Macroom Oatmeal is a traditional stone-ground Irish oatmeal produced in

Macroom Macroom (; ) is a market town in County Cork, Ireland, located in the valley of the River Sullane, halfway between Cork (city), Cork city and Killarney. Its population has grown and receded over the centuries as it went through periods of war, ...

, County Cork, Ireland, at Walton's Mill, the last surviving stone mill in Ireland. Slow Food selected it as the exemplar of stone ground Irish oatmeal, which was taken aboard its

Ark of Taste The Ark of Taste is an international catalogue of endangered heritage foods which is maintained by the global Slow Food movement. The Ark is designed to preserve at-risk foods that are sustainably produced, unique in taste, and part of a distin ...

in 2011.

History

The mill has been operated continuously by the same family since the 1700s. Donal Creedon, great-great-great-great-grandson of founder Richard Walton, now operates the mill.

Michelin star The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few restaurants in certain geographic ...

-winning chef

Myrtle Allen Myrtle Allen (13 March 1924 – 13 June 2018) was an Irish Michelin star-winning Chef#Chef de cuisine, head chef and co-owner of the restaurant The Yeats Room at Ballymaloe House in Shanagarry, County Cork. Besides her career in cooking, s ...

developed the Macroom Biscuit recipe which appears on the package.

Production method

Macroom oatmeal is stone-ground, then kiln-toasted.

Reception

Saveur Magazine ''Saveur'' is an online gourmet, food, wine, and travel magazine that publishes essays about various world cuisines. The publication was co-founded by Dorothy Kalins, Michael Grossman, Christopher Hirsheimer, and Colman Andrews. It was started b ...

called it "different from anyone else's in Ireland, full of flavor when simply cooked and immensely satisfying in its grainy texture." Food writer John Thorne said it "may well be the best oatmeal I've ever eaten."

Fodor's Fodor's is a producer of English-language travel guides and online tourism information. It was founded by Hungarian Eugene Fodor, who created his first travel guide, ''1936...on the Continent'', with the intention of improving upon the directo ...

Ireland mentions Macroom Oatmeal.

Darina Allen Darina Hilda Allen (née O'Connell; born 13 June 1948) is an Irish chef, food writer, TV personality and founder of Ballymaloe Cookery School. Biography Darina Allen was born in Cullohill, County Laois, the eldest of nine children. The renown ...

Ballymaloe House Ballymaloe House () is a country house with a hotel and dining facilities, located in Shanagarry in County Cork, Ireland. Traces of a 15th century castle remain within its fabric. The Yeats Room of Ballymaloe is a restaurant, It is a fine ...

, where Macroom Oatmeal is served for breakfast, said that Macroom Oatmeal has "a cult following both at home and abroad." James Beard 2010 Cookbook of the Year ''The Country Cooking of Ireland'' says "(t)he best oatmeal for Stirabout...is Macroom, milled by Donal Creedon in the town of that name in County Cork."

References

Breakfast cereals Food and drink in Ireland Irish cuisine Oats Porridges {{food-stub