By Russell Alford and Patrick Hanlon.
Friday June 20 2025, 8.00 BST, The Sunday Times.

The setting exudes unashamed old-world charm, matched by meticulous service, while the kitchen’s fearless creativity sets it apart from other country house hotels.

The Mustard Seed is unashamedly old world, with service to match, featuring white linen and antique silver.

We covered Limerick this time last year at the Palladian pile that is Plassey House, where a fine-dining restaurant called the East Room comes housed in an Italianate mansion at the University of Limerick campus, led by Derek Fitzpatrick. Exactly 365 days later we find ourselves back in Limerick in another of the country’s institutions: Echo Lodge in Ballingarry.

When you tell people you’re going “down to Adare to cover a hotel restaurant” they immediately assume Adare Manor, and funnily enough we find ourselves in the area a few days after the “Ally and Sean wedding” went viral on TikTok. For those who weren’t glued to the antics, an American couple privately hired the manor (and by all accounts, the entire town of Adare) with the most lavish, ”money is no object” wedding imaginable.

If your purse doesn’t quite extend to Adare Manor, 15 minutes up the road you will find this charming, colourful and eclectic late 19^th-century country house and convent school, famed for its restaurant the Mustard Seed.

We are homing in on the dinner service but it really is worth staying overnight to experience all this hotel’s unique features, from a nightcap by the fire in the library to afternoon tea in the light filled salon or drinks on the terrace, while strolls around the manicured lawns and kitchen garden are a must. We booked a one-night overnight stay, including a fantastic breakfast and dinner, for €170 per person sharing.

The Mustard Seed at Echo Lodge
Ballingarry, Co. Limerick.
* 7/10