Tesco backs Ireland’s favourite food and drinks producers
Eunice Power, a chef and brand ambassador with Tesco, makes sure to keep Irish ingredients in the spotlight.
Irish food has a true champion in Eunice Power. A chef, broadcaster and restaurateur from Dungarvan, Co Waterford, Eunice has spent decades celebrating local producers and showing that seasonal, home-grown ingredients can be the foundation of truly exciting cooking. Between cooking on our TV screens, organising the Waterford Festival of Food, her wonderful new cookbook, My Irish Kitchen Table, and her recent work as a brand ambassador with Tesco, she does so much to keep Irish ingredients in the spotlight.
“Local, seasonal, and Irish” might sound like buzzwords today, but they’ve always been part of Eunice’s DNA. Growing up on her family’s farm in Dungarvan, she was surrounded by fresh, honest food long before it became fashionable.
“It was just a typical Irish farming childhood,” she says. “I didn’t realise where I came from was important until I went away.” The “away” was to London, where she gained invaluable experience working in hospitality in the busy capital city, but says living there felt claustrophobic: “I couldn’t wait to get back to my rural beginnings and to shorten the distance between the food and the plate. I think very often you have to go away to appreciate what you left behind.”
Returning home to Dungarvan in the late nineties, Eunice used her love of hospitality to pivot into cooking. Starting with a B&B, then a restaurant and later a thriving catering business. She taught herself to cook, relying on instinct, creativity and at the heart of it all, local ingredients. Her colourful, seasonal dishes soon earned her a national following, leading to writing recipe columns and appearances on television. Today, she continues to share her approachable style of Irish cooking with home cooks across the country, something she’s proudly extended through her collaboration with Tesco.
Knowing her suppliers has always been central to what Eunice does, so she’s been genuinely impressed by how much Tesco values its Irish producers. Meeting them has been one of the highlights of her work with the brand. “Local food is so important to have on our supermarket shelves,” she says, “but people also need to be reminded about who’s behind it all.”
Eunice lights up when she talks about meeting the Gilpin family in Co Louth, who’ve been growing Brussels sprouts for nearly 60 years and now supply Tesco. “We filmed on the farm with them and I couldn’t believe how many people didn’t know sprouts grow on a stalk,” she laughs. “It’s like a bit of magic architecture in a field.”
She also visited Oliver McCann in Co Armagh, who is collaborating closely with Tesco on a new style of orchard that supplies Irish-grown apples and pears to stores across the country. “I love that idea, going into partnership with a grower and it means more Irish apples for all of us.” That kind of partnership reminds Eunice of the relationships she built during her catering days.
“You can’t change things overnight,” she says, “but when a producer wants to expand, it’s great to have someone like Tesco holding your hand while you do it.”
She’s equally enthusiastic about Tesco’s involvement with the Blas na hÉireann Irish Food Awards. “It’s such a fabulous thing for Irish producers to get involved in. The judging process is brilliant, and winning a Blas award is a huge accolade,” she says.
Last year, Tesco secured a record 84 Blas na hÉireann awards from 29 of its Irish suppliers, making Tesco Ireland the most awarded retailer for two years running. “It gives suppliers real confidence that what they’re making is top quality and shoppers can trust that too. When you see that Blas sticker, you know it’s been through a serious process, and most importantly, you know it’s going to be delicious.”
Many of the products that performed well at the Blas awards were part of the Tesco Finest range, a range that Eunice raves about. “I love that I can grab something really delicious in my everyday shop but also pick up something special for Sunday lunch, Saturday night dinner or a treat for the kids,” she says. It’s even got her out of a bind at Christmas. “I bought some of the Tesco Finest Creamy Mashed Potatoes, made with Irish Roosters and passed them off as my own! I probably shouldn’t tell anyone that, but it was absolutely divine.”
Getting to know the work behind the Tesco Finest range, she’s been delighted to find the names of producers she already admired. “They’re working with Folláin in west Cork for beautiful jams, marmalades and chutneys; and there’s gorgeous dairy from Killowen in Wexford, what they produce is always excellent,” she says. “And the cheese, they have over 40 Irish farmhouse cheeses.” Eunice was especially thrilled to learn that Killowen, based in Wexford, has now begun supplying products to Tesco stores across the UK. “What a window that is to open for an Irish producer,” she says proudly.
While she loves highlighting the work of artisan producers, Eunice is probably most excited about sharing recipes. She’s become well known for her straightforward, flavour-packed dishes and has been experimenting with them at Tesco’s dedicated Foodies HQ along with her fellow Tesco food ambassadors Marcus O’Laoire and Dr Aisling Farrell. “I’m really happy to be part of a team that connects directly with people,” Eunice says. “That’s what it’s all about, getting people cooking.”
Together, the Tesco Foodies have been championing easy, everyday meals using Tesco ingredients, from traybakes and batch cooks to quick weeknight fixes. “Sometimes all we need is a little nudge to get into the kitchen. I hope what we’re doing gives people that nudge to see how simple and satisfying home cooking can be.”
As someone with so much knowledge and experience in food, Eunice has loved that this new partnership with Tesco has been teaching her so much as she gets involved with so many aspects of the business. “I’m a very curious person, I always say every day is a school day, and Tesco have been a fascinating company to work with.” Spending time behind the scenes has opened new doors for her – including the freezer door.
“The frozen vegetable section was a revelation,” she says. “I bought diced butternut squash for my Mum who is 82, she finds it hard, she doesn’t have the strength in her hands to peel and chop a whole butternut squash, but she loves it for soups and stews and things like that so now she has it back and it’s so easy. Frozen vegetables are great, also if you’re just cooking for one, you can take out a handful as you need them. It’s great for saving on waste too."
As Tesco Ireland continues to nurture its relationship with Irish suppliers, Eunice is excited for what lies ahead. “They already work with over 500 Irish suppliers and are the biggest retail buyer of Irish food and drink in the world, so it’s great to let people know that,” she says. “People need to be reminded about Irish food – a little bit about who we are, what we are, where we are and what we eat.”
It’s clear she feels a great pride in the partnership. “I feel very proud to work with Tesco,” she says. “They have every right to shout about what they’re doing in the Irish market because they really are doing an amazing job.” And at the heart of it all, Eunice’s mission remains simple: “I want people to eat really nice food,” she smiles. “I don’t want them to stress about buying it and they should be able to put their hands on the ingredients they need.”
