All roads led to Dingle on Friday for the eagerly anticipated finals of Blas na hÉireann, The Irish Food Awards.
Now in their 18th year, these are firmly established as the largest and most influential food awards on the island of Ireland.
This year, five producers from Laois were shortlisted across a wide range of categories, with all of them taking home coveted Blas awards.
The bronze, silver and gold winners from the county include: Mueller & O’Connell Bakery, G’s Gourmet Jams Ltd., Zephyr Yard, The Village Dairy and Aghaboe Farm Foods.
Zephyr Yard was awarded Best in County, proudly sponsored by Laois Local Enterprise Office.
Mueller & O’Connell Bakery took three awards – Gold for their Passionfruit Bullar, Silver for their Lemon Ginger Cake and Bronze for their Rhubarb Danish.
G’s Gourmet Jams won a Gold award for their Cranberry and Orange Sauce.
Aghaboe Farm Foods’ Lemon Meringue Tart won Silver on the night.
“We are incredibly proud to congratulate Zephyrs Yard on winning Best in Laois at this year’s Blas na hÉireann Awards.” said Evelyn Reddin, Head of Enterprise.
“This is a remarkable achievement, a testament to their hard work, dedication, and the exceptional quality of their locally sourced ingredients.
“Their success highlights the innovation and passion within our local food sector and truly showcases the best of what Laois has to offer. We’re thrilled to see their talent recognised on a national stage.
“It is important for the Local Enterprise Offices to come together and support the Blas na hÉireann awards because they align directly with our mission, helping local businesses start, scale, and succeed.”
2025 marks another record year for Blas na hÉireann, with over 3,000 entries across more than 180 categories, reflecting the strength and diversity of Irish food and drink.
This year’s finalists and winners had the opportunity to showcase their products at the Blas Village and the popular Eat Ireland in a Day market, both of which returned to Dingle alongside the annual Backyard at Blas panel discussions supported by Bank of Ireland.
The weekend offered producers a chance to connect with buyers, industry experts, media, fellow producers, and food lovers, while also celebrating the people, and the talents, that make Irish food so special.
Speaking after the announcement, Artie Clifford, Chairperson of Blas na hÉireann, said: “Every year the standard rises, and 2025 has been no exception.
“To see such talented producers from Laois represented on the shortlist, and now to celebrate the winners from that county, is a real testament to the skill, creativity and resilience of Ireland’s food producers.
“Making it to the finalist stage alone is a huge achievement, and to win at Blas is something of which to be incredibly proud.
“Irish food and drink continues to go from strength to strength, and it is a joy to celebrate that strength and that community here in Dingle.”
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