PICTURE: Tipperary couple win Lifetime Achievement Award at prestigious food awards

From oysters to organic meats and chicken, traditionally made pastry and Ireland’s first and only vermouth, the winners of the 2024 Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Awards have been announced.

With just eight prestigious awards presented, Peter and Mary Ward of Country Choice were one of just eight winners who were honoured at an awards gala in Dublin on Tuesday.

Lifetime Achievement Award: Peter and Mary Ward, Country Choice, Country Choice, Co. Tipperary.

“A country grocer” was how American food writer Colman Andrews described Peter Ward in his James Beard Award-winning The Country Cooking of Ireland, before going on to list some of Peter’s many jobs: making pots of tea for Nenagh locals at Country Choice, the independent grocers and café that he runs with his wife Mary; weighing out slabs of local cheddar behind the counter there; travelling to cook for dignitaries in Capetown and Alicante; addressing government panels on food regulation policies; distributing and selling the best of Irish and imported foods. A shopkeeper to his fingertips, Peter has always had a foot at home - anchored by Nenagh native Mary - while still being involved in the world at large, particularly the food world.

The couple have been passionate champions of local food since they opened Country Choice in 1982. It  was a time before small producers were properly acknowledged and celebrated, but the Wards could see the bounty that was available nearby. Peter remembers discovering “wonderful people who were showing food at the county and agricultural shows. If you went to these shows, you could get an endless supply of ducks, geese, Madeira cakes, apple tarts, jam, tomatoes and Beauty of Bath apples. That was the bedrock of my business at the time.”

Peter is one of the great communicators of Irish food, making the most of every platform available, be it stage, radio, television or his popular social media posts doing tastings with Mary. He has never shied away from emphasising that everyone has their own role to play, supporting “the butcher, the baker and the artisan” today rather than bemoaning their loss tomorrow, and realising - much too late - that cheap does not equal value. We can add country grocers to that list of professions to be cherished.  For their long-held belief in, and support for, local indigenous Irish food, the Irish Food Writers’ Guild is pleased to award Peter and Mary Ward with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The awards, now in their 31st year, spotlight excellence and distinguishable quality in Irish produce and its committed creators.

Sustainability is a consistent thread and numerous family businesses have been recognised over three decades not only for their excellent produce and practices, but also for the lasting and enduring legacy they are creating for current and future generations.  

The IFWG Food Awards are unique in that no business or individual can enter, nor do they know if they have been nominated for an award.

The Guild is the sole nominating and decision-making body* whose members nominate and anonymously buy products for tasting.

Proportional representation voting is undertaken at a Guild tasting meeting. Winning products must be produced in Ireland and the main ingredient must be Irish grown or produced.

The full list of winners of the 2024 Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Awards:

1. Food Award: Carlingford Oysters, Carlingford Oyster Company, Co. Louth
2. Food Award: Regan Organic Chicken, Regan Organic Farm, Co. Wexford
3. Food Award: Roll It All Butter Pastry, Roll It Pastry, Co. Meath
4. Irish Drink Award: Valentia Island Vermouth, Valentia Island Vermouth, Co. Kerry
5. Notable Contribution to Irish Food: Conor Spacey, FoodSpace, Co. Dublin
6. Environmental Award: Rare Ruminare, Co. Sligo
7. Community Food Award: Cork Urban Soil Project, Co. Cork
8. Lifetime Achievement Award: Peter and Mary Ward of Country Choice, Country Choice, Co. Tipperary

Speaking at the awards event in Suesey Street, Caroline Hennessy, chair of the Irish Food Writers’ Guild (IFWG) said: “If we don’t address the crisis facing Ireland’s restaurant sector we will not only see the closure of many more local businesses this year, but the potential demise of our wider vibrant food industry. Every time a restaurant or café closes, an essential revenue stream for our small producers is severed. We exist within an ecosystem, and the convergence of high energy costs, labour expenses, and other challenges affects everyone involved. Jobs and livelihoods hang in the balance and it is our responsibility to take action.  

“Notwithstanding the challenges facing small food and drink businesses right now, we have a sector of which we can be extremely proud. Today’s IFWG Food Awards are a celebration as we shine a light on exemplars of the country’s thriving, world-class artisan food and drink industry. But Ireland’s producers need support from government, from supermarket and restaurant buyers and from consumers who want to eat and drink exceptional and sustainably sourced Irish produce. This year’s winning produce together with our chosen producers and innovators are the heart and soul of our domestic food industry and they deserve our support,” said Caroline.

Sponsored by Bord Bia, Una Fitzgibbon, Director of Marketing added: “As a connector of Irish food and drink products to the world, it is entirely fitting that Bord Bia continues to support the work of the Irish Food Writers’ Guild as it celebrates and honours the exceptional quality of Ireland’s artisan food industry. Congratulations to all eight winners and thank you for your contribution to the Irish food and drink industry, which sets an inspiring example to the wider industry.”