Ireland has won a total of 499 Great Taste Awards this year, including 21 awards in the 3-star category, the highest accolade available.
Nearly 3,500 companies from around the world entered the food and drink competition this year, offering 13,672 products for review.
Each entry was blind-tasted by the guild’s expert judging panel of over 500 food critics, chefs, recipe creators, buyers, retailers, and other specialists in the field of food and drink.
Entries were analysed across 92 judging days, with only 1.9% of all entries, or 266 in total globally receiving a 3-star award. This award was given to “extraordinarily tasty food and drink”.
Those that received an award in this category went on to be judged in a further stage of the competition.
Great Taste
The best of those 3-stars from each country or region have now been nominated for a Golden Fork, an “Oscar of the food and drink world”.
The nominees for the Golden Fork in Ireland includes: Cashel Blue from J. & L. Grubb Ltd; Truly Dark from Bon Chocolatiers; and Burren Smoked Eel from Burren Smokehouse.
The Great Taste Golden Fork winners will be announced in an awards ceremony and tasting at Battersea Arts Centre in London on Tuesday, September 10.
A further 125 Irish products received awards categorised at 2-stars, and another 353 received 1-star.
In addition, there were another 82 awards given to products entered by Irish companies, but made outside Ireland.
Irish winners
SuperValu and Centra claimed the most awards among Irish retailers, picking up 116 in total.
SuperValu’s premium ‘Signature Tastes range’ picked up 60 awards, including its Irish maple and honey bacon loin, and its angus striploin steak.
Several members of the Irish Butchers’ Guild also received awards across the country.
Guild membe,r B. Molloy Master Butchers, based in Ennis, Co. Clare achieved a 3-star award for its dry aged T-bone steak and a 1-star award for its dry aged striploin steak and rack of lamb.
Walsh’s Gourmet Butcher from Clonmel, Co. Tipperary won five awards, including 2-star awards for its dry aged ribeye steak and smoky pork and apple burger.
The butchers also secured 1-star awards for it pork, chorizo and mozzarella burger, lamb, feta and spinach burger, and stout and cheese beef burger.
Owner Kevin Walsh said: “This recognition from Great Taste is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team.”
Northern Ireland based Lisdergan Butchery, from Fintona in Co. Tyrone were also successful in this year’s awards, achieving a 2-star award for its ribeye steak burger and 1-star awards for both its 35 day dry aged cote de beouf and the dry aged ribeye steak.