With just eight prestigious awards presented, the biggest winner of the day was Irish cheese, with Ballylisk of Armagh, Gabriel Faherty of Aran Island Goats’ Cheese, and brothers, Kevin and Seamus Sheridan of Sheridan’s Cheesemongers all picking up awards.
The eight winners are:
1. Food Award: Smoked Lough Neagh Eel, Co. Antrim;
2. Food Award: Velvet Cloud Sheep's Milk Yogurt, Co. Mayo;
3. Food Award: Ballylisk of Armagh, Co. Armagh;
4. Irish Drink Award: Beoir Chorcha Dhuibhne for Béal Bán, Co. Kerry;
5. Notable Contribution to Irish Food: Gabriel Faherty, Aran Island Goats’ Cheese, Co. Galway;
6. Environmental Award: The Wooded Pig, Co. Meath;
7. Community Food Award: Field of Dreams - Down Syndrome Cork, Co. Cork; and
8. Lifetime Achievement Award: Kevin and Seamus Sheridan, Co Galway.
Chair of the IFWG, Caroline Hennessy, said: “Since the awards’ inception, each winner has been chosen independently and anonymously by IFWG members, recognising the best in Irish food by shining a light on smaller producers who might otherwise slip under the radar. 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.”
Three decades on from the first IFWG Food Awards, she took a moment to celebrate how the industry has evolved and how this has been reflected each year: “When the IFWG Food Awards began in 1993, it was with the aim of promoting and celebrating Ireland’s indigenous food producers and, as Ireland’s artisan food scene has developed and flourished, our core principles have remained true.
“Guild members have always shared a passion for nurturing a proud and vibrant Irish food culture. Thirty years on from those first awards, we are fortunate to live in a country where there is more attention paid to the food we eat, to who is producing it and how it is produced. Many of the winners from the early years are still familiar names today, proof of their enduring quality and we have no doubt that this year’s cohort of winners will continue that legacy.”