Young chefs and rural restaurants were the main winners in the ninth Annual Awards for Excellence announced by food writer Georgina Campbell yesterday.
Some 17 out of 21 food awards went to restaurants and hotels outside Dublin, with Neven Maguire (32) taking the Restaurant of the Year award for his MacNean House and Bistro in Blacklion, Co Cavan.
The Chef of the Year award went to Stefan Matz (40), who is head chef at Ashford Castle in Cong, Co Mayo. The Mount Juliet Conrad in Co Kilkenny won the Hotel of the Year award while the Roundwood Inn in Co Wicklow received the Pub of the Year award.
Meanwhile, the Ballymore Inn in Ballymore Eustace, Co Kildare, won Bord Bia's Féile Bia award which recognises quality food from traceable sources. Kevin Dundon of Dunbrody House in Wexford won the Féile Bia Dish of the Year award for his roast rack of lamb with Irish stew consommé.
Neven Maguire said he was "chuffed to bits" with his Restaurant of the Year award. "I'm so proud but it's for everyone. It's for my parents too. They started the restaurant. And I'm only as good as my staff. I have nearly 30 staff now which is fantastic employment for Blacklion, a small little village. I have seven chefs and myself."
This is proving to be a busy year for the celebrity chef whose next big project will be to marry his front of house manager, Imelda Maguire, in six weeks' time. "We have the same surname so I'm told we'll have the cure of the whooping cough and the shingles," he laughed.
He is also busy working on a plan to get children away from the "nuggets and chips menu" often offered in restaurants.
"I'm working on a menu that is very child-friendly but really good-quality ingredients, no chips," he said. "We need to educate them young and get them into good food."
The chef of the year, Stefan Matz, also highlighted the need for simple but top-quality produce.
"I don't think I make it too complicated. I really like to let the flavours stand by themselves and I've been doing that for years," he said.
"It's a challenge always to bring the best out of the best produce. Some chefs can try too hard and fail."
The Awards for Excellence winners and runners-up are listed in the 2007 edition of The Guide by Georgina Campbell.
The independent guidebook recommends more than 1,200 restaurants, hotels and pubs, as judged by a team of food and hospitality reviewers.
WINNERS: main awards
Hotel of the Year: Mount Juliet Conrad, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny
Restaurant of the Year: MacNean House and Bistro, Blacklion, Co Cavan
Chef of the Year: Stefan Matz, Ashford Castle, Cong, Co Mayo
Pub of the Year: The Roundwood Inn, Roundwood, Co Wicklow
Seafood Restaurant of Year: Fishy Fishy Cafe, Kinsale, Co Cork
Seafood Bar of the Year: Aherne's Seafood Bar and Restaurant,
Youghal, Co Cork
Féile Bia Award: Ballymore Inn, Ballymore Eustace, Co Kildare
Féile Bia Dish of the Year: Dunbrody Country House Hotel, Co Wexford
Ethnic Restaurant of the Year: Rasam, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin
Business Hotel of the Year: Brooks Hotel, Dublin 2
Wine Award of the Year: Ely CHQ, IFSC, George's Quay, Dublin 1
Hosts of the Year: Séamus and Aoife Brock, Teach de Broc, Ballybunion, Co Kerry
Newcomer of the Year: Sha-Roe Bistro, Clonegal, Co Carlow
Family Friendly Hotel of Year: Dingle Skellig Hotel, Dingle, Co Kerry
Hideaway of the Year: Gregans Castle Hotel, Ballyvaughan, Co Clare
Atmospheric Restaurant of Year: La Péniche, Grand Canal, Dublin 4
Country House of the Year: Rathmullan House, Rathmullan, Co Donegal
Farmhouse of the Year: Glasha, Ballymacarbry, Co Waterford
B&B of the Year: Killyon House, Navan, Co Meath
Natural Food Award: Farmgate, Midleton, Co Cork
Irish Breakfast Award: Farmgate Cafe, Cork city
