A family-run food business based in Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare has scooped three highly sought-after prizes at this year’s prestigious Great Taste Awards (July 21st 2010).

The Burren Smokehouse has been honoured with ‘Two Star Gold’ awards for their Irish Hot Smoked Organic Salmon with Honey, Lemon & Dill; their Irish Cold Smoked Organic Salmon with Honey, Whiskey & Fennel and their recently launched Cold Smoked Halibut.

This month’s announcement by the UK-based Guild of Fine Food means that The Burren Smokehouse has been awarded a total of seven gold medals from the Guild of Fine Food since 2003.

Located in the peaceful and scenic environs of Co. Clare, The Burren Smokehouse was established in 1989 by Birgitta and Peter Curtin. In recent years, the couple have grown the company significantly by expanding their product range and placing an emphasis on the development of export sales. The business now employs twelve staff and exports salmon, trout, mackerel, eel and cheese worldwide, as well as offering produce to customers and clients within the domestic market.

Birgitta Curtin says she is thrilled that the quality of their produce has been recognised by the Guild of Fine Food: “The quality of our products is something that we’re extremely proud of. We take enormous care in sourcing our raw materials and we implement the highest quality standards. Regular testing from independent laboratories backs up our own standards. We also receive regular checks from independent certification organisations. It’s this ongoing commitment to quality that gives our products their distinctive taste and outstanding flavour – it’s why our range is popular throughout Ireland, North America, Continental Europe and further afield”.

Judging standards at the Great Taste Awards are among the most rigorous in the industry – every entry is blind tasted by teams of experts, including top food writers, chefs and retailers. By the time a product earns a gold rating it will have been assessed by several different teams of judges.

Held on an annual basis every July, the UK-based Guild of Fine Food judges over 6,000 food products, with only superior quality producers from the UK and Ireland being presented with the guild’s seal of approval.

Peter Curtin believes that the thorough testing process means that winning three awards is such a great honour: “Since the 1989 we’ve been working hard to develop products that we believe are a cut above anything else on the market. Over 6,000 products are entered into these awards every year but only a small percentage of these receive the gold standard. In fact, competition is so fierce that these awards have become known as ‘the Oscars of the food industry’. Our Irish Hot Smoked Organic Salmon with Honey, Lemon & Dill; Irish Cold Smoked Organic Salmon with Honey, Whiskey & Fennel and our Cold Smoked Halibut are unique products that have been launched following careful in-house product development. We put a lot of emphasis on innovation so we’re delighted that our creativity has once again been recognised by the Guild of Fine Food”.

ENDS

For more information about The Burren Smokehouse, see http://www.burrensmokehouse.ie/

Contact: Birgitta Curtin / Peter Curtin, The Burren Smokehouse

Tel: 065 7074432

For further press information, please contact Conor Hyde, Bullseye Food Marketing on 021 4776644 or 087 6539676