Quinlan’s Wins Top Award At Dingle Food Festival

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Liam and Niamh Quinlan of Quinlan's Kerry Fish winners of the Supreme Champion Award at the annual Blas na hEireann / Irish Food Awards at the Dingle Food Festival at the weekend. Also included are from left, Arty Clifford, Chairman, Una Fitzgibbon, Bord Bia and Mark Morgan, Shelf Life Magazine. Photo Don MacMonagle. further info: Sue james Sue James PR +353 857336981

Liam and Niamh Quinlan of Quinlan’s Kerry Fish winners of the Supreme Champion Award at the annual Blas na hEireann / Irish Food Awards at the Dingle Food Festival at the weekend. Also included are from left, Arty Clifford, Chairman, Una Fitzgibbon, Bord Bia and Mark Morgan, Shelf Life Magazine. Photo by Don MacMonagle

QUINLAN’S Fish, which has a shop in Tralee, has won the prestigious Supreme Champion Award at this year’s Blas na hÉireann, The Irish Food Awards.

The company’s winning entry is its fresh crabmeat. The entry won over the judges’ taste-buds because of its fabulous flavour, freshness and delicate texture.

There were more than 2,000 entries for this year’s Awards from all over Ireland, making it the biggest competition of Irish produce on the island of Ireland.

Adjudication involved over 400 independent judges over a period of three weeks. The winners were announced on Saturday night.

 

The highly acclaimed Blas na hÉireann awards have been setting the standards for Irish food producers for eight years and the number of entries this year broke all records, proving the value and vitality of the Irish food and drinks sector. For the winners, these awards are known to open doors to new markets at home and abroad.

“We are absolutely thrilled,” said Liam Quinlan of Quinlan’s Fish. “We have four premium fish shops as well as three seafood bars supplying our produce direct from tide to table. My father, Michael, started the business 52 years ago and it has been 52 years of hard work since then. This is the biggest award and honour we have ever received and I hope it shows that quality always shines through,” said Liam.

The Best Artisan Award, also sponsord by An Bord Bia, was won by Bainne Codhladh of Kanturk Co Cork, who won with its Lullaby milk. By taking the milk from the cows during the night it contains naturally high levels of melatonin which helps with sleep. It is particularly effective for babies with sleeping difficulties.

Also announced as prize-winners were:

• Best New Product (Sponsored by Invest NI): Wild Irish Foragers of Birr, Co. Offaly for their Honeysuckle Shrub

• Best Artisan Award (Sponsored by An Bord Bia): Bainne Codhladh Ltd of Kanturk, Co. Cork for their Lullaby Milk

• Best Export Opportunity Award (Sponsored by Pan Euro Foods): Hannan Meats of Moira, Co. Armagh

 

• Best Start-Up (Sponsored by AIB): Cornude Popcorn: Cornude Artisan Popcorn is a range of yummy gourmet popcorn flavours freshly made in the Liberties in Dublin.

• Best Seafood Innovation (Sponsored by Bord Iascaigh Mhara): Kinsale Fare Limited, Co. Cork for Hake in a Mild Yellow Curry

• Rogha na Gaeltachta / Best Emerging Producer in Gaeltacht area: Macroom Buffalo Mozzarella, which is produced from a herd of over 150 buffaloes on a farm at Cill na Martra.

• Best Packaging Innovation Award (UCC School Food Nutritional Sciences): Dingle Brewing Company, Dingle, Co. Kerry which hand crafts Tom Crean’s Irish lager.

• Producers’ Champion 2015: Minister for Agriculture and Food, Simon Coveney. Following a survey of over 2,000 producers, Minister Simon Coveney was selected by the producers themselves as their Champion for 2015, in recognition of his efforts to promote Irish food producers and their products at home and abroad.

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