Local food producers in Galway have been awarded top honours at this year’s prestigious and hugely-acclaimed Blas na hEireann Irish Food Awards, which were hosted this in Dingle, Co. Kerry over the weekend.
The producers and their sumptuous products were selected by a panel of 350 judges and were chosen from a huge entry of more than 2,000 products from across the country.
Local winners include:
— Bowl-a-Granola in Rahoon won silver for their honey and cinnamon bowl a granola in the breakfast cereal category
— The Foods of Athenry took bronze in the same category for their Strawberry Vanilla Gluten Free Granola as well as gold for their Nutty Crunch Granola Gluten Free with no refined sugar
— Annelar (Galway Goat Farm ) received gold for their goats’ milk
— Coffee Domain in Galway picked up a silver medal for their red and yellow pepper chutney
— Sean Loughnane’s won gold for their Aldi Premium White Pudding and bronze for their Aldi Jumbo Flavoured Sausages – Garlic and Herb
— Galmere Fresh Foods won the silver medal for their cous cous
— Kylemore Abbey and Walled Victorian Garden picked up bronze for their Kylemore Abbey scone mix
— Galway Bay Seafoods won gold and silver respectively for their barbequed peppered smoked salmon and hot smoked mackerel fillet
— Fleming’s Seafood, Ros a Mhíl won silver for their peeled irish supreme prawns
— Window to the Sea received a silver award for their smoked mackerel pate with croutons
— Galway Roast also won the bronze award in the coffee category
The award winners were announced at this year’s annual Dingle Peninsula Food and Wine Festival on Saturday evening. The decision of the adjudicators was revealed at a gala ceremony in the Phoenix Cinema in the west Kerry town, the venue lending much credibility to the notion that the Blas awards are the ‘Oscars’ for food producers.
Blas aims to recognise passionate, dedicated producers who create high-quality food and drinks and who are serious about marketing their fantastic products to markets at home and around the globe.
Chairman of the Blas Awards, Artie Clifford said that this year’s Blas na hEireann, National Irish Food Awards had a record number of entries making it the most competitive Blas ever.
“Winning at Blas means double digit growth for some producers, particularly those who use the Blas quality mark. We know from research that not only is the symbol widely recognised by shoppers, it also encourages them to buy products that carry the Blas accreditation. It is their guarantee of top class quality,” he added.
