Aran Island Seafoods, Garryhinch Mushrooms, Winetavern Farm, Kylemore Farmhouse Cheese, Leitrim Hill Creamery, Dunany Flour and Micil Distillery among this year’s winners
The annual Euro-Toques Ireland Food Awards took place on Monday 25th May at Tulfarris Hotel & Golf Resort, Co. Wicklow, bringing together chefs, producers, growers, fishers, artisans and advocates of Irish food culture from across the island.
This year’s gathering marked a particularly special occasion as Euro-Toques Ireland celebrated 40 years since its foundation by Mrs Myrtle Allen in 1986. Over four decades, the organisation has championed food integrity, biodiversity, craftsmanship, traditional skills and meaningful connections between chefs and producers.
The theme for the 2026 Awards, “Community at the Table – from place to plate”, reflected the belief that food is not simply about what we eat, but about how we gather, share knowledge, sustain local communities and preserve cultural heritage through food. Established in 1996, the Euro-Toques Ireland Food Awards were created to recognise and celebrate the finest food produced on the island of Ireland while shining a light on the people behind it – the farmers, fisherfolk, growers, cheesemakers, millers, distillers and craftspeople whose dedication continues to shape Ireland’s culinary identity.
This year’s awards celebrated producers working across seven categories: Water, Land, Farm, Dairy – Aged Cheese, Dairy – Soft Cheese, Artisan Produce and Traditional Craft/Skill. For the 2026 Food Awards, Euro-Toques Ireland partnered with a dedicated group of category sponsors united by a shared commitment to celebrating Irish food culture, sustainability, craftsmanship and the connection between chefs and producers.
The 2026 Euro-Toques Ireland Food Awards winners are:
WATER
Sponsored by BIM – Bord Iascaigh Mhara
Recognising Ireland’s small-scale crab fishermen and sustainable shellfish producers.
Winner: Aran Island Seafoods
LAND
Sponsored by La Rousse Foods
Celebrating Ireland’s innovative mushroom growers and sustainable cultivation practices.
Winner: Garryhinch Mushrooms
FARM
Sponsored by Ballymaloe Cookery School
Honouring rare breed pig producers committed to regenerative and free-range farming.
Winner: Winetavern Farm
DAIRY – AGED CHEESE
Celebrating traditional farmhouse cheesemaking and slow maturation techniques.
Winner: Kylemore Farmhouse Cheese
for Kinlahan Reserve
DAIRY – SOFT CHEESE
Sponsored by CAIS
Recognising exceptional Irish soft cheesemakers.
Winner: Leitrim Hill Creamery
for Cnoc Liatroma
ARTISAN PRODUCE
Sponsored by Gather & Gather
Honouring Irish flour producers working from field to flour using traditional milling methods.
Winner: Dunany Flour
TRADITIONAL CRAFT / SKILL
Sponsored by Brita Ireland
Celebrating the revival of traditional Irish poitín distilling.
Winner: Micil Distillery
for Micil Irish Poitín
“This year’s theme, Community at the Table, speaks directly to what Euro-Toques has stood for over the past 40 years,” said Conor Halpenny of Square Dundalk, Chair of Euro-Toques Ireland. “Food is never just about what is on the plate. It is about the people, traditions, skills and relationships behind it. These awards celebrate producers whose work strengthens local communities, preserves heritage and keeps Irish food culture alive for future generations.”
Aishling Moore of Goldie in Cork, Head of the Euro-Toques Ireland Food Council, added:
“The Food Awards recognise producers whose work reflects integrity, care and a deep connection to the land and sea. This year’s winners represent the extraordinary diversity of Irish food production – from sustainably harvested crab and organically cultivated mushrooms to heritage pork, farmhouse cheeses, stone-milled flour and traditional poitín. They are custodians of knowledge and flavour, and they remind us that community is built through food.”
Principal partner La Rousse Foods supported the overall event and Euro-Toques Ireland’s ongoing mission to champion the people behind Ireland’s ingredients and culinary traditions. This year’s ceremony also included a special reflection on Irish wool and the importance of preserving Ireland’s fibre heritage. Each winner received a handmade woollen blanket crafted by Ériu in County Wicklow.
