Wicklow’s Brooklodge & Macreddin Village were the worthy winners of the Good Food Ireland® Sustainability Award for Tourism Hospitality at their Awards night held at The K Club in County Kildare last Monday.
Returning for the first time since pre-Covid, the awards – proudly sponsored by Kerrygold, Irish Farmers Association, Bord Bia, Tourism Ireland and National Dairy Council – were opened by guest of honour, Simon Coveney T.D., Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and attended by some 300 guests including business owners, Irish and international chefs, buyers, food and drink writers, media and industry leaders. Anita Mendiratta, Special Advisor to the Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, delivered the afternoon’s Key Note speech.
What sets the Good Food Ireland® Awards apart from all others is their cross-sector approach, celebrating the successful collaboration of agri-food and tourism working together for inclusive economic growth. Each award is underpinned by premium quality, exceptional achievement, innovation, agility and resilience, together with a core commitment to local Irish provenance, community, sustainability and a culture where all can flourish.
Award winners were selected through mystery inspections and assessments of those businesses approved by Good Food Ireland and shortlisted by an independent panel of Irish and International leaders including Founder and Managing Director of Good Food Ireland® Margaret Jeffares, journalists John Wilson and Amii McKeever, IFAC Consultant Stephanie Walsh and Executive Chairman and Owner of Odyssey International Kevin Shannon. Members of the public also cast their votes online for their favourite places across the island of Ireland in the Food Lovers Choice Awards.
Pictured above receiving their award are: Evan Doyle, Valerie O’Toole & Manish Pallewar of BrookLodge & Macreddin Village.
Through the Good Food Ireland® philosophy every approved business contributes to economic sustainability, benefitting local communities and safeguarding the future livelihoods of local people. However, the Sustainability Award (sponsored by Kerrygold) goes even further, recognising businesses for their environmental or social sustainability, businesses that have developed and implemented clean production initiatives and sustainable practices, demonstrating how they are helping to protect Ireland’s environment and greater wellbeing for the long-term benefit of all.
Margaret Jeffares, Founder and Managing Director of Good Food Ireland® says: “There has been great excitement around the return of the Good Food Ireland® Awards this year. Each of those wonderful businesses who made the shortlist are a committed collection of passionate and driven people who genuinely capture the essence of Ireland’s food and drink. All the judges would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to today’s winners who we feel really do go above and beyond to inspire travellers, international consumers and locals to seek out real authenticity and Irish provenance.”
Paul Heery, General Manager of The K Club, added: “It has been an absolute pleasure to host the business lunch for the Good Food Ireland® Awards and see our hotel bursting with some of our country’s greatest food champions. Such hard work and passion goes into the production and provision of food and drink across our shores, to see that care and commitment properly recognised and the support businesses give to one another is a very special thing.”
