Munster Regional Winners for the Irish Restaurant Awards 2012

The Munster Regional Final For The Restaurant Awards 2012 sponsored By Santa Rita / Sunday Independent Life Magazine took Place in The Imperial Hotel, Cork City, on Tuesday 3rd April 2012

The List of Winners in each of the following categories were:

Best Customer Service

• CLARE TOWN HALL BISTRO
• WATERFORD ATHENAEUM HOUSE
• TIPPERARY THE FAIRWAYS BAR
• LIMERICK THE MUSTARD SEED
• KERRY JACKS COASTGUARD STATION
• CORK ISAACS RESTAURANT

Best Gastro Pub Sponsored By Faustino

• CLARE THE ROADSIDE TAVERN
• WATERFORD JACK MEADES
• TIPPERARY LARKINS
• LIMERICK THE LOCK BAR 
• KERRY SPILLANES BAR
• CORK THE WOODFORD

Best Casual Dining Sponsored By Joseph Drouhin

• CLARE L'ARCO
• WATERFORD MCLEARY'S
• TIPPERARY CAFE HANS
• LIMERICK LA CUCINA
• KERRY SOL Y SOMBRA
• CORK NASH 19

Wine Experience - Munster- Sponsored By Thomas Barton

• HAYFIELD MANOR, CO. CORK

Kids Size Me – Munster - Sponsored By Heinz

• THE STONE CUTTERS KITCHEN, CO. CLARE

Best Hotel Restaurant

• CLARE THE LONG ROOM at THE LODGE DOONBEG
• CORK LOUGUEVILLE HOUSE
• KERRY CELLAR ONE RESTAURANT at THE ROSS HOTEL
• LIMERICK THE OAKROOM RESTAURANT at ADARE MANOR
• TIPPERARY THE OLD CONVENT
• WATERFORD THE MUNSTER ROOM at WATERFORD CASTLE

Best Chef Sponsored By Tipperary Water

• CLARE WADE MURPHY  - THE LODGE AT DOONBEG
• CORK PAT KIELY  - LES GOURMANDISES
• KERRY NOEL ENRIGHT  - THE CHART HOUSE
• LIMERICK MARK DONOHUE  - ADARE MANOR
• TIPPERARY DERMOT GANNON   - THE OLD CONVENT
• WATERFORD MICHAEL QUINN  - WATERFORD CASTLE

Best Restaurant Sponsored By Santa Rita

• CLARE THE WILD HONEY INN
• CORK LES GOURMANDISES
• KERRY CHAPTER 40 RESTAURANT
• LIMERICK CORNSTORE RESTAURANT
• TIPPERARY BROCKA ON THE WATER
• WATERFORD O'BRIEN CHOP HOUSE

All County winners will now compete for the Regional and All Ireland Title which will be announced at the Irish Restaurant Awards in the Burlington Hotel Dublin on Wednesday 14th May 2012 2. www.irishrestaurantawards.com . 

There are 3 components to phase two  of the process. Each element is independently assessed by KPMG.

1. Mystery Guest Visit (35%) This component of the awards is conducted by Prism Consulting headed by Hugo Arnold, independent food writer and consultant. (http://www.hugoarnold.com). All County Winners receive a mystery guest visit throughout the month of April.

2. National Awards Academy (55%) Our National Awards Academy is made up representatives from each of the regional judging panels and will meet in May to Judge the County Winners.

3. Menu Judging (10%) All County winners and the Dublin Shortlist in each category are asked to submit a copy of their food menu and wine list for judging.

For Further Details Contact:

Adrian Cummins, Chief Executive, www.RAI.ie - 086 8263311.

Happy Heart Garlic Rapeseed Oil - Winner of Best Organic Product 2011

"There was a 100% increase in number of companies entering National Organic Awards 2011" says Bord Bia. And that's in a recession!

 This is the fifth year for the National Organic Awards, organised by Bord Bia. A total of 169 individual products were judged with awards given in eight different categories.

Overall Winner, Kitty Colchester from Second Nature Oils said “I am really honored to have Happy Heart recognised as a superior organic rapeseed oil product in Ireland. We take great pride in the manufacturing of our fully organic rapeseed oil and the development of the flavoured range was a new departure for us – I’m delighted to see that it has paid off!”

"Rapeseed oil contains 59% monounsaturated fat and 30% polyunsaturated fats (omega 3 &6). It also contains vitamin E,which is a powerful antioxidant" said Kitty. "It helps the body to fight against the negative effects of free radicals,heart disease,cancer and aging as well as being beneficial in nourishing the skin. And the fresher the oil,the higher the vitamin E content. We cold press our oil weekly,offering you the freshest organic oil available in Ireland!"

