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Myrtle Allen

The renowned “godmother of Irish food”, Mrs. Myrtle Allen, passed away in June 2018. Fellow guild members remember the late Mrs. Allen and pay tribute to this legendary lady here.

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Acknowledgments

The Irish Food Writers’ Guild is grateful to Bord Bia for their continued sponsorship of the Guild and our Food Awards and to the Herbert Park Hotel for their ongoing generosity in hosting our regular meetings in their excellent facilities.

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And for Mains: Recipes, Stories and Pints with an

And for Mains: Recipes, Stories and Pints with an Irish Butcher and a Chef by Gaz Smith & Rick Higgins, published by Guild member @edibleireland @9beanrowsbooks has won the Chefs & Restaurants category of the prestigious @iacpculinary Cookbook Awards 2022.

The IACP Cookbook Awards honour the authors, publishers and other contributors behind the best cookbooks published each year. Their programme requires multi-step, rigorous recipe testing in all relevant awards categories. Awards are given in 15 categories.

Publisher Kristin Jensen says, ‘We were huge underdogs in this award, competing against books by big-name authors and produced by multinational publishers. And for Mains is the very first book published by our new house, Nine Bean Rows, so for a start-up publishing company to get this kind of recognition is a massive achievement. I’m incredibly proud to be putting Irish food on an international stage.’

Congratulations @michaels_dublin @higgins_butchers @edibleireland @9beanrowsbooks @nicola_brady @katiequinnphoto.

Guild Member Michelle Darmody would like to invite

Guild Member Michelle Darmody would like to invite you to this year’s Eat the Streets!, an exciting family-friendly festival centred on making our diets more sustainable and local as part of Dublin Climate Action week.

This Saturday, 17th September from 12 noon to 5pm at the National Museum of Ireland - Collins Barracks, D7

There will be free workshops for children and the young at heart. You can learn how to pickle vegetables, to chop like a chef and earn your knife licence, or how to turn food scraps into compost. Our chefs will be ready to cook with you, and share their tips on climate action in the kitchen! You can also take part in a food-inspired treasure hunt that will take you through the halls of the museum.

Do come along!

#eatthestreets

Congratulations to Guild members @edibleireland &

Congratulations to Guild members @edibleireland & @deelaffan on launching their new biannual, long-form writing food magazine Scoop: Irish Food Stories.

Scoop will share the inside story on Irish food in each themed issue. The theme of the first issue due to be published in October asks; What is Irish Food?

It’s brilliant to see a new publication being launched in Ireland with a focus on food writing and of course with opportunities for work for food writers.

However, they are crowdsourcing to get the magazine up and running, so you can support them by subscribing to Scoop today and preordering your annual copies. Or if you or your organisation would like to support the magazine further, there are sponsor and patron opportunities available via their Kickstarter. Go to @scoopfoodmag and click link in their bio to pledge today!

Best of luck to Guild member @alidunworth this wee

We are also delighted to welcome Melanie May @_may

We are also delighted to welcome Melanie May @_maymelanie as a new member to the Guild.

Melanie is an award-winning freelance food, wine and travel writer. Endlessly curious about different countries, cultures and cuisines, she has a particular interest in gastro-tourism and learning about communities through their food history.

She has eaten her way through 60 countries and her gastro-travel blog – Travel Eat Write Repeat – brings you the amusing adventures of a hungry traveller.

A professional writer for well over a decade now, Melanie is a versatile storyteller with a flair for wordplay and the ability to paint a vivid picture for her readers. Writing for a variety of websites as well as national and international print publications, she has produced gastro-guides, restaurant reviews, recipes, interviews and industry reports. When it comes to the drinks industry, she has covered everything from coffee to cider festivals, and craft beer to cold brew. However, writing about wine is one of her favourite topics and she holds a WSET Level 2 Award in Wines and Spirits and a WSET Level 3 Award in Wines.

As a gastronome, her appreciation of good food and wine, as well as her honesty, has seen her sit on tasting and judging panels for The Guild of Fine Food Great Taste Awards, The Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards and The Big Grill Festival Pit Masters BBQ competition.

Welcome Mel!

#foodwriter #irishfoodwriter #irishfoodwritersguild #ireland #member

Another new member of the Irish Food Writers Guild

Another new member of the Irish Food Writers Guild is Lily Ramirez-Foran @lily_ramirezforan who we are delighted to have join us.

