THE Burren Food Fayre will take place as part of this year’s Winterage Festival, as producers and chefs come together to showcase the food of the area at one of the region’s most iconic farming events.

This year’s event will be held in a marquee on a farm at the start of the Cattle Drive near Lough Bunny on Sunday, October 30. It will include, tastings, cooking demos, storytelling and music with plenty of opportunities for people to meet sample and purchase the products before and after the cattle drive is complete.  

The Burren Winterage Festival, which is organised by Burren Beo, celebrates the ancient custom of out-wintering cattle on the upland areas of the Burren. It has developed into a five-day festival, which begins on Wednesday, October 26, features a range of farming, heritage, cultural and family events, concluding the following Sunday.

“We are delighted to be hosting this year’s event at the Winterage Festival,” said Jarlath O’Dwyer, CEO of the Burren Ecotourism Network. “Many of our producers are farmers or from an agricultural background so it’s a natural fit for the network. Food production has a long history in  the Burren and the area is well renowned as The Fertile Rock, and in recent years then region has developed an excellent reputation for its great restaurants and their use of local produce.”

The food producers taking part include Aillwee Burren Gold Cheese, Burren Distillers, Burren Smokehouse, Burren Beef, Clare Jam, St Tola Irish Goat Cheese, Flaggy Shore Oysters and Burren Free Range Pork, Doolin Pantry and Hazelwood Bakery.

Chef Robbie McCauley from Gregan’s Castle Hotel, and chef Glynn Trollip from Hotel Doolin will also be hosting cooking demonstrations at the Calor Ireland kitchen in the marquee, using the best of Burren produce. The energy company signed a 12-month partnership with the Burren Ecotourism Network earlier this year. This includes sponsorship of the Burren Slow Food festival in May as well as a number of other marketing initiatives. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is also supporting the event.

Commenting on the sponsorship and support of the Burren Food Fayre, Louise Carrick, Head of Marketing & CX at Calor Ireland said: “Calor is delighted to be lead sponsor of the Burren Food Fayre as part of our 12-month sponsorship of Burren EcoTourism Network.

With the increased emphasis on sustainability and lower carbon energy, we are thrilled to be able to participate and host two renowned local chefs at the Calor Cooking Demo area on Sunday, October 30. This is a commitment to support businesses in the region that are determined to make a difference to the local community and the environment by showcasing the best of locally produced food from the Burren and North Clare region.”

Earlier this year, nine of the Burren’s food producers signed up to the ‘GEOfood’ concept, an international UNESCO initiative, which promotes sustainable agriculture and conservation and supports farmers and communities in the area.

With long-standing traditions of food grown in the Burren, and a wide array of producers of both big and small-scale, GEOfood is a natural fit for The Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark.

Carol Gleeson from the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark, said: “GEOfood is about connecting people with a place through its food, allowing producers to tell their food stories – both geological and personal – and bridge the relationship between attendees and the land through their GEOfood produce.”

Tickets, which are limited, are available through Tickettailor.com. The location of the event will be emailed to ticket holders nearer to the time.