Euro-Toques Ireland Food Awards 2025

Community, passion and sense of place: that’s what stands out when chefs and producers gather for the annual Euro-Toques Food Awards. It’s always a busy, noisy gathering where everyone wants to see, taste and experience everything, from the local cheeses and the bread that travelled up that morning, the new liqueur and the special sorbet, the jellies, butters and beautifully displayed vegetables. It’s a celebration of the best of Irish food, in a wonderful venue – we travelled to the Lodge at Ashford Castle this year – and with the best people.

Each year, the Euro-Toques Ireland chef-members nominate their favourite producers, the people they buy food from, feature on their menus and cook with in their restaurant kitchens. Everyone then comes together to showcase these artisans in a beautiful setting for the Awards. Working as MC for this event is a joy. It’s about celebrating the winners in each category, yes, but it’s also an opportunity to highlight the work done by all these nominees. It’s also a pleasure to work with the Euro-Toques Food Council, particularly Manuela Spinelli, Kim Leonard, Conor Halpenny and Aishling Moore.

After yesterday’s awards, we celebrated with a spectacular Irish food feast from Ashford chefs Liam Finnegan and Jonathan Keane: the bread station will live long in my memory, the salads were a thing of beauty and there was a Dexter beef Wellington that was worth an entire feature by itself.

These citations were written in collaboration with the Euro-Toques Food Council.

WATER: Dingle Sea Salt
This year’s award goes to Dingle Sea Salt, a remarkable example of innovation rooted in environmental stewardship. Founded by Tom Leach and Moe McKeown on the Dingle Peninsula in 2019, the business was born from a shared love of surfing and a deep connection to the sea. Rejecting conventional methods of salt harvesting, they pioneered Ireland’s first solar-evaporated sea salt, a low-carbon process powered only by the sun and wind. They work with the rhythm of the seasons to leave a minimal footprint on the environment.

Dingle Sea Salt is not only mineral-rich and of premium quality, but is also a product of place, passion, and purpose. From their off-grid evaporation process to the thoughtful packaging and subscription model, every element reflects a commitment to sustainability and innovation. This is exceptional sea salt.

 

LAND: Coole Farm
The 2025 Land Award goes to Coole Farm, a family-run organic market garden in County Louth, where Helen McManus and Mark Durnin have been cultivating fresh, vibrant salad leaves and vegetables since 2019. This couple have farming in their blood. Helen grew up on a farm and Mark is a fourth-generation farmer: together they transformed unused land into a flourishing micro-farm grounded in regenerative principles.

From rocket to mizuna, Swiss chard and red giant mustard, Coole Farm’s salad leaves are harvested and delivered within 24 hours, preserving their flavour, freshness, and nutritional integrity. Their journey has been one of learning and collaboration, drawing inspiration from mentors like Jim Cronin and encouragement from fellow growers. This was further strengthened by Mark’s Master’s Degree in Organic Farming and their participation in the SuperValu Food Academy.

Starting off supplying just a handful of local shops, the business has grown into a trusted source for more than 20 outlets, including restaurants, farm stores, and supermarkets. Coole Farm exemplifies how small-scale, local food systems can be powerful agents of change, cultivating exceptional produce alongside resilience, stewardship, and a renewed connection to the land.

FARM: Moy Hill Farm
The 2025 Farm Award goes to Moy Hill Farm, a pioneering regenerative farm in County Clare. What began in 2013 as a half-acre community garden has grown into a 65-acre farm, deeply rooted in the land and the people it feeds. Founded by Fergal and Sally Smith, Moy Hill Farm is guided by a clear mission: to nourish their local community with healthy, nutrient-rich food while regenerating soil, ecosystems, and agricultural knowledge.

At the heart of the farm are free-range hens, foraging on lush pastures as part of a holistic system that enriches the land and supports microbial life. Moy Hill’s commitment to transparency and education is visible in their weekly markets, the farm shop, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes, and year-round tours that show customers exactly how their food is grown and raised. Through their internship programme, they’re also cultivating the next generation of regenerative farmers.

 

DAIRY (Cultured Butter): Salt Rock Dairy
The 2025 Dairy Award for Butter goes to Salt Rock Dairy, a small but mighty dairy processor based on the Kinsella farm in County Wexford. Founded by Catherine Kinsella, Salt Rock Dairy was born from a deep respect for milk, a frustration with the lack of quality in commercial dairy, and a desire to reconnect consumers with the true taste of the farm. What began as a leap of faith during lockdown has since flourished into a thriving micro-dairy producing cultured butter, buttermilk, yoghurt, and kefir, all made in small batches using milk from the family herd.

