Add these Irish-made food products to your shopping list next week and treat your taste buds to some new flavours
With so much food talent across Ireland, there are lots of products to discover. From seaside villages, to west of Ireland valleys, makers and producers are creating hidden gems in wonderful places, and lucky for us, many of those items are now available to pick up on the weekly shop. Below, we’re highlighting some of the talented people who have been winners and runners up in the Irish Made Awards Food category, offering plenty of new flavours to try out in the coming months.

For 2023, we are excited to announce Dole as the sponsor of our highly competitive Food category. Irish at heart, global by nature, Dole plc is today the world’s number one fresh produce provider, listed on the New York Stock Exchange and headquartered in Smithfield, Dublin. With roots extending back to a modest wholesale business in the North East of Ireland in the 1850’s, it has grown into an Irish success story whose reach extends across the island of Ireland, Europe, North America and beyond.
Speaking about its involvement in the Irish Made Awards, Managing Director of Dole Ireland, Des McCoy said: “Dole boasts a long and enduring track record in supporting local producers the length and breadth of this island. As an Irish business ourselves, we never fail to be inspired by the enormous passion and commitment local producers bring to delivering the best of Irish. We are consequently delighted to be supporting the 2023 Irish Made Awards.”
The deadline for entries to the awards is fast approaching so ensure to send us your pitch by 30 May! For details on how to enter, see the Awards page, and FAQs here.
Meet the past Food winners and runners-up of the Irish Made Awards:

Burren Smokehouse: Burren Smokehouse produces a range of hot and cold smoked Irish organic salmon and took home the overall Food prize at the 2022 awards. Husband and wife team Peter Curtin and Birgitta Hedin-Curtin started to smoke salmon in 1987, and they have a passion for artisan foods and promoting ecotourism in their local area. Their bestselling classic cold smoked salmon celebrates the pure pleasure of oak-smoked salmon made in the traditional Irish way. They’ve created new, flavourful versions of their salmon with honey, whiskey and Irish seaweed, and have an extensive range and gifting selection available online. At their beautiful purpose-built visitor centre in Lisdoonvarna, they share the story of their brand and provenance of each ingredient.

Dingle Sea Salt: Highly Commended in 2022 was this Co Kerry business Dingle Sea Salt. Carefully harvested by hand, the team claim to use only the sun, wind & clear Atlantic waters – a seasonal process unique in Ireland & gentle on the environment. Using a low-carbon solar evaporation method patiently, they create a mineral-rich sea salt bringing customers a distinct taste of the Dingle Peninsula.

Blackwater Honey: In 2021, the winner was Blackwater Honey. This is a family-run, bee farming business, co-founded in 2020 by two brothers with a huge passion for bees. Their honey is 100% natural and made by native Irish honeybees, which means every jar is unique! The company has several apiaries throughout Ireland, with the main production coming from near the Blackwater River, Co Cork and Phoenix Park in Dublin.

Ballymaloe Foods: Our 2021 runner-up was Ballymaloe. Ballymaloe Foods has been making relish and sauces in Ireland since 1990. Everything is made with 100% natural ingredients and produced in Cork. There are no artificial preservatives or additives used, and ingredients are sourced in Ireland where possible, making Ballymaloe’s range of sauces and condiments a delicious choice.

Grá Chocolates: 2020’s Irish Made winner, Grá Chocolates, was founded to give people the best quality produce with a mouthful of excitement. The chocolates are made in small batches in Co Galway and take three days to create as they are hand-painted. Their ingredients are locally and ethically sourced. Looking for a gift? This box of 10 hand-painted chocolates with original fillings makes for a stunning treat.

Sadie’s Kitchen: Sadie’s Kitchen is an innovative food company, specialising in delicious and nutritious bone broth. It was a runner-up in Irish Made Awards 2020. Along with the very best ingredients including Irish free-range chicken, their broths are slow cooked with love and patience for maximum flavour and nutrition. In 2017, Alison Cowzer from Dragons’ Den invested in the business rolling out over 300 stores. If you want to improve your gut health, check out this comforting chicken broth below.

Atlantic Treasures: Another Irish Made Food runner-up in 2020 was Atlantic Treasures. The O’Donnell Family from Killybegs founded the company and have been processing fish from the Atlantic for over 30 years. They believe that fish can and should be utilised sustainability and safely. Their products are handmade, and they smoke and marinade only the best quality of fish. Try out these seafood recipes with their fresh scallops.

Wexford Home Preserves: Our 2019 Irish Made Awards runner-up in the Food & Drink category was Wexford Home Preserves – an artisan maker of jams, marmalades, savoury and specialty preserves. Every product is handmade in small batches using the traditional open pot boiling method. Their ingredients are local, and all preserves are 100% natural. Get yourself a delicious raspberry jam and try it out on some delicious scones.

Killowen Farm: Killowen Farm, run by the Dunne family produces the best yogurts using only the natural ingredients. Their cow milk provides live cultures which help keep your digestive system working well. They use real fruit with their flavoured yogurts and limit the amount of sugar so they can be a healthy treat. For a quick lunch, add some granola and extra strawberries to our 2018 Irish Made Award winner’s yogurt.

Keogh’s Crisps: Our 2017 Irish Made Awards winner, Keogh’s Crisps are a family business that have been farming in North County Dublin for over 200 years. They believe all good things come from Mother Nature, so their crisps are hand cooked in small batches and their ingredients are grown on their farm or sourced from local Irish suppliers. If you’re catching up with friends or having a picnic, bring along a few of Keogh’s favourite flavours.