The Top 10 Best Irish Foods to Watch Out For in 2017

If you want to find out what's really happening in the modern Irish Food scene - get on Twitter!

Every year, around Christmas Eve - I ask this question on my @IrishFoodGuide Twitter account... "What was Your Best Irish Food Find of the Year?"

I always get hundreds of replies from food lovers all over Ireland and this year was no exception with replies pouring in on Twitter over all the days of Christmas and New Year.

Most people tweeted back about amazing food products that they had discovered for the first time and others cheered on favourite food producers, street food and the excellent range of craft beers, spirits, ciders and wines that they've tasted over the last year from all over the island of Ireland.

Some folks tweeted about great restaurants that they've enjoyed last year but other writers and websites will take on the challenge of putting together the 'best restaurant' lists!

I have always said that "Irish Food" is food that is produced here on the Island of Ireland and so I've always included products with provenence from Northern Ireland as such.

This year I could see a change in the types of food products that came in the tweets and I spent a few days collating, counting and checking all the Tweeted suggestions from the public.

And so, based on all the tweets recieved from the public over the last two weeks, I've compiled (and for the first time category-listed) this year's Top 10 Best Irish Foods to Watch Out For in 2017, as voted by the public, on Twitter, in Ireland.

I've also included a Twitter Follow Button for each of the food products or people involved, so that you can follow them all with a simple click!

Best Irish Wine

Wicklow Way Wines

Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow - www.wicklowwaywines.ie

Móinéir Blackberry Wine with Wild Elderberries
Founded by Pamela Walsh and Brett Stephenson, Wicklow Way Wines are made in small batches at their County Wicklow winery, entirely from local Irish fruit. Their wines offer tantalising aromas, flavours and colours and are a unique way to savour a little of Ireland’s rich bounty.

Best Irish Craft Beer

Kinnegar Brewing Company
Rathmullan, County Donegal - www.kinnegarbrewing.ie

Kinnegar Rustbucket Rye & Barley Malt Ale
Currently working on the opening a brand new state-of-the-art brewery in nearby Letterkenny, Kinnegar Brewing was established in 2011 by Rick LeVert and Libby Carton. Rustbucket is a balance of rye and barley malt. The rye gives it a little spiciness which combines nicely with hops that contribute a citrusy note. Alc. 5.1% vol.

Best Irish Charcuterie

Corndale Farm

Limavady, County Derry - www.CorndaleFarm.com

Corndale Free Range Pork Chorizo

Corndale Farm, established in Limavady in 2012 by Alastair Crown, with the aim to produce top-quality pork from his herd of rare-breed, free-range pigs and have developed their own recipe for a unique smoky, savoury chorizo with a gentle background heat.

Best Irish Potatoes

Ballymakenny Farm

Ballymakenny, County Drogheda - 

www.facebook.com/people/Ballymakenny-Farm/100008765560127

Ballymakenny Farm Heritage Potatoes

Although coloured potatoes have been around for hundreds of years, they were quite hard to find until Maria Flynn started growing her specialised purple varieties at their farm in County Louth.
Now some of Ireland's top chefs and restaurants hold these potatoes, that are rich in immunity boosting and cancer fighting properties, in very high regard.

Best Irish Nutritional Sweet Snack

Absolute Nutrition Foods

Brittas, Co Dublin - www.facebook.com/absnutfoods

Absolute Nutrition Chocolate Protein Balls

Dublin girl Joanne Davey, a trained holistic nutritionist, founded Absolute Nutrition in 2014 and has created an artisan collection of award winning paleo, protein & energy treats and snacks.
They make everything by hand in their Dublin based kitchen.

Best Irish Nutrional Savoury Snack

Irish Biltong Company

Naas, Co. Kildare - www.irishbiltong.ie

High Protein Gourmet Beef Snack

Biltong is made by marinading beef in a special spice mix and allowing it to air dry before cutting it into thin strips to be eaten as a healthy snack, which is high in protein and low in sugar or fat. Irish Biltong, set up by Noreen & John Doyle, is fast breaking ground into sporting and fitness circles.

Best New Irish Street Food

Tom & Caolán Cullen's Arctic Stone

Marlay Park & People's Park, Dublin City - www.arcticstone.ie

Freshly Made Hand-Rolled Ice Cream

Flash frozen ice-cream, made to order, is a relativley new concept which originally developed in Thailand. By using premiem Irish ingredients, brothers Caolán & Tom Cullen have built a large core following of regular customers at their weekend street food stalls in Dublin city and at national markets and festivals.

Best New Irish Confectionary

Chocolatey Clare

Ravensdale Park, Kimmage, Dublin - www.chocolateyclare.com

Dairy Free, Gluten Free & Vegan Chocolate

Clare Tait's range of Dairy Free, Gluten Free & Vegan Chocolate flavoured chocolates are made entirely by hand in a dedicated section of a professional kitchen. She sources her ingredients carefully and uses fair-trade and organic ingredients where possible.

