Meet the supplier: Glasrai Vegetables

Meet the supplier Glasrai Vegetables who supply the Ashford Estate with locally produced vegetables. Glasrai, which started out just five years ago, is a small local farm specialising in organic produce.

How long have you been working with the Ashford Estate?

We have been supplying Ashford for three years. 

What three words would you use to describe your product?

Fresh, rugged, quality.

Tell us about the history of your business

We are a five-year-old organic farm on seven acres of land, set in Hollymount. We started because Joe and I are passionate about healthy, tasty food and farming in a way that supports the health of our local eco-system.

How is your location/connection with your local area reflected in your product?

Our local area is our produce. It's our local climate that dictates which crops do well and when to grow them. It's our local soils that make our beetroot taste so much sweeter than the same variety grown in Galway. It's the well-balanced soil microbiology in our field that makes our plants grow healthy and produce well. When guests eat our vegetables they are supporting us to grow the healthiest crops possible, to protect and build the fertility of local soils, to help us build carbon in our soils as our way to address climate issues, and a team of young growers who are building their families and lives around a sustainable farming model.

What has been the proudest moment of your story so far?

Our proudest moment was when Sarah, a member of our team, spotted a picture online of bestselling author Roz Purcell looking beautiful in Ashford Castle eating the tomatoes that she picked.

Describe a typical day in creating your product - what is the farm-to-table story?

There is no typical day on our farm. Mondays are seed sowing, Tuesdays are for planting out seedlings and preparing the ground for new plantings. On Wednesdays, we harvest root crops, on Thursdays and Fridays we harvest leaves and pack. Fridays are for deliveries and markets, Saturdays market again. On Sundays, we rest! Our crops are harvested and delivered fresh to our customers as we are 20 minutes away from Ashford Castle.