A hidden mosaic of talented food artisans underpin Ireland’s food culture. We discovered the first generation of these brilliantly creative people more than 25 years ago, when we found out that there was a subterranean food culture blossoming throughout Ireland, a world where talented folk crafted cheeses, smoked fish, grew crops organically, looked after rare-breed animals, ran great butcher's shops and little bakeries.
And since then, the health and wealth of Ireland’s regional artisan economy has grown in a way that we could never have predicted. In areas where there used to be no choice – beer; bacon; bread; gin; pubs; chocolate – today we all can experience the Paradox of Choice: will I have this bean-to-bar chocolate? or this IPA? or this craft gin? or this loaf of sourdough bread? or this sea salt ice cream? There was never such a delicious paradox as we have today, thanks to Ireland’s regional food artisans.