We look forward to first weekend in October with excitement every year. A weekend away in one of the most beautiful, charming, foodie towns in Ireland is beyond worth the long drive to Dingle, Co Kerry. Theoretically it is work, but we are certain anyone who attends the Blas na hEireann awards would agree that it is a pleasure to be involved in the weekend in some way. The atmosphere, the delicious array of food stands that comprise the Dingle Food Festival, the excitement of the awards, the knowledge gained and contacts made during the Backyard at Blas talks and of course the after hours 'networking' that carries on to the wee small hours, all make this fabulous event what it is...unmissable.
Andrew Ingredients have been sponsors of the Bread and Cake categories of the Awards for the last eight years. We find our involvement is a fantastic opportunity to support the bakery industry in Ireland, to network with our customers and peers and of course we love being part of such an iconic weekend!
This year John Boland took part in the judging on the Thursday, where he sampled many superb finalist products. The Blas awards are the biggest blind tasting of produce in the country, and the criteria on which the product is judged as well as the judging system itself, which was developed by Blas na hEireann with the Food Science Dept of UCC, is now recognised as an international industry standard.
Friday and Saturday saw the 'Backyard at Blas' marquee filled with producers at various stages throughout the days for the panel talks. Topics were wide ranging and themes included Marketing, Business Wellbeing & Leadership, Buyer Panel Takeaway and Chefs Panel to name just a few. Between the talks, the marquee was used as an area to sit down and have a coffee away from the hustle and bustle for a while. Andrew Ingredients provided the coffee and treats; Lemon Sensation Bites and Florentines which kept everyone going throughout the busy day.
On Saturday the main marquee was buzzing with producers, sponsors and buyers checking out the displays of finalist products and networking between watching the award ceremony in the adjoining cinema.
Huge congratulations to all the winners and indeed finalists of the 2019 awards. There were some superstars in our category picking up numerous awards, such as Stafford Bakeries, O'Sullivan's Bakery, Coghlan's Bakery, Avoca, Kearney's Home Baking, O'Hara's Bakery, Seery's Bakery and Couverture Desserts.
See a full list of award winners here.
To find out more about the Blas na hEireann Awards visit www.irishfoodawards.com
Andrew Ingredients Social Evening @ Blas
On the Saturday night we held our first social night at Blas for producers, our team and various other foodie folk that attended the awards. It was a great opportunity for us all to relax after a busy few days, get to know people and celebrate with the winner and finalist producers. Danno's Bar and Restaurant was the venue and it was perfect. Delicious barbeque by Danno, music by Dingle's own David Moul and lots of celebratory drinks fuelled the craic!
We are hoping this evening will be a regular fixture on the Saturday of the awards weekend. Watch this space...
