Cookery Feature - The Irish Food Writers' Guild 2026 Food Awards - Fabulous Foods, Delicious Dishes

Recognising excellence, sustainability, community and outstanding contribution across Ireland's food and drink sector, the 2026 IFWG Food Awards were presented at a ceremony MC’d by IFWG member Caroline Hennessy and held at Ananda at Dundrum Town Centre, where invited producers, chefs, food writers and industry leaders gathered to celebrate the very best of Irish food – and to enjoy an imaginatively conceived and beautifully created lunch based on the winners’ products.  

Welcoming guests, Chairperson Paula McIntyre highlighted the island-wide spread of the 2026 award winners, who travelled from Cork, Clare, Derry, Louth, Fermanagh, Wicklow and Galway, and emphasised the independence of the judging process. Stating that the Guild “prides itself on the integrity of the awards through our unique nomination and judging process, with members remaining the sole nominating and decision making body,” she said, "The IFWG Food Awards are a celebration of this country's thriving, world-class artisan food and drink industry... The award winners this year exemplify our ethos." She added, “More than 30 years after the awards were launched to highlight the work of small, independent Irish food producers and organisations of the highest quality, we're proud to celebrate the food and drinks that are the cornerstones of Ireland's reputation as a provider of wholesome, innovative and sustainable food. And emigration and immigration is how we evolve, so long may we welcome adapt and cherish food from other nations – it only makes us stronger.”
Paula McIntyre also thanked Bord Bia for its continued support of the awards, and expressed appreciation to Asheesh Dewan and Rupa Dewan and the team at Ananda for hosting. Paula also acknowledged Whelehan's Wines for their perfectly paired wines and thanked Presence Plus for PR, Guild secretary Katia Valadeau, photographer Paul Sherwood - and, of course, Guild members for nominating and championing outstanding Irish food and drink.

2026 Award Winners (all of equal standing; full citations follow after recipes):

IRISH FOOD AWARDS

• Moyletra Moileds – 5th generation farmers David and Sandra Scott were reconised for excellence in producing siustainabley farmed premium heritage Irish Moiled beef on the Causeway Coast
• The Curly Pigs– Ór Bán Whipped Lard. Farming in Tempo, Co Fermanagh, since 2014, Stephen and Rachael McMaster were recognised for craftsmanship and for reimagining a traditional Irish ingredient with care and quality - and the story of this young couple and their Woolly Royal Mangalista pigs is sure to inspire other young people to go into farming.
• Coolattin Cheddar by Tom Burgess - this West Wicklow legend was honoured for outstanding cheesemaking and contribution to Ireland's artisan dairy sector.

IRISH DRINK AWARD – Non-Alcoholic Beer 

• Fierce Mild - Operated by Dundalk school-friends and brothers-in-law Fergal Carroll and Cathal Byrne, since 2022 and celebrated for producing an innovative and flavour driven non-alchoholic beer of exceptional quality.

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTION TO IRISH FOOD

• Gary Harty of Galway Gourmet Oysters, was acknowledged for his innovation and significant impact in championing Irish oysters and promoting Irish seafood at home and abroad

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD

• Lúnasa Farm Quin, Co Clare. First-generation farmers Cass and Nick McCarthy were recognised for their dedication to regenerative agriculture and responsible environmental practices

COMMUNITY FOOD AWARD

• Duhallow Community Food Services, honoured for its vital work in strengthening local food networks and supporting community wellbeing.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

• Hilda Crampton and Dominic Quinn, Castleruddery Organic Farm in Co Wicklow were recognised for their lifelong dedication to organic farming and continuing influence on sustainable food production in Ireland.

In keeping with Guild tradition, guests enjoyed a bespoke lunch created by Ananda and led by Chef Sunaraj Kuttappan Thadiyil, that showcased the winning products throughout the menu, with impeccable service by Manager Anand Priyardarshi's front of house team. 

 Canapés featured The Curly Pigs Ór Bán Whipped Lard on coriander naan bread alongside Galway Gourmet Oysters served with Fierce Mild non-alcoholic beer and paired with Moltès Crémant d'Alsace Blanc de Blancs 2020 Organic. The starter presented Coolattin Mount Leinster Clothbound Cheddar incorporated into an aloo tikki with Castleruddery Organic Farm leaves with a curry leaves dressing, accompanied by Domaine Gresser Brandhoff Pinot Gris 2023 Biodynamic. For the main course, Moyletra Irish Moiled Beef was served as a Wellington alongside a braised shin parcel with sides of crispy potatoes and masala sauce, paired with Domaine Derey Frères Marsannay Copiacum 2023 Organic. Dessert of gulab jamun with candied beetroot ice cream was served with Château Chamboureau Chevalier Buhard Savennières Moelleux 2013 Organic. The paired wines were kindly supplied by Whelehan's Wines, the Guild's new wine sponsor for 2026, whose support was warmly acknowledged during the welcome address.

