Blas na hEireann will this year have a dedicated area at The Bite Food Festival, Main Hall, RDS. 18th-20th November 2016. The Bite Food Festival is an Irish Times event run by the team behind the National Crafts & Design Fair.

This year past finalists and winners of Blas na hEireann will have an opportunity to come together at a central point under the Blas na hEireann banner. We are very excited to be taking part in this show and to bring a showcase of Ireland’s very best tasting food and drinks to this growing show.

Bite 2015 in numbers: 15,000 visitors – 100 exhibitors – 4 days

• 80 Artisan Food producers- making everything from cheese to chocolate, organic meats to handmade marshmallows as well as lots of healthy and free-from options.
• 6 Craft Beer Brewers, 6 small batch distillers, 4 Craft Cider makers 3 wine specialists
• 1 pop up seafood restaurant, serving lobster, oysters and cocktails.
• 1 Main Stage featuring demonstrations from well-known chefs and our food and drink producers.
• 1 Hands-On Kitchen with fantastic free cookery classes run by Lynda Booths Dublin Cookery School.
• 1 drinks masterclass, where you could learn about everything from coffee to cocktails.
• 1 Irish Times area with special Q&A’s with various food and wine experts and critics.

Exciting plans for Bite 2016

• The bulk of sales took place on Friday afternoon & on the weekend days. This year Bite will run as a 3 day event this year and concentrate the business into 3 days instead of 4.
• There will be a dedicated trade morning on Friday 18^th November.
• There visitor profile at Bite differed from the visitor profile at the National Crafts & Design Fair, it’s a younger age profile, young professionals and families  who appreciate the importance of local, seasonal, quality food and drink products.

If you would like to find out more information you can find out more about Blas na hEireann & BITE or contact Karen on 01 6702186 or email karen@nationalcraftsfair.ie

Ice Couriers are offering a delivery service to Blas na hEireann initial judging in UCC at a cost of €40 per package (max 15kg per package).

Bookings may be made directly with Ice Couriers on 01-8298200 quoting Blas2016 for the scheduled pick-up locations as outlined below. You can also deliver product (on or prior to the same date as van placements) directly to CGI Coldstore (Blanchardstown) between the hours of 10am and 4pm.

Please note Ice Couriers can offer temperature controlled transport of packages of Ambient, Chilled or Frozen samples and these will be held temperature controlled overnight for delivery to UCC.

Vehicles will be in position on the 18^thJuly for samples due 19^th and 20^th July
Applegreen – Barrack Obama Plaza between 1pm and 2pm
Applegreen – Junction 14 N7 between 3pm and 4pm
Applegreen – Loughrea between 12 noon and 1 pm
Applegreen – Enfield  -Eastbound Carriageway – between 3pm and 4pm
Applegreen – Castlebellingham – Southbound carriageway – between 2pm and 4pm

Vehicles  will be in position on the 20^th July for samples due 21st and 22^nd
Applegreen – Barrack Obama Plaza between 1pm and 2pm
Applegreen – Junction 14 N7 between 3pm and 4pm
Applegreen – Loughrea between 12 noon and 1 pm
Applegreen – Enfield  -Eastbound Carriageway – between 3pm and 4pm
Applegreen – Castlebellingham – Southbound carriageway – between 2pm and 4pm

Vehicles  will be in position on the 25^th July for samples due on 26^th
Applegreen – Barrack Obama Plaza between 1pm and 2pm
Applegreen – Junction 14 N7 between 3pm and 4pm
Applegreen – Loughrea between 12 noon and 1 pm
Applegreen – Enfield  -Eastbound Carriageway – between 3pm and 4pm
Applegreen – Castlebellingham – Southbound carriageway – between 2pm and 4pm

Please note this service is being offered by Ice Couriers and not by the Blas na hEireann team, bookings must be made in advance directly with Ice Couriers on 01-8298200

There are a very busy few weeks coming up as we prepare for initial judging in UCC and shortly after in The Baking Academy. We have entries which have come in from all across Ireland and as always we are encouraging food producers to share deliveries for initial judging where you can.

The most important thing for us is that your sample arrives on time, at its very best and ready to be tasted.

• It does not have to be delivered by the producer.
• It can arrive by post, by courier or indeed in a shared delivery with another producer from your locality (In fact this is encouraged!)If you have a delivery to Blas na hEireann initial judging and would be interested in getting in touch with another producer from your area you can now use a message board feature on our website. Simply log in to onlineentry.irishfoodawards.com and you will see a link in the top right hand corner, under Forums. Here you can find the board for your county and in turn the thread for Shared Deliveries, just leave a comment letting other producers know if you are looking foir a shared delivery or are travelling and will be happy to take another producers delivery.
  
