Boyne Valley Flavours Celebrates 2024 Blas na hÉireann Finalists
At Boyne Valley Flavours, we are proud to be home to some of the most talented and passionate food producers in Ireland. This year, we are thrilled to celebrate our members who have been named finalists in the prestigious Blas na hÉireann awards, a true testament to their dedication to quality, innovation, and the rich culinary heritage of the Boyne Valley region.
About Blas na hÉireann
Now in its 17th year, Blas na hÉireann, The Irish Food Awards, stands as the largest and most respected competition for quality Irish produce on the island. Each year, thousands of producers from across the country enter the awards, vying for recognition in over 150 food and drink categories. The finalists and winners are celebrated in the Blas Village in Dingle, a unique pop-up community where Ireland’s top producers come together to showcase their exceptional products and connect with industry leaders and customers.
Our Finalists
The Boyne Valley region has long been recognized as a hub of culinary excellence, and this year, we are delighted to see several of our members reach the finalist stage and we wish them the very best of luck for the finals in October.
John and Sarah have been operating Baska Bakery since December 2021. Their bakery is located in Bohermeen Co. Meath. Sarah is the 5th generation of her family to be a baker, but prior to Baska, she was working in IT. John previously worked in railway engineering, and also has baking in his family background..
Specializing in producing naturally, slow fermented sourdough bread, without use of industrial additives or chemicals, Baska Bakery is an artisan micro bakery based here in the heart of the Boyne Valley.
Baska Bakery is a member of Real Bread Ireland and specialises in producing naturally leavened sourdough bread, using only 3 main ingredients – flour, water and salt. All flour used is organic and they only choose the highest quality ingredients. Their 3 day bread making process gives their bread enhanced digestibility and a unique, delicious flavour.
URBÓ is a delicious, wholesome milk-based drink, produced using only natural ingredients on our Irish family farm in the heart of the Boyne Valley in Co. Meath. It has all of the functional health benefits of whole milk, is high in protein, rich in vitamins & minerals, low in lactose and uses only milk that is fully traceable to our farm.
At URBÓ they recognise that they have an important part to play in limiting the impact on the environment, from the ingredients they source to the packaging they use. Urbo drinks are packaged in aluminium cans which can be recycled over and over again.
Animal welfare is embedded in their ethos, the philosophy of the farm follows the Five Freedoms for animals, which they believe yields produce far superior in quality. Their cows are grass fed and free to roam the farm, presenting themselves for automated milking when they choose.
"The Fresh Turkey Specialists” brother’s Fintan and Paul Hogan are 2nd generation turkey farmers, based in Kells, Co. Meath. Hogan’s Farm have been rearing turkeys for over 50 years.
Using their extensive knowledge, the brothers have developed their expertise into rearing their own specialist turkey breed – the Charlesfort Turkey. With an ingrained passion for rearing and producing multi- award winning fresh turkey products, the Charlesfort Turkey range expanded with the development of the Award Winning Traditional Free Range Woodland Bronze Turkey. These slow rearing traditional American black turkeys are reared outside in the woodlands on Charlesfort Estate, home of Hogan’s Farm. Free to roam all day and night in the woodlands and grasslands, these exceptional turkeys are reared exclusively for the Irish Christmas market. Pioneering the demand for fresh quality turkey, the family opened their farm shop – The Turkey Store & More with an online home delivery service.
Lir was created in Dublin in 1987 by Connie Doody and Mary White, and began on Connie’s kitchen table, with a food mixer and a bowl. Those early days instilled a spirit of creativity and attention to detail, that are still integral to Lir Chocolates today.
Through the years, that spirit of adventure has made Lir Chocolates a leading provider of premium chocolates to major retailers, both at home and abroad. Since those early days, they have devoted themselves to the magic and the craft of creating hand-finished and hand-decorated chocolates, based on both traditional recipes and gloriously unfamiliar new combinations. All products are manufactured in their factory in Navan.
Newgrange Gold is a family business situated on the picturesque Rogers’ family farm overlooking the historic Boyne Valley and the meandering Boyne River at Crewbawn. John saw an opportunity in creating a brand that connected the rich and ancient soils of the Boyne valley and the high-quality food that is produced there. Having watched Oilseed Rape grown on the Rogers’ family farm leaving in trailers to the local merchant, John wondered if there was any way to add value to the crops grown on the farm.
Newgrange Gold cold press and bottle locally source rapeseed and camelina "Wild Flax" seed from the Boyne Valley. They also supply the food service market directly. The product range currently consists of Camelina (Irish Wildflax Oil), Garden Herbs & Lemon, Garlic & Mild Chilli Rapeseed Oil, Rapeseed Oil Infused with Ahilflower & Rapeseed Oil Infused with Turmeric Oil. Rapeseed oils has a high the smoke point of 240c, which makes it excellent for Baking & Frying at high temperatures.
In 2013, Mairead Finnegan set about creating a range of pastry made using only Irish butter in her home kitchen in Kells, Co. Meath. Mairead wanted to create delicious all butter pastry, that tasted as good as home made pastry, but was convenient and ready to use.
She experimented with many pastry recipes, including those she grew up with at home, and from there, she created the first two products in the range, sweet shortcrust and plain shortcrust. To avoid using preservatives, and in order to retain the home made quality of the pastry products, Mairead decided to sell them frozen.