Kitty Colechester of Second Nature Oils , Kilkenny 

Minister of State Shane McEntee, who presented the awards, took the opportunity to congratulate Bord Bia on the work that they are currently doing within the organic sector, and have now been doing for several years, to help develop it into the future stating,  “These awards have now become recognised as being an important and permanent feature of the organic food and drink industry in this country.  It is events like this that continue to raise awareness among consumers about what organic food and farming is all about and where they can source organic produce”.


The overall category winners were as follows: • Best Overall Organic Product: Happy Heart Organic Garlic Flavour Irish Rapeseed Oil - From Second Nature Oils , Kilkenny
http://www.secondnatureoils.com/

• Best Organic Confectionery & Baked Goods:
Organic Gluten Free Brownie Mix from Sowan’s Organic Bread Mix Ltd, County Laois
http://www.sowansorganic.ie/

• Best Organic Fruit & Vegetable: Irish Organic Apples from Clashganny Organic Farm, Waterford

• Best Organic Grocery: Joint Winners:  Happy Heart Organic Garlic Flavour Irish Rapeseed Oil - From Second Nature Oils, Drumeen Farm, Kilkenny Highbank Orchard Syrup from Highbank Orchard, Kilkenny
http://www.highbankorchards.com/

• Best Organic Dairy: Glenisk Greek Style Low-Fat Rhubarb Yogurt  from Glenisk, Offaly
http://www.glenisk.com/

• Best Organic Prepared Food Product: Smoked Irish Organic Salmon from Burren Smokehouse, Clare
www.burrensmokehouse.ie/

• Best Organic Fresh Seafood Product: The Organic Salmon Company Retail Pack from The Organic Salmon Company, Donegal
http://www.theorganicsalmoncompany.com/

• Best Organic Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Beverage: Bloom Mountain Organic Irish Cream Liqueur from First Ireland Spirits Co Ltd, Laois
http://www.firstirelandspirits.com/

• Best Organic Fresh Meat Product: Organic Back Rashers from Crowe’s Farm, Tipperary
www.crowefarm.ie/

Eight companies were also Highly Commended:

• Organic Fruit & Vegetable
1. Curly Kale from  Beechlawn Organic Farm, Galway 
2. Rocket from Beechlawn Organic Farm, Galway 
3. Tesco Organic Carrots From Leo Dunne Ltd/ Tesco Ireland, Laois 
4. Tomatoes from The Organic Centre, Leitrim

• Organic Grocery:
Kilbeggan Organic  Jumbo Porridge Oats from Kilbeggan Organic Foods, Westmeath

• Organic Prepared Food:
1. Organic Omega Burger  from Dee’s Wholefoods Ltd, Cork 
2. Smoked Organic Salmon from Ummera Smoked Products Ltd, Cork

• Organic Seafood Product:
Carrefour Frozen Organic Salmon from The Organic Salmon Company , Donegal 

The independent judging panel for the 2011 National Organic Awards was chaired by Hugo Arnold, journalist and Food Consultant and included Miah Buckley, Trading Manager Dairy, Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland; Evan Doyle, Proprietor Brooklodge Wells and Spa; Darren Grant, Proprietor, The Organic Supermarket, Blackrock, Co Dublin; Oliver Moore, Journalist, Researcher and Organic Blogger and Noel Groome, Chair Foras Organac.

Eileen Bentley from Bord Bia

Speaking about the 2011 award entries Eileen Bentley, Manager, Small Business Department, Bord Bia said "It was really encouraging to see so many new award entrants which shows the range of organic production in Ireland and the greater availability of organic produce to Irish consumers.  We had a 100% increase in the number of companies entering products this year and we were delighted to present awards in eight different categories.”

Don't forget to Feed the Fish at the bottom of this Post!
zack

Connaught Regional Winners at the RAI Irish Restaurant Awards 2011

The Restaurant Association of Ireland #raiawards11
The Irish Restaurants Awards for the Province of Connaught
were held on Monday 28th March 2011, in The House Hotel, Galway.

