Eight prestigious awards have been presented to the winners of the 30th Irish Food Writers’ Guild (IFWG) Food Awards with Irish cheese winning big this year.
The awards highlight the outstanding quality, craftsmanship and innovation in Ireland’s artisan food industry, according to the director of marketing at Bord Bia, Una Fitzgibbon.
The winners of the 2023 Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Awards are:
- Food Award: Smoked Lough Neagh Eel, Co. Antrim;
- Food Award: Velvet Cloud Sheep’s Milk Yogurt, Co. Mayo;
- Food Award: Ballylisk of Armagh, Co. Armagh;
- Irish Drink Award: Beoir Chorcha Dhuibhne for Béal Bán, Co. Kerry;
- Outstanding Contribution to Irish Food: Gabriel Faherty, Aran Island Goats’ Cheese, Co. Galway;
- Environmental Award: The Wooded Pig, Co. Meath;
- Community Food Award: Field of Dreams – Down Syndrome Cork, Co. Cork;
- Lifetime Achievement Award: Kevin and Seamus Sheridan, Co. Galway.
Speaking about the awards, which began in 1993 to promote and celebrate Ireland’s indigenous food producers, IFWG chair Caroline Hennessy said:
“From traditional products of the highest quality to new innovations, this year’s winners exemplify what is so exciting about Ireland’s food and drink industry right now.”
The IFWG Food Awards, sponsored by Bord Bia, were celebrated at Dublin’s Suesey Street, with a lunch created by head chef Deniss Lasenko, featuring the winning produce.
Irish Food Writers’ Guild award winners
None of the businesses knew if they had been nominated or shortlisted for an award. All winning products must be produced in Ireland and the main ingredient must be Irish-grown or produced.
Smoked Lough Neagh Eel
The Lough Neagh Fishermen’s Co-Operative was set up in 1965 to safeguard the traditional methods of catching eels.
In 2011, Lough Neagh eel joined an illustrious line up of foods such as Champagne, Gorgonzola and Parma ham, when it was awarded Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status by the EU.
In line with careful conservation guidelines, the co-op now catches and processes around 220t of eels annually.
Velvet Cloud Sheep’s Milk Yogurt
Velvet Cloud Sheep’s Milk Yogurt comes from a flock of almost 400 sheep on the Flanagan family farm near Claremorris, Co. Mayo – “Nothing added, nothing strained away,” according to the label.
Aisling and Michael Flanagan refer to the versatile yoghurt as their “hero product” for all its uses with many other kitchen staples, and a higher-than-average protein yield, alongside probiotics and live cultures.
Ballylisk of Armagh
Mark Wright, who grew up on the family farm at Ballylisk, Co. Armagh, makes Ballylisk’s Triple Rose – a white mould ripened, single-herd, triple cream cheese.
In 2017, Ballylisk Dairies set up a bespoke production facility in Portadown. Since developing and launching the Triple Rose, Ballylisk has gone on to make smoked Triple Rose and Single Rose, a creamy farmhouse brie.
Béal Bán from Beoir Chorcha Dhuibhne
Adrienne Heslin founded Beoir Chorca Dhuibhne, also known as West Kerry Brewery, in 2008. It was the first brewery in Kerry and the first in Ireland to be founded and managed by a woman.
The brewery is based in the garden of her pub, Tig Bhric, in Ballyferriter on the Dingle Peninsula, using a small 800L kit and water from 150ft below the brewery.
Gabriel Faherty of Aran Islands Goat’s Cheese
Aran Islands Goat’s Cheese – Cáis Gabhair Árann – was born after former deep-sea fisherman Gabriel Faherty, who owns a farm on Inis Mór, bought a herd of goats and set up a cheese plant.
Having always been involved with tourism on the island, in 2021, he set up Aran Food Tours and combined his cheese production with bespoke tours on the history, culture and food of Inis Mór.
The Wooded Pig
Eoin Bird established the Wooded Pig in 2016 on his family run farm in the Boyne Valley in Tara, Co. Meath, where he and his team produce ethically raised, free-range Irish pork charcuterie.
Eoin values the importance of seasonal, ethically produced food and its provenance, practising ethical and regenerative agriculture to also ensure a nature-friendly farming network.
Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams was established in 2017 by the Cork branch of Down Syndrome Ireland. The 3ac site supports the learning needs of adults with Down Syndrome, using horticulture as a catalyst for learning and personal development.
From seed, to plot, to plate, participants work together to grow and harvest food, learn about good nutrition and how to cook.
Kevin and Seamus Sheridan
Kevin and Seamus Sheridan started selling cheese at Galway’s Saturday market in 1995. From one small stall to 21 establishments in less than 30 years, the brothers have worked to develop and grow a market for Irish farmhouse cheese.
Building strong relationships with producers and working closely with them has been central to the ethos of the company, according to the IFWG.