When the Australians announced the findings of a study last month claiming that breakfast is no longer the most important meal of the day, there were lots of raised eyebrows. But one woman in particular wasn’t giving it a blind bit of notice – Georgina Campbell – especially as she was just about to announce the winners of her Irish Breakfast Awards in association with Fáilte Ireland.
“That weight-loss study has no relevance to one of the most important meals for our hospitality industry,” she announced to peals of laughter from a crowd consisting of producers, hoteliers and restaurateurs from across the country.
“For many hotels, restaurants and B&Bs, breakfast is the unsung hero, a meal which is very highly respected internationally.”
It is meal that is increasingly connecting producers and diners, and the names of those putting care and attention into the food on the plate needs to be highlighted more
Even a fancy continental on the continent doesn’t really compare to a fashionable full-Irish to set you up for the day. Georgina commented that: “We often take the Irish breakfast for granted but we need to value it more. We need to see it how other people see it.
“Breakfast can show the great warmth of the hospitality sector, especially when staff help guests plan their day and trips and, of course, it is the ultimate sweetener before they pay their bill.
“But more than that, it is meal that is increasingly connecting producers and diners, and the names of those putting care and attention into the food on the plate needs to be highlighted more.”
Therefore, a significant portion of Georgina Campbell’s Irish Breakfast Awards were dedicated to honouring the ingredients.
Producers
One such winner was Longueville House in Co Cork, which was celebrated for the quality of its bread. The original bread recipe at Longueville House came from Jane O’Callaghan’s family and used Murphy’s Stout. When they started making the cider though, they adapted the recipe to incorporate it, resulting in a deliciously sweet loaf – a hybrid bread made using a combination of the methods of yeast and soda bread, resulting in great depth of flavour.
Another celebrated producer was Sally Barnes of Woodcock Smokery in west Cork. Smoked salmon is a real favourite on breakfast menus nationwide but Sally doesn’t stop there, introducing other fantastic fish such as smoked haddock, hot smoked mackerel and even hot smoked tuna. The fish variety that she is adding to menus is upping the breakfast game right across the board.
Castlemine Farm Bacon from Roscommon, Clonarn Clover eggs from Cavan, Glenisk Organic Dairy from Killa in Co Offaly and Keeling’s freshly squeezed orange juice all lined up for producer awards on the morning.
Breakfast
If you’re looking for the very best five-star breakfast in the country, head to Kerry. Francis Brennan may be known for doling out advice to other establishments to up their game, but this breakfast award further proves that he and the team know what they are taking about.
This breakfast is celebrated in its simplicity and attention to detail; freshly squeezed juice, warm Macroom stoneground porridge oats, delicious breads and preserves, three fish choices, an immaculately presented classic Irish breakfast (featuring Sneem black pudding, of course) and fantastic views. Put it on the bucket list people.
The beautiful views of the bay coupled with excellent service and a short menu where quality is key helped the Cliffhouse in Ardmore to secure the top slot in the four-star hotel category while Benners Hotel in Dingle with its home-baked ham, artisan cheeses and favourites like Lispole Eggs Benedict meant they achieved the top slot in the three-star hotel category.
B&Bs and guesthouses
One area of hospitality that is coming under increased pressure is B&Bs and guesthouses.
The popularity of Airbnb means it is becoming increasingly difficult for these sectors to compete and while Georgina discussed the importance of regulation and to have places registered, a simple solution to maintain standards, one area where these guesthouses can shine is their breakfast offering.
Bantry House and Garden in Co Cork, winner of the B&B category, are well aware that this is the offering that guests cant resist. Two sideboard buffets offering delicious fruits, yoghurts, homemade granola, Irish cheeses and charcuterie, brown bread and scones are laid out every morning – and that’s before you look at the menu. It also tempts guests with traditional porridge, pancakes, the full-Irish (featuring Clonakilty black and white pudding), scrambled eggs with Frank Hederman’s smoked salmon and Sally Barnes’s kippers.
Wineport Lodge in Glasson was the winner of the guesthouse category. Bigger than a B&B and smaller than most hotels, a guesthouse has seven to 30 en-suite bedrooms and Ray Byrne and Jane English’s unique shoreside lodge overlooking Lough Ree ticks many boxes. Most notably, its menu consists of Kilbeggan Organic Oats (porridge or granola) and Horan’s pork butchers in Athlone, while at the weekend its brunch menu includes tasty dishes like croque monsieur, steak ’n’ eggs or smashed avocado.
Brunch
Speaking of brunch, when the Irish nation embraced this New York-inspired mealtime, it offered restaurant owners a whole new opportunity to draw a crowd. For the team in Brunel’s restaurant in Newcastle, Co Down, it is an opportunity to offer a casual dining experience in its fine dining restaurant as well as a chance to be innovative. Fancy scrambled eggs with Jameson-cured sea trout?
It was highly commended for its brunch but it was The Fumbally in Dublin which won the top spot. Offering something more than just a meal on a plate, The Fumbally has become as much a community as a cafe.
It champions local producers on its menu and tries to use organic foods as much as possible. The Fumbally’s famous egg dishes are hard to say no to; lightly scrambled free-range eggs with olive oil, garlic and tomatoes served on toasted sourdough with Gubbeen hot smoked ham on the side, making it an irresistible little extra!
The Complete Natural Brunch Award 2019, sponsored by The Irish Dairy Council, is the first time that a Georgina Campbell award has been open to public nominations.
The shortlisted destinations are:
The Fumbally, Merchant’s Quay, Dublin.Nook Cafe & Restaurant, Collooney, Co Sligo.The Green Barn Burtown House, Athy, Co Kildare.House of Plates, Castlebar, Co Mayo.Brunel’s Restaurant, Newcastle, Co Down.
