On the evening of December 29th we were sitting around chatting about all the wonderful things we had discovered during the year so I decided to pose a question to Twitter.
“Question! What was Your favourite Irish food find of 2011? #BestIrishFood”
...I tweeted.
...I tweeted.
The replies came back thick and fast from all over, both from people in the food trade here and customers who had been out & about eating, here in Ireland, during 2011.
The general consensus was that the standard of food, produced here by small and dedicated producers, is second to none and that this standard is rising all the time as new names start to emerge from the market-stalls, farm-kitchen & start-up units around Ireland.
Some of the products named here are nationally recognised, some are only found in local shops or market-stalls and one is found on the side of the road near the sea!
They all have one thing in common. These Irish food products have all gained the respect of many hundreds of fans who are not afraid to praise their delicious & unique qualities!
One name in particular kept popping up, but I’ll save that to last!
So here, in alphabetical order, are my Top 21 Best Irish Food Finds of 2011, as decided by the Twitter foodies that follow @irishfoodguide!
Bacon Jam | With both @edhick and @eatlikeagirl getting shouts of approval! |
Bellingham Blue Cheese | Made by Peter and Anita Thomas in Castlebellingham, County Louth - 042 9372343 / 087 277853 |
Boar’s Head Black Pudding | Jack McCarthy’s Butchers, Kanturk, Co. Cork |
Connemara Hill Lamb | Fed on a diet of natural fresh herbs, heathers and grasses http://www.connemarahilllamb.ie/ |
Dominic’s Bakery | Yeast-free, sugar-free soda breads Athy Road, Carlow |
Ed Hicks Smoked Venison | |
Fallow Venison from Sligo | Farmed at Coopershill Country House |
Fig & Balsamic relish | “Fab with cold meats, pate and cheese” said @drivenmental |
Olde Farm free-range Pork | Naturally produced, delicious, free-range pork from Tipperary |
Glebe Brethan Cheese | Made by David Tiernan & Family, Dunleer, Co. Louth www.glebebrethan.com |
Greenore 8yr old whiskey | Single Grain limited edition Irish whiskey http://www.cooleywhiskey.com |
High Bank Orchard 's Apple Syrup | Ireland's answer to maple syrup made in Kilkenny |
Home-farmed Sweetcorn | By David Burns http://on.fb.me/sCjR8v |
Homemade Pizza | Pizza came well up the list with three names popping up regularly La Cucina @italianfoodie for their Irlandais Pizza & @Darren Bradley and @TheHandyKitchen coming a joint 2nd |
Janets Chutneys | Made by Janet Drew in Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow |
Lannleire Honey | Produced by Eoghan Mac Giolla Coda, Trean, Dunleer, Co. Louth (041) 6861884 |
Scotch eggs | at L Mulligan Grocer in Stoneybatter, Dublin 7 |
Ummera Smoked Chicken | Hot Oak-smoked by Anthony Creswell in Inchybridge, Timoleague, Co. Cork. http://www.ummera.com/ |
Stonewell Irish Cider | Made by Daniel and Geraldine Emerson in Kinsale, County Cork |
Wild Alexander Seeds | As Ed Hick said “You’ll find it at roadside near the sea. So aromatic! Like Irish peppercorns, without the heat!” |
And the most tweeted-back-to-me Irish Food Find for 2012 was:
Mary & Tony Walsh’s Kilkenny Free Range Chickens
They manage production of their birds all the way from a day old chick to the end customer. Their volume of production is very small by industry standards thereby ensuring that they maintain the highest quality.
Most of the people who mentioned their chicken first heard about them at the Savour Kilkenny festival and then discovered that many of the top restaurants in Dublin & the Southeast have been serving these tasty birds for several years.
They specialise in Chicken, Duck & Geese and you can find out more about them here:
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| Mary Walsh checking out her flock of gosling |
They specialise in Chicken, Duck & Geese and you can find out more about them here:
Share the news. Irish Food is simply the Best!
Don’t forget to Feed the Fish at the bottom of this Post!
zack