Northern Ireland wins top eight awards for best restaurant, street food and bakery of the year
Competing against hundreds of establishments, top awards went to the Ox in Belfast, No 14 Georgian House, Comber, Elephant Rock, Portrush, Ursa Minor Bakehouse, Ballycastle, Dart Mountain Cheese, Claudy, The Old Inn in Crawfordsburn, Pyke’n’Pommes and Stitch & Weave, Londonderry
Celebrating gold standard champions of the food and hospitality industries, the winners of the Georgina Campbell Food & Hospitality Awards 2024 were announced with seven of the top awards going to premises in Belfast, Ballycastle, Down, Londonderry and Portrush.
Competing against hundreds of establishments throughout Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, awards went to the Ox in Belfast, No 14 Georgian House, Comber, Elephant Rock, Portrush, Ursa Minor Bakehouse, Ballycastle, Dart Mountain Cheese, Claudy, The Old Inn in Crawfordsburn, Pyke’n’Pommes and Stitch & Weave, Londonderry.
Ireland’s longest running food and hospitality awards, the selections are the result of independent all-year assessments by a team of anonymous experts.
Georgina Campbell 2024 Irish Food & Hospitality Award Northern Ireland winners:
Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year 2024: OX, Belfast.
Neighbourhood Restaurant of the Year 2024: No 14 Georgian House, Comber, Co Down
Boutique Hotel of the Year 2024: Elephant Rock, Portrush
Best Bakery-Café 2024: Ursa Minor Bakehouse, Ballycastle, Co Antrim
Best Street Food for 2024: Pyke’n’Pommes, Londonderry
Natural Food Award: Dart Mountain Cheese, Claudy, Londonderry
Historic Destination of the Year 2024: Stitch & Weave, Londonderry
Atmospheric Destination of the Year': The Old Inn in Crawfordsburn
This year, the great benefits of regional collaborations in creating hubs of excellence around the country are especially recognised, along with the increased importance placed by the food and hospitality sector on sustainability and supporting Irish producers - who are celebrated in a special category of the awards as providing the foundation of all of our good food across the island.
However, celebrated food and hospitality writer, Georgina Campbell, offered a note of caution about falling standards in some areas, particularly around the most important meal of the day: breakfast.
“Cost-cutting is understandable and often necessary in the current business environment,” said Georgina, “but it needs to be done with care. “Slashing the quality of breakfast in an otherwise enjoyable experience is counter-productive, and leaves guests disappointed on departure. But, as usual, this year’s Irish Breakfast Award winners are setting a gold-star standard for the famous Irish breakfast and showing how a reputation for serving an outstanding breakfast can be good for business.”
The prestigious ceremony featured an engaging panel discussion and a lively Q&A with special guest and award-winning Irish chef, Richard Corrigan, who is a great ambassador for Irish food and an inspiration for young people considering a career in hospitality.
This year, Georgina particularly acknowledged the achievements of those who have been striving for high standards over many years and continue to do so in the face of all kinds of challenges.
Georgina said: “We need to encourage more young people to see the food and hospitality industry as an exciting option. Even quite young children could experience the enjoyment of doing rewarding work with a hospitality team, and that could create positive associations that would remain with them later, when career choices are to be made.
"It is not enough to tell a child about the hospitality sector, we must help them to develop an early interest and that could shape the sector’s future pioneers from the get-go.”
Georgina added: “Something special that we noticed this year was how the rise of the kitchen garden is accelerating. We’re seeing more chefs getting actively involved in this eco-friendly initiative and not just paying lip-service to the concept. Growing their own seasonal produce is something for establishments to be proud of, as well as having environmental benefits. It’s great to be working with deliciously fresh, nutrient-dense produce grown right outside your door, and it’s a point of special interest for guests.”
Georgina did offer words of caution however, noting: “Although service has improved a lot this year and there is generally a warmer feel to hospitality, shortcuts are being taken in some establishments.
"We would like to see cost challenges addressed in more imaginative ways than cutting quality – by offering more choice of sizes for dishes on menus, for example, and reducing waste overall.
"That the shorter weeks and shorter opening hours that resulted from the pandemic are still continuing in many places – often together with higher prices - is not helping matters and must be discouraging for people thinking about having a break or a meal out.”