Slices of pizza and paradise at Cork bay

BALLYCOTTON is a jewel along the East Cork coastline and its newest addition is a pizza and chips takeaway spot on Main Street, just in time for the throngs of summer cliff walkers and sea swimmers.

Big Blue is the passion project of Ben Harvey. Originally from Bristol, he used to work in the film industry as a location manager. Eleven years ago, he relocated to Ireland for his children, Dylan, Saoirse, and the newest edition, Cara.

Upon his arrival in Cork, Ben pivoted into hospitality and quickly learned the pizzeria trade through his affiliation with Volcano Pizza.

During the Covid lockdowns, he experimented with the idea of his own pizza truck, and also toyed with the idea of a permanent premises in Youghal, writing a business plan and drawing floor designs.

Nothing quite stuck, until John McEnally, former owner of Skinny’s Diner, mentioned to him that he was looking to pass the premises on to someone else. Ben didn’t need long to say yes and hastily went about securing the place for himself.

In March, 2023, the keys were handed over and he was able to begin bringing his ideas to life with the blank slate that he was given.

He incorporated the help of a local tradesman Christopher, who “made things happen and got the job done, bashing through the new fence in a day and building the counter in another day, just hammering through all the different jobs like a pro”.

Ben, having a creative flair for branding, went about designing the logo and colour themes himself. The logo is mounted at the door of the shop and pays special homage to Ballycotton Lighthouse.

On Thursday, June 8, the doors opened for the first time and that first weekend went swimmingly.

We sold out of everything we had on every day which was a massive success!

Ben was able to keep on the staff of the previous owner so no-one was out of a job.

“I had never worked a commercial deep fat fryer before and was a little nervous about using it during a busy service – but day one, the girls came in, fired it up and bashed out the fries all day long, not a bother to them!”

Even his young lad, Dylan, is a great help and able to do most things around the business, now keeping a family feel to the place.

The family feel is appropriate because summer tourism is one thing, but business from local families in the community over the winter period is important also. Ben’s looking to have his takeaway protocol fully smoothed out for the winter season so people will be able to pick up their evening meals all year round if they don’t fancy cooking.

He has opted for the Roma style pizza, which is somewhere in between a Neapolitan and a New York style – crispier than Neapolitan but not as thick as New York style. For the pizza lovers, it’s nice to have a variety of choice and with Roma style being the least ubiquitous, it’s a welcome approach.

He’s keeping things local as much as he can, stocking Baldwin’s Farmhouse Ice Cream, who are based in Youghal, and using Gubbeen Meats, who hail out of Schull.

His menu items are quirky, paying homage to a previous menu item called the ‘Kitchen Sink burger’ – he now has the ‘Veggie Kitchen Sink pizza’ – which is as you would expect it – covered in all veggies!

Ben is stocking ‘Posh Drinks’ for the fancy beverage enthusiasts, and ‘Soft Drinks’ (the humble cousin of the Posh Drink) for those who like the classics.

His back yard seating area is a gorgeous oasis tucked down off the road with a beautiful view of the bay. It’s very easy to imagine the place bustling with families and friends tucking into his food and enjoying the summer. Possible plans for music acts, a coffee dock, and other ways to bring atmosphere and life to the area are in the works.

The spot is by no means a finished product and as I was chatting to Ben, a continuous stream of ideas were flowing out of him, as he explained to me what he could do with the kitchen, the outdoor seating area, and the menu. It’s exciting times ahead for Ben and his Big Blue project with plenty of creative growth and development on the horizon.

Currently, Big Blue is open four days a week, Thursday to Sunday, with potential to increase to five days a week. All information can be found through the social media @big_blue_pizza.