Winners of 2015 Euro-Toques Food Awards honoured

Five of the Republic's premier food producers have been honoured for their contribution to the Irish food industry at the 10th annual EirGrid Euro-Toques Food Awards.

The awards are aimed at recognising the best and brightest of Irish food producers.

The theme of this year’s awards was innovation and growth.

A group of 160 Euro-Toques chefs from across the State nominate producers for the awards.

Eight Euro-Toques chefs then visit the producers and carry out tastings before selecting the winners.

This year’s awards were presented at a gala lunch at The Residence Club in Dublin.

The winners included Shanna Wilkie, of Wilkie's Organic Chocolate, who imports organic cocoa beans from two farms in Peru. Shana was the first producer in Ireland to import and work with raw cocoa beans.

Ms Wilkie said: “The farms in Peru are family run. They have 2.5 hectares of land between them.

“The great thing about them is, they’re putting their profits back into the local community. They’ve realised the value of growing cocoa in a sustainable and organic way.”

Speaking at the event, commissioner general of Euro-Toques, Wade Murphy, commended the award winners for their hard work and dedication to the industry.

“This is our raison d’etre. We are so proud to honour these artisans and the contribution they’ve made. Your life work is the foundation of ours,” he said.

Euro-Toques was established in 1986 with the intention of creating a network of chefs committed to the highest quality produce.

The Irish branch was set up by Myrtle Allen of Ballymaloe House in the same year.

List of winners

The full list of winners for 2015 are:

Farrelly’s of Delgany, butchers and abattoir, Co Wicklow

Sinéad O’Brien, of Mungo Murphy’s Seaweed, Connemara, Co Galway

Siobhán Ní Ghairbhith, of St Tola Irish Goat Cheese, Co Clare

Rod and Julie Calder-Potts of Highbank Organic Orchard, Co Kilkenny

Shanna Wilkie, of Wilkie’s Organic Chocolate, Midleton, Co Cork