A special focus of this year’s ceremony was the celebration of Irish wool heritage. Each winner received a handmade wool blanket created by Ériu in County Wicklow, recognising the importance of preserving native Irish wool traditions and supporting emerging Irish wool supply chains. While Ireland has a rich woollen tradition deeply connected to its cultural identity, very little wool sold today as “Irish wool” actually comes from Irish-grown fibre. Organisers highlighted the need for greater transparency and fairer recognition for authentic Irish wool and the farmers and craftspeople working to preserve this vital aspect of Ireland’s cultural identity. Encouragingly, initiatives such as the Galway Wool Co-op and Ériu’s farm-to-yarn model are helping rebuild local supply chains and restore visibility to native Irish wool.
Following the awards ceremony, guests gathered for a celebratory lunch showcasing Irish produce from nominees and winners across all categories. The event created opportunities for chefs and producers to connect directly, reinforcing Euro-Toques Ireland’s belief that strong food communities are built through relationships, collaboration and shared values. The 2026 Food Awards once again highlighted the importance of protecting Ireland’s food heritage while supporting innovation, sustainability and the next generation of Irish producers and craftspeople.
ENDS
Media queries:
Manuela Spinelli
Head of Community
Euro-Toques Ireland
manuela@euro-toques.ie
office@euro-toques.ie
Notes to Editor
WINNERS
About Euro-Toques Ireland
Euro-Toques Ireland is a community of chefs, producers, and food advocates dedicated to protecting food heritage and ensuring a sustainable future for Irish gastronomy. Founded by Myrtle Allen in 1986, the organisation supports food integrity, education, and short supply chains across Ireland.
This year’s award goes to Aran Island Seafoods, a remarkable family-run business rooted in the traditions and rhythms of island life on Inis Mór. Founded and run by Bertie and Niamh Donohue, both born and raised on the Aran Islands, the business reflects a deep connection between sea, community and food. Bertie has spent his life fishing the Atlantic waters surrounding the islands, while Niamh and the family have transformed that catch into a thriving local food enterprise that brings seafood directly from boat to plate. From crab and lobster rolls to homemade chowder and freshly landed fish, their work celebrates simplicity, freshness and authenticity. Aran Island Seafoods embodies the resilience of Ireland’s coastal communities and the enduring value of small-scale fishing traditions. This is seafood shaped by place, family and a profound respect for the sea.
This year’s award goes to Garryhinch Mushrooms, one of Ireland’s leading producers of organic exotic mushrooms and an outstanding example of innovation grounded in sustainability. Founded by Joe and Dolores Gorman, the family-run farm combines decades of mushroom-growing expertise with a forward-thinking approach to environmentally responsible food production. Located on the banks of the River Barrow, Garryhinch cultivates a remarkable range of organic mushrooms using wood-based substrates sourced from sustainably managed forests. Their mushrooms are grown under carefully controlled conditions using advanced technology powered in part by solar energy, while every product is harvested by hand with exceptional care and attention to quality. Garryhinch Mushrooms reflects the future of Irish food production: sustainable, innovative and deeply connected to both land and craft.
This year’s award goes to Winetavern Farm, a pioneering producer dedicated to rare breed conservation, regenerative farming and the respectful rearing of animals in harmony with nature. Founded by Dermot Allen, Winetavern Farm has become internationally recognised for its work with Oxford Sandy and Black pigs, preserving bloodlines that are now central to the breed’s survival in Ireland. Raised outdoors across woodlands throughout Leinster, the pigs live according to their natural instincts, contributing not only to exceptional meat quality but also to ecological land management and biodiversity. Dermot’s work reflects a lifelong passion for farming, animal welfare and heritage breeds. Through his role as founder and chairman of the Irish Pig Society, he has also played a vital role in educating producers, chefs and the wider public about sustainable outdoor pig farming.
Winetavern Farm represents a powerful example of farming that values tradition, traceability and environmental stewardship in equal measure.
This year’s award goes to Kinlahan Reserve by Kylemore Farmhouse Cheese, an exceptional Irish farmhouse cheese crafted with patience, skill and a profound connection to place. Produced by fourth-generation farmer Teresa Roche in the foothills of the Slieve Aughty Mountains in County Galway, Kinlahan Reserve reflects decades of dedication to quality milk production and sustainable farming. Inspired by alpine cheesemaking traditions, the cheese is handmade using milk from the family’s grass-fed pedigree dairy herd and matured slowly to develop remarkable depth, richness and complexity.
