Northern Irish oysters voted Ireland's best food

Millbay oysters from Rooney Fish in Kilkeel have been voted the best in Ireland. The oysters, farmed on Carlingford Lough, won the Supreme Champion title in the Blas na hEireann, the Irish National Food Awards.

It was the first time that a Northern Ireland company won the prestigious award in the competition's 11 years.

The oysters were judged the best by a panel of food and drink experts from among 3,000 food and drink products from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland entered in the annual awards.

Rooney Fish, in addition, won the Shane McArdle Best in Ulster Award and the gold award in the shellfish category.

All three awards were received by John Rooney, managing director and founder of Rooney Fish, the business he established in 1975 and currently exports virtually all its output, especially of shellfish, to customers in Europe, China, Japan and South Korea.

The Blas na hÉireann awards are the biggest blind tasting of produce in the country, and the criteria on which the product is judged as well as the judging system itself, which was developed by Blas na hÉireann with the Food Science Department of University College Cork, is now recognised as an international industry standard.

John Rooney, commenting on the award, said: "We are absolutely delighted to win Supreme Champion at Blas na hÉireann 2018 for our Millbay Oysters. In 2014 we fulfilled a long-term ambition and opened an oyster farm in Carlingford Lough close to our Kilkeel base, where we combine our passion for the industry with traditional methods and new techniques to produce our oysters.

"Although we've grown considerably since we began we're still a family business and to be recognised with this award from Blas na hÉireann, which believes so strongly in community and family, is a huge honour.

"We are currently marketing our award winning oysters to Europe and further afield. These prestigious awards will be tremendously beneficial as we seek to grow this important part of our business," he added.

Millbay Osters were among dozens of awards won by Northern Ireland food and drink products to win awards at Blas na hEireann in what was the vest ever performance from local companies.

The awards included a record 20 gold won by Northern Ireland food and drink producers. The gold winners were:

Armagh Cider Company, Craigavon for Orchard Twist apple and cranberry drink

Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil, Limavady for hickory smoked oil

Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt, Bangor for Greek style natural yoghurt

Corndale Farm Free Range Charcuterie, Limavady, for Sika venison salami

Deli Muru, Belfast for fig chutney

Dragon Sauces, Strabane for Really Saucy Caesar Salad

Duvillaun Sea Salt, Waringstown for Atlantic sea salt

East Coast Seafood, Ballyhornan for smoked salmon

Glastry Farm Ice Cream, Kircubbin for Lemon meringue ice cream

Hannan Meats, Moira for Himalayan salt aged fillet and for salt aged ribeye

Glenballyeamon Eggs, Ballycastle

Holmes Bakery, Portadown for Irish flakemeal biscuits

Ke Nako Biltong, Ballyclare for natural biltong

Linden Foods, Moira for Deluxe Hereford fillet steak

Mash Direct, Comber for potato croquettes

McErlain's Bakery, Magherafelt for SuperValu and Centra tea brack

MacIvor's Cider, Craigavon for medium/dry cider

Refuge Hot Chocolate, Belfast for hot chocolate

Rooney Fish, Kilkeel for Millbay Oysters

Suki Tea, Belfast for fairtrade Belfast brew loose leaf tea

Two Northern Ireland companies were also listed in the Chef's Larder Award - En- Place Food, Cookstown for black garlic miso and Irish Black Butter, Portrush for Irish Black Butter.

Refuge Chocolate in Belfast, a recent start-up business, gained two awards - Best New Product and Best Artisan Product for hot chocolate.

Pic: John Rooney, managing director of Rooney Fish with wife Rosemary at the awards.