The Irish Times claimed four of the 21 awards at the annual Irish Food Writing Awards in Dublin’s RDS on Thursday evening.
Restaurant reviewer Corinna Hardgrave won the award for best restaurant critic, writer and chef Lilly Higgins took the award for best cookery writing, and The Irish Times also won best food magazine or supplement for its twice yearly Food & Drink Magazine.
In addition, former food writer at The Irish Times, Marie Claire Digby, was recognised for outstanding achievement in food writing. Digby was the lead food writer for 10 years prior to her departure in May after four decades with the company.
There were more than 100 finalists shortlisted for this year’s awards, set up by Suzanne Campbell with Paul O’Connor in 2021 to honour food writing on the island of Ireland.
Campbell said she was “delighted and gratified” with the amount of entries that had been received this year.
“It’s always an honour and a pleasure to work with our international judges and Irish food and drink sponsor companies. We could not do this without their support,” she said.
Some of the international judges in attendance at the awards included ITV drinks journalist Andy Clarke, eco-chef, writer and BBC Saturday Kitchen regular Tom Hunt, and Hello Magazine’s Charlotte Pike, a former chair of the UK Guild of Food Writers.
Campbell said that after seeing “how vital food writing was during Covid, and the hard work of the food and drink community in continuing to educate, entertain and encourage the very best in hospitality and food production”, it inspired her and O’Connor to establish the awards in 2021.
