Good Food Ireland has announced the shortlisted finalists for its prestigious cross-sector awards.

The winners are due to be revealed at a gala dinner showcasing a wealth of Ireland’s fantastic produce taking place on Monday November 11, at The K Club Hotel, Co. Kildare.

The Good Food Ireland Awards 2024 in association with FBD Insurance celebrate businesses at every layer of Ireland’s food and drink industry.

From primary producers, manufacturers, and chefs, to shops, hotels, tourism experiences, and restaurants, those businesses who make the shortlist are regarded by the judges as embodying all that makes Ireland’s food offering so standout.

Good Food Ireland Awards 2024

The core emphasis of the awards is the consumer experience of local, fresh, seasonal, Irish ingredients.

Good Food Ireland highlights tourism-hospitality and retail businesses that prioritise local produce and encourages others. This, in turn, supports Irish farmers, food producers and fishermen, sustainably strengthening local economies and communities.

An independent collection of Irish and international leaders with in-depth knowledge of the hospitality industry makes up this year’s judging panel who shortlisted the nominees from those businesses approved by Good Food Ireland, subject to meeting strict criteria through on-site inspection. 

They include: founder and managing director of Good Food Ireland, Margaret Jeffares; former Good Food Ireland operations director, Susan Kerr; journalist John Wilson; hospitality consultant, Tom O’Connell; lecturer in the School of Hospitality Management and Tourism at TU Dublin, Dr. Detta Melia; executive chairman and owner of Odyssey International, Kevin Shannon; and previous chef and hotelier, Maurice Keller.

The expert panel will select the overall winner following mystery inspections and assessments in the weeks preceding the prize giving dinner in November.

For the first time this year there was also the opportunity for all other businesses around the island of Ireland who believe they share the Good Food Ireland philosophy, to enter a dedicated ‘Food Lovers Choice Award’ for which the public will soon have the opportunity to cast their vote.

Online voting will commence on Friday, October 4 and remain open until Sunday, October 20.

Other awards of recognition will include: the Good Food Ireland 5-Star Hotel of the Year; Culinary Haven of the Year; Restaurant of the Year; Pub of the Year and the Supreme Award sponsored by the awards’ official partners, FBD Insurance.

Tourism Ireland is sponsoring the Good Food Ireland Food Tourism Experience Award which highlights those businesses which feature local Irish food or drink as part of their visitor experience, while Bord Bia sponsors the highly regarded Overall Producer of the Year Award and AIB the Sustainability Award.

Other award sponsors include: The National Dairy Council; Roe and Co; Boursot Wines; and Waterford, along with The K Club, Co. Kildare as host partner.

Margaret Jeffares said: “We’re delighted to be back with another Good Food Ireland Awards and, as part of the judging panel I have to admit that each year we do this, it gets harder due to the high calibre of entries and increasing commitment to prioritising local Irish produce.

“It is important that those businesses communicate this shared philosophy to inform customers and attract new visitors seeking an authentic, cultural Irish food or drink experience.

“Seeing all these businesses collaborate and work together across sectors to help build our island’s reputation for spectacular food and drink overseas in order to create inclusive economic growth is truly fantastic.

“All of those businesses who have made it onto 2024’s shortlist are a genuine inspiration. Proud and passionate ambassadors of Ireland who strive to capture the very essence of the authenticity and provenance that makes our food and drink so uniquely ours.”

Shortlist

5-Star Hotel of the Year finalists:

  • The Europe Resort & Spa, Kerry;
  • Hayfield Manor, Cork;
  • The K Club, Kildare;
  • Grand Central Belfast;
  • Anantara The Marker Dublin;
  • The Dunloe Hotel & Gardens, Kerry;
  • Culloden Estate & Spa, Down;
  • The Merrion, Dublin.

Culinary Haven of the Year finalists:

  • Cashel House, Galway;
  • The Bushmills Inn, Antrim;
  • Ard na Sidhe Country House, Kerry;
  • Delphi Lodge & Estate, Galway;
  • Rathmullan House, Donegal;
  • Castle Leslie Estate, Monaghan;
  • Ballymaloe House Hotel, Cork;
  • Ghan House, Louth;
  • Bunratty Manor Hotel, Clare;
  • Barberstown Castle, Kildare.

