Kilkenny’s Mount Juliet swept the board at Ireland’s food Oscars, with the venue taking the three top prizes at the Good Food Ireland awards.

It was not so long ago that the notion of Irish cuisine was regarded as a bit of a joke and prompted visions of hairy bacon and watery cabbage.

THE recent Web Summit in the RDS in Dublin brought to Ireland by brilliant young entrepreneur Paddy Cosgrave blew people out of the water.

Celebrity chef Darina Allen and the international Slow Food organisation have clashed with Bord Iascaigh Mhara over its proposed 500-hectare organic salmon farm off the Aran Islands.

Quality Irish food producers are likely to benefit from the horsemeat scandal as consumers begin to favour local suppliers, a study shows.

Rising overheads, a decrease in consumer spend and access to finance are the three biggest challenges to Ireland's food industry, according to producers.

Galway and Cork were the big winners at the fifth annual Good Food Ireland Awards, with Aniar Restaurant in Galway scooping the top prize.

Dairy goods manufacturer Killowen Yoghurts has won a year of free consultation, strategy and support from business advisory firm Grant Thornton.

THE artisan milk and handmade butter movement is really gathering momentum.

Food can play an invaluable role in driving Irish tourism, according to a new survey commissioned by Good Food Ireland (GFI), a non-governmental group set up to promote the industry.

THE fifth Good Food Ireland Conference and Awards will be used to promote the agri-food sector as a driver for economic recovery.

LUNCH, like dieting or fidelity, means many things to many people.

THE hit reality TV show The Apprentice returns to TV3 next Monday night with 16 contestants battling over 12 weeks to go into partnership with businessman Bill Cullen.

EAT up for Ireland, it’s the patriotic thing to do — that’s the message from Good Food Ireland as it bids to raise consumer support for home- produced food in advance of St Patrick’s Day.

LOCAL food ingredients enhance satisfaction levels among customers, delivering “empty plates” and savings on waste, according to a Good Food Ireland membership survey.

TWO of Cork’s leading restaurateurs were smiling broadly alongside almost 300 undergraduates and postgraduates at a conferring ceremony at UCC yesterday.

THE fun at the 3 Irish Open wasn’t just confined to the golf course with many sideshows and tented village a particularly big crowd-puller.

FOOD lovers will be tempted with special deals this week in an event celebrating great Irish food and its producers.

I’M CONTINUALLY surprised by how thrown waiting staff in many restaurants seem to be if one asks about the provenance of the food. They immediately seem to go on the defensive and it can take three or four attempts to find out the source of a piece of meat, fish or cheese.

A SAFETY net for indigenous food producers was sought yesterday by top chefs at an annual food awards ceremony in Dublin.

LAST WEEK I hopped off the train in Portlaoise on my way to Cork especially to make “an appearance” at a book launch — not something I would do on a regular basis.

CORK businesses carried off two prizes at the Good Food Ireland Awards held at the K Club in Co Kildare yesterday.

THE top accolade in this year’s Good Food Ireland Awards has gone to Rathmullen House in Co Donegal.

TICKLING the taste buds of visitors with top-quality Irish food can give tourism a nourishing boost, it was suggested last night.

BRITISH Airways Holidays has launched its annual Prestige Collection brochure, featuring 85 first-class hotels across 40 locations around the world, including the Caribbean, Indian Ocean, India, Middle East, South and North Africa, the Americas and the Far East.

CORK had the right mix of ingredients to sweep the boards at a major food marketing awards ceremony yesterday.