Presenting the winners of Good Food Ireland Awards 2024
The winners of Good Food Ireland Awards 2024 have been revealed just before Christmas.
A glamorous night was arranged yesterday only to celebrate the winners of the Good Food Ireland Awards for the year 2024 at the K Club, County Kildare. There were 300 guests at the ceremony which included prominent Irish and international chiefs, writers of food and drink articles, buyers, people from the media and industry leaders.
The Good Food Ireland Awards ceremony
The guests at the ceremony enjoyed a five-meal course that was arranged by The K Club Executive Chef Gary O’Hanlon. The planning of the meal course was inspired by the island’s beautiful landscape that aimed to showcase the freshest and most unique of the ingredients used in the meals.
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The ingredients were sourced from the Irish suppliers, to keep the essence of the event intact. The fittest of the produce was brought to make the perfect meal course at the Good Food Ireland Awards ceremony last night.
The meaning of the awards
The awards are meant to celebrate the food and drink of Ireland every year. The celebration of these businesses on a yearly basis reminds the producers, resources, manufacturers, chefs and people at the restaurants and the hotels that they matter.
They matter to keep the Irish culture, the food, which plays a prime role in defining the ethnicity, alive.
And the award goes to…
The Merrion Hotel stood out as the five-star hotel of the year. Moreover, the award for Culinary Haven of the Year was given to Castle Leslie Estate in Monaghan.
The Restaurant of the Year was the award won by An Port Mor located in Mayo.
The title of the Pub of the Year was enjoyed by The Lifeboat Inn located in Cork.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Peter Caviston who is one of the most notable leaders in the Dublin food scene. He is the founder of Caviston’s Restaurant and Food Emporium situated in Dublin.
He was one of the strongest advocates of Good Food Ireland in 2006 since he wanted to support the mission of establishing food as the strength of the producers and the entire Irish food culture.
He wanted to make a point that highlighting Irish history, in terms of food, was necessary so that the regional diversity is preserved for the generations to come and even for the travellers who come to enjoy the eye-catching landscapes of the island.
Another reason for awarding him the said title was that he was the pioneer of bringing a wealth of knowledge of Irish seafood to the food game. He had a commitment to sustainable and high-quality ingredients that actually delivered the taste of the food.
He was the one who encouraged the local producers to cherish the food coming from the sea and take it with care to the land. For this purpose, he assisted the locals and the visitors of Ireland to enjoy Irish food culture to the fullest.
Anthony Creswell won the Outstanding Contribution Award
Anthony Creswell is the mastermind behind Ummera Smoked Products situated in Cork and he won the Outstanding Contribution to Food Production award. His award remained one of the headliners of the event since he retired from his 50-year-old family business and ceased food trading approximately one month ago, on 11th October 2024.
His award also marked the sustainability of food products, sourcing from local producers along with the introduction of several smoking techniques that left a significant mark on the Irish food scene for years to come.
With his smoking tactics, he endeavoured to bring excellence, especially when his Irish Smoked Salmon received international acclaim. His innovative approach gave life to the Ireland’s culinary heritage with an infusion of his quality craftsmanship, which would be an art to learn for the young chefs of Ireland.
The judges
The award winners were selected by careful scrutiny of various judges and were shortlisted after an independent panel of Irish and international leaders gave their go-ahead for all of the categories and their candidates.
The judges included:
Founder and managing director of Good Food Ireland: Margaret Jaffares
Ex-Good Food Ireland operations director: Susan Kerr
Other people were journalist, hospitality consultant, lecturer and hospitality and tourism institute, remarkable chefs and hotelier and executive chairperson of Odyssey International.
Margaret Jafferes said,
“We’ve seen a notable rise in confidence in the tourism and hospitality industry to prioritise Irish ingredients due to customers being far more vocal about wanting to see Irish produce on the menu”.
