Does the proliferation of food awards available in Ireland not dilute the importance of any of it?
Hotel & Restaurant Times dives into the world of food awards and whose behind them. We speak with renowned chef Derry Clarke, patron of the Michelin star restaurant, l’Ecrivain, for over 25 years. who talks about the three types of awards: The good ones, the mediocre ones and the ‘bought-in’ ones.
Blas na hÉireann, Irish Food Awards, Euro Toques, Good Food Ireland, Food & wine Awards, the Ireland Quality Food and Drink Awards…
I’ll stop there. I haven’t even mentioned the Michelin Star awards, but in attempting to compile a list of the food awards these days, there are so many of them that there’s little point as you’re almost certain to leave someone out
We live in a free and democratic society and there is nothing wrong with somebody setting up an awards company and reaping whatever benefits they manage to reap from it. But does the proliferation of food awards available in Ireland not dilute the importance of any of it?
Handing out awards is a great business model. The potential recipients will always support it because every provider in this competitive marketplace craves recognition and if the stage looks big enough to be noticed, then they’ll sign up; faster than you can say “The winner is…”
Take Food Awards Ireland as an example. To the casual observer, its robust name strongly suggests that this is Ireland’s official arbiter of food; that it was born of this nation, rising from the fields and kitchens of Ireland with a committee of expert judges formed by a governmental decree to carefully monitor our national culinary output.
Some of that may have some truth to it but a more pertinent truth is that this is the baby of a British company formed in Scotland 17 years ago called Oceanic Awards. On their publicity, they proudly identify as setting out to “disrupt the awards market” and state that they “delivered” 80 ceremonies around the world in 2024. They also organise awards outside of the culinary sphere, “celebrating hair and beauty, food, hospitality and many more industries.”
The Ireland Quality Food and Drink Awards is the brainchild of another UK-based company. With headquarters in Croydon, Surrey, Emap is a media and branding company whose roots go back to the 1880s publishing industry. Their activities now include an impressive stable of publications covering a diverse range of areas, from fashion to property, tax, construction, hospitality and… whatever you’re having yourself.
It’s all so easy in the Internet age to cover up. Looking through so many websites nowadays, people don’t even bother putting the location or nationality of their company when it suits them. It’s like the Wizard of Oz all over again 100 years later – you create the stage and you animate it with what looks like the real thing, then… maybe it’s as real as anything.
Blas na hÉireann and Good Food Ireland are both rooted in Ireland but while the former is focused on food, with a judging platform based on Irish-based food academics, Good Food Ireland is really a catch-all awards set-up that covers a much wider range of subjects than simply food. They also offer public relations and communications services.
The company has been incredibly successful, evidently with a strong line in rubbing shoulders with those in power in the tourism industry. For them, companies such as the Good Food Ireland brand do a lot work promoting Irish produce and the Irish food scene in general. From speaking to those in the hospitality sector, such activity does only good for their businesses too. It’s a win-win-win situation.
Derry Clarke is no stranger to awards at the very top level, his famous restaurant L’Écrivain having retained a Michelin star for 17 years before he retired.
“There are three types of awards,” he says. “There are the good ones and there are several of them. Then there are the mediocre ones, which aren’t great. And then there are the ‘bought-in’ ones – where you have to pay for a plaque or pay for a certificate.
“To get one of the top awards, it’s always nice. It’s good for business and it’s good for morale. It gets your name out there, which is especially important if you’re a new restaurant starting off… awards never do you any harm in any case!
“One thing I didn’t like about certain awards is that sometimes the name of the sponsor takes up more room than the name of the restaurant, but overall, they’ve been good. I don’t believe in the ones you buy, but it’s recognition. And restaurants use every tool they can to get their restaurant promoted.”
The sheer volume of awards, however, can dilute their impact to a certain extent, he believes.
“There are also quite a few regional awards as well,” says Derry. “With all the awards that come out over the year, people can sometimes get confused, I think.”
When it comes down to it, we’re all free to decide for ourselves. In every industry, there are awards handed out. Some of the awards might be regarded as very important while others can be regarded as a bit bogus. It’s not an easy job for the general public to differentiate between the two.
The best thing to do for a customer the next time they come across a plaque or certificate proudly stating that the place they’re in has received a seemingly prestigious award, is to ask about the process involved in achieving the award and secondly, to find out who actually issues the award – is it an organisation committed to excellence in that particular field over a long period of time or is it not?
Finding out the answer to those questions will be a rewarding exercise in itself.
