Photography by Kirsty Lyons
Aisling Kelly Hunter of Sligo Oyster Experience shares her life in food
Aisling Kelly Hunter shares her life in food, from her earliest memories to her favourite flavours and culinary inspirations.
Aisling Kelly Hunter studied Business & Tourism before travelling to San Francisco to see the sights and build up her hospitality skills. During her time abroad, Aisling gained invaluable experience in everything from front of house to organising group travel and educational tours.
In 2014 she returned to her roots, settling in her hometown of Sligo and opening a café named WB’s Coffee House, located on the premises of her family’s former pub, The Punchbowl, opened by her father, Kevin, in 1968. It was when Aisling met her now husband, Glenn — an oyster farmer — that she was first introduced to Sligo Bay Oysters and it is from there that she developed her love of seafood.
After almost four years in business running the café and, bringing all her experience on a professional level and her personal connections together, Aisling developed the Sligo Oyster Experience in 2018 having spotted an opportunity to carve out a niche in the market. Here, she shares her life in food…
What are your earliest memories of food?
I fondly remember picking cockles and mussels with my dad and siblings on the beaches of Sligo as a girl.
How would you describe your relationship with food?
I’d say it’s healthy. After battling Lyme disease as a teenager, simple, wholesome food — like juicing and baking my own millet bread — helped me recover quickly.
What was the first meal you learned to cook?
Bacon and cabbage. I wasn’t a fan at first, but now I love it! Especially during winter, it’s a comforting staple on our dinner table.
How did food become a part of your career?
Growing up in the family pub, I later studied business and tourism before returning home from a stint in the States after my father passed away to open a coffee shop in his premises. Then I met my husband, an oyster farmer, and combined my love for people, food, and tourism to create our unique venture —WB’s Coffee House & Oyster Bar, and my Sligo Oyster Experience farm tours.
What’s your go-to breakfast?
A boiled egg, with or without toast, but an egg is non-negotiable. I’m a big fan of eggs!
If you’re impressing friends and family at a dinner party, what are you serving up?
Oysters, of course! I am not a chef, so serving our oysters, raw or cooked with different dressings is fun and I really enjoy sharing Sligo’s history with oysters. Sligo, or Sligeach in Irish, means ‘abounding in shells’, and shellfish is one of the reasons that over 6,000 years ago, people began settling in Sligo; because there was abundant food in the form of oysters, cockles, mussels, crab, and lobster. The process of shucking them adds a bit of theatre to the evening.
Who is your culinary inspiration?
Neven Maguire. I was fortunate to appear on his Seafood Trails show, and he’s such a wonderful person. I find his cookbooks are very easy to follow when I want to whip up something special.
What would your last meal on earth be?
Oysters to start with Scarlet For Yer Ma hot sauce, and then surf and turf washed down with a glass of Chablis.
What’s your go-to comfort food?
Pepperoni pizza.
What’s the go-to quick meal you cook when you’re tired and hungry?
Scrambled eggs. It’s easy, and I would add some spring onions or tomatoes. It’s delicious.
What is one food or flavour you cannot stand?
I know I am Irish, but I’m not a fan of butter. I know it’s in a lot of dishes, and I can handle it if it’s subtle, but if it’s obvious — definitely no!
Hangover cure?
A full Irish breakfast, complete with local Sherlock’s Butchers meats.
Sweet or savoury?
Savoury.
Fine dining or pub grub?
It depends on the occasion — I enjoy both!
Favourite restaurant in Ireland?
Anywhere that serves top-quality shellfish is my idea of heaven, like Fish and Bean in the seaside village of Rosses Point.
Best coffee in Ireland?
I have to say WB’s Coffee House in Sligo. Our café serves beautiful hazelnut-flavoured coffee from Italy. I love it in a decaf oat milk cappuccino.
Go-to beverage accompaniment?
Depending on the mood, a glass of Chablis, or a White Hag Little Fawn craft beer.
What are your thoughts on the Irish foodie scene?
Ireland’s food scene is really impressing international visitors with its quality and variety. Our coffee culture has exploded, making daytime socialising even better. When we started Sligo Oyster Experience, there wasn’t much demand for oysters, but it’s grown year-on-year, and now we’ve even launched our own product line — Pickled Sligo Oysters.
What’s your favourite thing about cooking?
When someone else is doing it. I’m not comfortable in the kitchen at all. I am definitely better off looking after the front of house, happily shucking oysters.
What does food mean to you?
Connection. I love how a shared meal fosters conversation and connection. Learning more about Irish food has inspired me to try new things and appreciate the people behind the ingredients.
Food for thought — Is there room for improvement within the Irish food/restaurant/hospitality scene?
Absolutely. The hospitality industry is facing significant challenges, especially with rising operational costs. Stability is needed to help businesses thrive again.
Chef’s kiss — Tell us about one standout foodie experience you’ve had recently.
I recently collaborated with Santina Kennedy on a pairing at the Taste of Sligo food festival, where we matched our oysters with Drumshanbo pot still whiskey, and Coolattin Cheddar from Wicklow, which was voted the best cheese in the world. Santina was a wealth of knowledge, and her passion for Irish food was evident in every dish she prepared. I also learnt about many other Irish products such as Mic’s Chilli hot sauces and the gorgeous whiskey glass produced by Tuath Glass.
Compliments to the chef — Now’s your chance to sing the praises of a talented chef, beloved restaurant, or particularly talented foodie family member.
My husband’s mother, Violet Hunter, is always experimenting with new recipes from magazines or TV shows. Visiting her is always an adventure — one day it’s homemade gin, the next it’s a fresh blackberry tart.
Secret ingredient — What, in your estimation, makes the perfect dining experience?
Great company and an openness to trying new things.
Photography by Kirsty Lyons
