Ór Valentia Island Vermouth wins Irish Food Writers’ Guild Award
Valencia Island Vermouth
Ór Valentia Island Vermouth was named as the winner of the Irish Drink Award at the Irish Food Writers’ Guild Awards. The product has been making a splash as the first ever Irish vermouth created by the innovative wife-and-wife team Anna and Orla Snook O’Carroll.
The Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Awards were celebrated at Dublin’s Suesey Street on 27 February, with a lunch created by head chef Matt Fuller, featuring the winning produce.
Caroline Hennessy, chair of the Irish Food Writers’ Guild (IFWG) who addressed food industry guests prior to announcing the eight winners of the 2024 IFWG Food Awards said: “If we don’t address the crisis facing Ireland’s restaurant sector we will not only see the closure of many more local businesses this year, but the potential demise of our wider vibrant food industry”.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Peter + Mary Ward of Country Choice, Tipperary with the other category award winners: Carlingford Oysters, Co. Louth-Kian & Mary Louët Feisser, Regan Organic Chicken, Co. Wexford-Mary Regan and Helen Regan, Roll It All Butter Pastry, Co. Meath-Mairead Finnegan and Olivia Finnega, Ór Valentia Island Vermouth, Kerry-Orla & Anna Snook O’Carroll, Notable Contribution to Irish Food-Conor Spacey, Dublin, Environmental Award: Rare Ruminare, Sligo-Clive Bright
“Notwithstanding the challenges facing small food and drink businesses right now, we have a sector of which we can be extremely proud,” said Hennessy. “Today’s IFWG Food Awards are a celebration as we shine a light on exemplars of the country’s thriving, world-class artisan food and drink industry. But Ireland’s producers need support from government, from supermarket and restaurant buyers and from consumers who want to eat and drink exceptional and sustainably sourced Irish produce.
“From oysters to organic meats and chicken, traditionally made pastry and Ireland’s first and only vermouth, this year’s winning produce together with our chosen producers and innovators are the heart and soul of our domestic food industry and they deserve our support,” said Hennessy.
The winners of the 2024 Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Awards were:
– Food Award: Carlingford Oysters, Co. Louth
– Food Award: Regan Organic Chicken, Co. Wexford
– Food Award: Roll It All Butter Pastry, Co. Meath
– Irish Drink Award: Valentia Island Vermouth, Co. Kerry
– Notable Contribution to Irish Food: Conor Spacey, Co. Dublin. Through his work with organisations
such as Food Space, and as co-creator of The Chefs’ Manifesto, Conor Spacey shows that a zero-waste
approach to food in hospitality settings is not only attainable but cost effective too.
– Environmental Award: Rare Ruminare, Co. Sligo
– Community Food Award: Cork Urban Soil Project, Co. Cork.
– Lifetime Achievement Award: Peter and Mary Ward of Country Choice, Co. Tipperary
The awards, now in their 31st year, spotlight excellence and distinguishable quality in Irish produce and its
committed creators. Sustainability is a consistent thread and numerous family businesses have been
recognised over three decades not only for their excellent produce and practices, but also for the lasting and
enduring legacy they are creating for current and future generations.
Hennessy continued: “Every time a restaurant or café closes, an essential revenue stream for our small producers is severed. We exist within an ecosystem, and the convergence of high energy costs, labour expenses, and other challenges affects everyone involved. Jobs and livelihoods hang in the balance and it is our responsibility to take action. By supporting these producers, we are also supporting the local economy and communities that rely on them.”
Sponsored by Bord Bia, Una Fitzgibbon, director of Marketing added: “As a connector of Irish food and drink products to the world, it is entirely fitting that Bord Bia continues to support the work of the Irish Food Writers’ Guild as it celebrates and honours the exceptional quality of Ireland’s artisan food industry. Congratulations to all eight winners and thank you for your contribution to the Irish food and drink industry, which sets an inspiring example to the wider industry.”
The IFWG Food Awards are unique in that no business or individual can enter, nor do they know if they have been nominated for an award. The Guild is the sole nominating and decision-making body whose members nominate and anonymously buy products for tasting. Proportional representation voting is undertaken at a Guild tasting meeting. Winning products must be produced in Ireland and the main ingredient must be Irish grown or produced.
www.irishfoodwritersguild.ie On social: #IFWGAWARDS2024