Teresa’s work embodies the values of provenance, sustainability and craftsmanship, while also championing diversification in Irish farming and creating opportunities within rural communities. Kinlahan Reserve is a cheese of character, authenticity and quiet excellence – a true expression of Irish farmhouse cheesemaking.
This year’s award goes to Cnoc Liatroma from Leitrim Hill Creamery, a beautifully expressive raw milk goat’s cheese created through care, biodiversity and natural cheesemaking traditions. Founded by Lisa Gifford alongside her daughter Gypsy Gifford and daughter-in-law Richelle South, the smallholding farm and micro-creamery in County Leitrim reflects a deeply holistic approach to farming. Their goats graze diverse herb-rich pastures designed to support both animal nutrition and soil health, while the family actively restores hedgerows and native ecosystems across the farm. Using raw milk and natural starter cultures developed from their own herd, the team creates cheeses that are delicate, layered and deeply connected to the landscape from which they come. Cnoc Liatroma is a remarkable example of sustainable Irish cheesemaking rooted in family, ecology and craftsmanship.
This year’s award goes to Dunany Flour, a producer that has helped redefine Irish flour through sustainability, flavour and a complete field-to-flour philosophy.
Run by Andrew and Leonie Workman on the family farm in County Louth, Dunany Organic Flour is produced entirely on-site – from growing and harvesting the grain to stone milling and packaging the finished flour. Since converting the farm to organic production in 2006, the family has remained committed to creating flour that is both environmentally responsible and deeply expressive of the Irish landscape.Working with heritage grains such as spelt and rye, and using specially sourced traditional mills, Dunany produces flour celebrated for its richness, texture and exceptional flavour. Their work reflects the revival of Irish grain traditions through craftsmanship, innovation and a profound respect for the land.
This year’s award goes to Micil Irish Poitín, a producer preserving one of Ireland’s oldest distilling traditions while bringing new life to the country’s native spirit. Named after Micil Mac Chearra, who began distilling illicit poitín in Connemara in 1848, the distillery represents Ireland’s longest unbroken family distilling tradition. For more than 170 years, recipes, skills and knowledge have been passed from generation to generation through the Irish language. Today, Micil Distillery continues to craft poitín on small pot stills using traditional methods, exceptional ingredients and a deep respect for heritage and provenance. Their spirits honour the rugged landscape and distilling culture of Galway and Connemara while helping restore poitín’s place within contemporary Irish food and drink culture. Micil Irish Poitín is a celebration of tradition, identity and the enduring spirit of Irish craftsmanship.
2026 NOMINEES
WATER
• Aran Island Seafoods, Co. Galway
• CS Fish, Co. Clare
• Lambay Island Crab, Dublin
• Oliver Rogers Crab, Co. Down
LAND
• Ard Mhaca Mushrooms, Co. Armagh
• Ashford Mushrooms, Co. Wicklow
• Garryhinch Mushrooms, Co. Offaly
• The Mushroom Butcher, Dublin
FARM
• Glenbrook Farm, Co. Cork
• Lunasa Farm, Co. Clare
• Newbard Farm, Co. Waterford
• Winetavern Farm, Co. Wicklow
DAIRY – AGED CHEESE
• Kinlahan Reserve by Kylemore Farmhouse Cheese, Co. Galway
• Rathkenny by Boyne Valley Cheese, Co. Meath
• Shepherd’s Store by Cashel Farmhouse Cheese, Co. Tipperary
• Templegall by Hegarty Cheese, Co. Cork
DAIRY – SOFT CHEESE
• Ardsallagh Goats Cheese, Co. Cork
• Aran Islands Goats Cheese, Co. Galway
• Cnoc Liatroma by Leitrim Hill Creamery, Co. Leitrim
• St. Tola Divine by St. Tola Farmhouse Cheese, Co. Clare
ARTISAN PRODUCE
• Dunany Flour, Co. Louth
• Oak Forest Mills, Co. Kilkenny
• The Little Mill Company, Co. Kilkenny
• The Merry Mill, Co. Laois
TRADITIONAL CRAFT/SKILL
• Malt na Mara by Blackwater Distillery, Co. Waterford
• Micil Irish Poitín by Micil Distillery, Co. Galway
• Pangur Irish Poitín by Killowen Distillery, Co. Down
• The Big Field Poitín by Tipperary Boutique Distillery, Co. Tipperary