Lily is the founder of Ireland’s leading Mexican boutique grocer and cookery school, @picadomexican in Dublin and author of the popular food blog, A Mexican Cook. She has been living and cooking in Ireland for 20 years with her Irish husband and business partner, Alan. She’s a woman on a mission to showcase Mexican food and culture beyond its clichés and misconceptions. When not busy with work, Lily can be found in her kitchen experimenting with recipes, writing on her kitchen table and learning to grow food in her tiny urban garden. Shop keeper, food writer, story teller, mad dreamer and lover of all things Irish. She is a chef member of Euro-Toques Ireland, and passionately believes in the Slow Food ethos of good, clean and fair food. Lily is a regular face on Irish morning TV and a frequent radio contributor. Her debut book TACOS by Blasta books was published to great acclaim in February 2022.

Welcome Lily! 🙌🏼

#foodwriter #irishfoodwriter #irishfoodwriters #irishfoodwritersguild #ireland #member

We are delighted to welcome new member Jolene Cox

We are delighted to welcome new member Jolene Cox @oneyummymummy1 to the Guild 🙌🏼

Jolene is a multi-award-winning family food writer, bestselling author, public speaker and freelance recipe developer for national newspapers and magazines.

She believes that the heart of the home lies firmly in the kitchen and is passionate about encouraging kids to get hands on with cooking. She is the founder of the One Yummy Mummy Family Cooking Club which supports parents to cook, prep and plan nutritious family meals on a budget. So far, Jolene has supported 300 children through 80 parents across 5 schools through their schools programme (pre-pandemic). After pivoting online, Jolene has supported 300 children who engaged in cookalong zoom classes during lockdown. She continues these classes weekly as she is passionate about getting children into the kitchen and empowering them to learn to prepare age-appropriate meals.

Most importantly, Jolene is a mum who has been cooking for families for over 20 years, who truly understands family cooking. Since the release of her bestselling debut cookbook, One Yummy Mummy: Family Food Made Easy, Jolene has pioneered a home-cooking movement across the nation with her simple, no-fuss family recipes. She has a burgeoning community following across social media, summer camps for kids, a school programme for parents, and now her online cookery school.

Jolene’s second cookbook, Family Kitchen, was released in December 2021. Staying true to Jolene’s mission to make home-cooking the new convenience food, Family Kitchen is a gem for all the family to enjoy, encouraging kids into the kitchen with easy-to-read recipes that will excite and inspire their taste buds and teach them skills for life. All the recipes in Family Kitchen have been cooked and photographed by Jolene in her own home. She is currently writing and plans to release a children’s cookbook later this year.

#irishfoodwritersguild #irishfoodwriters #foodwriter #ireland #member

RePosted • @aoifecarrigy_ Fancy tasting some g

RePosted • @aoifecarrigy_

Fancy tasting some great value wines with lots of cheese and charcuterie nibbles, and learning insider tips on wine temperatures and food pairings?
🍷
The lovely peeps at @saltwatergrocery in Terenure are running regular Wednesday night wine tastings and I’ll be hosting one next Wednesday 11th at 7pm (rescheduled from April 27th).
✨
I’ve chosen some properly delicious left-field wines that work equally well with food or without, perfect for sharing with good company of an early summer evening.
🌞
We’ll chat about the difference that temperature can make to how a wine tastes (spoiler alert: a massive one!)
🌡
And we’ll unpack some of the basic premises of food and wine pairings while we’re at it (while never forgetting the most important rule, which is drink what you like!).
😋
Oh and there’ll be discounts on the night on any of the wines tasted.
💶
If you fancy joining us just drop a line to shane@saltwatergrocery.ie
and he’ll book you in!
📧
And if you can’t make it next Wednesday, there are loads of in person wine tastings opening up again in Dublin and around the country, and loads of fun online options too. I have a shout out to some of them in this Saturday’s @independent.weekend so pick up a copy for inspiration and get yourself booked in somewhere, for the love of god!
🗞
Because wine is made to be shared, even when it’s being tasted!
🥂
#winetastings #winedublin #wineireland #winetastingsdublin #foodwinepairing #wineforsharing

Organised by Guild member @culinaryireland, @unive

Organised by Guild member @culinaryireland, @universitycollegecork’s Annual Myrtle Allen Memorial Lecture is taking place this Thursday, 12th May, from 5.15-7.30pm.

Guest lecturer is Dr Susan Flavin, TCD, who will detail her ground breaking research work on Irish food in the 16/17th centuries.

All welcome + booking essential

The Annual Myrtle Allen memorial Lecture will also include 5 mini-presentations from graduates of @ace.ucc Postgraduate Diploma in Irish Food Culture.

You are invited you to join for an evening of Irish food history, 12 May, 5.15 - 7.30 pm, UCC.

Bookings: Eventbrite

Our final award is our Lifetime Achievement Award.

