Food and drink producers across the country have much to celebrate this week as the Great Taste Awards 2024 delivered a wide range of awards to an impressive number of brands in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Run by the Guild of Fine Food in the UK, the annual awards see a highly-qualified panel of judges - made up of food buyers, chefs, restaurateurs, producers, critics, writers and journalists - invited to test a variety of products, each of which have been stripped of their packaging and branding.
This year, a whopping 3,938 products were awarded a Great Taste 1-star ('delivers fantastic flavour'), 1,386 were awarded a Great Taste 2-star ('above and beyond delicious'), and 266 were awarded a Great Taste 3-star ('extraordinarily tasty food and drink'). You can see the full list of results here.
Ireland's 3-star award-winners:
- 28% Fat Soft Cheese from Green Pastures (Donegal)
- Achill Island Smoked Sea Salt from Salann Mara Acla Teo (Mayo)
- Burren Smoked Eel from Burren Smokehouse Ltd. (Clare)
- Cashel Blue from J. & L. Grubb Ltd. / Cashel Blue (Tipperary)
- Chai & Biscuits Chocolate Bon bons from Bohó Nibz (Meath)
- Cold Brew coffee Concentrate-original from The Studio Coffee Roasters (Meath)
- Dry Aged T. Bone Steak from B Molloy Master Butchers (Clare)
- Dunnes Stores Farmhouse Soda 700g (Baked) from Dunnes Stores (Dublin)
- Dunnes Stores Fresh Irish Rack of Lamb from Irish Country Meats (Wexford)
- Heather Honey from Olly's Farm (Dublin)
- Lidl Deluxe Dry Cured Back Bacon Joint with Healy's Acacia Honey 575g from Lidl Ireland GmbH (Dublin)
- Louet Feisser no 2 from Carlingford Oyster Company Ltd (Louth)
- Scotch & Scorpion from Cork Chilli Company (Cork)
- Signature Tastes Comte Cheese from Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland (Cork)
- Signature Tastes Gorgonzola Cheese (bulk) from Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland (Cork)
- Signature Tastes Riojan Chorizo Cular from Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland (Cork)
- Signature Tastes Smoked Rack of Bacon from Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland (Cork)
- Signature Tastes Taleggio Cheese (bulk) from Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland (Cork)
- Simply Better Italian Mango & Passion Fruit Sorbet fromDunnes Stores (Dublin)
- Simply Better Italian Raspberry Sorbet from Dunnes Stores (Dublin)
- Supervalu Crème Fraiche from Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland (Cork)
- Supervalu Seeded Round Soda Bread from Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland (Cork)
- SV/CT Applewood Smoked Salmon from Dunnes of Dublin (Dublin)
- Thick Cut Sharing Steak from James Whelan Butchers (Tipperary)
- Truly Dark from Bon Chocolatiers (Westmeath)
- Walnut Oil from ÍON Oil (Laois)
On top of that, an incredible 139 2-star awards were awarded around the Republic of Ireland, while a further 415 were given 1-star spots.
Northern Ireland's 3-star award-winners:
- Devil's Churn Classic Butterscotch from Seasons of the Glens (Antrim)
- Aghinlig Orchard Ice Cider from Applejames Ltd (Armagh)
- Ghost Chilli and Black Lime Ketchup from Blackfire Food Ltd (Belfast)
- Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil from Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil (Derry)
- Himalayan salt aged pork rack and porchetta from Hannan Meats Ltd (Armagh)
- Pure Gusto Valentia Espresso Coffee Beans from Pure Roast Coffee (Antrim)
- Kettyle Matriarch Salt Moss SuperAged Bife de Tira from Kettyle Irish Foods (Fermanagh)
Derry-based business Morelli Ice Cream picked up an incredible five 2-star awards plus two 1-stars, while Belfast's Dale Farm achieved one 2-star and five 1-stars.
In Armagh, Burren Balsamics won one 2-star and eight 1-star prizes, Yellow Door got one 2-star as well a a futher six 1-stars, and Kestrel Foods took home six 1-star award.
