The Irish Whiskey Awards 2014

The diversity and quality of Irish Whiskey were celebrated at the second annual Irish
Whiskey Awards, which took place at Kilbeggan Distillery in Co. Westmeath on Thursday,
23rd October 2014. The event, which was organised by the Celtic Whiskey Shop, showcased
and honoured this rapidly growing indigenous Irish Industry over 17 categories.
The judging panel consisting of members from the Celtic Whiskey Club and the Irish
Whiskey Society chose the winners based on blind tastings.  Redbreast 21 Year Old Whiskey
was awarded Overall Best Whiskey 2014 while Dick Mack’s in Dingle won The Whiskey Bar
of the Year.
Following the success of the inaugural Irish Whiskey Awards in 2013, the
number of categories increased from 9 to 17 this year to include new awards for Best Irish
Liqueur, Irish Whiskey Barrel Aged Craft Beer and four provincial awards for Irish Whiskey
Bar of the Year. 

Rasam Restaurant. The Taste Magazine Oct 2014

                                                        Winning traditions at Rasam

by Robert Jacob· October 18, 2014

Rasam in it’s eleventh year, has without doubt remained true in offering us the incomparable tastes and regional flavours of India in their authentic forms and diversity.

INDIA, one of the World’s most diverse nation, 17 Written languages, birthplace of 4 Religions, 1.2 billion people, with an ancient Culture and long Culinary traditions. Indian Cuisine seems to be surrounded by an aura of mystery and myths, but the truth, was and still is, a regional and seasonal Cuisine that has Spices woven into it’s very DNA. Spices, you can say are the backbone of Indian Cuisine but they are also considered the elixir of health .

Using traditional cooking methods, whether in a tandoor clay oven or the tempering of onion & fennel seeds which enhances the flavour of tomatoes in basic masalas as well as the use of indigenous spices and ingredients such as the earthy but almost scented vetiver roots from Rajasthan or the mushroomy flavour of Kalpasi. But no matter which part of India you are in, Spices of many varieties come into play.

Before the cooking starts, there is the grinding and toasting of these spices and this is done daily, in house by the Chefs at Rasam, in order for us to experience this fantastic, complex and generous cuisine and thru an exciting and diverse menu, allows us to experience Indian food, the way it was intended,in a communal way, to be shared among the guest.

Here are a few dishes to whet your appetite, and if you haven’t been to RASAM yet, Well! you will now ……

Blas na hEireann Irish Food Awards at the Dingle Food Festival 2014 @BlasNahEireann

The Blas na hEireann Food Awards took centre stage at this year's Dingle Food Festival in  County Kerry last weekend.
Huge crowds took over the picturesque town for the weekend, to sample the flavours, the tastes and the power of Artisan Food Producers. With the Festival Taste Trail, the streets of Dingle were a virtual Farmer's market. Artisan Food Producers and Restaurants showcasing what they do best, along with food workshops and Cookery Demonstrations with top chefs Kate Lawlor of " Fenn's Quay" Cork, Jp McMahon of "Aniar " Galway and Niall O Conchuir of "An Canteen", Dingle among others.
The atmosphere was electric and showed a great endorsement from the public for without doubt the most popular Food Festival in Ireland, top quality produce as well as the most respected Food Awards.
Blas na hEireann is about recognising passionate, dedicated producers who are serious about marketing their produce at home and around the globe. Winning a Blas can mean double digit growth for some as a Blas Quality mark is a guarantee of top quality.
The Awards focus solely on taste, with the winners chosen as a result of blind tasting  by a panel of judges made up of top Chefs, Food writers, Food buyers, Food experts and Food scientists from UCC.
Chairman of the Blas na hEireann Awards , Mr Artie Clifford said " Due to a record number of entries this year, 2014 was the most competitive Blas ever and a huge number of awards were awarded well over what was initially predicted. "