4-Star Hotel of the Year finalists:

  • Fitzgerald’s Woodlands House Hotel & Spa, Limerick;
  • Killeavy Castle Hotel, Down;
  • Killarney Plaza Hotel & Spa, Kerry;
  • Kilronan Castle Estate & Spa, Roscommon;
  • The Glenroyal Hotel, Kildare;
  • The Granville Hote, Waterford;
  • Kelly’s Resort Hotel & Spa, Wexford;
  • Dunraven Arms Hotel, Limerick;
  • BrookLodge & Macreddin Village, Wicklow.

Restaurant of the Year finalists:

  • Hang Dai Chinese Restaurant, Dublin;
  • Hugo’s Restaurant, Dublin;
  • Khushee Indian Restaurant, Dublin;
  • Wild Thyme Restaurant, Monaghan;
  • Fishy Fishy, Cork;
  • The Lemon Tree Restaurant, Donegal;
  • Woodruff Restaurant, Dublin;
  • An Port Mor, Mayo;
  • The Church Restaurant, Cork.

Hotel Restaurant of the Year finalists:

  • The Searooms, Kelly’s Resort Hotel & Spa, Wexford;
  • Douglas Hyde Restaurant, Kilronan Castle Estate & Spa, Roscommon;
  • Forbes Street by Gareth Mullins, Anantara The Marker Dublin;
  • The Seahorse Restaurant, Grand Central Hotel, Belfast;
  • Gullion at Killeavy, Killeavy Castle Hotel, Down;
  • The Grill Restaurant, The Dunloe Hotel & Gardens, Kerry;
  • Snaffles Restaurant, Castle Leslie Estate, Monaghan.

Café of the Year finalists:

  • Farmhouse Cafe & Bakery, Dublin;
  • The Bakery Shack, Donegal;
  • The Silver Restaurant at Newbridge Silverware, Kildare;
  • The Hungry Bear Gorey, Wexford;
  • Greenwich, Cork;
  • On the Pigs Back Cafe & Deli Douglas, Cork;
  • Cliff View Cafe at Cliffs of Moher, Clare;
  • Kelly’s Kitchen Cafe, Mayo;
  • Kalbo’s, Cork;
  • Heather at The Gap, Kerry.

Pub of the Year finalists:

  • The King’s Head, Galway;
  • The Lifeboat Inn, Cork;
  • The Glyde Inn, Louth;
  • Mikey Ryan’s Bar & Kitchen, Tipperary;
  • Harte’s of Kildare, Kildare;
  • The Strand Cahore, Wexford;
  • Lock 13 Brewpub, Kildare;
  • The Oarsman, Leitrim;
  • Harrigan’s Bar & Grill, Kildare.

Shop of the Year finalists:

  • Market House Ennistymon, Clare;
  • Caviston’s Restaurant & Food Emporium, Dublin;
  • Corrigan’s Butchers Drumcondra, Dublin;
  • Urru Culinary Store, Cork;
  • Brogan’s Butchers, Meath;
  • Firecastle, Kildare;
  • Murphy’s Butcher, Carlow;
  • Country Choice, Tipperary.

Food Tourism Experience Award finalists:

  • Vintage Tea Trips, Dublin;
  • Aran Islands Goats Cheese & Tours, Galway;
  • Burren Smokehouse & Visitor Centre, Co. Clare;
  • Realt na Mara Shellfish, Kerry;
  • The Cliff View Cafe at the Cliffs of Moher, Clare;
  • Croagh Patrick Oysters, Mayo;
  • Ballymaloe Cookery School, Organic Farm & Gardens, Cork;
  • Longmeadow Cider, Armagh.

