Irish food producers strike gold at Great Taste Awards

Irish food producers have cleaned up at this year’s Great Taste Awards — the world’s largest blind-tasted food awards — with local suppliers for the likes of Aldi and SuperValu going down a treat with a judging panel comprising of leading chefs and food critics.

Run by the London-based Guild of Fine Food, the awards — dubbed ‘the Food Oscars’ — have become the largest and most highly trusted accreditation scheme for speciality food and drink producers.

This year, the Irish won big. Bewley’s won 12 gongs for its tea range and SuperValu’s move from branded goods to local producer-supplied own-label ranges proved a canny play, as it picked up 29 awards for its ‘signature tastes’ range; 80% of which are made and provided by local Irish suppliers.