Two Offaly food producers receive total of six Great Taste awards

By Rebekah O'Reilly

Two Offaly businesses received a total of six Great Taste awards this week.

Both Daingean's Mount Briscoe and O'Donohue's Bakery in Tullamore were celebrated for their quality, packaging, and taste.

Mount Briscoe recieved two 2-Star awards for its Organic Damon Cordial and Organic Blackberry Butter, as well as a 1-star award its Organic Wild Sloe Jelly.

Meanwhile, O'Donohue's Bakery took home three 1-Star award for its Penny Loaf Brown Mini Irish Soda Bread, Penny Loaf Seeded Mini Irish Soda Bread, and O'Donohues Brown Soda.

Over 105 days, across the Guild’s judging rooms in London, Dorset, Ireland and Italy, over 800 industry experts took part in the unique judging process that makes Great Taste the most respected food and drink accreditation scheme in the world.

Taste is considered first and foremost, followed by appearance, aroma, texture, and mouthfeel.

Perhaps the least well-known element of Great Taste is the judges’ feedback which is shared with the producers irrespective of whether they have achieved a star-rating.

This constructive analysis can be instrumental in product development, helping producers refine recipes, improve consistency, and understand how their products perform in a competitive market.

John Farrand, managing director, Guild of Fine Food, comments: “Food security is becoming an increasingly pressing issue across the globe, so it feels more pertinent now than at any other time in our thirty-year history to be supporting and promoting independent producers and retailers.

"Our directory of award recipients is a rich source of data, guiding people from all walks of life to make informed decisions about their food & drink choices. Great Taste is all about celebrating craftmanship and dedication to well-sourced local ingredients and traditional, often simple production methods which is more important now than ever.”

All 306 products that were accredited with a Great Taste 2026 3-star award were invited to take part in a further round of judging to identify which of them was worthy of a Golden Fork nomination.

Winners of the Golden Forks, known affectionately as the ‘Oscars of food and drink’, are considered to be the most highly rated products in the world.