Product of the Year - Irish Artisan Charcoal Company
In 2015 every single bag of charcoal sold in Ireland was imported. And virtually every bag of that charcoal was crap. And then, in 2016, along came Colin, Laszlo and James of the Irish Artisan Charcoal Company and, overnight, our three heroes transformed the world of Irish barbecue, with their peerless, sustainable, Irish fuel. If it ain’t IACC, it ain’t worth a squib. irishcharcoal.com
Book of the Year - The Cultured Club and My Gluten-Free Cookbook
The best cookery books are for life, and in 2016 two Irish books arrived that will still be our boon companions in the kitchen 10 and 20 years from now. Dearbhla Reynold’s The Cultured Club, and Gearoid Lynch’s My Gluten-Free Cookbook, took two left field subjects – fermentation, and gluten-free cookery – and fashioned wise masterpieces out of the challenge. Gill Books
Artisan of the Year - Fingal Ferguson
Fingal Ferguson is out there. Way, way, way out there. His pork products are peerless. His knives are the most-sought-after kitchen necessity. His market stalls are always mobbed. And he’s always smiling, even when he has a gaggle of his kids climbing up his shoulders. There is no more dynamic artisan in the country, yet he makes it all look easy. He’s out there. Gubbeen Smokehouse
