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Clonmel Show National Artisan Food Awards 2022

(NOTE:  ENTRIES NOW CLOSED)

This is the third year of our national food competition based at Clonmel Show. The Clonmel Show National Artisan Food Awards is aimed at truly artisanal food producers and in 2018 & 2019 brought a substantial change to the level of food related competition at Clonmel Show which runs every year on the first Sunday of July.  Interrupted by Covid for 2020 and 2021, we are very excited to be launching our awards again this year.

The Clonmel Show & Agricultural Society is a registered charity and is run by a voluntary committee of management. We have been around since 1865 and in 2015 we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the first agricultural show held in Clonmel. A widely acclaimed exhibition in Tipperary County Museum which ran for much of that year highlighted the long history of the exhibition of agricultural produce at Clonmel Show. The society’s original rule book which dates back to 1924 lists as the first of our objectives: “To promote the improvement of horses, cattle, sheep, swine…..agricultural produce, creameries, bee-keeping, cottage and other industries.”

In furtherance of this aim, the Clonmel Show National Artisan Food Awards brings together for judging produce from genuine artisan food producers.

Our hope is to offer an opportunity for truly artisan food producers to have a forum to show their produce and compete in a national competition against their peers. Although there are many established food awards in Ireland to date, we are not aware of any that target this particular group. Exhibitors will need to fulfil the criteria established by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) for artisan food production, namely:

  • The food is made in limited quantities by skilled craftspeople
  • The processing method is not fully mechanised and follows a traditional method
  • The food is made in a micro-enterprise at a single location
  • The characteristic ingredient(s) used in the food are grown or produced locally, where seasonally available and practical.

Please see FSAI guidelines at
https://www.fsai.ie/news_centre/press_releases/marketing_terms_14052015.html for accurate information in this regard.
Finally, food producers entering the competition will need to have a business turnover of less than €300,000 per annum.

ENTRIES 

Entries will be accepted online via this website only.
Entries will open on Saturday 21st May and will close on Friday 17th June 2022.
Food for competition will be received during the week of June 20th to 25th with exact details to follow. (UPDATE 11th June:  Entrants will receive an email with clear instructions in plenty time to arrange delivery).

JUDGING

Judging in all classes will take place on Sunday 26th June with presentation of prizes to successful entrants at Clonmel Show on Sunday 3rd July 2022.


Our judging panel for 2022 is as follows:

  • SARAH FURNO is the second generation of the Grubb family to produce world famous and multi award-winning Cashel Blue Cheese
  • CON TRAAS, The Apple Farm, Cahir, Co Tipperary is alecturer in University of Limerick and Tipperary Food Hero. He is currently chairperson of Tipperary Food Producers
  • DECLAN MALONE is co-founder of Rivesci in Clonmel.  He is a Michelin Star trained chef and international award-winning condiment producer.  
  • SINÉAD DELAHUNTY is a food writer and blogger (www.delalicious.com) and Tipperary Ladies inter-county footballer.
  • JANINE KENNEDY runs Kilkenny School of Food and is a food writer.
  • RICHARD GLEESON is owner & chef at Dooks Fine Foods, Fethard, Co Tipperary
  • KAIS GHANEM is a chef and proprietor of Fine Fins fresh fish and seafood shop in Clonmel.  
  • SARAH GOUGH is the second generation of beekeepers at Milleeven Honey in Kilkenny and a multi-award winner with her honeys.  She brings expertise to the judging of this "very Clonmel" class.

PRIZES

The overall winner in each class will receive a Clonmel Show National Artisan Food Awards trophy hand-crafted by Philippe Hetier (www.philippehetier.com). There will be cash prizes and Clonmel Show rosettes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each class. Gold, silver and bronze awards will also be awarded to entrants who meet particular standards to be set by our judging panel.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information on any aspect of this competition, please e-mail foodawards@clonmelshow.ie and we will endeavour to answer your queries promptly.

Watch this website, find us on Instagram @clonmelshowartisanfood  and follow Clonmel Show Facebook & Twitter sites for updates and information.