The Customs House Country Inn is a well-established restaurant and guesthouse in the heart of Belcoo.
Conall and Rachel Humston took over ownership in early 2023 and have been enjoying this new venture alongside their head chef Rodolpho Leonardo affectionately known as ‘Leo’ and General manager Lorna McGrath.
Although Conall has worked in the hospitality industry for over 20 years, the first 18 months in the Customs House have been a steep learning curve – full of highs, lows and everything in between.
The Customs House strives to create a warm atmosphere alongside scrumptious, hearty food.
What inspired your passion for food and creativity on the culinary scene?
Conall and Rachel have always been foodies at heart and enjoy nothing more than a great meal out in nice surroundings. Leo, our head chef who is from Brazil, grew up with his mother who ran her own restaurant and this is where he developed his flair and finesse for show-stopping food.
Conall has previously been a franchisee in a major pizza organisation but wanted to try something new within the hospitality industry. The step up from mass home delivery to restaurant service has been challenging but very rewarding at the same time. The joy of experimenting with flavours and ingredients, coupled with the desire to bring people together through food has always driven us.
(Image: Customs House)
Can you describe the unique flavours and ingredients that define your cuisine?
Our cuisine is a fusion of local Irish flavours with complimentary twists from Leo’s training in classic French and Italian cuisine – in house Leo makes his own pasta, stocks, and uses his French techniques when making our rich sauces to compliment each meal. Leo gained a lot of experience in Creole cuisine whilst working in America. This is reflected in a lot of our dishes such as our braised beef, crab cakes and beef short rib.
We have taken great care in developing our menu/dishes. We have created a menu that caters for everyone – the meat enthusiasts, vegetarians, vegans, the plain eaters and those with a sweet tooth.
How does the food you prepare/serve reflect the cultural heritage and traditions of the surrounding area?
Here in the Customs House our food is reflective of our rural roots shown through our use of local fresh ingredients. Our service is also something we pride ourselves on as this reflects our cultural traditions and this is role modelled by our general manager Lorna who goes out of her way to ensure our guests every need is catered for.
Our staple in the Customs House is the Sunday carvery with a variety of succulent roasts, fresh vegetables and creamy potatoes. When Conall and Rachel first took over ownership of the Customs House there was a lot of worry within the local community in case the Sunday carvery would be stopped, and a concerned citizen even arrived to Rachel’s parents house to plead the case for the carvery being kept… such is the popularity of the Customs House Sunday carvery!
(Image: Customs House)
What brings you the most joy when you see visitors tasting and enjoying the dishes you've created in the Customs House?
Going out for breakfast/lunch/dinner is a treat in our eyes and with the cost of living crisis we aim to ensure that when our customers do come to treat themselves that it is absolutely worth it. We enjoy when customers try foods outside their comfort zones and love them – for example we had a lady who joined us for our Wednesday steak night that ‘is not a meat lover’ but ate every bit of our delicious 12oz sirloin and vowed she would surely be back again next week. We also have a lot of people with allergies or intolerances who frequent the Customs House and it gives us great satisfaction to cater for each individual and ensure they are in safe hands when eating with us. We get such pleasure when we see one of our guests enjoy our freshly baked scones and wheaten breads which are also sold in Belcoo’s local shops – McCann’s Spar and Jones’ Mace. Even our homemade cheesecakes which are sold as far as Belfast through our partnership with The Pizza Co.
(Image: Customs House)
In your opinion, what sets the Customs House apart as a destination for food and tourism?
The Customs House is an ideal destination for food tourism as we offer a genuine taste of Fermanagh’s rich culinary landscape within our high quality food alongside exceptional service spearheaded by Lorna.
The Customs House is surrounded by some wonderful tourist destinations – Rushin House Caravan Park, Florencecourt House, Marble Arch Caves, Cuilcagh boardwalk, Corralea Activity Centre to name but a few. As we are open from 8.30am-9pm, seven days a week over the summer months we cater for locals and tourists alike who are out for the day.
The Customs House is also an ideal location for family celebrations such as Christenings, communions and confirmations as we have a separate function room and special menus for these celebrations. Over the summer months we find we are an ideal location for bus trips enroute to the West of Ireland – we provide cooked breakfast or tea and scones for their quick stop on their trip.
(Image: Customs House)
How do you believe food tourism contributes to the local economy and community in Fermanagh?
Fermanagh is an excellent hub for food tourism and punches well above it’s weight with what is on offer for such a small county. Food tourism plays a significant role in boosting the local economy by attracting locals and visitors who spend money on dining, accommodation, local products, transport etc. This supports our local producers such as farmers, butchers, greengrocers and fosters a sense of community and pride. Food tourism also provides significant employment within Fermanagh – without our staff of chefs, kitchen porters, kitchen assistants, waitresses and housekeepers we would not be able to run the business effectively and we are forever grateful for the hard work our staff do on a daily basis.
What motivates you to share your love of food and drink with both locals and tourists alike?
Our motivation to share our love of food and drink with locals and tourists comes from deep love of Fermanagh’s food culture and a desire to share this richness with others. We are proud of our restaurant and the dishes we serve and want to share this experience with others. When locals or tourists come to our restaurant we strive to ensure they have a great experience through high quality food, excellent drinks and service with a smile.
Rachel and Conall Humston and their children Darragh, Micheál and Rossa. (Image: Tim Flaherty)
How do you incorporate locally sourced ingredients and sustainability into your business?
We prioritise locally sourced ingredients throughout our menu. To name but a few; we source our meats from local butchers including Kevin McGovern, Belleek and O’Doherty's, Enniskillen.
Seasonal vegetables and potatoes from Gillens greengrocers. Our fish is fresh from Albatross seafood in Killybegs. To aid sustainability within the kitchen Leo steaks his own sirloins and uses the trimmings to make our sirloin burgers, stocks and sauces - such as our beef ragu.
We are very passionate about sustainability. We are mindful of our carbon footprint and recently installed digital thermometers and a smart heating system for our nine guest bedrooms and throughout the hotel to efficiently control our energy consumption. We are also in the process of exploring other energy efficiency options such as the installation of solar panels.
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