Great Taste 3-Star Awards Winners for Ireland
Seven Irish Food Producers have come out on top with the coveted 3-Star Allocation, in this years' Guild of Fine Foods Great Taste Awards for 2015, which were just announced today. The winners are:
Cuinneog Ltd
Cuinneog has produced the finest quality Irish Farmhouse Country Butter and Natural Buttermilk for the past 25 years. Their butter is produced with pasteruised cream, a little salt and time. It is a true 'country' butter which gets its distinctive flavour and texture from the slow traditional production process. The cream is slowly heated and fermented, then churned in the traditional way. The butter is then shaped, cut & wrapped by hand.
Java Republic Rwandan
Java Republic is an independent Irish-owned company founded in 1998 by David McKernan. David set up the business to take advantage of a gap in the premium coffee market in Ireland. Their Rwandan Coffee is described as "a Light Roast Coffee with a milk chocolate and woody body. Hints of peach and mandarin give this coffee a fruity finish that is fresh on the palate".
James Whelan Beef Dripping
Having their own farm, abattoir and shop to sell their beef, allows James Whelan Butchers to give people that essential element of trust that consumers today require when they buy meat in-store or online. Their Beef Dripping is a great product utilizing the animal fat rendered from the beef carcass. Similar to lard, beef dripping is used in cooking and makes amazing chips and is a great alternative to goose fat for roast potatoes.
Quinlan's Smoked Irish Organic Salmon
Quinlan's Kerryfish
With over 60 years of experience the Quinlan family have become eminent artisan producers of Organic Oak Smoked Irish Salmon. After careful preparation of the each Atlantic Salmon, they use native Irish oak wood chippings to create Organic Smoked Salmon with a truly brilliant flavour, texture and taste. Their Organic Oak Smoked Irish Salmon has achieved a reputation amongst connoisseurs of good food for the excellence of its flavour and for its consistent quality.
Quinlan's Kerryfish
Quinlan's Kerry Fish use unique smoking technique extracts distinguished flavours from Salmon.
Bewley's Tea
This award winning tea is sourced from a single tea garden east of the Rift Valley high on the slopes of Mount Kenya. It is refined, elegant and golden with a delicate flavour. Expertly blended by their Master Blender, it’s brimming with distinctive aromas and flavours. The Fairtrade premium Bewley’s pays helps farmers to make a vital contribution to their families, local communities and the natural environment.
Ballyhoura Cep Oil
Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms
Ballyhoura Mountain Mushroom are an Irish grower of specialist mushrooms including Shiitake, Oyster, Eryngii (King Oyster) Golden Oyster, Rose Oyster, Lions Mane "PomPom", Velvet Pioppino & Nameko. They also produce a range of award winning speciality mushroom products including Marinated Oyster & Shiitake Mushrooms, Mushroom Soups, Wild Mushroom and Oyster Mushroom Pate, the Cep Oil, Mushroom Ketchup, Mushroom Seasoning Powders & Dried Mushrooms.
Ballyhoura Mushroom Vinegar
Lucy and Mark produce a great range of marinated Oyster Mushrooms, Shiitake or Eryngii Mushrooms blanched in local Irish Cider Vinegar marinated in Extra Virgin Olive Oil with chilli, garlic and fresh homegrown herbs.
On top of that, Ballyhoura also supply a range of foraged Wild Irish Foods including Wild Mushrooms (Chanterelles, Ceps, Hedgehog, Saffron Milk Caps, Blewits, Chicken of the Woods, Hen of the Woods), Wild Garlic, Three Cornered Leek, Sorrel, Wood Sorrel, Wild Strawberries and Burdock.
The FULL LIST is Irish 3-Star, 2-Star and 1-Star WINNERS can be seen the special Irish winners section of the Great Taste Awards website HERE
There were Three 3-Star Winners in Northern Ireland:
And the full list of Northern Ireland Winners of 3-Star, 2-Star and 1-Stars can be seen HERE
Congrats to all the winners!
Zack