Best Irish Speciality Grower

Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms

Ballinalacken, County Limerick - www.ballyhouramushrooms.ie

Speciality Mushrooms & Mushroom Products

Lucy Deegan & Mark Cribbin set up in 2011 to  grow and supply the finest possible quality mushrooms and mushroom products in Ireland. They now  grow in excess of 10 varieties of speciality mushrooms year round which are grown in the absence of chemicals or pesticides.

Best Irish Seafood Product

The Haven Smokehouse

Carrigart, County Donegal - www.thehavensmokehouse.com

Turf Smoked Organic Salmon

Declan McConnellogue & Sue Cruse set up The Haven Smokehouse on their small farm near Carrigart on the Downings peninsula in north county Donegal, because they wanted to turf-smoke organic salmon. Their determination and passion, like the taste of their salmon, is unique.

And so, there you have the Top 10 Best Irish Foods to Watch Out For in 2017 as voted by the public in Ireland, on Twitter!

An interesting and diverse mix of new and established Irish Food products. Now it's your turn to get in contact with them all and try them out for yourself!

You can Follow me on Twitter here:

Do try to enjoy as much Irish Food as you can this year!

Zack

Top 20 Best Irish Foods to Watch Out For in 2015

Every year, around Christmas Eve -  I ask a question on Twitter... "What was Your Best Irish Food Find of the Year?" I get hundreds of replies from food lovers all over Ireland and this year was no exception with the replies pouring in all over the days of Christmas and New Year. 

I collate all the suggestions for great new foods from all over Ireland on a spreadsheet and from that I create the Top 20 Best Irish Foods to Watch Out For in 2015!

There have been an amazing amount of new food businesses set up over the last year and many new products are being developed by small producers all over the Island of Ireland. Many established small food producers have also been streamlining their product offering and expanding their lines. People are testing their foods at country markets and farmers markets and getting great feedback from customers, chefs and restaurants. This obviously helps them bring a better product to market for us to enjoy.

This year, people tweeted about old-style butters, artisan bakers, flavoured vinegars, innovative seafoods, hand-dried salts, top quality meats, hand-made confectionery, unusual dips and chutneys, honeys, crisps, foraged foods and much more!

One new food product, above all others, received the most mentions. I'll save that to last! I have included a Twitter Follow button so you can easily follow them to get details of their delicious food products.


And so, here are the Top Twenty Best Irish Foods to Watch Out For in 2015 as voted for by you, the food lovers on Twitter, all over Ireland!

• Tartine Organic Bakery - Co. Dublin

Food Lover and artisan baker Thibault Peigne is passionate about baking bread and uses the finest organic ingredients and traditional methods. He has created Tartine Organic Bakery to make freshly baked sourdough breads, french pastries and cakes.

• Improper Butter - Co. Dublin

A range of improperly delicious, Irish flavoured butters that inspire creativity at mealtimes, made by Elaine Lavery and Hannah O'Reilly.

• Wild About Foods - Co. Wexford

Fiona and Malcom Falconer produce a wide range of artisan chutneys, preserves, syrups, seasoning rubs, cocktail bases and wild pestos made from foraged and homegrown ingredients. They specialise in native wild ingredients like nettles, hips, haws, sloes, damsons, elderberries, crab apples, rowan berries, guilderose and whatever else is in season.

• Goatsbridge Trout - Co. Kilkenny

Fresh Trout, Smoked Trout, Trout Pate, Trout Caviar and more are all farmed, processed and produced on the banks of the Little Arrigle River by the family of Mags and Ger Kirwan. They have a passion for trout, which comes across in the quality of their product.

• The Wild Irish Foragers & Preservers - Co. Offaly

Sharon and Gordon Greene create exclusively Wild Syrups, Sauces, Fruit Cheeses, Pontack & more homemade to old recipes using hand-picked ingredients from their Millhouse Farm near Birr, Co Offaly.

• Abernethy Butter - Co. Down

Alison and Will Abernethy make handmade butter from local cream, handmade in churns the traditional way and patted into rolls. It is creamy and slightly salty to give a luxurious creamy taste. They also make fudge.

• Broughgammon Farm Kid Goat - Co. Antrim

Broughgammon Farm produce Cabrito (Kid Goat Meat), Free Range Rose Veal, Seasonal Game and Hand Harvested Irish Seaweeds. Their ethos is to produce great food locally, sustainably and competitively while balancing the growing requirements for food production with environmental protection.

• Rebel Chilli Hot Sauces - Co. Cork

Ken and Paul Moore's award winning 'Red Chilli with Lemongrass and Ginger' is a crowd favourite and the Cork-based Rebel Chilli range also includes the fantastically hot 'Chillionaire' and the sweet 'Jalapeno and Raspberry Jelly'.