  Every year, we are delighted to see more and more producers work together and share the load! (and maybe even build some new relationships with local colleagues in the food business).

 

Log in and find the Forum

Check Delivery Dates

We are delighted to announce that we have welcomed a new sponsor for the 2016 Blas na hEireann awards. Henderson Food Machinery will be sponsoring the Meat categories ar the 2016 awards.

A word from our sponsors…
Henderson Food Machinery can supply an extensive and varied selection of new and used food processing and packaging machinery. We work closely with quality suppliers of new and used machinery, when we are sourcing equipment on behalf of customers, we make sure that a complete assesment is done on all machines before dispatch so you can have peace of mind that when making your purchase you are getting the right service.

Our range of new and used equipment is extensive as you will see from our categories, we can supply into many sectors, Meat, Fish, Poultry, Bakery, Confectionary, Petfood, Ready Meals, Vegetable, Fruit, Dairy and Brewing Industry. Henderson Food Machinery will only supply quality machinery with excellent customer service working closely with our partners.

www.hendersonfoodmachinery.com

To find out more about sponsorship & exhibition opportunities at the 2016 Blas na hEireann awards you can contact us on 087 9029329 or email info@irishfoodawards.com

Delighted to now have Blas na hEireann bunting available to order for past finalists and winners, perfect for markets, shows and shop windows.
Price: €4.00 per metre (plus VAT) – Available in 10m lengths – plus P&P (€5.85) You can order on info@irishfoodawards.com or by calling us on 087 9029329

Research has shown that the Blas accreditation has high recognition amongst Irish consumers and using the award logo encourages shoppers to buy, it is their guarantee of a top quality Irish product.

Past finalists and winners can order labels from info@labelfactory.ie, our only approved supplier. If you would like to use the logo on your website or advertising or indeed incorporate into your label please just get in touch and we will be happy to help

 

It has been a hectic few weeks with lots of producers entering online before entries close on the 17^th of June.

Thank you to everyone who has already entered, it’s an exciting year ahead! Here are a few things to check if you have already entered for Blas na hEireann 2016;

Have you received your entry confirmation?
This is most important as this email confirmation will include your…

Entry Number
This is the number which will follow your entry through the whole process, most importantly when it is blind tasted by our judges

Delivery Date & Location
We have two different locations for initial judging, UCC and The Baking Academy. We also have a number of different delivery dates which correspond with the judging dates for each individual category.

Delivery sheet
Attached to your confirmation email is a delivery sheet which is already filled in with your entry number, producer name and details etc and your delivery date, location and address. Attaching this to your delivery will make for a very happy Blas team when we are checking the samples in for judging .

If you haven’t received the above you can contact us on info@irishfoodawards.com or call us on 087 9029329 and we will be happy to help

Have you completed your entry fees?
You can request an invoice and make payment for your entry fees online, by bank transfer or by cheque. To request an invoice for your entries simply log on to onlineentry.irishfoodawards.com and on the homepage of your log in area you will see Request an invoice for my entries.

If you are having trouble viewing this link you can just get in touch with us by email to info@irishfoodawards.com or by phone to 087 9029329 and we will be happy to help.

Also, did you know…
This year we are awarding a Best in County and Best in Farmers Market for every county in Ireland. If you have entered into the awards already then you will be entered into these key award categories also.

 

Mary Carey entered Blas na hEireann in 2015 with her ready to bake Simply Scones and brough home to Meath a Bronze award in a very tough category. You can find more information on www.simplyscones.ie or find out more on our 2015 winners and finalists in our 2015 Directory

When & why did you start your business?
The concept behind Simply Scones has been at the back of my mind for many years now, though it was April 2015 when I sold my first packs of frozen scone at the Honest 2 Goodness farmers market in Glasnevin, Dublin. Many years ago I had a stand at a farmers market in Clonee where I sold a wide range of home baked goods including sweet and savoury scones. I’d get up at the crack of dawn to have my scones freshly baked for my customers but I was always conscious that many of them wouldn’t be eaten for a day or two when I knew they’d be long past their best.  The short shelf life of a scone always challenged me and I wanted my customers to experience a truly fresh and delicious home baked scone. This was when I got the idea of freezing them immediately on making for baking at a later stage.

However my idea was put on hold as I returned to work following a career break. In December 2013 I was offered a voluntary redundancy from the financial institution I worked in for over 30 years and decided to grasp the opportunity to pursue a career focused on my true passion, food!