The Guild extends warm congratulations to all of this year's winners and looks forward to continuing its work in championing excellence, integrity and innovation in Irish food and drink

IFWG AWARDS BESPOKE LUNCH RECIPES – some of the recipes follow here for the special dishes created by Ananda led by Chef Sunaraj Kuttappan Thadiyil to showcase the award winners’ produce. Further information and full recipes from: https://www.irishfoodwritersguild.ie/food-awards/

COOLATTIN CHEDDAR ALOO TIKKI WITH CASTLERUDDERY ORGANIC FARM LEAVES, CURRY LEAVES DRESSING 
The crisp cheese shells add texture, saltiness, and visual appeal to this delicious starter. Makes approx. 8 medium tikkis (2 per person). 

Serves 4
For the Aloo Tikki Mixture
800g floury potatoes (boiled, peeled, mashed & cooled)
40g clarified butter (ghee)
1½ tsp salt (or to taste)
40g potato starch (for binding)
Stuffing
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp each fresh ginger & raisins,, finely chopped
60g green peas, lightly crushed or chopped
1 tbsp rainbow chard stems, very finely chopped
1 tsp cumin powder
Salt to taste
100g grated Coolattin Cheddar cheese
Method
Add ghee, salt, and potato starch to the cooked, mashed potatoes; mix until smooth and pliable; divide into 8 and cover.
To prepare the stuffing: Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and allow to crackle.
Add the ginger and sauté until fragrant, then add the raisins; cook briefly then add the green peas and cook 2–3 minutes. Season with salt and cumin, then add the rainbow chard and cook until slightly tender (do not overcook), then remove from the heat. When cool, fold in the grated cheese..
To make the Tikkis: Flatten one potato portion in your palm, place 1-1½ tbsp stuffing in the centre, seal gently and shape into a thick disc. Repeat with remaining portions. To cook, heat a flat pan with a thin layer of ghee or neutral oil; shallow fry on medium heat for 3–4 minutes per side until golden and crisp.
Mixed Cheese Baskets (makes 4)
Ingredients: 80g each, grated Coolattin Cheddar & Grana Padano cheese
To prepare the Cheese Mix: Combine the grated cheeses & mix evenly.
To cook the Cheese Discs: Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and sprinkle about 40g of the cheese into a thin 12–14 cm circle. Allow it to melt and bubble, then cook until the edges turn golden and crisp.
To shape the baskets: while still hot and pliable, lift each disc carefully and drape over a small inverted bowl (or inside a ramekin). Gently press to shape and leave until cool and crisp.
Serve with Sweet & Sour Castleruddery Organic Farm Rainbow Chard garnished with Castleruddery Organic Farm leaves, and served with Mint & Coriander Chutney and Curry Leaves Dressing.

MOYLETRA MOILED BEEF WELLINGTON 
The texture and depth of flavour of the Irish Moiled Beef makes this variation on the classic Wellington memorable . Serves 4
Ingredients
4 x 180–200g fillet medallions of Moyletra Moiled beef
Salt & freshly cracked black pepper
1 tbsp English mustard paste
1 tbsp neutral oil (for searing)
For the Chestnut Mushroom Duxelles
250g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
1 small shallot, minced
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Salt & pepper
Assembly
4 thin crepes (approx. 10 cm diameter)
1 sheet puff pastry (ready-rolled, 250g)
1 egg yolk (for egg wash)
First prepare the Mushroom Duxelles
Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until translucent. Add finely chopped chestnut mushrooms and thyme.
Cook gently until moisture evaporates and mixture becomes a thick paste (c.12–15 min). Season with salt and pepper. Cool completely.
Prepare the beef
Season the beef medallions with salt and pepper. Heat neutral oil (eg sunflower) in a pan over high heat. Sear fillets 2–3 min per side until golden brown. Remove from pan and let cool slightly. Brush each fillet lightly with mustard paste. (Resting time: 10 minutes at room temperature.)
Crepe Recipe  Makes 4–6 small crepes (10 cm / 4 inch diameter)
Ingredients
60g plain (all-purpose) flour
pinch of salt
1 large egg
120 ml milk (full-fat recommended)
10g melted butter + extra for cooking
½ tsp sugar (optional, for neutral taste keep it very small)
To prepare the batter: In a bowl, whisk flour and salt. In another bowl, beat egg and milk together. Gradually add liquid to flour while whisking to avoid lumps. Stir in melted butter. Cover and rest batter 20–30 minutes at room temperature.
To cook the crepes: Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Brush lightly with butter. Pour 1–2 tbsp batter into pan, swirling to form a thin circle (c.10 cm). Cook 1–2 minutes until edges lift slightly and underside is golden. Flip and cook 30–45 seconds more.
To assemble the Beef Wellington
4 thin crepes (approx. 10 cm diameter)
1 sheet puff pastry (ready-rolled, 250g)
1 egg yolk (for egg wash)
Roll out puff pastry slightly. Cut into 4 squares large enough to encase beef.
Place a crepe on each pastry square. Spread 1–2 tbsp mushroom duxelles over the crepe. Place beef fillet on top. Wrap the crepe around the beef, then fold puff pastry over to fully encase. Seal edges with egg wash. Brush the top of each parcel with egg wash.
To cook: Preheat oven to 200 °C / 390 °F (fan 180 °C).
Place the parcels on a  lined baking tray. Bake for 18–22 minutes until puff pastry is golden brown. For medium-rare beef, internal temperature should be c.52–55°C.
Resting: Remove from oven and rest 5 minutes before slicing. This allows juices to redistribute and keeps beef tender.
Serve with Braised Shin Parcels and Masala Sauce..

