The food industry –and we mean, the entire food industry – made its way to Dingle last weekend, and storm Lorenzo was not going to stop them.
The Blas na hÉireann food awards and the accompanying Dingle Food Festival has become the weekend of the year to celebrate Irish food.
Whether it’s chefs or food writers judging the 64 food categories throughout the week or food producers arriving at the weekend to hear whether they’ve earned a coveted prize, the standards are high and the competition is fierce.
Award winners
While everyone headed south, it was a company at the top of the country who won the Supreme Champion accolade. Green Pastures Donegal can expect to have a busy few months ahead as their soft cheese will be getting even more attention than usual on the back of winning this top award.
A family-run business in Convoy, Co Donegal, Green Pastures Donegal fuse the tradition and craft of cheese making with modern technology while also operating a “Natural by Nature” sustainability programme, working closely with family farms to advocate and support sustainable farming practices within their milk supply farms.
The resulting taste has a smooth creamy consistency and a mild lactic flavor that excited the judges.
Blas na hÉireann is all about celebrating Irish products and producers, big and small, and Burren Balsamics’s Raspberry Infused Balsamic Vinegar claimed the Best Artisan Product at the weekend.
This isn’t the first time the team have been successful at Blas, having won the same accolade in 2017 for their Blackberry and Thyme vinegar. Their range of 15 balsamic vinegars continues to go from strength to strength.
Burren Balsamics’s Raspberry Infused Balsamic Vinegar claimed the Best Artisan Product.
How does it work?
So how are these food accolades awarded? Although the first weekend in October is now known as the “Blas Weekend”, preparations to find the overall winners (and winners in each category) are ongoing for many months ahead of the event.
Over 2,500 entries are now submitted to Blas each year.
It’s a scientific process which starts in University College Cork (UCC) where the initial judging takes place.
Developed by Blas na hÉireann with the Food Science Department of UCC and the University of Copenhagen, it is now recognised as an industry gold-standard worldwide.
Entered products are blind-tasted, meaning that all packaging and identifying features are removed from products before being presented for judging, creating a level playing field for products from both large and small producers.
Previously speaking about the judging process to Irish Country Living, chair and founder of Blas na hÉireann Artie Clifford said: “We figure that the judging process has been used over a quarter of a million times now, when you calculate the number of products, judges and years.” Its validity stands up when you consider the results of the weekend.
Winning a Blas award has been shown to work for our previous winners in bringing them to the attention of food lovers both at home and abroad
“The judging in UCC is very clinical, while the judging in Dingle is much more social, but the ranking will generally hold right through.
“This is our 12th year of the Blas na hÉireann awards, and our aim continues to be to assist Irish producers to tell their stories by marking them out as special, and worth exploring,” continues Artie.
“Winning a Blas award has been shown to work for our previous winners in bringing them to the attention of food lovers both at home and abroad and we are looking forward to yet another exceptional year for our winners of Blas na hÉireann 2019.”
Honourable mentions
Other top winners during the weekend include the Truffle Fairy from Co Kilkenny which won Best New Product for their Origins Collection.
Morgans in Co Louth came out top for seafood innovation while Best Start Up went to A Bit on the Side in Co Meath. Regionally, Best in Connaught went to Wildwood Balsamics, Cooleeney Cheese claimed best in Munster, the Truffle Fairy got best in Leinster while the overall winner Green Pastures Donegal also took home best in Ulster.
Celebrating World
Porridge Day
Vanilla porridge with three-
minute raspberry coulis
Serves two
Thursday 10 October is World Porridge Day. To celebrate, Indy Power has put together this recipe which, thanks to the rich vanilla and sweet raspberry coulis, makes this porridge taste like a decadent Italian panacotta, but it is so easy to make.
90g Flahavan’s oats
400ml milk
1 vanilla pod
For the raspberry coulis:
120g fresh or frozen raspberries
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 Add the oats and milk to a medium saucepan on medium heat and bring it up to a simmer. Let them simmer gently while you make the coulis.2 Add the raspberries, water and maple syrup to a small saucepan on medium heat. Give it a stir and bring it up to a simmer. Turn the heat down so that it’s bubbling gently. Keep an eye on it as it bubbles and use a fork to gently mash the berries as they cook.3 Use a knife to carefully slice open the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape the seeds from inside straight into the oats. Stir well.4 After about three minutes, the berries should be soft and sticky.5 Serve the oats with the berries generously poured on top. Sprinkle mixes seeds on top if desired.
