Mayo. Come join us for an enjoyable time full of baking, education, and laughter, all while socializing with some interesting folks! Take pleasure in genuine Irish welcome at its finest! Carmel, a former Home Economics teacher, will guide you in baking customary brown soda bread and white soda scones. Gain a captivating understanding of Irish gastronomic culture and lifestyle from past to present with Mary, your Failte Ireland Tour Guide. Relish your freshly baked soda scones paired with a cup of tea and a complimentary Irish Coffee, coupled with engaging conversation! Upon departure, you’ll be given a treasured traditional recipe, an Achievement Certificate, and a lovely tote bag.

Location
Clew Bay Hotel
James Street
The receptionist in the Clew Bay Hotel/Maddens, James street, Westport. F28 WD66 will direct you to the room where we are hosting The Irish Soda Bread Way.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(28 Ratings)
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546susani
May 2, 2024
Nobody can teach Irish Soda Bread making like the pros - Mary and Carmel!! - What a grand experience! Mary and Carmel were delightful. They not only taught us how to make the most delicious soda bread (white and brown), but we also learned about Ireland's history as it relates to Soda Bread. It was a small class experience, and we were able to chat and enjoy our delicious creations. I will do this again when I return to Westport! Oh - and there was an Irish Coffee involved as well. Mary and Carmel exceeded our expectations!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
759kyliel
Mar 26, 2024
Baking and history - This was so much fun! Carmel and Mary have so many stories to tell and so much culinary expertise. This is a great way to learn about Irish history and cultural heritage! It was so tasty too! We felt right at home.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Christopher_f
Aug 2, 2023
Fantastic morning - Carmel and Mary were phenomenal hosts. It was just a fantastic morning, 6 stars without a doubt. Definitely would recommend to anyone.
Review provided by Viator
Sandy
Jun 30, 2023
Great experience, A MUST DO! - Had a wonderful experience. Mary and Carmel were great, the history of Irish Soda breads was well explained. They were funny as well. Best part was eating our bakes with freshly made butter and Irish coffees. Slainte
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Q2083rmchristyh
Jun 28, 2023
Top Experience in Ireland - My mom and I had the absolute pleasure of learning how to bake scones and soda bread from Mary and Carmel! The ladies were so enjoyable and full of the perfect balance of history and fun facts. We will suggest this activity to all our friends and family (and anyone else willing to listen)!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Caroline_f
Jun 19, 2023
Highlight of our trip to Ireland! - What a remarkable experience! Not only were the scones and brown bread delicious, the ladies who ran this were so fantastic! They gave us a fun little history on how Irish soda bread came about, taught us about butter, and just some comical and interesting anecdotal Irish tales, such as traditions when churning butter and how not to disturb the fairies. It was so wonderful immersing in the culture this way. The tea party at the end was so fun and delicious, I would recommend this to anyone visiting Westport!
Review provided by Viator
Teresagarry
May 30, 2023
Totally Fantastic! - Well, what can I say? A brilliant experience start to finish. Our two hosts , Carmel & Mary were both delightful, charming and full of humour. We were made to feel so welcome and enjoyed the scone and soda bread making very much. I don’t want to say too much and spoil other surprises ….just to say, you must book up and go. A huge thank you to the two ladies. You were brilliant.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Timothyhv1235wd
May 3, 2023
Awesome experience! - My husband and I had a great time learning how to make Irish brown bread and scones. Mary and Carmel are wonderful hosts and teachers. Our bread and scones turned out great, and we enjoyed sampling them at the end of the class with the other participants. And Mary's Irish coffee is an added bonus! Highly recommend as part of a visit to Westport.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anng496ik
Aug 29, 2022
Getting to Know Ireland - Mary and Carmel are excellent hosts and teachers, welcoming their guests no matter their baking skill level. This is a great way to learn about Ireland, its history, its food culture, the science of soda, and wonderful Irish humor. I would recommend doing this early in your trip, because you gain a nice understanding of the place and its people, as well as a bag of warm baked goods to enjoy as you continue your journey. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Angela
Aug 24, 2022
A great way to spend a few hours while in Westport. - From start to finish Mary and Carmel welcomed us to the class with their friendly manner. There was a lady from Australia and 2 American ladies also on the class with me and it was great chatting to them too. Making the soda bread and scones was easy with the help of Mary and Carmel. A little bit of history was thrown in too. Our scones were put in the oven and then we sat down and tasted our efforts with some tea and home made jam. Lastly, we were given some Irish coffee and then our soda bread came out of the oven for us to take home alongside our certificates for our achievements. Definitely recommend it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 8 guests
1 Adult
May 2024
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