Kinsale's tasty tours as foodie judges visit

KINSALE put its best ‘fork' forward when it welcomed Foodie Destinations judges to the town as part of this year's Restaurant of Ireland Association competition. 

Zack Gallagher of the Irish Food Guide and Wendy Kavanagh of FoodAdventure.ie were treated to a mini food tour of some of Kinsale's restaurants and shops, sampling local produce, meeting producers and a number of people involved with food tourism and education, all organised by the local Chamber of Tourism & Business, Kinsale Good Food Circle and Kinsale Food Tours.

Kinsale made the shortlist for this year's  ‘Foodie Destination of Ireland' award which recognises a destination that actively promotes itself through joint promotional activities such as food festivals, gourmet trails or farmers' markets, as well as great dining experiences. 

Ciarán Fitzgerald, chairman of Kinsale Chamber of Tourism & Business said: ‘Kinsale has  many businesses involved in the food and drink industry, with over 60 restaurants and cafés, supplied by many producers and employing over 1,000 people in the town. 

‘We believe that our people, produce and passion are the recipe for success. The local provenance of our meat, fish, seafood, fruit and vegetables, together with the mix talent of people from the locality and all over the world, combine to offer great food, service and value to all.'

The RAI Top 10 Foodie Destinations 2017 shortlist also features Boyne Valley, Cong, Galway's Westend, Kilkenny, Loop Head Peninsula, Monaghan, Sligo, West Cork and West Waterford. 

See www.foodiedestinations.ie for more details of the awards.