• Irish Bee Sensations - Co. Cork

Tom and Croéin Ruttle are multi award winning producers of artisan Honey and Jams made only with their own Irish Raw Honey. They have a passion for their bees and for the reintroduction of the native Irish Bee.

• Achill Island Sea Salt - Co. Mayo

Achill Island Sea Salt was founded as a family business by Kieran, Marjorie and Sean O'Malley in July 2013, reviving the age old tradition of salt production on Achill Island, creating a sustainable and pure artisan product, which has received critical acclaim from chefs and cooks alike for its appearance, texture and taste.

• Le Fournil Bakery - Co. Donegal

In 2007, French chef Franck Pasquier retired from restaurant kitchens to set up Le Fournil Artisan Bakery in Donegal Town & Sligo. He bakes superb sourdough breads, patisserie items, tarts, croissants & much more. He also supplies the breads to Clotilde Rambaud and Tomasz Giderewicz at Le Fournil in Sligo town. Clotilde makes all the patisseries and chocolates in the Sligo store.

• Killowen Farm Yogurts - Co. Wexford

The Dunne family have been farming in Enniscorthy for nine generations. Their award winning yogurts are gluten free, low in sugar, naturally low fat and contain no artificial additives. Everyone says they taste great!

• Soul Soup - Co. Dublin

Lloyd Hamilton-Felton wanted to bring the healthiest and tastiest soups possible to soup lovers all over Ireland. He is now supplying some of Dublin's best artisan cafés and health shops.

• Keoghs Farm Crisps - Co. Dublin

Keoghs Farm say they produce Ireland’s only “hand cooked on the farm” artisan potato crisps. The family have been farming their potatoes for over 100 years and their crisps have become a favourite at home and abroad.

• John Stone Beef - Co. Longford

John Stone comes from a very long line of butchers and has been at the forefront of gourmet meat production for almost fifty years. His meats come from small manageable farms and he believes that the natural lifestyle of the cattle gives his meat it's unique and delicious flavour.

• The Foods of Athenry - Co. Galway

The old milking parlor on the Lawless family farm is now the bakery where they bake wheat and spelt soda breads & bread mixes, scones, cakes and pies as well as a range of Gluten Free breakfast cereals, cookies, crackers, flapjacks and cakes.

• Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms - Co. Limerick

Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms produce a wide range of foraged and cultivated speciality mushrooms and also a selection of handmade artisanal mushroom products. However, it was their Shiitake Dust which caught the imagination of so many people this year. This Powdered Irish Shiitake Mushroom delivers delicious buttery and umami notes making it perfect for seasoning meat, fish, vegetables, gravies, soups & sauces.

• Toons Bridge Buffalo Cheeses - Co. Cork

The first Toons Bridge buffalo calves arrived in the early spring of 2011 but their buffalo mozzarella took almost two years to perfect. A joint venture between Toby Simmonds of the Real Olive Co. and his neighbouring farmer Johnny Lynch, the dairy is now producing Buffalo Mozzarella Balls, Ricotta, Halloumi, a salty Greek-style cheese, Cachocavalio and smoked Scamorza cheeses. From time to time, milk quantities allowing, they also make buffalo milk yogurt and butter. And Ireland loves it all!

• Silver Darlings Herring - Co Limerick

Kirsti O’Kelly pickles Irish herrings according to traditional family recipes handed down from her mother and grandmother in her native Finland. She marinates the fish in a combination of mild vinegars and spices which dissolve the herring bones and keep the integrity of the fish flesh allowing it to take on the subtle flavours of aromatic spices like mustard seeds, sandalwood, cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves, pink peppercorns and fresh herbs such as dill, tarragon and coriander.

And the Best Irish Food to Watch Out For in 2015 as voted by the Irish Public, via Twitter, is ...

• Wild Wood Vinegars
  
  
  

  Rathlacken, Ballina, County Mayo

Fionntan Gogarty is an artist, vinegar producer, a lover of fine food, poetry and the wild rugged west of Ireland, an organic farmer, a dry-stone-waller, a beachcomber and an innovator. He is indeed all of these things!

Fionntan Gogarty of Wildwood Vinegars

Wildwood Vinegars, based in the little village of  Rathlackin, near Ballina in County Mayo, are a unique range of foraged wild fruit, herb, berry and blossom infused vinegars that unlock the hidden magic of nature's flavours and essences. Fionntan has only been producing them for less than a year but already they have been received with rapturous delight by all who have tasted them and have won several awards.

The fruity and flavourful vinegars are used for sauces, salad dressings, marinades, desserts and chilled as an alternative to sorbet or even added to soda-water for a refreshing soft drink!

If ever there was a product that gives you a true taste of the best of Ireland, Fionntan Gogarty's Wildwood Vinegars are just that! It's no wonder that so many people all over Ireland tweeted that this product was their Best Irish Food Find of the year.

Congrats to Fionntan and everyone else that made to Top 20 Best Irish Foods to Watch Out For in 2015. We look forward to another great year for Irish Food!

Zack