A NEW food trail showcasing 38 local food producers and restaurants has been launched in Co Kilkenny.
Visitors to the county are being invited to “sample the best of artisan foods” with the aid of a detailed guide and map.
A local ice cream maker, chocolate manufacturer, sausage maker and an organic apple juice producer as well as many well-known Kilkenny restaurants, form part of the new trail.
The Taste of Kilkenny Food Trail, which is seen as a new venture in “gastro tourism”, was devised by Trail Kilkenny and Kilkenny Leader Partnership.
“The aim of the food trail is to get tourists and food lovers to travel around the county, spend money in our restaurants and hopefully buy produce which they will then take home with them,” said Eoin Hogan of Trail Kilkenny.
“The 38 participants on the trail employ more than 500 people, 350 full-time, between them and generate millions of euro in turnover annually,” he said.
The initiative was officially launched yesterday by Ross Golden-Bannon of Food and Wine Magazine, who described it as a “jump-start to positive regional economic growth”.
“This trail is not just about quality local products but about civic pride and social engagement that will pay dividends far into the future,” said Mr Golden Bannon.
Well-known local food producers on the trail include Lavistown gourmet sausages, Knockdrinna Farmhouse cheese and Goatsbridge Trout Farm. Kilkenny city restaurants Zuni and Campagne are also involved.
“This trail promises to become a crucial driver of food tourism throughout the county,” said Declan Rice, chief executive of Kilkenny Leader Partnership.