For this week’s LoveLaois we made the trip to Abbeyleix to sample one of the most Instagramable food establishments in the county.
Mueller and O’Connell Bakery has been a staple of the town for a number of years now and its reputation has only grown around Laois thanks to their award-winning offerings and spectacular service.
The bakery is owned and operated by two chefs – Wellington Lopes da Silva, from São Paulo, Brazil, and Athy native David Grothier.
The pair took over the establishment from the co-founders, Adrian Mueller from Switzerland, and Richard O’Connell – brother of Darina Allen.
Speaking with LaoisToday, Mr da Silva said: “I came to Ireland in 2010 to learn English. I was working as a chef and met David when we started working together in the Fitzwilliam Hotel.
“A few years went by and I decided to move to the countryside. David one day asked me to come to the bakery to give him a hand and I immediately began to like it here.
“It’s a change. It’s different dynamic from being in a hot kitchen and cooking in night shifts, so it was a nice change.
Abbeyleix is fast becoming the food capital of Laois, with Sam Moody’s newly opened restaurant, Bramley recently joining the town’s food revolution.
Wellington places the success largely down to their hyper-fresh, hyper-local, high-quality ingredients.
“Here it’s great because we have the opportunity to get so many local products. Our milk comes from Kildare; our eggs are from Grantstown in Ballacolla; the flour, we buy from Kilkenny; and all our oats are Irish and 100% organic.
They also stock kombucha from Donegal and Limerick; kefir from Louth; apple cider vinegar and fruit juice from Waterford; peanut butter from Tipperary; and on it goes.
They also stock products from right here in Laois, including O’Mimo’s sauces from Portarlington, G’s Gourmet Jams from Ballypickas, and from Castlewood Organic Farm in Durrow.
In a real link to the business’s early days, Mr Mueller still supplies the bakery with their fresh-roasted coffee.
“The company is based on very good coffee and very good bread. I think bread and coffee is the true soul of the bakery,” Wellington said.
The cornerstone of the bakery is their sourdough bread, baked daily each morning, much to the aromatic delight of customers and passers by alike.
Sausage rolls – both traditional and vegetarian – along with a glorious sourdough pizza are on offer to supplement their delicious lunch menu.
For those with a sweet tooth – this is as close to heaven as you can get in Laois – and the cruffins might be the best of all.
The cruffin, for those who might not know, is a hybrid of a croissant and a muffin – and with flavours such as lemon meringue, passionfruit, and strawberry cheesecake it is hard to go wrong.
They also make tarts, pastries, muffins, scones, buns, and much much more – the mocha swirl is a particular favourite.
Head Baker, David Grothier has a CV packed full of high-end eateries, including as Pastry Chef in some of Dublin’s more exclusive restaurants.
David speaks with a sense of purest joy when he talks about the possibilities that lie ahead.
“I’d love to add some traditional English pies to our lunch menu in the future,” he said, as he ponders out loud what might make the cut.
The bakery changes its menu on a monthly basis, constantly rotating in new flavours, styles and combinations, which David says really lets the everyone explore new ideas and creations.
David and Wellington have masterminded a truly eclectic mix of delicately designed and carefully created sweet treats.
There is a real sense in Mueller and O’Connell that people who work there have a true love for the food they create and serve.
In fact, the only down-side of the bakery – if it has one – is that it’s just too hard to choose!
But once you’ve made your selection, Abbeyleix has plenty of seating across the street, or around the corner in the fabulous community garden.
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