In a year like no other, Blas na hÉireann announced the winners for 2020, with 42 winners from County Dublin. With the annual pilgrimage to Dingle stalled, this year’s winners tuned in from every corner of the country for a virtual celebration of the very best in Irish food.
The team at Blas na hÉireann have been working tirelessly since March to ensure that Blas 2020 went ahead, maintaining their commitment to celebrating the very best in Irish food and drink. Chairperson Artie Clifford feels that now, more than ever, it is essential to shine a light and give that all important boost to the talented producers dotted around the island.
The bronze, silver and gold winners from Dublin across a range of different categories are ARYZTA Bakeries, Aveo Foods Ltd., Ballymaguire Foods, Bewleys, Cornude Artisan Popcorn, Cremore, Donnybrook Fair, Dunn’s of Dublin, Freshcut Foods, Funky Monkey, Fusco Foods, Gem Pack Foods Ltd., Genovese Foods Limited, Glanbia, Harvest Moon Foods Limited, Higgins Butchers, Ina’s Kitchen, Keogh’s Farm, Le Patissier, M&M Products Ltd., Mannings Bakery Ltd., McCormick Distilling International Ltd., Mud Bakery, Nicky’s Plaice, Olly’s Farm, Pearse Lyons Distillery, Pizza da Piero, Rua Food, SAMA’S Foods Limited, Sushi King, Taylor’s of Lusk, Tendermeats Ltd., The Bretzel Bakery, The Cupcake Bloke, The Delicious Food Co., The Porterhouse Brewing Company, Traditional Cheese Company, TrusTEA, Valeo Foods, Veggie Earth, WonderFoods and Wrights of Howth, with Supreme Champion, best in Leinster and best in county going to The Bretzel Bakery.
Now in their 13th year, the Blas na hÉireann awards are the all-island food awards that recognise the very best Irish food and drink products, and the passionate people behind them. The biggest blind tasting of produce in the country, the criteria on which the product is judged as well as the judging system itself, which was developed by Blas na hÉireann with the Food Science Dept of UCC and the University of Copenhagen, is now recognised as an industry gold standard worldwide.
Speaking after the announcements Artie mentioned, “The founding mission of Blas – establishing quality benchmarks for Irish produce on a level playing field – was strictly adhered to and measurably applied again this year despite the challenges we have all faced. We thank all our judges for their rigour and commitment, and as always we thank all our wonderful participants, producers and sponsors. While we missed our annual gathering in Dingle, we will join together to cheer on our colleagues and friends that were successful in this year’s awards and hope that it won’t be long before we can gather in Dingle once again.”
Products from every county in Ireland were entered into this year’s competition to win Gold, Silver or Bronze Blas na hÉireann awards in over 140 food and drink categories, as well as key awards like Supreme Champion and Best Artisan Producer.