To round off this splendid feast in style, a special dessert of gulab jamun with candied beetroot ice cream was served (pictured right; see IFWG website for details).

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Irish Food Writers’ Guild Awards 2026 – WINNERS’ CITATIONS (all of equal standing)

IRISH FOOD AWARD: COOLATTIN CHEDDAR
Coolattin Mature Raw Milk Irish Cheddar has been made by Tom Burgess, together with his wife Fiona, for 20 years on their farm on the Carlow-West Wicklow border. One of only a handful of raw milk cheeses in Ireland, the quality has been remarkably consistent throughout its two decades Tom’s philosophy is ‘Pasture to Cheddar on the same day’ and using only summer milk from his own herd ensures the very best flavour as the cows are grazing only on fresh clover-rich pasture, the ideal diet for cheese processing milk. The melatonin rich morning milk is pumped directly into the cheese vat unpasteurised to ensure the natural flavour is preserved. Lacto-bacilli and rennet is added, the curd is cut, scalded, drained and pitched, then cheddared, milled salted and mixed by hand, before being placed in 40lb moulds for pressing and then aged for over a year to ensure a complex nutty cheese of outstanding quality.
The Irish Food Writers’ Guild is delighted to honour this amazing cheese.

FOOD AWARD: MOYLETRA MOILED BEEF 
Fifth generation farmers David and Sandra Scott produce seriously delicious beef at Moyletra Farm on the Causeway Coast, where their endangered Irish Moiled cattle thrive on the farm and conservation lands. With sustainability in mind as well as a love of the Irish Moiled breed, they have changed direction in this generation to enable their children to have a future in farming here if they choose – and specialising in Irish Moiled cattle and the associated environmentally friendly farming is making that possible. The only surviving native breed in Northern Ireland, the hornless Moilie is slow growing and hardy; they can be out-wintered when conditions allow - and, while mainly grass-fed, they are foragers, especially of willow, ash and ivy, all of which helps to encourage biodiversity and contributes to their exceptional texture and flavour. Rearing standards are set out by the Irish Moiled Cattle Society (which also details other breeders and finishers, including one in the Republic, Killua Castle), ensuring the purity of the breed and its special characteristics, including its medium size (producing a perfect 8oz sirloin steak!) and, thanks to its marbling, exceptional succulence of the cheaper cuts which make the beef ideal for nose-to-tail cooking. With over 100 happy moilies at Moyletra, the Scotts have one of the biggest herds anywhere, and a farm shop on site (8am-10pm daily) as well as online sales with delivery across Northern Ireland. Also available from selected butchers, including Lisdergan Butchery Fintona, restaurants, and Wild & Fired BBQ School and Food Truck at the wonderful Brook Hall Estate & Gardens in Derry. 

IRISH FOOD AWARD: CURLY PIGS’ ÓR BÁN WHIPPED LARDO 
Stephen and Rachel McMasters’ food journey started in 2014 when they bought their first Mangalista pig and five weaners for their farm in Lisbellaw in County Fermanagh. The Curly Pigs name is in reference to the ancient Hungarian woolly breed of pig with a thick layer of fat and rich, red meat. The McMasters’ vision was to rear outdoor, high welfare, antibiotic and chemical free pigs sustainably. This results in rich, beautifully textured meat with creamy, tasty fat. The meats are cured into salamis, n’duja, coppa and lomo. They sell lard in its natural form but the whipped lardo, called Ór Bán, has been rendered and then whipped to creamy deliciousness. The fat is first cured for 6 months with pepper, spices and juniper berries. It can be used for cooking or simply spread on good toast. Rachel and Stephen now have a herd of over 80 pigs and counting.

