The finalists for Blas na hÉireann, The Irish Food Awards, 2024 have been announced and the countdown is now on for another exciting and joyous awards weekend in the pretty seaside town of Dingle. The three-day event will take place from Thursday 3rd October to Saturday 5th October.
The excitement is already building and the Blas team are hard at work preparing for the arrival of food and drink producers from across Ireland to celebrate the very best of Irish.
Now in its 17th year, Blas na hÉireann saw another record-breaking year across all categories along with many new producers entering the awards for the first time this year. During the judging, which took place in June and July, over 3,000 entries were judged, testament to the number of brilliant producers across the country.
Kildare County Council , Head of Enterprise, Jacqui Mc Nabb commented: “We are delighted to see 11 finalists in this year’s Blas na hÉireann and are proud to be sponsoring, for the very first time, Best in Kildare to celebrate the food provenance, taste and above all the passion and talent of our Kildare food & drink producers.”
The finalists shortlisted from Co. Kildare across a range of different categories are Bird’s Eye frozen foods, Coghlan’s Artisan Bakery, Couverture Handmade Desserts & Cakes, Daisy Desserts (Dessert trailer), Firecastle (artisan grocers, delicatessen, bakery and café), Killadoon Milk, (pasteurised, non-homogenised whole milk from their single source jersey-cross herd, using reusable glass bottles), O’Brien Fine Foods (premium cooked meat)s, Pro-Bars Ltd, (Harte’s of Kildare Restaurant) Rye River Craft Brewing, The Brown Bread Guy, and Beara Bitters, handmade cocktail bitters.
Speaking as the finalists were announced, Blas na hÉireann Chairperson, Artie Clifford said, “I started the awards after 30 years in the food industry, and I knew there was a need to celebrate the amazing food and drink being produced on the island of Ireland. 17 years later, it continues to delight me the number of new producers entering each year along with so many familiar faces returning year on year. We are an island of phenomenal producers and should be very proud of that, being able to showcase the very best of the best in Dingle each year is a real privilege for the whole Blas team.”
This year’s Blas na hÉireann awards in Dingle will see the return of Eat Ireland in a Day market and the Blas Village where the 2024 finalists will get the opportunity to showcase their products, engage with customers and meet key industry buyers. This year’s focus will be on sustainability with a commitment to encourage zero-waste throughout the three days of the awards in line with the Dingle Food Festival ethos. One new element at Blas will be the removal of any single use cups and the introduction of the first electric van delivering food and drink to the awards from across the country. These new initiatives are supported by Bank of Ireland in partnership with Blas.
With over 3,000 products entered in this year’s Blas na hÉireann, making it as a finalist is a huge achievement and one to be very proud of. The competition ramps up year on year, meaning those producers who are shortlisted as finalists really are the crème de la crème of Irish food and drink.
For finalist producers it is not just their exceptional food and drink which will be celebrated in Dingle but the people themselves, the passionate producers who make the very best of Irish will be recognised and rewarded making Blas na hÉireann 2024 a food event not to be missed!
Notes to Editors:
Blas na hÉireann, the Irish Food Awards, are the largest food awards on the island, open to all 32 counties. Judging took place during June and July and awards will be announced on 4th October.
For more information or imagery contact:
Hattie Wrixon
Host & Co
E: hattie@hostandcompany.ie
M: 087 189 1360
