Oak Room Chef Mike Tweedie: “I do have nightmares about losing the [Michelin] star, and I think that keeps me in check every day”

Mike Tweedie closes the door to his office. He’s earned a breather. Outside, his kitchen is clanking with intent ahead of the busy season at one of Ireland’s best restaurants: The Oak Room at the five-star Adare Manor resort in Co. Limerick.

Like captaining your country, winning a Nobel Prize, or defeating Mark ‘The Beast’ Labbett in an episode of The Chase, leading a Michelin-starred team is something many dream of but won’t achieve. That’s because it ain’t easy.

“My job takes a lot,” says Tweedie, a self-professed introvert. “I have to go and reset. During the day or in the mornings before work, I’ll go hit a few golf balls or go to the gym. That’s how I sort of deal with the pressures of being a chef.”

Perhaps he’s practising his swing in hope of a Team Europe nod, ahead of the 2027 Ryder Cup on Adare Manor’s 18-hole course.

“It’s going to be super-exciting and even better with Rory McIlroy winning at Augusta,” Tweedie beams. “I’d love to try and sneak onto the team, but I don’t think I’m quite good enough to mix with them boys. If Rory wants to do a swap, I’d be happy to give him a few cooking lessons, if he gets me to hit the ball straight.”

Like the Co. Down Grand Slam golfer (who could apparently hit 40-yard drives as a toddler), Tweedie’s journey to mastering his own craft began early.

“I was a naughty child,” he admits. “I struggled in school from dyslexia and fell in with a bad bunch of people. I did a lot of cooking at home with mum when I was expelled. My older brother was a chef too. He worked at a pub, and I went and joined him when I was 14 to wash pots or warm the veg for him. I fell in love with being in a kitchen and by the time I was 15, I knew that I wanted to cook for a living.”

After establishing himself at high-end eateries in the south of England (including restaurants at the Gidleigh Park and Lucknam Park hotels), Tweedie was invited to be head chef at Ballyfin Demesne in Co. Laois, despite having “no notions” of ever crossing the Irish Sea.

“I’d never been in my life,” he says. “I got here and loved it. I loved the people, environment and how friendly everyone was. It was so different to what I was used to. It took me a good year to find my feet on the produce side of things. But now I’m very fortunate that I work with some amazing producers.”

Chef Mike Tweedie by Jack Hardy.

Tweedie cites good relations with CS Fish in Limerick, Singing Frog Gardens in Cork, meat maestro Rick Higgins in Dublin and oysters from Flaggy Shore in Clare. Overall, 70% of the produce used in the kitchen at The Oak Room is Irish. A cross-country road trip helped show him what was on offer.

“The road trips,” Tweedie reflects, wistfully. “The amount of breakfast rolls we ate. We actually did two road trips. I think it was 3,000 kilometres we did in the campervan. We were familiarising ourselves with Irish produce. It was about building relationships and introducing people to the products Ireland has to offer.

“It was a real eye-opener and there are still suppliers we met on that road-trip that we use today.”

These peripatetic missions were undertaken alongside Loughlin Druhan, the culinary director at Adare Manor and the man who enlisted Tweedie to shape the fine-dining menus for The Oak Room in 2017.

“I came down and met Colm Hannon who was the CEO,” the chef says. “I remember my interview with him to this day. I was this cocky 29-year-old thinking I knew it all. He schooled me in that interview. I’m glad he did, because he brought me back down to earth and taught me a valuable lesson.

“I’ve never looked back since. It’s played a very special part in my life, and it’s where I got my first Michelin Star.”

The Oak Room received Michelin star recognition in October 2019. It’s now one of 21 MS establishments in the country and the only restaurant with the accolade in Limerick.

“The truth is, no one really knows what you have to do to achieve a Michelin Star,” Tweedie says. “In the early years, I was sure we were cooking Michelin Star food. I was adamant, but the reality was I wasn’t there. I was trying to find my feet on how I cook and my style of cuisine.

“But in terms of Michelin, no one knows what their criteria is. You could probably get more answers out of the FBI. I do have nightmares about losing the star, and I think that keeps me in check every day. Ultimately all we want to do is cook great food.”

And that’s what Tweedie and his team have achieved by serving elegant menus inspired by Irish ingredients.

“My food would be very simple,” he explains. “I wouldn’t be heavily dressing the food. I want to find a really good protein, cooked really well with a nice sauce and a little bit of garnish. Nothing too extravagant or out there. There’s also the culture side of things. It’s not just about the cooking anymore. It’s about how you treat the team, how you manage them and inspire them.”

Whether it’s The Bear, The Menu, or Gordan Ramsay blowing his top, pop culture often depicts elite kitchens as rough places to work. It’s a stereotype Tweedie and his team work to avoid.

“What we try to instill in people is that if you’re honest about your mistakes, as a team, we can fix them,” he explains. “We’re trying to adapt and get rid of this old mentality of kitchen bullying and stuff like that. Because that’s not what we’re about. I’m not going to sit here and say there isn’t shouting within the kitchen.

“Do I shout? Yes. Is it personal? Never. And something we try to get people to understand is that it’s never personal. It is never bullying. I have to react to a moment and get a hold of the problem. Sometimes I need to go to that person and say, ‘Chef, come on, you know how to do this. You do this day in, day out. What happened?’

“The older I get, the better I can handle situations. Whatever they’re doing, I’ve probably done it myself – everything they do to hide, or try and get away with, I’ve done.”

Music keeps spirits high, and while Tweedie might be the boss when it comes to the food, he’s not allowed anywhere near the speaker.

“I’m banned from the chef playlist,” he laughs. “My current playlist goes from Kneecap to ‘Pink Pony Club’ to Linkin Park. They banned me because it’s too inconsistent. You don’t want that to come off in the cooking. Our pre-service song used to be ‘Gimme, Gimme, Gimme’. That was the last song of the night before service that got us all dancing and relaxed.”

The chef looks beyond the kitchen for lessons on leadership, taking inspiration from his frequent visits to Thomond Park as an adopted Munster fan.

“I was just renewing my season ticket when you called,” he says. “I never really got into rugby until I really got to Limerick. I went to a few matches and fell in love. What I find interesting is their mindset. You hear rugby players saying it’s all about the next moment, the next phase. I try to adapt a lot of that stuff to the kitchen.”

Café Logr

Naturally, he’s also become a punter at local eateries across the Treaty City and its surrounding areas.

“Let’s say Munster win,” he starts. “I’d stop at Pa’s chipper, which is down the road from Thomond, for a battered sausage and chips and cheese. I’m a big coffee fan so my go-to would be Eleven14. It’s savage and it’s a very family-run business. I’m a little bit of a regular there, so they try different blends out on me and stuff like that. They would be my number one coffee spot.

“If I want a really good breakfast in Limerick, it’s Café Lógr. Their chef Dave’s a good friend of mine, and I annoy the hell out of him because I go and ask for stuff that’s off the menu and he hates it – sometimes I just want poached eggs!”

• Make a reservation at adaremanor.com