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD: LÚNASA FARM
In 2021 young Aussie-Irish couple Cass and Nick McCarthy moved from subtropical Byron Bay in Australia to the slightly cooler Quin, Co Clare with a dream: to start their own farm. Neither is from a farming background yet, from the moment they set up Lúnasa Farm on 30 acres of Clare land, they hit the ground running. Not only do they and their young family raise heritage breed pigs alongside pasture fed and finished beef on land that is now certified organic, they’ve gone a few steps further to ensure that everything is done properly. Taking a lease on a butcher’s shop in Clarecastle, Cass and Nick sell their own and other carefully sourced organic animals direct to the public, breaking down carcasses themselves to ensure that no scrap of these carefully reared creatures are wasted. These first-generation farmers and butchers are producing meat of exceptional quality and flavour, demonstrating a new course for Irish farming while showing respect to the land and animals of Lúnasa Farm.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: HILDA CRAMPTON AND DOMINIC QUINN OF CASTLERUDDERY ORGANIC FARM 
Great food comes from great ingredients. This is a fact well known to the chefs and cooks who beat a path to the door of Castleruddery Organic Farm in Donard, Co Wicklow for their exceptional organic produce. It’s well worth visiting to see just what Hilda Crampton and Dominic Quin have achieved over a lifetime of growing food naturally, embracing biodiversity and using a regenerative, no-dig system that works in harmony with their land and with the biodiverse natural environment that surrounds them. Back in 1989 when their farm entered into organic conversion it was early days in the Irish organics movement. Thirty-seven years later the couple are still careful environmental stewards of Castleruddery, honouring the heritage of this historic landscape and ensuring that it will be productive for future generations. Exotics like tomatillos, tromboncino squash and golden raspberries grow happily alongside a reliable bounty of artichokes, asparagus, tomatoes and salad greens, all as available to Hilda and Dominic’s local community through their on-site farm shop as it is to high end chefs in Dublin city. Castleruddery Organic Farm is an inspiration, an education and a community space for those who appreciate great food.

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTION TO IRISH FOOD – GARY HARTY, GALWAY GOURMET OYSTERS 
Gary and Iwona Harty are blazing trails in the world of Irish oyster aquaculture with Gary’s introduction at Galway Gourmet Oysters of the Flip Farm method which originates from New Zealand. Using semi-automated floating baskets attached to long lines, this innovative mariculture method reduces the manual labour usually required to turn oyster baskets. It improves the health and condition of oysters, and it reduces diseases. Rather than importing this method quietly and keeping its benefits to himself, Gary has decided to choose the community route, and Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) has funded early trials with a view to research the feasibility of extending this new farming method to other areas and oyster farms in Ireland. Should this project be successful, we can expect increased control over the growth conditions in Irish oyster farms, less demanding physical labour for workers, and a reduced seabed disturbance as the baskets are kept to the surface. So far, the results of Gary Harty and BIM's trials have been encouraging, in particular around the growth and shape of the oysters under Irish weather and maritime conditions. With the potential for increased productivity and a controlled, higher quality of oysters, Gary Harty's work is revolutionary.

COMMUNITY FOOD AWARD – DUHALLOW COMMUNITY FOOD SERVICE 
Duhallow Community Food Service not only serves meals to their community they provide a place of comfort and nourishment. Their kitchen is filled with people learning the cooking trade, getting back into the workforce, or for people new to Ireland learning the ropes in a busy Irish kitchen. It is busy because on top of the meals on wheels service, and community café and catering (pictured here are Linda O’Connor and Maura Walsh, with some of their special occasions treats), they serve 29 local primary schools with freshly prepared meals each day. These meals are prepared from scratch each morning with meat from the local butcher and fruit and vegetables from a local supplier. This should be the norm in Ireland but disappointingly it is not. Duhallow Community Food Service is one of only a very few school meal providers who cook rather than assemble school meals from pre-processed components. Every town and village in Ireland needs a Duhallow Community Food Service to feed our children, support our farmers and provide meaningful employment.

IRISH DRINK AWARD – FIERCE MILD NON ALCOHOLIC BEER
Launched in 2024 by childhood friends and brothers-in-law Fergal Carroll and Cathal Byrne, Fierce Mild is a great-tasting, quality-driven, alcohol-free beer made in Co Louth. Unlike other big name brands on the market Fierce Mild does not strip alcohol out of the beer after brewing – instead they use a specialised yeast that naturally limits fermentation – but not flavour.
Each beer is crafted with carefully selected, locally sourced premium malts and hops, chosen for quality and depth of flavour. Just five natural ingredients. No additives. No preservatives. And only 49 calories.
In under two years, Fierce Mild has earned significant national recognition, including Gold at Blas na hÉireann, selection for Food Works (Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland), the inaugural Love Irish Food × Sky Media Taste of TV Fund, and being crowned the winner at the IMAGE Media & Samsung Ireland The Pitch competition in 2025. Now available in over 500 venues nationwide, and with a new non-alcoholic variant launching next month, Fierce Mild is raising the bar for Irish-made, premium, non-alcoholic beer.