When the Australians announced the findings of a study last month claiming that breakfast is no longer the most important meal of the day, there were lots of raised eyebrows. But one woman in particular wasn’t giving it a blind bit of notice – Georgina Campbell – especially as she was just about to announce the winners of her Irish Breakfast Awards in association with Fáilte Ireland.
“That weight-loss study has no relevance to one of the most important meals for our hospitality industry,” she announced to peals of laughter from a crowd consisting of producers, hoteliers and restaurateurs from across the country.
“For many hotels, restaurants and B&Bs, breakfast is the unsung hero, a meal which is very highly respected internationally.”
It is meal that is increasingly connecting producers and diners, and the names of those putting care and attention into the food on the plate needs to be highlighted more
Even a fancy continental on the continent doesn’t really compare to a fashionable full-Irish to set you up for the day. Georgina commented that: “We often take the Irish breakfast for granted but we need to value it more. We need to see it how other people see it.
“Breakfast can show the great warmth of the hospitality sector, especially when staff help guests plan their day and trips and, of course, it is the ultimate sweetener before they pay their bill.
“But more than that, it is meal that is increasingly connecting producers and diners, and the names of those putting care and attention into the food on the plate needs to be highlighted more.”
Therefore, a significant portion of Georgina Campbell’s Irish Breakfast Awards were dedicated to honouring the ingredients.
Producers
One such winner was Longueville House in Co Cork, which was celebrated for the quality of its bread. The original bread recipe at Longueville House came from Jane O’Callaghan’s family and used Murphy’s Stout. When they started making the cider though, they adapted the recipe to incorporate it, resulting in a deliciously sweet loaf – a hybrid bread made using a combination of the methods of yeast and soda bread, resulting in great depth of flavour.
Another celebrated producer was Sally Barnes of Woodcock Smokery in west Cork. Smoked salmon is a real favourite on breakfast menus nationwide but Sally doesn’t stop there, introducing other fantastic fish such as smoked haddock, hot smoked mackerel and even hot smoked tuna. The fish variety that she is adding to menus is upping the breakfast game right across the board.
Castlemine Farm Bacon from Roscommon, Clonarn Clover eggs from Cavan, Glenisk Organic Dairy from Killa in Co Offaly and Keeling’s freshly squeezed orange juice all lined up for producer awards on the morning.
Breakfast
If you’re looking for the very best five-star breakfast in the country, head to Kerry. Francis Brennan may be known for doling out advice to other establishments to up their game, but this breakfast award further proves that he and the team know what they are taking about.
This breakfast is celebrated in its simplicity and attention to detail; freshly squeezed juice, warm Macroom stoneground porridge oats, delicious breads and preserves, three fish choices, an immaculately presented classic Irish breakfast (featuring Sneem black pudding, of course) and fantastic views. Put it on the bucket list people.
The beautiful views of the bay coupled with excellent service and a short menu where quality is key helped the Cliffhouse in Ardmore to secure the top slot in the four-star hotel category while Benners Hotel in Dingle with its home-baked ham, artisan cheeses and favourites like Lispole Eggs Benedict meant they achieved the top slot in the three-star hotel category.
B&Bs and guesthouses
One area of hospitality that is coming under increased pressure is B&Bs and guesthouses.
The popularity of Airbnb means it is becoming increasingly difficult for these sectors to compete and while Georgina discussed the importance of regulation and to have places registered, a simple solution to maintain standards, one area where these guesthouses can shine is their breakfast offering.
Bantry House and Garden in Co Cork, winner of the B&B category, are well aware that this is the offering that guests cant resist. Two sideboard buffets offering delicious fruits, yoghurts, homemade granola, Irish cheeses and charcuterie, brown bread and scones are laid out every morning – and that’s before you look at the menu. It also tempts guests with traditional porridge, pancakes, the full-Irish (featuring Clonakilty black and white pudding), scrambled eggs with Frank Hederman’s smoked salmon and Sally Barnes’s kippers.
Wineport Lodge in Glasson was the winner of the guesthouse category. Bigger than a B&B and smaller than most hotels, a guesthouse has seven to 30 en-suite bedrooms and Ray Byrne and Jane English’s unique shoreside lodge overlooking Lough Ree ticks many boxes. Most notably, its menu consists of Kilbeggan Organic Oats (porridge or granola) and Horan’s pork butchers in Athlone, while at the weekend its brunch menu includes tasty dishes like croque monsieur, steak ’n’ eggs or smashed avocado.
Brunch
Speaking of brunch, when the Irish nation embraced this New York-inspired mealtime, it offered restaurant owners a whole new opportunity to draw a crowd. For the team in Brunel’s restaurant in Newcastle, Co Down, it is an opportunity to offer a casual dining experience in its fine dining restaurant as well as a chance to be innovative. Fancy scrambled eggs with Jameson-cured sea trout?
It was highly commended for its brunch but it was The Fumbally in Dublin which won the top spot. Offering something more than just a meal on a plate, The Fumbally has become as much a community as a cafe.
It champions local producers on its menu and tries to use organic foods as much as possible. The Fumbally’s famous egg dishes are hard to say no to; lightly scrambled free-range eggs with olive oil, garlic and tomatoes served on toasted sourdough with Gubbeen hot smoked ham on the side, making it an irresistible little extra!
The Complete Natural Brunch Award 2019, sponsored by The Irish Dairy Council, is the first time that a Georgina Campbell award has been open to public nominations.
The shortlisted destinations are:
The Fumbally, Merchant’s Quay, Dublin.Nook Cafe & Restaurant, Collooney, Co Sligo.The Green Barn Burtown House, Athy, Co Kildare.House of Plates, Castlebar, Co Mayo.Brunel’s Restaurant, Newcastle, Co Down. 
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