26 Midlands Finalists at Blas na hÉireann Awards

There are 26 finalists from the midlands represented at the 2024 Blas na hÉireann awards, showcasing the fantastic array of locally produced food & drink available in Laois, Offaly, Westmeath, and Longford. The Midlands finalists will be there alongside the best in the Irish industry. Now in its 17th year, Blas na hÉireann saw another record-breaking year across all categories, along with many new producers entering the awards for the first time this year. Over 3,000 entries were judged, a testament to the number of brilliant producers across the country.

Midlands Producers at the launch of the Midlands Ireland Food Directory, 2024

The finalists shortlisted from the Midlands across a range of different categories are:

Laois

Abbey Farm Foods	Laois	Jams
Aghaboe Farms	Laois	Baked treats and cakes
Gs’Gourmet Jams	Laois	Jams
Ion Oils and Spices	Laois	Organic Oils
Kepak Kingate	Laois	Meat
Mueller & O’Connell	Laois	Artisan bakery
The Village Dairy	Laois	Milk and cream products
Zephyr Yard	Laois	Marshmallows

Offaly

Fox Covert Farm	Offaly	Hemp seeds
Glenfield Rapeseed Oil	Offaly	Rapeseed oil
Glenisk	Offaly	Organic dairy products
O’Donoghue’s Bakery	Offaly	Fresh and frozen breads
Pigs on the Green	Offaly	Free range pork meats
Feighery’s Beetroot Juice	Offaly	Beetroot juice
Bon Chocolatiers	Offaly	Chocolates

Westhmeath

An Olivia	Westmeath	Chocolates
Bonny Bó	Westmeath	Grass to glass milk
Green’s Free Range Eggs	Westmeath	Free range eggs
Mr Crumb	Westmeath	Chilled and frozen ingredients
Sugar Plum Sweetery	Westmeath	Chocolates
Waldron Family Meats	Westmeath	Meats products

Longford

Goodness Grains	Longford	Gluten-free baked goods
Herterich Artisan Bakers	Longford	Artisan meats
Panelto Foods	Longford	Par-baked breads

What does being a finalist mean?

Finalists are the very top scoring entries in a category. From the finalists, they will announce Gold, Silver & Bronze during the October awards and the awards will be announced live on Friday 4th October. The Dingle Food Festival will be taking place right throughout the weekend, with the taste trail happening Saturday & Sunday from 1pm – 5pm, market stalls lining the streets, cookery demos, workshops and lots if interesting events. The full schedule is to be announced but you can find details here, www.dinglefood.com Supported by Bank of Ireland in partnership with Blas, a new initiative is the removal of any single-use cups and the introduction of the first electric van delivering food and drink to the awards from across the country.