Good Food Ireland Awards taking place at Kildare hotel

The 2024 Good Food Ireland Awards are taking place at the K Club on November 11.

Kelly’s Kitchen in Co Mayo is shortlisted for Café of the Year. This category highlights café’s that clearly demonstrate home-baked, in-house cooking or production with a passionate commitment to Irish produce, good old-fashioned Irish hospitality and a go-to place for visitors and locals alike.

Shauna Kelly of Kelly’s Kitchen is ‘very pleased’ with the nomination. 

“It’s a real confirmation that Kelly’s Kitchen is getting noticed nationally and is just a reward for our excellent team,” she said.

Kelly’s Butchers is shortlisted in the Meat Producer of the Year category sponsored by Bord Bia which seeks to reward producers for their premium produce and commitment to sourcing local, Irish ingredients, leading the field in their production ethos, cultivation and catch practices and the top-quality produce it results in. 

They acknowledge producers with a focus on environmental sustainability, preservation and collaboration with the local community.

The winners are due to be revealed at a five-star dinner showcasing a wealth of Ireland’s fantastic produce taking place on Monday, November 11 at The K Club Hotel, County Kildare.

The Good Food Ireland Awards, in association with FBD Insurance, celebrate businesses at every layer of our island’s food and drink industry. 

From primary producers, manufacturers, and chefs, to shops, hotels, tourism experiences, and restaurants, those businesses who make the shortlist are regarded by the judges as embodying all that makes Ireland’s food offering so standout.

The core emphasis of the Awards is the consumer experience of local, fresh, seasonal, Irish ingredients. Good Food Ireland highlights tourism-hospitality and retail businesses that prioritise local produce and encourages others. 

This in turn supports Irish farmers, food producers and fishermen, sustainably strengthening local economies and communities. 

An independent collection of Irish and international leaders with in-depth knowledge of the hospitality industry makes up this year’s judging panel who shortlisted the nominees from those businesses approved by Good Food Ireland, subject to meeting strict criteria through on-site inspection. 

Judges include founder and managing director of Good Food Ireland, Margaret Jeffares, former Good Food Ireland operations director, Susan Kerr, Journalist, John Wilson, hospitality consultant, Tom O’Connell, lecturer in the School of Hospitality Management and Tourism at TU Dublin, Dr Detta Melia, executive chair and owner of Odyssey International, Kevin Shannon, and previous chef and hotelier, Maurice Keller. 

The expert panel will select the overall winner following mystery inspections and assessments in the weeks preceding the prize giving dinner in November.