Cheese, please: More than 800 speciality food and drink products were sampled by an international panel of judges at Fallon & Byrne, in Dublin, last week, for the blind tasting of Irish entries for the Guild of Fine Food Retailers Great Taste Awards.
The session was part of Bord Bia's third international speciality food forum, which was attended by 150 food buyers with a combined purchasing power of almost €8 billion. More than 10 per cent of the Irish products tasted were awarded gold medals, a result that Bob Ferrand, national director of the UK-based guild, described as unprecedented. The best-in-show award went to Ralph Haslam of Mossfield organic farm for his mature Gouda, produced using milk from his herd of Friesians and sold by his son Jonathan (right) at the
Organic Store, their shop in Birr, Co Offaly. Myrtle Allen of Ballymaloe House, in Co Cork, was also on the winners' podium, to accept a lifetime-achievement award from the Taste Council, in recognition of her impact on the speciality- and artisan-food sector. Marie-Claire Digby
Salad days
Salad mixes sold in plastic bags and bowls seldom excite, but a new range from Florette drew some appreciative comments when a trial pack arrived in the office recently. "Leaves that actually taste and smell of something" was the general consensus. The Taste Of range includes Moroccan, Italian, Indian and Thai varieties; the one we liked was the Thai mix, which includes escarole, mizuna, coriander, Thai basil leaves, lime, poppy seeds and a Thai green dressing. From Dunnes Stores, SuperValu, Centra and independent retailers, €3.49. Marie-Claire Digby