After trialing the products at farmers markets and food exhibitions, Mairead began selling the products in her local Supervalu, and the business started to grow from there.
In 2016, she moved the business from the kitchen table to a purpose built commercial kitchen in Crossakiel, Kells, and added the all butter puff pastry to the range.
The What's for Pudding story began at home and continues at home. Catriona grew up in a house in Dublin, where there was always a welcoming cup of tea and ‘something nice’ for the many visitors and friends who called.
For Catriona, the big question on arriving home from school, was always “What’s for Pudding?” Catriona’s mother, Molly, was from Belfast and dessert was always ‘pudding’. Many years later, when Catriona and her family decided to make puddings, they had already been well tested, tasted and enthusiastically approved by family and friends. “What’s for Pudding?” was the obvious choice of name.
At What's For Pudding, they make their puddings with great care for you, and add that ‘special something’ that comes from years of experience cooking for family and friends. Based in the Boyne Valley at Kilmessan, County Meath, the Flaherty Family work hard to produce the very best dessert puddings, with high quality ingredients and absolutely no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives.
Discover full range in supermarkets nationwide
- Rich Chocolate
- Sticky Toffee
- Ginger & Seville Orange
This producer has earned a reputation for their traditional Irish puddings, made with time-honored recipes and the finest local ingredients.
Sheridans Cheesemongers was founded in 1995, when Seamus and Kevin started selling Irish farmhouse cheeses at the Galway market. They soon opened a shop in Galway, with Irish farmhouse cheeses piled from floor to ceiling. The Irish cheeses were quickly joined by their European cousins, as well as a huge range of artisan foods, including olive oils, cured meats and pasta sourced during their travels in Europe. Sheridan's business now includes a total of four retail outlets, 6 market stalls, and a purpose built warehouse premises in Meath, which serves to supply their many trade customers.
Sheridan's have worked hard to gain the reputation as Ireland's leading cheese retailer. They believe that the single most important factor in this has been the experience, which customers have each and every time they shop with them; from the quality of produce, to the always knowledgeable and friendly staff, to the way they serve and present cheese, they are always keen for the customer to participate, and taste and learn as they buy!
Carlingford Oysters was established in 1974, by Peter Louet Feisser. It is currently owned and managed by his son Kian and daughter in law Mary, in Carlingford, Co. Louth.
The company currently employees 17 full and part time staff. Over the past 20 years, they have marketed our award winning oysters directly to customers throughout Ireland, the UK and as far afield as Hong Kong and China. Their oysters can be found in some of the world's prestigious restaurants.
They grow their oysters in the pristine class A waters of Carlingford Lough. They feed from the naturally occurring plankton and the unique mix of local minerals, which wash down from the mountain streams, produce our oyster’s distinctive taste, texture and colour. The oysters are grown in mesh bags fixed to steel trestles, which stand on the sea bed, the water flows through the mesh bags and carries the plankton and nutrients to the oysters. When the oysters are ready for sale, they are graded, purified and packed ready for sale to wholesalers and restaurants worldwide.
With a dedication to sustainable aquaculture, Carlingford Oyster Company Ltd produces some of the finest oysters in Ireland, celebrated for their pristine quality and taste.
Coole Farm started growing and selling salad leaves in 2019. The business has developed steadily, and they are proud to be widely available in some of the finest farm shops and supermarkets in the North East.
They harvest and deliver to customers within 24 hours, to ensure they can enjoy some of the freshest leaves in Leinster! Mark is a 4th generation farmer and has always loved life outdoors. He was helping his Dad and Grandad as soon as he was old enough to tag along. He has been farming ever since.
At Coole Farm, they grow their produce in harmony with nature. No artificial pesticides or fertilisers are used. This fact, combined with the naturally fertile limestone soil, creates the perfect growing environment for their very special produce. These ideal growing conditions, along with Mark’s expertise, allows the natural flavours of the leaves to burst through.
They do not apply artificial fertilisers or any pesticides to our soils because without them, all life is encouraged to flourish. Our organic application process is underway, and they look forward to certification in the near future.
Mark and Helen take great pride in producing our delicious salad leaves to the highest of standards.
MacNamee's Tea are a small family business who prepare teas in the traditional artisan way.
Their teas are carefully selected from tea gardens all over the world, blended and then packed in small batches in our Dunleer Tea Rooms. They don’t, nor do their supply partners use chemicals or artificial flavourings in their teas. They run their business holistically, taking social, economic and environmental impacts into consideration.
MacNamee's Tea skilled team pack in small batches by hand every couple of days, they enjoy what they do and have a passion for tea. They love the aromas and scents and of course, the best part is they get to taste them all, so you can be assured their teas will reach you in pristine condition.
Tastees is based in Clogherhead, County Louth & specialises in Jam, Chutneys and Sauces, along with spice & herb mixes, using locally sourced ingredients and supporting local businesses.
Tastees Champagne Strawberry Preserve, which is delicious on a scone or as a topping on vanilla ice cream, won a Great Taste 2022 Award, and this year, both their Whiskey Orange Marmalade and Pear & Date Chutney were Blas na hEireann Finalists.
Tastees products are all made in small batches, to create a consistent, yet unique flavour, and their latest creation is a delicious Pear & Date Chutney, that goes great with a selection of cheeses.
We wish all our finalists the very best of luck in the upcoming awards, and we encourage everyone to explore and support these exceptional local producers.