Meet Farmer Mary Burns

Dairy Products are the Pride of Ireland
Burns Farm Upholds 150-Year Family Tradition

The countryside surrounding the picturesque town of Kanturk, in the Duhallow region of County Cork, is carpeted with green pastures nearly year-round. The temperate weather is due to Ireland's proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the presence of the Gulf Stream.

Cows eat fresh grass, not grain, and this natural diet produces milk rich in beta-carotene. When the cream from the milk is churned, it makes butter of an exceptionally golden color.

In Kanturk, Mary Burns is one of the farmers who produces this extraordinary milk. A farmhouse cheese maker since the 1970s, Burns took on the added responsibility of running the dairy farm with her son Gerald, after the death of her husband in 2000. By continuing the farm, she upholds a family tradition of 150 years. All her cattle are pedigreed Friesians.

The milk from the Burns farm, as well as from neighboring farms, is pooled and churned at the local creamery. Together with other co-operatives of dairy farmers and creameries throughout Ireland, butter and cheeses are produced and sold in the United States under the Kerrygold brand.

A visit to Mary Burns' farm would likely include an invitation to tea, where tender scones, warm and fragrant from the oven, are served with Irish butter and homemade jam. To celebrate St. Patrick's Day, Burns shared her favorite Irish Scone recipe. "Don't forget the Irish butter," she says. "It has a true creamy texture and a smooth flavor that makes these scones taste their best."

Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter is available in half-pound blocks from supermarkets and specialty stores throughout the United States, and is the best-selling brand of imported butter in America. Packaged in foil to maintain freshness, the premium butter comes in two varieties: salted sweet cream butter (gold foil) and unsalted cultured cream butter (silver foil).

For more Irish recipes, visit www.kerrygold.com/usa

Mary Burns' Irish Scones

1 3/4 cups (about 8 ounces) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling over tops
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) cold Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup whole milk
1 large egg, plus additional beaten egg for brushing over tops

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Sift together flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt into large bowl. Using fingertips or pastry blender, rub or cut butter into flour mixture to form coarse crumbs. Add raisins. Whisk together milk and 1 egg. Make a well in the flour mixture; pour in milk mixture. Using fork, stir just until soft, moist dough is formed.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface; gently knead 1 or 2 times to incorporate loose pieces of dough. (Do not over knead.) Pat dough to 1 1/2-inch thickness. Using well-floured 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter or bottom of a glass, cut out about 6 rounds, recombining scraps as necessary. Place rounds on lightly buttered baking sheet. Brush tops with additional beaten egg; sprinkle with additional sugar.

Bake until golden brown, about 14 to 17 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking for more even browning. Serve warm with Irish butter and jam.

Makes about 6 servings

Note: These scones are more muffin-like in texture; dough will be moist and wet, which ensures a tender texture.

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Mary Burns Scones.jpg
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Mary Burns Cows.jpg
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Mary Burns.jpg
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