Our final award is our Lifetime Achievement Award.

👏Congratulations to Sally Ferns Barns👏

Since 1979 Sally Ferns Barnes has been perfecting the art of smoking wild Irish fish at West Cork's @woodcocksmokery. Over the last 40 years, Sally has acquired great knowledge on everything that links the ocean and its bounty, smoke curing, and working with nature and natural processes. The Keep, established adjacent to the smokery in 2020, is where that knowledge is shared through masterclasses in the art of curing and smoking wild fish. Sally is the last person in Ireland that exclusively handles wild fish and is a keystone in the age-old traditions of our Irish food culture.

#IFWGFoodAwards @Bordbia www.woodcocksmokery.com

Read more in our e-zine which will be published shortly in our bio!

👏 Congratulations to our Community Food Award w

👏 Congratulations to our Community Food Award winner: @ourtabledublin 👏

Malawian Ellie Kisyombe, a former asylum seeker, met café owner and food writer Michelle Darmody while doing volunteer work in the Irish Refugee Council. Together they set up Our Table, a community-based, social enterprise that uses food as a way to connect, start a conversation and draw attention to the realities of those living in Direct Provision. Our Table started out hosting pop-up and catering events aimed at generating awareness about conditions within the Direct Provision system, while also providing immigrants with employment. During the pandemic, the team focused on getting as much good, wholesome food as possible to those living in emergency accommodation and Direct Provision Centres. Plans for the future include setting up a new Our Table kitchen that will be used for their many projects and ongoing training, cooking and mentoring.

#IFWGFoodAwards @Bordbia www.ourtable.ie

Read more in our e-zine which will be published shortly in our bio!

👏 Our Environmental Award goes to Rock Farm Sl

👏 Our Environmental Award goes to Rock Farm Slane. Congratulations @RockFarmSlane 👏

Owned by the Conyngham family, Rock Farm Slane is an intertwined organic farm and ecotourism business underpinned by sustainable and environmentally-conscious practices. Organic cattle, pigs, hens, turkeys and vegetables are all produced on the 90-acre farm, which is run according to permaculture principles. This is complemented by luxury eco-glamping, which offers visitors a unique opportunity to experience the food, landscape and culture of the Boyne Valley region.

#IFWGFoodAwards @Bordbia www.rockfarmslane.ie

Read more in our e-zine which will be published shortly in our bio!

👏 Next up is our Notable Contribution to Irish

👏 Next up is our Notable Contribution to Irish Food Award: Congratulations, Stefan Griesbach, @GannetFish👏

Stefan Griesbach came to Ireland in 1997, having worked in fish shops in Paris, and started his business with a single stall outside Sheridan's in Galway. Since then, this stall has evolved into Gannet Fishmongers, known for sourcing the very best quality of locally caught fish. Through its online store, Gannet Fishmongers deliver the freshest of Irish fish nationwide; shoppers see what came in from the boats, place their order and receive it soon after, cold-packed and spanking fresh.

#IFWGFoodAwards @Bordbia www.eatmorefish.ie

Read more in our e-zine which will be published shortly in our bio!

👏 Congratulations to our Irish Drink Award: Al

👏 Congratulations to our Irish Drink Award: All About Kombucha @allaboutkombucha 👏

Established in 2017 by Emmett Kerrigan and Keith Loftus, two young entrepreneurs from Galway, All About Kombucha brews freshly fermented sparkling tea from organic ingredients. Each bottle of All About Kombucha is hand-brewed from the organic ingredients of tea, sugar and water. The drink is currently available in three core flavours: raspberry, ginger & lemon and carrot & turmeric, which can be found in over 250 stockists across the country and also purchased online.

#IFWGFoodAwards @Bordbia www.allaboutkombucha.ie

Read more in our e-zine which will be published shortly in our bio!

👏 Congratulations to our final Food Award: Cool

👏 Congratulations to our final Food Award: Coolfin from @kylemorefarmhousecheese 👏

Coolfin cheese is an Alpine-style hard cheese made in the foothills of the Slieve Aughty mountains in East Galway by Teresa Roche. The cheese is handmade on the family farm using only summer milk, is fully traceable and has a low carbon footprint. It takes up to ten months to mature and has a deliciously smooth texture with distinctively sweet, creamy and nutty flavours and a lingering aftertaste.

#IFWGFoodAwards @Bordbia www.kylemorefarmhousecheese.com

Read more in our e-zine which will be published shortly in our bio!

