'Finesse and exclusivity' - big wins for Laois in prestigious hospitality and food awards

There have been big wins for Laois in the 2023 Georgina Campbell Irish Food and Hospitality Awards.

Now in their 25th year, they are Ireland's longest-running food and hospitality awards which recognise leaders across the island. The 2023 winners were revealed on October 10.

There'll be more celebrations in Abbeyleix where now well known chef Sam Moody and his wife Emily have won the Newcomer of the Year prize.

The judges had the following to say about the restaurant which opened in 2023.

"Among the many treats in store they will be lucky to find Sam and Emily Moody’s lovely restaurant, Bramley, in the much-loved old shop premises of the same name. Beautifully refurbished, it is a bright, high-ceilinged room with a semi-open kitchen and a gently classy feeling - a lovely setting for enjoying some seriously good cooking.

"Formerly Executive Chef at nearby Ballyfin Demesne, Sam Moody brought a big fine dining reputation with him to Abbeyleix, yet Bramley has the feel of a real local restaurant. On the Guide's initial visit, for example, it was full of happy local diners who were table hopping to greet and chat with their friends - not something that is likely to happen in many of the recently opened high-end restaurants. More below picture.

Pictured: Sam Moody and Mrs Bramley

"The cooking has great finesse, as would be expected, but this is not show-off food and some of the details and smaller dishes, such as an exceptionally delicious garden pea soup, are most memorable. This could so easily have just been another fine dining restaurant, but with its customer-friendly hours and varied menus, there's a sense that this is a place that´s becoming part of the community," said the judges.

Meanwhile, the five five-Star Hotel of the Year Award was won by Ballyfin Demesne. No strangers to prizes at this point, the judges, like others who have visited, were won over. They had the following to say.

"It’s worth remembering that the late Chicago businessman Fred Krehbiel, his Irish wife Kay and renowned landscape gardener Jim Reynolds put in eight years of restoration before opening this Regency mansion in 2011, as a luxurious - yet surprisingly homely - small hotel. Beautifully located in the heart of Ireland, in the foothills of the tranquil and unspoilt Slieve Bloom Mountains, it offers residents ‘rest, tranquillity and outdoor activities’.

"It also offers an exceptional level of discretion and privacy, thanks to its mainly reservations-only, full-board policy and discreetly hospitable hands-on management by General Manager Peter White and his team. More below picture.

Pictured: Ballyfin Demense employee Aoife Brennan was recently picked as one of the top two young waiters in Ireland.

"Everything about the 614-acre estate is stunning, including the eight acres of walled garden that supply executive chef Richard Picard-Edwards's kitchen, along with wild foods from the estate and produce from trusted suppliers including Mountrath butcher Michael Keegan, Sustainable Seafood Ireland in Dublin and Duncannon Seafood, Co Wexford.

"Having become a byword for exclusivity, Ballyfin is recognised as one of Ireland’s top five stars, but the down-to-earth feeling of real Irish hospitality may be unexpected. Also, given its reputation for being ‘expensive’, the good value offered may come as a surprise when the price is analysed, thanks to the meals and the exceptional range of extras that are included.

"So it’s always worth making that call when a special outing is on the cards," they said.

Meanwhile, Cullohill natives and siblings, Darina Allen and Rory O'Connell won the Movers and Shakers Award for their work at the world-famous Ballymaloe Cookery School, Organic Farm & Gardens.

"It may seem like yesterday to many of its fans, but the internationally renowned Ballymaloe Cookery School founded by Darina Allen and her brother Rory O'Connell has been in business since 1983. In 2023 Darina announced her intention to step aside gradually from the everyday running of the cookery school, with Rory taking over that role.

"But - far from retiring - she is establishing a new Ballymaloe Organic Farming School to build on the 6-Week Sustainable Food Production Courses initiated at the cookery school before Covid. It's a very exciting project and badly needed, so this is an apt time to pay tribute to the immense contribution that Ballymaloe Cookery School has made, and continues to make, to the development of a sustainable food culture in Ireland," they said.

While Darina and Rory are based in Cork the judges commented on their Laois roots and inspiration.

"A wholesome commonsense approach to food inherited from their mother, the late Elizabeth O’Connell (whose wonderful food at the family’s pub, The Sportsman’s Inn at Cullahill, made it a favourite stopping point on the Dublin-Cork road), then reinforced by Myrtle Allen and the ‘Ballymaloe philosophy’, was the foundation of the cookery school, and its influence is to seen everywhere.

"Businesses run by former students - especially small places run by a couple, or siblings, and not dependent on a large staff – are a joy to find on our travels, providing deliciously simple, ingredients-led food that tastes of itself and conveying a sense of purposefulness that is inspiring. Great credit is due to Darina and Rory and the team for their achievements and, especially given the potential of the Ballymaloe Organic Farming School, there’s plenty more to come," they concluded.

Pictured Rory O'Connell & his sister Darina Allen from Cullohill.

The Georgina Campbell Guides is a family-run, hospitality guide & cookbook publishers with a big reputation, that specialises in Irish food, hospitality & travel. Established in 1997 by Georgina Campbell, a leading food and hospitality writer, the Irish company’s flagship products are Georgina Campbell’s Ireland – the Guide (All The Best Places to Eat, Drink & Stay) and its associated website and mobile phone applications.