Tag Archives: Blas na hÉireann

CLARE Jam Company enjoyed a sweet moment this weekend winning gold at the Blas na hÉireann Awards in Dingle. It wasn’t for one of their tasty fruit preserves however, as the company name implies, but for one of their savoury products – traditional Doolin mustard. The Doolin company’s versatility was rewarded with gold by the judges and they also took the ‘Best in Clare for 2022’ award. Two other Burren-based businesses were also successful, gaining silver and bronze at the leading food awards. The Burren Smokehouse won silver for their Cold Smoked Honey and Dill salmon, while St Tola Irish Goat cheese won bronze for their St Tola Karst cheese. This year’s finalists and winners got to experience the Blas Village for the first time. Located in the heart of Dingle, this pop-up village was built for producers across the country to come together and celebrate the very best of Irish food and drink for Blas’s first in-person event in …

Entries for the Irish Food Awards, Blas na hÉireann, in which Clare producers have enjoyed significant success, will close on Friday May 20. This year’s awards ceremony will be the first in-person event in two years and will take place as usual in Dingle over the last weekend in September, kicking off on Friday the 30th. Regarded by many as a key event in the Irish food industry’s calendar, Blas na hÉireann, like so many others, celebrated their finalists and winners online over the past two years leaving a significant gap in the food and drink calendar. “We’re absolutely delighted to be planning our awards in Dingle this year,” says Blas na hÉireann Chairman, Artie Clifford. “We were lucky to have been able to move quickly in 2020 and while we were in a position to run our judging throughout the summer months in the last two years, we weren’t able to welcome everyone together for the networking and awards. …

TWO Clare food producers tasted success on the national stage at the weekend landing awards in the prestigious Blas na hÉireann competition. The Burren Butcher, from Lisdoonvarna, won gold and best in county awards for their six ounce steak burger. The Hawes, Neil and Paula, who trade as The Burren Butcher, expressed their delight at being best in their category which is a competitive space. “We’re in nice company there,” Paula told The Champion, “with the likes of James Whelan and Dunnes Stores. “They’re a great award to get, very high-profile, so we’re thrilled. Hopefully this Gold Blas award and the award of Best in Co Clare will be a major boost to us , we are after all a busy family micro business and every little helps” Neil Hawes Craft Butchers began trading in 2008 and was a multi award-winning butcher based in Lisdoonvarna specialising in locally sourced Burren beef and lamb. The win, says Paula, is confirmation that …

THREE Clare food producers have made it to this year’s finals of the Blas na hÉireann food awards. The finalists shortlisted from Clare across a range of categories are Meere’s Pork Products, The Burren Butcher and St. Tola Cheese. The Burren Butcher, aka Neil Hawes, has operated as an artisan butcher since 2008 and specialises in local Burren meat. He was nominated for his six ounce steak burgers. Neil sells from a pop-up stall at his home in Lisdoonvarna and is also to be found at Ballyvaughan Farmers Market. Meere’s Pork Products have made it to the finals for the first time and have been nominated for their sausages. The family have been making award-winning pork products since 1975 from their base on the outskirts of Quin. They were awarded Dunne’s small producer of the year in 2017 for their contribution to the ‘Simply Better’ range. We are absolutely over the moon … for the first time and after some …