The detailed list of the winners of Good Food Ireland Awards 2024
The full list of the winners of the shining night of food is detailed below:
- 5-star Hotel of the Year, sponsored by Waterford – The Merrion, Dublin
- Culinary Haven of the Year, sponsored by Waterford – Castle Leslie Estate, Monaghan
- 4-star Hotel of the Year, sponsored by Wine Consultants Ireland – Kelly’s Resort Hotel & Spa, Wexford
- Restaurant of the Year, sponsored by Wine Consultants Ireland – An Port Mór, Mayo
- Hotel Restaurant of the Year, sponsored by Wine Consultants Ireland – Forbes Street by Gareth Mullins, Anantara The Marker, Dublin
- Café of the Year, sponsored by Ballymaloe Foods – The Silver Restaurant at Newbridge Silverware, Kildare
- Pub of the Year, sponsored by Roe & Co – The Lifeboat Inn, Cork
- Shop of the Year, sponsored by Irish Central – Brogan’s Butchers, Meath
- Agri-food Sustainability Award, sponsored by AIB – Brooke Hall Estate, Derry
- Tourism Hospitality Sustainability Award, sponsored by AIB – Grow HQ, Waterford
- Meat Producer of the Year, sponsored by FBD Insurance – Kelly’s of Newport, Mayo
- Fruit & Vegetable Producer of the Year, sponsored by FBD Insurance – Kearns Fruit Farm, Wexford
- Fish & Seafood Producer of the Year, sponsored by Bord Iascaigh Mhara – Realt na Mara Shellfish, Kerry
- Drinks Producer of the Year, sponsored by The K Club – Long Meadow Cider, Armagh
- Dairy Producer of the Year, sponsored by the National Dairy Council – Freezin’ Friesian, Waterford
- Sweet & Savoury Producer of the Year, sponsored by Irish Central – Leahy Beekeeping, Galway
- Bakery & Chocolate Producer of the Year, sponsored by The K Club – The Chocolate Garden of Ireland, Carlow
- Overall Producer of the Year, sponsored by Bord Bia – Kelly’s of Newport, Mayo
- Food Innovator of the Year, sponsored by AIB – The O’Neill Family, Mountain View, Kilkenny
- Excellence in Food Tourism Award, sponsored by Tourism Ireland – Burren Smokehouse & Visitor Centre, Clare
- Food Lovers Choice Award, sponsored by Matrix Internet, sponsored by Matrix Internet
- Wild Atlantic Way – Fitzgerald’s Woodlands House Hotel & Spa, Limerick
- Ireland’s Ancient East – The Glenroyal Hotel, Kildare
- Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands – Kilronan Castle Estate, Roscommon
- Dublin – Corrigan’s Butchers, Drumcondra, Dublin
- Northern Ireland – Culloden Estate & Spa, Down
- Outstanding Contribution to Food Production – Anthony Creswell, Ummera Smoked Products, Cork
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Peter Caviston, Caviston’s Restaurant & Food Emporium, Dublin
- Supreme Award of the Year, Sponsored by FBD Insurance – Castle Leslie Estate, Monaghan
FAQs
1. What are the Good Food Ireland Awards?
- The Good Food Ireland Awards celebrate the best in Irish food and drink, honoring exceptional businesses, chefs, and producers who contribute to Irish culinary culture and hospitality each year.
2. When and where was the 2024 Good Food Ireland Awards ceremony held?
- The awards ceremony was held on 11 November 2024 at The K Club in County Kildare.
3. Who attended the awards ceremony?
- The event hosted around 300 guests, including prominent Irish and international chefs, food and drink writers, industry leaders, buyers, and members of the media.
4. What meal was served at the awards ceremony?
- Guests enjoyed a five-course meal crafted by K Club Executive Chef Gary O’Hanlon, inspired by Ireland’s landscape and using ingredients sourced from local Irish suppliers.
5. Who won the key awards?
- Five-Star Hotel of the Year: The Merrion Hotel
- Culinary Haven of the Year: Castle Leslie Estate in Monaghan
- Restaurant of the Year: An Port Mor in Mayo
- Pub of the Year: The Lifeboat Inn in Cork
6. Who received the Lifetime Achievement Award?
- Peter Caviston, founder of Caviston’s Restaurant and Food Emporium in Dublin, received the award for his significant contributions to Irish cuisine, particularly in promoting Irish seafood and sustainable practices.
7. Who won the Outstanding Contribution Award?
- Anthony Creswell of Ummera Smoked Products in Cork won this award, celebrating his dedication to sustainable Irish food production and his pioneering work in smoked food, especially Irish Smoked Salmon.