My journey didn’t bring me directly to my scone making business. When I finished working in the world of finance I completed a week long course in Ballymaloe, “Start your own Café or Teashop” as that was the direction I felt I was destined to follow. I was so struck by Darina and Rory O’Connell I could happily have spent a month in the school. They both shared their knowledge so generously it was a truly fascinating and inspiring course. Throughout the week Darina continually cited examples of businesses built around one “x factor” and her mantra was “all you need is one good idea”. It was during this week that I had my light bulb moment and decided to revisit my scone making plan and stick with what I knew I could do well. So thank you Darina!

Last year I took part in the Food Academy programme, a training programme aimed at supporting start up food businesses, run collaboratively by SuperValu, Bord Bia and the Local Enterprise Office. Through this I got to supply my scones in eight Meath SuperValus. The focus of the programme is to support sustained growth for small food suppliers and this is done by allocating additional stores at regular intervals. So in January I started stocking SuperValu stores in Louth and Westmeath.

Who is your food inspiration?
My mother Nancy was my greatest food inspiration and instilled in all her children a love of cooking. Nancy ran a Farm Guest house in West Cork in the70’s. Scones were her signature welcome to all guests, served warm from the oven with homemade raspberry jam and copious pots of tea. These were the years before coffee became a popular drink, although there was the option of a cup of instant Maxwell House for discerning guests!  Evening meals were planned around seasonal produce using home grown fruit and vegetables (from the garden lovingly tended by my dad when he wasn’t teaching), eggs from our own hens and locally sourced meat. So I suppose cooking and baking have always been part and parcel of my life. Unfortunately both my parents died in their early 60’s but their legacy lives on and I think my mother would be very proud if she were here to see “Simply Scones” and in fact I know she’d have her sleeves rolled up to help.

What do you love about your job?
There are many aspects of my job that I love. I love baking so I never consider this part to be hard work.

Reluctantly I recently gave up my stall at the Honest 2 Goodness Market so as to concentrate on the retail side of my business. I loved the buzz of meeting with customers and the fabulous fun and interaction with the other stall holders. Luckily I get this same enjoyment when I do in-store tastings in SuperValu  because generally people are very engaging, happy to sample my product and have a chat.

Working for myself means no rigid starting hours, no traffic congestion to contend with and being available to family member if the need arises.

What is your typical day?
I wish I could say I have a very structured and organised routine but my day depends upon which stores are in need of re-stocking  as some of the shops want deliveries to be made early in the morning. I’m lucky enough to be producing from my own premises so there’s no travel involved. Generally I try to have my dry mixes weighed up from the previous day and then it’s a case of making  up the scones, freezing, packing them and having them ready for despatch. I tend to deliver on a Wednesday as my boys have a half day from school and I might be lucky enough to get a helping hand

What is your favourite part of the day?
Without doubt my favourite part of the day is when the school bus pulls up outside the gate at 4.30pm and delivers my two sons, Donagh (17) and Ronan (14) home to me. I aim to have production finished for the day at this stage so we can sit and enjoy a good old catch up over a cup of tea!

What was your best day since you started this business?
Early on in my scone journey, through Meath’s Local Enterprise Office, I met with a Business Advisor called John Dempsey.  I really didn’t know what to expect from this meeting and wondered if I’d be sent home with my tail between my legs. I went prepared with my one page outline of my business idea along with some baked scone samples and of course the mandatory butter and jam. I left the meeting very heartened with  John telling me he thought I had a good product and to keep going.       I was even more heartened when later that evening I got a message on my phone saying that he had eaten two of my scones and thought they were excellent!!

Being awarded a Blas na hÉireann award for my fruit scones after such a short few months in business has to ranks as another of my best days. I was really chuffed and delighted to have received my bronze award in the Morning Baked Goods category and spending the weekend in Dingle meeting fellow food producers was such a great experience.

Tell us about the people you work with?
I’m a bit of a one man band at the moment which brings with it lots of challenges when you add in trying to manage a busy household that includes two teenage boys who don’t like to see an empty fridge!! I have had enormous support from family along the way. My niece Cathryn, a student at the National College of Art and Design came up with the inspiration and design for my packaging. But a J1 visa took her to America last year and my brother, Donagh, came to the rescue getting the art work completed and delivered to the print and packaging company and also getting my tasting stand and business cards printed.  I consider myself very lucky to have had all this help along the way. I’ll be paying them back in scones for years to come!!

I get great support from a fellow food producer, Mairéad  Finnegan, of Roll It Pastry who has been my friend and mentor since I started on my scone producing journey. It’s always great to have someone who understands your challenges and can offer wisdom and support, Mairéad does this in spades!

