Bare Food Co, Drogheda

When you walk into the Bare Food Co in Drogheda, you know that whatever you choose will be healthy. That’s their ethos and they are sticking to it but it doesn’t mean boring, and it certainly doesn’t mean plates upon plates of rabbit food. Try turkey burgers topped with relish, their Irish steak sandwich on a potato and honey bap or their Irish roast herb chicken with smashed avocados which stands proudly beside their superfood salads topped with prawns. It’s all about the quality of the ingredients and so much of their food is made in the café, such as their pesto, muesli, slaw and even their homemade cheese.

www.thebarefoodcompany.ie

Copia Green, Limerick

Copia Green is located in Castletroy in Limerick, as is the University of Limerick. So instead of hot chicken fillet rolls, the students of Munster have a healthier option and the eight minute car journey could certainly be worth the trip. Copia Green is all about nourishment, especially their Nourish Bowl which is packed with Toons Bridge Dairy halloumi, spiced lentils with toasted walnuts and fresh greens. This is just one dish on their menu where each ingredient needs to be organic, seasonal or sustainable. And if you’re worried that eating healthy costs too much, don’t worry. They are running a ‘healthy hour’ for the month of January. From 7.30am to 8.30am daily, customers can avail of a 30% discount on selected breakfast dishes including their fig, baked banana and coconut activated oat porridge.

www.copiagreen.ie

Freshii - Dublin, Kildare and Laois

Drop into most petrol stations across the country and the healthy selection can be grim to say the least. Sometimes an apple just isn’t going to cut it. However, things are looking up as salad bar Freshii is expanding their operations. You’ll now find two on the Cork to Dublin road-one in Rathcoole, the other in Laois. If you’re heading up north, there is one at the Applegreen in Lusk and if are going west, there is one in Enfield. Most importantly, their food is healthy and delicious and if you are looking for something more moreish than a salad, they have rice bowls, burritos and a chicken broth soup loaded with veg and rice that will keep you going on many a long journey.

The Rocketman, Cork

The guys in Rocketman are really cool dudes and you pick up that vibe as soon as you walk into their funky shop on Princes Street in Cork. That’s if you can get in the door as you’ll often find a weekday queue. You couldn’t utter the words salad and boring in the same sentence in here as you’ll find chickpea with roasted aubergines, Brussel sprout slaw and caramelised golden beets and barley. They also have hearty stews, a ham hock sandwich in a sourdough bun that is immense and one of the best falafels around. All their ingredients are sourced from local farmers and they are also at Douglas and Mahon Point Farmers Markets.

www.therocketmawn.ie

The Farmhouse Cafe, Dublin

We’ve featured the Farmhouse Café on the pages of Irish Country Living in the past and we’ll be totally transparent, it’s up the road from Farmers Journal HQ, keeps us nourished with healthy lunches and we love it. Run by Susan O’Sullivan, it embraces the farm-to-fork ethos in a way that most cafes only dream of. From her family farm in Enfield, they produce their own meat for the gammon that fills the fresh sourdough bread that is baked right in front of customers as well as their own chicken that accompanies their superfood salad of roasted chickpeas, beetroot and Irish goats cheese. The bones are used to simmer proper stock for their soups. They also have a few not-so-healthy options, but we all deserve a treat every now and then.