Brothers buzzing with success
As a small coughing child, regularly dosed on spoonfuls of, ahem, vintage crystallised honey from an ancient jar, honey felt like medicine to me. Then I discovered the flavour of proper Irish honey from local flowers, and now I’m a total convert.
So it was great to hear that Cork’s Blackwater Honey, run by brothers Andrew and John Shinnick (pictured above), took this year’s People’s Choice Award at the Great Taste Golden Forks for their three star award-winning blossom honey.
Out of more than 14,000 products entered into the Great Taste Awards, only 1.9% achieved this three-star rating. Just 33 made it through to the Golden Forks, including Irish producers Goatsbridge Trout and Antrim brewery Get ‘Er Brewed. Family dairy Green Pastures Donegal took the Golden Fork for Ireland and Basalt Distillery was the winner of the Northern Irish Golden Fork.
blackwaterhoney.ie.
Service with a VAT cut
Do you remember your first job? For many people, me included, it was in hospitality. I was a (terrible) waitress in a busy country hotel, learning on the job and making many mistakes, from accidentally spilling soup on wedding outfits to dropping all of the bread roll baskets enroute to the dining room. It was hard work, especially at the start, but I got an education in hospitality, learned how to drive a dessert trolley and it was also lot of fun (although perhaps not for the wedding guests). Ever since, I’ve always had a lot of respect for people in the industry.
Numbers recently released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) noted that there was a drop in the number of jobs in food and accommodation, with full-time employment falling by 6.7%. It’s a hard time for anyone trying to make a living in this industry, from owners and employers to staff on the ground. We all want to be able to go for a lovely meal on special occasions or to visit a favourite local café for an after-school treat but will reducing the VAT rate from 13.5% to 9%, as called for by the Restaurant Association of Ireland, safeguard these favourite spots? It’s easy to see that the cost of everything has gone up - just look at the price of your own shopping basket - but it really sticks in my craw to see the likes of international fast food chains also benefiting from a reduction in VAT. Is there a way of making it more equitable? And safeguarding jobs for all the hardworking teenage waitresses out there?
The hospitality sector was an introduction to the working world for many. /iStock
Crispy city combo
Crisps + hot honey + pizza. There’s a trio, by way of Tipperary, that’s worth heading to Dublin for. Earlier this summer, crisp brand O’Donnells got together with fellow Tipp producer and condiment kings Rívesci to use their Dec’s Hot Honey for a limited release. Now they’re also bringing that deep, rich, sweet spicy crunch to Detroit-style deep-dish pizza at Dublin’s Squaredish. Be still my beating heart!
O'Donnells Hot Honey & Pep Fusion pizza flavoured crisps.
Food in the community champions wanted
Across the country, we all know food organisations and charities that are quietly making a difference by ensuring that no one goes hungry, fostering connections with people in direct provision through food or teaching our kids about growing and eating. It’s great to see this work highlighted so it’s well worth nominating them for the Irish Food Writers’ Guild annual Community Food Award. Each year, the IFWG gives this award to “an individual, a business or an organisation involved in food that…is outstanding in the way that it embraces an ethos of social responsibility.”
The 2025 winners were Irish Seed Savers, honoured for their work in safeguarding Ireland’s food crop heritage. They welcome nominations from everyone sow if you know of a food-related group out there, doing positive things for their community.
Find more information on the 2026 Award at irishfoodwritersguild.ie/community-food-award-call-for-entries
Food writers guild logo.
Pop up to Dingle for coffee
4Two sisters with a line in dreamy visuals, tasty homemade bakes and superb coffee skills, Adrienne and Erica Mullen have been bringing their pop-up coffee shop to venues from Inch House in Tipperary and Kennedy’s Bar in Dingle to Mitchelstown’s Barnahown. For their next day out, they’re heading back to Kerry for the Dingle Food Festival, laying out their Scandi-inspired treats at the Laura Barry Art Studio on Green Street. It’s part of the much-loved festival Taste Trail that always brings me off the beaten path in this iconic town, to discover new places, producers and flavours. You’ll need to be organised ahead of time for this event as attendance is by reservation only.
Check out @amorningwithyou on Instagram.
Adrienne (pictured) and Erica Mullen operate A Morning With You.
