Donegal restaurant The Mill, located in Dufanaghy has been recognized as Bord Bia’s “Just Ask!” restaurant of the month of April. This award is the highlight of the Just Ask! campaign that the Irish Food Board launched to encourage consumers to look for information about where their food comes from when eating out.

Derek Alcorn, chef proprietor of The Mill Restaurant & Acomodation, explains that his menu is based on seasonal local produce, and the majority of his suppliers live within a ten mile radius. He uses the restaurant menu and website to pass their details on to customers. Quoted on Bord Bia’s website, he lists the provenance of the produce that he works with:

“We source our lamb and beef from my brother Thomas’ farm in Horn Head, Dunfanaghy and our kid goat comes from my nephew Richard’s farm, also in Horn Head. All of our meat is butchered by Stephen Kerr who also supplies us with Ballyare Pork and we source Silverhill Duck from Monaghan. The majority of our fish and seafood comes from Killybegs and Greencastle. We also work with Ivan McElhinney in Dunfanaghy who supplies us with our shellfish, pollock and mackerel and Mulory Bay Mussels, a family run business for over thirty years, supply our mussels. An LAN Teo or ‘The Glasshouses’ as it is know locally, is a community based horticultural project based in Falcarragh that supply us with high quality fruit, vegetables and herbs.”

The “Just Ask!” campaign is in its seventh year, and former winners include Kai Café & Restaurant in Galway, Sash Restaurant in Limerick City and Rathsallagh House in Wicklow.