The Full List of Regional Winners for Connaught are:

2011 Best Customer Service Award Galway - Lough Inagh Lodge

2011 Best Customer Service Award Leitrim - The Cottage

2011 Best Customer Service Award Mayo - Café Rua

2011 Best Customer Service Award Roscommon - The Purple Onion

2011 Best Customer Service Award Sligo - Davis Restaurant @ Yeat’s Tavern

2011 Best Wine Experience - Ashford Castle, Co. Mayo

2011 Best Casual Dining Award Galway - Bar 8

2011 Best Casual Dining Award Leitrim - Courtyard Kitchen

2011 Best Casual Dining Award Mayo - Sol Rio

2011 Best Casual Dining Award Roscommon - Meet You Here Café

2011 Best Casual Dining Award Sligo - Bistro Bianconi

2011 Best Hotel Restaurant Award Galway - Rosleague Manor

2011 Best Hotel Restaurant Award Leitrim - Lough Rynn castle

2011 Best Hotel Restaurant Award Mayo - The Kitchen Restaurant @ Mount Falcon

2011 Best Hotel Restaurant Award Roscommon - Abbey Hotel

2011 Best Hotel Restaurant Award Sligo - Romleach Lodge

2011 Best Gastro Pub Award Galway - O’Dowds

2011 Best Gastro Pub Award Leitrim – The Oarsman Bar

2011 Best Gastro Pub Award Mayo - Bar One

2011 Best Gastro Pub Award Roscommon - The Purple Onion

2011 Best Gastro Pub Award Sligo – Hargadon’s

2011 Best Chef Award Galway - Jess Murphy, Bar 8

2011 Best Chef Award Leitrim - Piero Meilis, The Courthouse

2011 Best Chef Award Mayo - Phillipe Farineau, Mount Falcon

2011 Best Chef Award Roscommon - Vincent Meldrum, The Purple Onion

2011 Best Chef Award Sligo - Moria Tighe, Cromleach Lodge

2011 Best Restaurant Award Galway - Asian Tea House

2011 Best Restaurant Award Leitrim - The Cottage

2011 Best Restaurant Award Mayo – The Market Kitchen

Y011 Best Restaurant Award Roscommon - The yew Tree

2011 Best Restaurant Award Sligo - Coach Lane @ Donaghy’s

The County winners will now compete for the Regional and All Ireland Titles in the Burlington Hotel Dublin on Wednesday 25^th May 2011. See www.irishrestaurantawards.com for more.

Congratulations to all those took part from zack at the @irishfoodguide

Munster Regional Winners at the RAI Irish Restaurant Awards 2011

The Restaurant Association of Ireland #raiawards11

The Irish Restaurants Awards for the Provence of Munster
were held tonight (Monday 21st March 2011) in Cork City Hall.

The Full List of Regional Winners for Munster are:

2011 Best Customer Service Award Limerick - The Mustard Seed
2011 Best Customer Service Award Cork - The Cornstore
2011 Best Customer Service Award Kerry - Mulcahys
2011 Best Customer Service Award Clare - Gregans Castle
2011 Best Customer Service Award Tipperary - The Old Convent
2011 Best Customer Service Award Waterford - O'Brien Chop House

2011 Best Wine Experience Award Munster - Hayfield Manor

2011 Best Casual Dining Experience Award Cork - Farmgate Cafe
2011 Best Casual Dining Experience Award Limerick - La Cucina
2011 Best Casual Dining Experience Award Kerry - Jam Cafe Deli Bakery
2011 Best Casual Dining Experience Award Clare - Cullinans
2011 Best Casual Dining Experience Award Tipperary - Cafe Hans
2011 Best Casual Dining Experience Award Waterford - Bodega

2011 Best Hotel Restaurant Award Tipperary - Inch House
2011 Best Hotel Restaurant Award Clare - Gregans Castle
2011 Best Hotel Restaurant Award Kerry - Carrig
2011 Best Hotel Restaurant Award Limerick - The Mustard Seed
2011 Best Hotel Restaurant Award Waterford - The Munster Room, Waterford Castle
2011 Best Hotel Restaurant Award Cork - Longueville House

2011 Best Gastro Pub Award Cork  - Cronins
2011 Best Gastro Pub Award Limerick - Aubars
2011 Best Gastro Pub Award Kerry - Allos
2011 Best Gastro Pub Award Clare - Roadside Tavern
2011 Best Gastro Pub Award Tipperary - Larkins
2011 Best Gastro Pub Award Waterford - Becketts

2011 Best Chef Award Waterford - Paul Flynn, The Tannery
2011 Best Chef Award Tipperary - Dermot Gannon, The Old Convent
2011 Best Chef Award Clare - Michael Viljanen, Gregans Castle
2011 Best Chef Award Kerry - Martin Hallissey, Packies
2011 Best Chef Award Limerick - Tony Scharz White Sage
2011 Best Chef Award Cork - Brendan Cashman Augustines

2011 Best Restaurant Cork - Les Gourmandises
2011 Best Restaurant Limerick - The River Bistro
2011 Best Restaurant Kerry - Out of the Blue
2011 Best Restaurant, Tipperary - The Old Convent
2011 Best Restaurant, Waterford - The Tannery
2011 Best Restaurant, Clare - The Wild Inn

Congratulations to all those that won from zack at the @irishfoodguide