The 2024 Irish Food Writing Awards have taken place (tonight, Thursday) and there’s a Kilkenny winner among the names announced from the stage in the RDS.
Ruth Calder-Potts, whose family own and operates Highbank Orchards on the Callan Road in Kilkenny claimed the Food Photography Award (Professional Category). It’s not for the first time either, with Ruth claiming the same honour in 2023, making it back-to-back awards on the professional front.
“On a personal level, it (the award) means a huge amount”, Ruth told one of my colleagues in KCLR in the wake of the awards.
“Photography can be a lonely business although you’re wrapped around photographing food and people because you’re essentially a sole trader. It’s a lovely nod to be nominated and then to win, it’s lovely, and it’s lovely for people to say lovely things about you. Who doesn’t like that?”
21 awards
Over 100 finalists and guests made the trip to Dublin for the unveiling of 21 awards covering the length and breadth of Irish food and drink journalism, cookbooks, blogging, podcasting and more.
Over 100 award finalists and guests attended from throughout the island of Ireland, competing for the 21 awards on offer covering Irish food and drink journalism, cookbooks, feature writing, blogging, podcasting, photography and Instagram/TikTok.
Winners of note included now former senior food writer at the Irish Times, Marie Claire Digby, who collected this year’s Outstanding Achievement Award; chef duo Gary O’Hanlon and Gareth Mullins’ podcast Dishing It Out picked up the Irish Food or Drink Podcast award with Kitty Corrigan’s name coming out on no fewer than three occasions, including for this year’s new Food History and Heritage Award.
The awards, established in 2021 by Suzanne Campbell and Paul O’Connor seek to recognise and celebrate the high quality of food and drink writing from throughout the island of Ireland, across print, broadcast and online.
In all categories, entries were accepted from the nominees themselves, or by a third party and were open to writers, journalists, bloggers and photographers.
Among this year’s judges were ITV Drinks journalist Andy Clarke, Tom Hunt – eco-chef, writer and BBC Saturday Kitchen regular, and Hello Magazine’s Charlotte Pike, former Chair of the UK Guild of Food Writers. Other judges included Xanthe Clay, Fiona Beckett, Colman Andrews and Tim Hayward.
Irish Food Writing Awards 2024 Winners
- Irish Food or Drink Podcast: ‘Dishing It Out’, Gary O’Hanlon & Gareth Mullins
- Writing on Irish Food Producers: Kitty Corrigan, ‘The Irish Bakery’
- Writing on Seafood: Caroline Hennessey
- Emerging Voice in Irish Food Writing: Jennie Moran, ‘How to Soften Corners’
- Food Photography (Professional): Ruth Calder-Potts
- Food Photography (Amateur): Jasmine Hughes
- Irish Food Blog Award: ‘Gorse’, Ciara Ohartghaile
- Irish Food Magazine/Supplement: Irish Times Food
- Writing on Sustainability in Irish Food Award: Aoife Carrigy
- Cookbook of the Year: ‘The Irish Bakery’, Cherie Denham, Andrew Montgomery (photos), Kitty Corrigan (essays)
- Beer Writing Award: Shamin de Brún
- Wine Writing Award: Mick O’Connell, Food & Wine Magazine
- Spirits Writing Award: Oisin Davis
- Culinary Student Award: Lance Lumanium, ATU Donegal
- Food History & Heritage Award: Kitty Corrigan
Food Writing Award: Janine Kennedy - Writing on International Cuisines: Victory Nwabu-Ekeoma for ‘Bia Zine’
- Restaurant Critic Award: Corinna Hardgrave
- Investigative Writing Award: Tommy Greene, The Journal Investigates
- Cookery Writing Award: Lilly Higgins, Irish Times
- Irish Food on Instagram/TikTok Award: Sebastian Skillings ‘The Hungry Fishmonger’
- Outstanding Achievement in Food Writing Award: Marie Claire Digby
Updated on Friday 8 November to include reaction to award for Ruth Calder-Potts.
