The best traditional Irish breakfast in the country can be found at the Lough Erne Resort, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, good to know.
That is according to the Georgina Campbell Irish Breakfast Awards, who have handed out various titles and accoladed to various establishments across Ireland.
Food enthusiast Campbell set up the breakfast awards four years ago, after she noticed there were similar events for lunch and dinners.
She insists breakfasts can be a ‘fine dining experience’ and establishments, whether large or small, have an opportunity to leave a ‘lasting impression’ on their customers by the quality of breakfast they serve.
“It has been the Cinderella of dining out for too long” said Campbell.
So, let’s get down to business. Here are the winners across the various categories.
Best Irish Breakfast Menu
Hotel Winner: Limerick Strand Hotel, Limerick
Highly Commended: The Twelve Hotel, Barna, Co Galway
Small Stay Winner: Lough Bishop House, Co Westmeath
Highly Commended: Archways B&B, Rosslare, Co Wexford
Best Irish Breakfast: Five-star Hotel
Best Irish Breakfast: Five-star Hotel
Winner: Lough Erne Resort, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh
Highly Commended: Trump International Golf Links &Hotel, Doonbeg, Co Clare
Highly Commended: Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa, Enniskerry, Co Wicklow
Best Irish Breakfast: Four-star Hotel
Winner: Avalon House Hotel, Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny
Highly Commended: Cliff at Lyons, Celbridge, Co Kildare
Highly Commended: Vaughan Lodge, Lahinch, Co Clare
Best Irish Breakfast: Three-star Hotel
Winner: Eccles Hotel, Glengarriff, Co Cork
Highly Commended: Killeen House Hotel, Killarney, Co Kerry
Highly Commended: Stauntons on the Green, Dublin
Best Irish Breakfast: Country House
Winner: Huntington Castle & Gardens, Clonegal, Co Carlow
Highly Commended: Ashley Park House, Nenagh, Co Tipperary
Highly Commended: Ardtara Country House, Upperlands, Co Derry
Best Irish Breakfast: Guest House
Winner: The Quay House, Clifden, Co Galway
Highly Commended: Heatons House, Dingle, Co Kerry
Highly Commended: Lancaster Lodge, Cork
Best Irish Breakfast: B&B
Winner: Sheedy’s Doolin Boutique B&B, Doolin, Co Clare
Highly Commended: Danny Minnies, Annagry, Co. Donegal
Highly Commended: The Wilder Townhouse, Dublin
Best Irish Breakfast: Visitor Attraction
Dillisk bread at Rua in Castlebar, Co Mayo
Winner: Hillsborough Castle Café, Hillsborough, Co Down
Highly Commended: The Commons Café at MoLI, Dublin
Highly Commended: Good Day Deli, Nano Nagle Place, Cork
Irish Producer Awards 2020
Meat: McCarthys, Kanturk, Co Cork
Eggs: Belview Eggs, Drogheda, Co Louth
Dairy: The Little Milk Company, Dungarvan, Co Waterford
Fruit: The Apple Farm, Cahir, Co Tipperary
Preserves: Filligans, Glenties, Co Donegal
Celebrity chef Rachel Allen was a guest presenter at the awards ceremony. She said: “These awards are unique in that they highlight a meal that is all too often overlooked by business owners as the least important of all their dining options.”
Georgina Campbell has a team of secret diners that sample the delicious food of numerous restaurants, hotels, B&Bs, and cafes and rate them on a number of criteria.
This year, food sourcing was of particular interest to the secret diners.
Campbell concluded: “By investing in and supporting good quality local providers you are investing in and supporting a more sustainable Ireland.
“This has become a real priority for the hospitality industry and it’s something that has to be at the top of our collective agenda – permanently.”
