Great day yesterday in the excellent Westin Hotel in Dublin for our annual food awards.

The lovely Rachel Allen presented these for us, and listed their citations, but, as I was involved with the selections here are a few personal notes on the recipients.

Louis Smith. is Irelands mushroom expert.
Almost single handed he has been foraging for mushrooms for the last 20 years, he has guided several hunts for us in Euro-Toques and given us great mushroom feasts (while avoiding slow deaths.)

It is rare to come across a young as passionate about his craft as Michael Kelly is about his, his coffee business, Ariosa Coffee Company, is superb. Watch out for him at country markets or contact him at www.ariosacoffee.com

At about this time last year Nick Price from Nick’s Warehouse in Belfast started to rave about a new Comte style cheese being produced in Co. Louth; Glebe Brethan.
We went, we saw and we were overcome.
An absolutely delicious cheese.
(I stole some from the cheese board to bring home)
Made lovingly by David and Mairead Tiernan contact them at 0416851157

Lovely to give a prize to a local man, Paul Crotty’s is the man who has managed to break the French monopoly on free range, organic chickens.
In conjunction with the Aherns in Dungourney they now produce and distribute under the name of Born Free.
Eat these at your peril, it is very difficult to enjoy a battery chicken after you have tasted one.
Order from Paul at 087 2792613.
Waterford people will find them at the Ardkeen Stores.

Into our hall of fame went Veronica Steele of Mileens Cheese.
Veronica has single handed initiated the whole renaissance of farmhouse cheese, not only here but in England and even in the U.S.A.
John Ehle, the man who wrote the cheese book which Veronica used to start her business has personally come all the way to Allihies to thank Veronica for the re-prints of his book.