Blas na hÉireann 2026 winners announced in Dingle, with 6 producers from Co. Offaly taking home awards and Bon Chocolatiers winning Best in County, proudly supported by Offaly Local Enterprise Office
Dingle was the place to be on Friday 2nd October for the eagerly anticipated finals of Blas na hÉireann, The Irish Food Awards, now in their 19th year and firmly established as the largest and most influential food awards on the island of Ireland.
This year, 7 producers from Co. Offaly were shortlisted across a wide range of categories, with 6 of them taking home coveted Blas awards. The bronze, silver and gold winners from the county include:
Bon Chocolatiers, Garryhinch Wood Exotic Mushrooms, Glenisk, Pigs on the Green, Quarrymount Free Range Meats and The Bogs Dollops Rhode village.
Bon Chocolatiers was awarded Best in County, proudly sponsored by Offaly Local Enterprise Office.
“Here in Offaly, we are thrilled to see Bon Chocolatiers win the 2026 Blas na hÉireann, Best in County Awards.” said Orla Martin, Head of Enterprise, Offaly LEO. “Congratulations to Daniel and Georgia on this well-deserved achievement, which is a wonderful recognition of their talent and consistent high standard. We look forward to working with them as they grow their business. Offaly has a growing network of ambitious food enterprises and we in LEO Offaly feel privileged to be working with them all”.
2026 marks another record year for Blas na hÉireann, with over 3,000 entries across more than 200 categories, reflecting the strength and diversity of Irish food and drink.
This year’s finalists and winners had the opportunity to bring their products to life at the Blas Village and the ever-popular Eat Ireland in a Day market, both returning to Dingle alongside the annual Backyard at Blas panel discussions, supported by Bank of Ireland. Across the weekend, producers connected with buyers, industry experts, media, fellow producers and passionate food lovers, while celebrating the people, creativity and craft at the heart of Ireland’s thriving food and drink scene.
Speaking after the announcement, Artie Clifford, Chairperson of Blas na hÉireann, said: “2026 has once again shown us just how exciting and dynamic Ireland’s food and drink industry is. The standard of entries continues to climb, with producers demonstrating incredible creativity and a real commitment to quality. Reaching the finalist stage is a remarkable achievement in itself, and to take home a Blas award is brilliant recognition of the hard work and passion that goes into every product. It’s particularly special to see producers from across the country come together in Dingle to share their stories, celebrate their successes and champion the very best of Irish food and drink. Blas is about much more than awards – it’s about celebrating the people and community behind one of Ireland’s most exciting industries. Next year we will celebrate 20 years of the awards and it’s incredible to see just how far we’ve come in those two decades.”
The Blas na hÉireann awards weekend ran from Thursday 1st to Sunday 4th October in Dingle, with a packed programme of events shining a spotlight on the very best of Irish food and drink. Sustainability once again remained a key focus, with the event continuing to build on its waste-free commitments and support a more conscious future for Irish food.
ENDS
#Blas2026
@BlasNaHEireann
Notes to Editors
Blas na hÉireann, The Irish Food Awards, are the largest food awards on the island of Ireland, open to all 32 counties. Judging took place during June and July in partnership with UCC. Finalists were announced in mid-August. Awards were presented in Dingle on Friday 2nd October, with the Blas weekend (Blas Village, Showcase, Awards & Eat Ireland in a Day) running from Thursday 1st to Sunday 4th October.
For more information or imagery contact:
Aygün Ipek, Host, aygun@hostandcompany.ie
Did you know you can also find our winners in each county by searching our map, pinpointing the very best of Irish producers? Search the map here
