Fantastic Irish Food for 2013

Beet cured Flanagan's Irish salmon gravlox, Bodega restaurant, Waterford

Irish artisan food is gaining a reputation as some of the best in the world. Each year we come across more & more fantastic artisan products, and restaurants which use local Irish food products.

For one of the 13 for 2013  things to try this year, (oh, yes; I've more- this is just part 1 of 13!)
Majella O' Shea suggested:

“@vibrantireland: do a foodie trail-13 artisan producers, or 13 great food vans (some great ones that you see at festivals!) #13for2013
— Majella O'Shea (@MajellaOShea) December 23, 2012

This is a brill idea- so I'm planning to try 13 new-to-me Irish foods, drink, food fests, & places to eat that champion local products. I'll be blogging & tweeting on them to let you know what to try.
My hubby Terry is quite good in the kitchen, so he'll be in charge of any home cooking of  products, not me :-)
 (Terry's old cafe & bakery Crema, Rathmines, Dublin, got 8 Bridgestone/McKenna guide awards!
1999-2006  *Sorry, proud wife moment!* )

Goatsbridge smoked trout-yum! I don't have pic of the caviar

There are some very tasty sounding items on Irish Food Guide's Best Irish Food Finds of 2012. Zack asked for votes & tallied the results; my vote was for Goatsbridge Trout Caviar. (I got to try it courtesy of Waterford Harvest Festival.) Have you any favourites on the list?

 For our very first #13for2013 Irish food experience, we are going to eat at Campagne, Kilkenny. Campagne and the chef/owner Garret Byrne have won plenty of awards, and qualify for our list because they use local producers, such as Balief Farm Foods.

That's January sorted, but we still need your help! I'm looking for 12 more Iris foodie suggestions. Products you've tried and loved, festivals or places to eat.

If you are an Irish based producer who'd like your food product to be part of the trial, get in touch! You can leave a comment below, email su@vibrantireland.com or tweet @vibrantireland.

Want to read more on the Irish foodie things we've enjoyed? Click here for more. If you'd like to read the recent review of Campagne which reminded me to hurry up & make a booking, click here for The Cook's Belly.

Here's to a tasty 2013!
Will be writing on the other #13for2013 suggestions soon :-)

Any samples/comps received will be happily tried & acknowledged, but of course won't guarantee a good review. 

 

Loved this Irish cider! Stonewell; sampled during the Blogger's Tour, courtesy of Bodega Waterford & Waterford Harvest Festival. Thanks, all! Not on my #13for2013 list because I've already experienced them- but that doesn't mean we won't continue to drink, eat & festival with 'em!