👏 Congratulations to another Food Award: Calvey

👏 Congratulations to another Food Award: Calvey’s Achill Mountain Lamb @achilllamb 👏

The Calveys have been sheep farmers on Achill Island for over a century and a half. An on-site abattoir means their lambs do not have the stress of travelling to a slaughterhouse but remain on their own territory and in the care of familiar people to the end. The same hands-on care applies to the butchery and the wonderful meats sold at the family’s recently upgraded and relaunched farm shop at Keel.

Video: Grainne Calvey

#IFWGFoodAwards @Bordbia www.calveysachillmountainlamb.ie

Read more in our e-zine which will be published shortly in our bio!

👏 Congratulations to first of our 3 Food Awards

👏 Congratulations to first of our 3 Food Awards: @bread41dublin 👏

After initially training and working as a carpenter, Eoin Cluskey completed the Ballymaloe 12-week cookery course, then founded Bread 41 in 2018. In just a few short years the Dublin 2 bakery has become one of the city's best-known and well-loved artisan companies. At the bakery, each perfectly unique loaf is sustainably made, with Cluskey committed to running a zero-waste, carbon neutral company.

#IFWGFoodAwards @Bordbia www.bread41.ie

Read more in our e-zine which will be published shortly in our bio!

Thank you for tuning in to our Awards announcement

Thank you for tuning in to our Awards announcements and massive congratulations to all of our inspiring winners!

Interviews with the winners, citations and recipes have been lovingly catalogued in the 2022 IFWG Food Awards e-zine, which you can check out in our bio!

Thanks to the team who put the e-zine together including Guild members @jordanrmooney, @irelandguide, @bibliocook, @cliodhnaprendergast, @properfood_ie, @gastrogays, @alidunworth, @flavour.ie plus Jane Matthews for Graphic Design,
@paulsherphoto1 for photography and videography, cover photo by @cliodhnaprendergast and PR by Rachel Sherry, Grayling PR.

🎺Since 1993 we’ve celebrated the best of Iris

🎺Since 1993 we’ve celebrated the best of Irish food at the Irish Food Writers' Guild Food Awards 🎺

Cautiousness around Covid has led us to postpone our in-person awards ceremony again this year, but it won't stop us celebrating these amazing Irish producers online.

The annual Irish Food Writers' Guild Awards celebrate excellence, championing local producers & organisations for their focus on quality, traceability, sustainability and commitment to Ireland’s outstanding reputation in food and drink.

The #IFWGFoodAwards are unique as no organisation can enter or be nominated (apart from the Community Food Award, for which the Guild invites nominations). #IFWGFoodAwards products are selected, tested & voted on by Guild members. Winning products must be produced in Ireland & the main ingredient Irish grown or produced.

@Bordbia are our generous sponsors for the awards.

Today is the day we celebrate our ⭐incredible winners⭐ online here and across our channels from 10am #staytuned to hear more!

@Bordbia #IFWGFoodAwards

✨ Save the Date ✨ our annual Food Writers Gui

✨ Save the Date ✨ our annual Food Writers Guild Awards will take place this coming Tuesday 8 March from 10am. We will be announcing our amazing winners here and on our our other social channels #ifwgfoodawards @Bordbia

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The Irish Food Writers' Guild: A Voice for Better Eating. Read about our 2022 #IFWGFoodAwards & special e-zine at the link

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St Tola Goat Cheese @StTolaCheese·

Privileged to be mentioned among these formidable Irish food producers including Fergal & Sally @moyhillfarm ,the formidable SallyBarnes.Thank you @jozeemac @irishexaminer @visitBurren @EurotoquesIrl @foodguild @campbellsuz @ClareTourism @CheeseSchoolIrl

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Food Guild IRE @foodguild·

Brilliant to see a new publication supporting Irish food writing being created by @edibleireland & @deelaffan - if you want to support this new magazine @scoopfoodmag you can do so through their Kickstarter in link below

Nine Bean Rows Books🌻@9beanrowsbooks

The newest addition to our publishing family, @scoopfoodmag, is now live on Kickstarter! You can order your copy, read about the vision for the magazine, see a sneak peek of a few pages and meet our team.🚀
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blastabooks/scoop-irish-food-stories

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Cathy aka The Culinary Celt @theculinarycelt·

Gorgeous meal @Macreddin 🌱
Clare Island Confit Salmon, Courgette, Wild Elderflower Hollandaise followed by
Wicklow Mountain Wild Sika, Celeriac, Elderberries.
#farmtotable #thisisirishfood

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oliver moore @oliver_moore·

Great Food-Art programme in the Crawford Gallery in Cork from now for the months ahead.
Well done @Culinaryireland @lisafingleton @TDrisheen folks! @foodguild
https://crawfordartgallery.ie/wp-content/uploads/Meat-and-Potatoes-PDF.pdf

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