What three words would you use to describe yourself/your business?
Authentic: simple product, simple ingredients providing total convenience for the customer.
Reliable: the product consistently delivers what it claims to.
Fun loving: there has to be a light moment and a bit of a laugh in every day, this is generally shared with Kevin, Donagh and Ronan!

What do you think is the key to success?
Belief in product.  I know I couldn’t do what I do day to day if I didn’t believe that I had a quality product to offer my customers.
Unique selling point. You have to have something slightly different to offer if you want to stand out from your competitors and appeal to your customers. In my case I think I am possibly the only frozen ready to bake scones on the retail market offering my customers a truly convenient, quality home baked scone experience.
Innovative. You need to keep you customers engaged and interested by adding something different by way of innovative new products or some seasonal variety. Watch this space for my next product!

Has there ever been a situation which started out as a negative but turned out for the best?
At the early stages when I was conducting some market research I prepared a simple questionnaire to get customers reaction to my product. I was a bit put out when some of the feedback suggested that the scones contained too much baking powder. Then I realised I had stopped tasting them thinking I had perfected my recipe. When I did start to taste them again I realised that the criticism was well founded and I adapted my recipe to what it is today. A valuable lesson learnt, always listen to your customers!

Entries are now open to producers across the island of Ireland for this year’s Blas na hEireann Irish Food Awards. The Awards, which are now in their 9^th year, take place at the Dingle Food Festival in October. Last year, there were more than 2500 entries in what are the largest blind-tasted Food Awards on the island.

“These are what I call the People’s Awards. Our judging system is very rigorous. Our judges come from a range of food backgrounds; they are food scientists, chefs, restaurateurs, academics, journalists, authors, food champions, caterers and enthusiastic home cooks “said the Chairperson of the Irish Food Awards, Artie Clifford.

“Every product that carries a Finalist, Gold, Silver or Bronze sticker is picked up more quickly than those without. Our research has shown that the Blas accreditation has the highest recognition amongst Irish consumers and using the award logo on pack has made a significant difference to businesses.”

Una Fitzgibbon from Bord Bia said “The Blas na hEireann Awards represent a unique opportunity for food businesses to compete on the all-important delivery of superior taste for consumer benefit. Applicants benefit from a supportive and highly useful judging process and all winners gain with added value to profile, reputation and market positioning”

Two of last year’s winners were also at the launch at Bord Bia including Sharon Greene from the Wild Irish Foragers and Preservers who won Best New Product 2015 for their Honeysuckle Shrub.  She said “Winning at Blas has helped us as Artisan Producers in so, so many ways from increasing sales to giving us that personal boost to keep on striving to achieve our goals”.

“To be presented with Best Food Start-Up at the beginning of the awards literally brought tears and provided a fuel needed to continue in the trying road of bringing product to market. The following day, to be awarded Gold for our Pistachio Caramel Popcorn, was a huge surprise and allowed a strengthening pride of product bubble” said Ruth Ormistion from Cornude Popcorn (AIB Best Start-Up).

Entries are open until June 17^th. Early bird entries close on April 30^th. Click here to enter online

Anahorish Preserves won a Bronze award at the 2015 awards for Malachy’s Winter Chutney. You can find out more about Anahorish Preserves on www.anahorish.com or to find out more about this and other winners and finalists you might like to check out our 2015 directory.

In Malachy’s own words…
Food has always been an important part of my life.  I was born on a pig farm and as a result I have always had an interest in food.  My two food inspirations were my Dad and Mum.  My Dad had a great knowledge of livestock and meat and he showed me how to cook a “Fillet Steak bleu” (or properly – “Not too much of the Fire” in his words).  My mum like lots of Irish mothers is a great baker and my childhood was full of homemade soda bread, wheaten bread, apple pie, buns and cakes.  My cousin and I also began cooking at an early age over an open fire down an old disused railway – it was a makeshift barbecue of a few bricks and some reinforcing mesh on which we cooked sausage and bacon (pinched from our mum’s fridges).   As well as producing the preserves I make bread, ice cream, scones, pizza’s, Pies etc. for my 4 children and most honest critics!

I started Anahorish Preserves in 2009 – I had been making chutney as a Christmas gift for a number of years and following encouragement from some of the recipients I began to produce it commercially.  I now make a range of chutneys, jams and relishes.  I have to mention Robert Ditty of Ditty’s bakery in Castledawson – he gave me an opportunity to talk at a bread event he was hosting and this resulted in me getting my product into his shops and into a local independent supermarket – he has been a great support.

I love taking a few raw ingredients like cider vinegar, chillies and sugar and creating a Sweet Firey Chilli Jam.  It is amazing to be able to blend ingredients into a product that people are happy to pay money for!  I get a real buzz watching people in the local supermarket putting my products into their trolley.