Brothers buzzing with success
As a small coughing child, regularly dosed on spoonfuls of, ahem, vintage crystallised honey from an ancient jar, honey felt like medicine to me. Then I discovered the flavour of proper Irish honey from local flowers, and now I’m a total convert.
So it was great to hear that Cork’s Blackwater Honey, run by brothers Andrew and John Shinnick (pictured above), took this year’s People’s Choice Award at the Great Taste Golden Forks for their three star award-winning blossom honey.
Out of more than 14,000 products entered into the Great Taste Awards, only 1.9% achieved this three-star rating. Just 33 made it through to the Golden Forks, including Irish producers Goatsbridge Trout and Antrim brewery Get ‘Er Brewed. Family dairy Green Pastures Donegal took the Golden Fork for Ireland and Basalt Distillery was the winner of the Northern Irish Golden Fork.
blackwaterhoney.ie.
Service with a VAT cut
Do you remember your first job? For many people, me included, it was in hospitality. I was a (terrible) waitress in a busy country hotel, learning on the job and making many mistakes, from accidentally spilling soup on wedding outfits to dropping all of the bread roll baskets enroute to the dining room. It was hard work, especially at the start, but I got an education in hospitality, learned how to drive a dessert trolley and it was also lot of fun (although perhaps not for the wedding guests). Ever since, I’ve always had a lot of respect for people in the industry.
Numbers recently released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) noted that there was a drop in the number of jobs in food and accommodation, with full-time employment falling by 6.7%. It’s a hard time for anyone trying to make a living in this industry, from owners and employers to staff on the ground. We all want to be able to go for a lovely meal on special occasions or to visit a favourite local café for an after-school treat but will reducing the VAT rate from 13.5% to 9%, as called for by the Restaurant Association of Ireland, safeguard these favourite spots? It’s easy to see that the cost of everything has gone up - just look at the price of your own shopping basket - but it really sticks in my craw to see the likes of international fast food chains also benefiting from a reduction in VAT. Is there a way of making it more equitable? And safeguarding jobs for all the hardworking teenage waitresses out there?
The hospitality sector was an introduction to the working world for many. /iStock
Crispy city combo
Crisps + hot honey + pizza. There’s a trio, by way of Tipperary, that’s worth heading to Dublin for. Earlier this summer, crisp brand O’Donnells got together with fellow Tipp producer and condiment kings Rívesci to use their Dec’s Hot Honey for a limited release. Now they’re also bringing that deep, rich, sweet spicy crunch to Detroit-style deep-dish pizza at Dublin’s Squaredish. Be still my beating heart!
O'Donnells Hot Honey & Pep Fusion pizza flavoured crisps.
Food in the community champions wanted
Across the country, we all know food organisations and charities that are quietly making a difference by ensuring that no one goes hungry, fostering connections with people in direct provision through food or teaching our kids about growing and eating. It’s great to see this work highlighted so it’s well worth nominating them for the Irish Food Writers’ Guild annual Community Food Award. Each year, the IFWG gives this award to “an individual, a business or an organisation involved in food that…is outstanding in the way that it embraces an ethos of social responsibility.”
The 2025 winners were Irish Seed Savers, honoured for their work in safeguarding Ireland’s food crop heritage. They welcome nominations from everyone sow if you know of a food-related group out there, doing positive things for their community.
Find more information on the 2026 Award at irishfoodwritersguild.ie/community-food-award-call-for-entries
Food writers guild logo.
Pop up to Dingle for coffee
4Two sisters with a line in dreamy visuals, tasty homemade bakes and superb coffee skills, Adrienne and Erica Mullen have been bringing their pop-up coffee shop to venues from Inch House in Tipperary and Kennedy’s Bar in Dingle to Mitchelstown’s Barnahown. For their next day out, they’re heading back to Kerry for the Dingle Food Festival, laying out their Scandi-inspired treats at the Laura Barry Art Studio on Green Street. It’s part of the much-loved festival Taste Trail that always brings me off the beaten path in this iconic town, to discover new places, producers and flavours. You’ll need to be organised ahead of time for this event as attendance is by reservation only.
Check out @amorningwithyou on Instagram.
Adrienne (pictured) and Erica Mullen operate A Morning With You.
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