Sustainability Award finalists:

  • Brook Hall Estate, Derry;
  • Fish City Restaurant, Belfast;
  • Scopers Dundrum, Down;
  • BrookLodge & Macreddin Village, Wicklow;
  • O’Shea Farms, Kilkenny;
  • Atlantis Seafoods, Wexford;
  • Keoghs Farm, Dublin;
  • GROW HQ, Waterford;
  • Realt na Mara, Kerry.

Food Lovers Choice Awards (to be voted upon by the public in each tourism destination):

  • Wild Atlantic Way;
  • Dublin;
  • Ireland’s Ancient East;
  • Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands;
  • Northern Ireland.

Food Innovator of the Year finalists:

  • JP McMahon, Aniar, Galway;
  • Alastair Bell, Irish Black Butter;
  • Paul Cunningham, Scoper’s Dundrum, Down;
  • Esperanza Hernandez, The Old Roots Winery, Wexford;
  • The O’Neill Family, Mountain View, Kilkenny.

Producer of the Year Awards

Meat Producer of the Year finalists:

  • Calvey’s Achill Mountain Lamb, Mayo;
  • Kelly’s of Newport, Mayo;
  • Market House Ennistymon, Clare;
  • Tom Durcan Meats, Cork.

Fruit and Veg Producer of the Year finalists:

  • Keogh’s Farm, Dublin;
  • Garryhinch Wood Exotic Mushrooms, Offaly;
  • Kearns Fruit Farm, Wexford;
  • Malone Fruit Farm, Carlow;
  • Mr Jeffares Blackcurrants, Wexford;
  • O’Shea Farms, Kilkenny;
  • The Apple Farm, Tipperary.

Dairy Producer of the Year finalists:

  • Glastry Farm, Down;
  • Aran Islands Goats Cheese, Galway;
  • Linnalla Ice Cream, Clare;
  • Milleens Cheese, Cork;
  • Boyne Valley Farmhouse Cheese, Meath;
  • Freezin Friesian, Waterford;
  • Killowen Farm, Wexford;
  • O’Shea Farms, Kilkenny.

Fish & Seafood Producer of the Year finalists:

  • Croagh Patrick Seafoods, Mayo;
  • Burren Smokehouse, Clare;
  • Ummera Smoked Products, Cork;
  • Atlantis Seafoods of Kilmore, Wexford;
  • K O’Connell English Market, Cork;
  • Realt na Mara, Kerry;
  • Connemara Smokehouse, Galway;
  • Caviston’s Smoked Salmon, Dublin.

Bakery & Chocolate Producer finalists:

  • Praline Pastry & Chocolate Shop, Cork;
  • Wilde Irish Chocolate, Clare;
  • Barrons Bakery & Coffee House, Waterford;
  • Koko Kinsale, Cork;
  • The Chocolate Garden of Ireland, Carlow;
  • Jinny’s Bakery & Tea Rooms, Leitrim;
  • Ditty’s Bakery, Derry;
  • Chez Emily, Dublin.

Drinks Producer of the Year finalists:

  • Long Meadow Cider, Armagh;
  • Whitewater Brewery, Down;
  • Wild Atlantic Distillery, Tyrone;
  • Western Herd Brewing, Clare;
  • Rebel City Distillery, Cork;
  • Five Farms Irish Cream Liqueur, Cork;
  • Hinch Distillery, Down;
  • The Apple Farm, Tipperary;
  • The Old Roots Winery, Wexford.

Sweet & Savoury Producer of The Year finalists:

  • Crawfords Rock Seaweed Salt, Down;
  • Leahy Beekeeping, Galway;
  • Wild Irish Foragers & Preservers, Offaly;
  • Janet’s Country Fayre, Wicklow;
  • The Carrygerry House Range, Clare;
  • Crossogue Preserves, Tipperary;
  • Harnett’s Oils, Armagh;
  • Achill Island Sea Salt, Mayo;
  • Wexford Home Preserves, Wexford.

The Overall Producer of The Year award, Outstanding Contribution to Food Production award, Lifetime Achievement Award and Supreme Award of The Year will all be announced at the awards ceremony in November.

AGRI-FOOD AWARDS FOOD PRODUCERS GOOD FOOD IRELAND