Spring is about to be sprung and this I’m feeling inspired by the gorgeous greens that are just starting to pop up in the fields, the woodlands and the hedgerows. There is an ancient and enormous wild garlic patch at Mother of the Woods Retreat, scenting the air from March to May with it’s distinctive oniony flavour - as though always, somewhere, someone is frying garlic or baking garlic bread. Yum! This beautiful and magical wild garlic patch has inspired this year’s Spring Equinox menu.
We’ll be feasting on wild garlic butter, wild garlic salsa verde and wild garlic tortellini to name a few, alongside some gorgeous spring classics - slow cooked new season lamb, a spring greens lasagne with some delicious Irish cheeses, a zingy orange salad making the most of the new salad leaves and the end of citrus season and a perfect spring dessert of rhubarb and custard. Come feast with us!
I’ll be hosting this supper club in the beautiful Mother of the Woods Retreat. Located between Saintfield and Lisburn this is a gorgeous Georgian house and retreat centre owned and run by Essential Nature Yoga.
Spring Equinox Supper @ Mother of the Woods Retreat
Friday 20th & Saturday 21st March 2026
On arrival:
Aperol Spritz with rosemary & grapefruit
Potato & thyme focaccia with whipped wild garlic butter
To start:
Wild garlic, spinach & ricotta tortellini with brown butter, crispy sage and toasted pine nuts
The main event:
Slow cooked lamb shoulder with wild garlic salsa verde
Spring greens & leek lasagne with Hegarty’s cheddar
Lemon and oregano roast potatoes
Lavender and honey roasted carrots with labneh, salsa verde and fried almonds
Sicilian orange, black olive and chilli salad with spring leaves
For pudding:
Roasted rhubarb, custard panna cotta and coconut & gorse flower crumble
The drinks: This event is BYO. Please bring a bottle (or more) of your favourite tipple. A welcome drink will be provided on arrival and there will be still water kept topped up on the tables all evening.
The time: 7pm on Friday 20th or Saturday 21st March 2026. If you are planning on booking a taxi or organising a lift we’d suggest organising that for 10.30pm.
The place: Mother of the Woods Retreat, 31 Back Road, Cargacreevy, Lisburn , BT27 6TR (please see the event confirmation email for full details on how to find the venue - but DO NOT go to the Back Road in Drumbo)
The cost: £55 per person (includes booking fees), for a three-course menu plus a few extras.
Keeping warm: This event will be hosted inside the beautiful dining spaces at Mother of the Woods. Weather permitting we may serve drinks outside or light the firepit at the end of the evening so please bring an extra layer or two to keep you cosy.
Seating: You will be seated with other guests. If you are not comfortable sitting with other people then please do not book tickets as unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to seat groups separately.
Dietary Requirements: This menu is suitable for vegetarians. Unfortunately we can’t cater for vegan/dairy free/gluten free guests this time. For all other dietary requirements just let us know when you book and we’ll try our absolute best to accommodate you.
Cancellation Policy: We have recently updated our cancellation policy and we now charge an administrative fee for cancellations up to one week in advance of the event. If you cancel less than one week before the event we cannot offer a refund unless we can resell your tickets. All tickets are transferable if you can find another guest to come in your place. For full details of our cancellation policy please click here.
