Food producers alert: Blas na hEireann food awards announced

The details of the 2009 Blas na hEireann food awards have just been announced and the organisers are looking for entries from Irish food producers.

Read on for more information on the food awards and remember, all foods entered must be commercially available in at least three outlets and be made in Ireland, either North or South, by companies registered on the island.

The winners will be announced on Friday 2 October as part of the Dingle Peninsula Food & Drink Festival – an event well worth checking out. The Husband, the Sister and myself thoroughly enjoyed the festival last year, doing lots of walking, eating our way around town and staying at the lovely Pax Guesthouse, all great hospitality, homemade cookies and warm hotwater bottles!

If you’re thinking of entering, don’t delay – the closing date for Blas na hEireann entries is next Thursday, 10 September.

THE BLAS NA hEIREANN FOOD AWARDS ARE BACK AND THE SEARCH FOR IRELAND’S BEST FOOD AND DRINK IS ONSupporting our indigenous food producers has never been more important and the 2009 Blas na hEireann Food Awards seek to do just that. The annual awards highlight and reward the best Irish producers and the fantastic food and drink products that they make and the September closing date for entries is fast approaching.  Now in its second year, these Awards attracted over 800 product entries from 300 producers throughout the country, North and South, in 2008. This is a huge response given its inaugural year, and a testament to the fact that Irish producers want to be recognised by an Irish Awards Scheme that will help them win the support of Irish retailers and shoppers alike. The Blas Awards are the only Irish food awards that focus solely on taste, arguably the most important criteria for a food product, and the judging standards are the most rigorous in the country. Winners are chosen as a result of blind tastings where like products are pitched against each other in a battle to tickle the tastebuds of the country’s top food experts. By the time a product has been awarded a Gold Medal it has been assessed by at least two different teams of judges.  This year there are up to 30 categories for producers to enter, ranging from cheese and chocolate to ice cream and black pudding.  The winners of each category will then do battle for the prestigious title of overall Producer of the Year 2009. Winners will be announced on the 2nd October as part of the hugely successful Dingle Peninsula Food & Drink Festival, which will include a special expo of all Gold, Silver and Bronze winners for buyers, press and the general public.  Chair of the Awards, Artie Clifford says: “People are prepared to pay for fine food and drink only if they know that they are getting top quality. When a product wins a Blas na hEireann Award it has independently proven itself to deliver just that”  A full list of awards is available on the website, www.irishfoodawards.com, along with a downloadable copy of the awards criteria and entry form. The deadline for entries is Thursday 10 September 2009.