Country Choice

Peter Ward and his wife, Mary, understand the detail and the depth of detail that is needed to make something special. Others sell farmhouse cheese: Mr Ward matures it until he is happy that it is ready, and then he sells it, understanding every nuance of every cheese he works with. He bakes the most sublime hams, terrines, pâtés and roasts you can make. His breads are fabulous, and the marmalade Peter and Mary make every year, using Seville oranges, is an icon food in its own right.

He is a master of sourcing specialist foods of the highest quality from Ireland and abroad. He has a terrific selection of wines. His Christmas hampers are peerless. His staff are charming and, as if all that wasn’t enough, Mr Ward also runs a delightful café at the rere of the shop, where the cooking is only ace.

What explains this ability to be the best? Empathy, we reckon. Empathy for the hard work of the artisans whose foods he sells. Empathy for the traditions of Irish food which he keeps alive with his soda bread, his brawn, his other traditional foods. And empathy with his community, his understanding of their true needs, and his ability to satisfy them, in the most appropriate – and charming – way.

This is shopkeeping raised to the highest art form, with the shopkeeper as shaman, sage, chef and connoisseur. Country Choice: was there ever a place so well named?

(25 Kenyon St, Nenagh, Co Tipperary, Tel: (067) 32596, countrychoice.ie)