The food industry –and we mean, the entire food industry – made its way to Dingle last weekend, and storm Lorenzo was not going to stop them.
The Blas na hÉireann food awards and the accompanying Dingle Food Festival has become the weekend of the year to celebrate Irish food.
Whether it’s chefs or food writers judging the 64 food categories throughout the week or food producers arriving at the weekend to hear whether they’ve earned a coveted prize, the standards are high and the competition is fierce.
Award winners
While everyone headed south, it was a company at the top of the country who won the Supreme Champion accolade. Green Pastures Donegal can expect to have a busy few months ahead as their soft cheese will be getting even more attention than usual on the back of winning this top award.
A family-run business in Convoy, Co Donegal, Green Pastures Donegal fuse the tradition and craft of cheese making with modern technology while also operating a “Natural by Nature” sustainability programme, working closely with family farms to advocate and support sustainable farming practices within their milk supply farms.
The resulting taste has a smooth creamy consistency and a mild lactic flavor that excited the judges.
Blas na hÉireann is all about celebrating Irish products and producers, big and small, and Burren Balsamics’s Raspberry Infused Balsamic Vinegar claimed the Best Artisan Product at the weekend.
This isn’t the first time the team have been successful at Blas, having won the same accolade in 2017 for their Blackberry and Thyme vinegar. Their range of 15 balsamic vinegars continues to go from strength to strength.
Burren Balsamics’s Raspberry Infused Balsamic Vinegar claimed the Best Artisan Product.
How does it work?
So how are these food accolades awarded? Although the first weekend in October is now known as the “Blas Weekend”, preparations to find the overall winners (and winners in each category) are ongoing for many months ahead of the event.
Over 2,500 entries are now submitted to Blas each year.
It’s a scientific process which starts in University College Cork (UCC) where the initial judging takes place.
Developed by Blas na hÉireann with the Food Science Department of UCC and the University of Copenhagen, it is now recognised as an industry gold-standard worldwide.
Entered products are blind-tasted, meaning that all packaging and identifying features are removed from products before being presented for judging, creating a level playing field for products from both large and small producers.
Previously speaking about the judging process to Irish Country Living, chair and founder of Blas na hÉireann Artie Clifford said: “We figure that the judging process has been used over a quarter of a million times now, when you calculate the number of products, judges and years.” Its validity stands up when you consider the results of the weekend.
Winning a Blas award has been shown to work for our previous winners in bringing them to the attention of food lovers both at home and abroad
“The judging in UCC is very clinical, while the judging in Dingle is much more social, but the ranking will generally hold right through.
“This is our 12th year of the Blas na hÉireann awards, and our aim continues to be to assist Irish producers to tell their stories by marking them out as special, and worth exploring,” continues Artie.
“Winning a Blas award has been shown to work for our previous winners in bringing them to the attention of food lovers both at home and abroad and we are looking forward to yet another exceptional year for our winners of Blas na hÉireann 2019.”
Honourable mentions
Other top winners during the weekend include the Truffle Fairy from Co Kilkenny which won Best New Product for their Origins Collection.
Morgans in Co Louth came out top for seafood innovation while Best Start Up went to A Bit on the Side in Co Meath. Regionally, Best in Connaught went to Wildwood Balsamics, Cooleeney Cheese claimed best in Munster, the Truffle Fairy got best in Leinster while the overall winner Green Pastures Donegal also took home best in Ulster.
Celebrating World
Porridge Day
Vanilla porridge with three-
minute raspberry coulis
Serves two
Thursday 10 October is World Porridge Day. To celebrate, Indy Power has put together this recipe which, thanks to the rich vanilla and sweet raspberry coulis, makes this porridge taste like a decadent Italian panacotta, but it is so easy to make.
90g Flahavan’s oats
400ml milk
1 vanilla pod
For the raspberry coulis:
120g fresh or frozen raspberries
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 Add the oats and milk to a medium saucepan on medium heat and bring it up to a simmer. Let them simmer gently while you make the coulis.2 Add the raspberries, water and maple syrup to a small saucepan on medium heat. Give it a stir and bring it up to a simmer. Turn the heat down so that it’s bubbling gently. Keep an eye on it as it bubbles and use a fork to gently mash the berries as they cook.3 Use a knife to carefully slice open the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape the seeds from inside straight into the oats. Stir well.4 After about three minutes, the berries should be soft and sticky.5 Serve the oats with the berries generously poured on top. Sprinkle mixes seeds on top if desired.
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