Producers of chicken, sweetcorn, goats’ cheese and seaweed have been honoured in this year’s EirGrid Euro-toques Food Awards in Dublin.
The chefs’ awards, which have been running since 1996, were set up to identify the very best food being produced in Ireland for the benefit of fellow chefs, consumers and producers themselves.
Ronan Byrne, also known as “The Friendly Farmer” from Athenry, Co Galway, was recognised for his pasture-reared chickens. He produces 115 hubbard chickens a week in a grass-based system where the flock has easy outdoor access. These are sold direct from the farm, online, and in Galway and Moycullen Farmers’ Markets. He also sells to a number of restaurants in Galway, Roscommon, Athlone and Donegal.
The chefs recognised the work of David Burns of Richmount Farm, Co Longford. He produces sweetcorn and also supplies restaurants directly. He now has a waiting list of chefs interested in buying the corn during the short six to eight week season in autumn. He expects his entire 2012 crop will go to restaurants.
Another Euro-toque award went to Anna Leveque of Triskel Cheese who produces a range of French-style soft goats’ cheeses from locally-sourced milk in Portlaw, Co Waterford. The judges described her cheese-making as “a unique style in the Irish cheese repertoire, both subtle and distinctive in taste and of excellent quality”.
Manus McGonagle of Quality Sea Veg was honoured for his hand-harvested seaweed which was described as “an outstanding indigenous Irish product which is true to the traditions of his native coastal Donegal”. The chefs also acknowledged the work of Dr Prannie Rhatigan, author of Irish Seaweed Kitchen, for her promotion of culinary use of Irish seaweed.
A special award for “Outstanding Contribution to Irish Food” was made to former chef and founding member of Euro-toques Ireland, Gerry Galvin of Oughterard, Co Galway for his contribution to the development of an Irish cuisine and to the education and training of many other chefs.
Euro-toques Ireland is part of the European community of chefs set up to protect Europe’s traditional foods and culinary heritage.
Its chief executive, Ruth Hegarty, said around 70 per cent of food purchased by Euro-toques Ireland chefs was of Irish origin, but they wanted more. Chefs were particularly struggling to source locally-produced poultry products from small-scale free range systems; free range and rare breed pork; and varieties of vegetables, herbs and salads, she added.
“Even different potato varieties, suited to specific culinary uses, are difficult to source commercially in Ireland,” Ms Hegarty said.