Salt Rock Dairy’s cultured butter, churned from rich, creamy milk and finished with Wexford sea salt, speaks to the very best of the Irish dairy tradition. It is real, honest, and full of flavour. With an ethos rooted in transparency, sustainability, and direct-to-customer sales, Salt Rock is not only reviving the lost art of butter-making but also redefining what it means to be a local dairy.

DAIRY (Soft Cheese): Ballylisk – The Triple Rose
This year’s winner, Ballylisk of Armagh, is a shining example of a producer that honours heritage while championing the Irish craft of cheesemaking. Founded by brothers Mark and Dean Wright, Ballylisk was established in 2017 as a way of adding value to the high-quality milk produced by their pedigree Holstein herd on the family farm in County Armagh. From this single herd, Ballylisk produces their signature cheese, using a highly skilled, hands-on process that embodies their commitment to quality, traceability, and artisan production.

Their flagship cheese, The Triple Rose, is a luxurious triple cream cheese made with pasteurised milk and enriched with extra cream. Decadent yet balanced, it carries a subtle complexity that speaks to the quality of the milk and the skill of its makers. It’s a cheese that has won acclaim from chefs, cheesemongers, and food lovers alike, earning a place on menus, deli counters, and cheeseboards across Ireland.

ARTISAN PRODUCE: Wild Irish Foragers
The 2025 award goes to Wild Irish Foragers, a fifth-generation family farm in County Offaly, where every jar, syrup, and jelly is a love letter to the Irish countryside. From wild rosehips and elderberries to honeysuckle, sloes, and gorse, Sharon and Gordon Greene hand-pick ingredients from the land they’ve cared for over generations. The result is a remarkable range of syrups, fruit cheeses, jellies, and shrubs, all made in small batches using traditional recipes handed down through time.

At the heart of Wild Irish Foragers is a deep commitment to heritage and sustainability. Their land, wild and gently tended, is carefully listened to, respected, and shared with nature. Their work revives flavours that have almost been lost, simple, elemental tastes that tell stories of foraged abundance, seasonal rhythm, and nearly forgotten skills.

TRADITIONAL CRAFT/SKILL: Seagull Bakery
The 2025 award is presented to Seagull Bakery, a sourdough bakery in Waterford, that exemplifies a deep-rooted commitment to traditional craft, sustainable practice, and local sourcing. At the heart of Seagull Bakery is founder Sarah Richards’ ambitious vision: to rebuild the Irish grain economy from the ground up. Working hand in hand with local organic farmers, Seagull has helped to plant and grow heritage wheat varieties within an hour of the bakery, forging a powerful link between farm and loaf.

Using Irish-grown, stone-ground flours from mills such as Oak Forest, Kells Wholemeal, and Dunany Flour, Seagull Bakery champions flavour, nutrition, and sustainability. From sourdough bread and croissants to crackers, pasta, and granola, every product tells a story of grain, terroir, and time.

Their baking philosophy allows ancient and heritage flours to shine, embracing whole grains, boldfermentation, and a distinctly savoury, umami flavour profile—even in pastries. Their creative combinations – such as a caramel square with dillisk seaweed and wholegrain Irish flour – show a deep reverence for Irish ingredients and a flair for innovation.
Seagull Bakery doesn’t just bake bread, they reimagine it. Through collaboration, resilience, and a genuine passion for craft, they are working on bringing Ireland closer to a truly local and sustainable food system.

2025 Nominees
Water – The Island Nation Award
 Dingle Sea Salt, Kerry
 Dúlra Seaweed, Mayo
 Salt of Kinsale, Cork
 The Sea Gardener, Waterford

Land – Honouring Our Heritage
 The Bullaun Ark, Galway
 Coole Farm, Louth
 Glasswater Farm, Down
 Glasraí Farm, Mayo

Farm – Honouring Sustainable Animal Rearing
 Fiorbhia Farm, Laois
 Moy Hill Farm, Clare
 Tinnock Farm, Tipperary

Dairy – Cultured Butter
 Irish Gourmet Butter, Waterford
 Knockdrinna Butter, Kilkenny
 Salt Rock Dairy, Wexford
 Toonsbridge Cultured Butter, Cork

Dairy – Soft Cheese
 Ballylisk, Armagh
 Durrus Cheese, Cork
 Hollywood Farmhouse Cheese, Wicklow
 Leitrim Hill Creamery, Leitrim

Artisan Produce – Irish Preserved Ingredients
 Bia Cultures, Monaghan
 Richmount Cordial Company, Longford
 Wild About, Wexford
 Wild Irish Foragers, Offaly

Traditional Craft/Skill – Independent Bakers
 Hugo’s Bakery, Clare
 Plúr Bakery, Carlow
 Seagull Bakery, Waterford
 Una Bakery, Dublin
 Ursa Minor Bakehouse, Antrim
 Wildflower Bakery, Cork