Crean’s Place of Kilcullen, County Kildare has gone from strength to strength in its first year, delivering home-grown, locally sourced produce to its small, traditional community. Upon delivering delicious homemade products, this restaurant has also taken a firm stance on the increasing issue of waste management worldwide.
Photo Credit: Kim Carroll
Crean’s Place first began to incorporate a ‘no waste’, eco-friendly ethos to its establishment, weeks into opening its doors. It first began by banishing all single-use plastics, meaning no plastic bags, no straws, and no plastic cartons. Mr. Byrne decided not to simply replace plastic straws with the now more commonly used biodegradable paper straw; he went one step further by only holding tempered glass straws in his restaurant for long term re-use.
Perhaps the biggest struggle during this time was the restaurant’s decision to abandon take away cups and substitute only the reusable Keep Cups many people now own. At first, the restaurant lost some revenue to nearby competitors as many people saw this change as an inconvenience they did not understand. Mr. Byrne explains that many of the local Kilcullen people “were genuinely confused and slightly put out by the changes they were seeing in their purchasing habits. Many of the locals are not used to changes like this and they have had to grow to trust our ethos and become more informed about waste management, which thankfully they are now fully on board with.”
Notably, the restaurants coffee is its own “Crean’s” blend, which is sourced from one of Ireland’s first coffee bean grower, Coffee House Lane in Waterford. All meats are sourced locally, with many of the restaurant’s meats, coming from the award-winning Nolan’s Butchers – which is merely a stone throw away from this dynamic cafe. Also, all of the delicious loaves of bread and desserts are made in house by the restaurant’s baker.
Through its perseverance, Crean’s Place sees a regular sale of their Keep Cups which they offer at a discounted price for their
However, not only are Crean’s Place pioneering small rural areas to take a stand in how they manage their waste, and select their produce, the attention to detail in their food is also second to none.
Head chef David Byrne and his sous chef Christophe Martin present a duo of culinary talent that leaves their customers enraptured in the flavours presented in their diverse dishes. Between the classic full Irish and the Middle-Eastern inspired “Eggsploration”, each customer is assured to find something they will fall in love with.
Visit their social media’s in the links below to see a menu or book a table for their newly established evening service menu.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creansplace/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CreansPlaceKilcullen/