The business is currently operated on a part-time basis – Saturdays are pretty mad. On a typical Saturday I get up around 5am and begin cooking and usually finish around 6 or 7 pm.  It is a day full of cooking jarring and cleaning.

I grow my own rhubarb and apples and I get some fruit from local people who have their own gardens other fruit comes from Northern Ireland based wholesalers.  Most of the fruit and vegetables for the chutneys and relishes come from Quinfresh who also prep the ingredients for me.  I pass the business on the way home from work so I can order and collect them on a Friday evening.

– 3 Words I would use to describe my business are: Honest, Creative, Ambitious
– I think the key to success is to use the best ingredients to produce proper honest food.
– Winning Bronze in Blas na hEireann helped me to believe more in what I am trying to build!

 

Harnett’s Oils were  gold winner in 2014 for their Harnett’s Rapeseed Oil. As well as finding Jane at the George’s Street Market in Belfast every Saturday you can also find more about Harnett Oils on www.harnettoils.co.uk
When & why did you start your business?
Harnett’s Oils was started in 2007. After commissioning a cold-press in 2002 and pressing for non-foods Jane came back home, after completing a degree in Land Management, and took on a farm project in taking home grown Hemp to the shop shelf.  After a few months of producing Hemp Oil Jane included Rapeseed and created a business plan around the cold-pressed oils.

Who is your food inspiration?
I have grown up with great cooks in my family where everything has been cooked from scratch from afternoon teas at my great aunts’ to my mother’s Sunday roasts and my Grandmothers Italian luncheon feasts.  I have been so lucky from both sides of the family producing local food for the table and as such I tend to take their different attitudes to cooking as my inspiration,

What do you love about your job?
I love the fact that no two days are the same and that I am involved in all aspects of the food business from growing the crops on the farm to cold-pressing, bottling, hand-labelling, delivering and selling across the country and innovation in doing something new.

What is your typical day?
On a production day it involves cold-pressing the seed which is then filtered ready to be bottled or infused for the range of flavoured oils.  Once ready we fill the oils and hand-label the bottles from 30ml up to 1000l ready to be sold.  Most of the day does involve cleaning down the rooms and equipment before and after which is longer than the production itself unfortunately!

On a Saturday and throughout the year we sell direct at St Georges Market, Belfast and other shows.  This usually involves an early morning where we head across the country to set up our stall for the day whether it involves bringing a tent or just a stand.  During the day I will be sampling our oils and talking of what we produce which is a great way of getting immediate feedback on our oils. The shows usually finish in the evening ready to pack up and drive home to a hot bath.

Both days usually include checking up on emails and social media at some stage and if very productive a bit of paperwork.

What was your best day since you started this business?
As the years go on I am lucky to having too many days to decide from with meeting the Prince of Wales and the Taoisoeach sampling our oils to producing our first batch of oils to winning Gold in 2014 for our Pure Rapeseed Oil to people coming back and talking to us in the markets or shops to sampling in San Francisco and the Houses of Parliament.

Where do your ingredients come from?
All our oils are grown on our farms in either Waringstown in the Barony of Iveagh in County Down or by the sea in the Mournes.  All the oils do not contain chemicals as we don’t use insecticides or round-up when harvesting.  We swathe the crops which cuts the crops allowing for the seed heads to ripen up before coming back in with the combine to take in the seeds to the farmyard ready to be dried and cold-pressed.  In regards to our vinaigrettes we use Armagh Cider Vinegar infused with fruits from my aunt’s farm in the Mournes.

Tell us about the people you work with?
I work on my own but do call in help from family members from time to time and when working in the different markets I get to work beside like minded artisan producers which is always great to be able to use as a sounding board.

What three words would you use to describe yourself/your business?
Ambitious, honest, outgoing and the business honest, genuine and innovative.

Has there ever been one single moment which has changed how you look at your business?
I fell at the end of 2014 and damaged my ankle in which I needed an operation this forced me to take a step away from the business which allowed me to bring more people in and allowed me take on my other ideas and expand on them to bring more products to market. Over this time I don’t think it necessarily changed my outlook on the business but maybe focused more on what I want to achieve and how to build on the success of the previous few years.

Has there ever been a situation which started out as a negative but turned out for the best?
I think the previous situation with my hurt ankle did start out as a negative but in the end brought more focus to the business and let me take time out from the business from time to time which I wouldn’t have been so prepared to do before.  Any negatives have usually been there to try us and teach us lessons and that is how I have always treated them turning them into a positive as there is no time for regrets in life and try to live my life through this and thus the business and taking opportunities where possible.