Laois food producers celebrate twelve awards at Blas na hÉireann 2026 

Six Laois producers take home twelve awards, with Temptation Chocolates Boutique named Best in County 

Laois food producers have enjoyed outstanding success at the 2026 Blas na hÉireann Irish Food Awards in Dingle, taking home twelve awards across six local businesses, with Temptation Chocolates Boutique named Best in County. 

The awards were announced in Dingle on Friday, 2nd October, as part of the 19th annual Blas na hÉireann, Ireland’s largest blind tasting of food and drink produce. More than 3,000 entries were submitted to this year’s competition across more than 200 food and drink categories. 

The successful Laois producers were: 

• Mueller & O'Connell Bakery, receiving four awards 

• G's Gourmet Jams, receiving two awards 

• Zephyr Yard, receiving one award 

• Aghaboe Farm Foods, receiving one award 

• First Ireland Spirits (Carolans), receiving two awards 

• Temptation Chocolates Boutique, receiving two awards, including being named Best in County 

The success follows a strong showing for Laois in this year's competition, with eight producers from the county originally selected as finalists: Abbey Farm Foods / G's Gourmet Jams Ltd., Aghaboe Farm Foods, Ballyrider House Granola, First Ireland Spirits, Mueller O'Connell Bakery, Temptation Chocolates Boutique, The Village Dairy and Zephyr Yard. 

Speaking following the announcement, Lisa Molloy, Head of Enterprise at Local Enterprise Office Laois, congratulated this year's winners: 

“What an outstanding result for Laois. To see six of our local food businesses bringing twelve awards home from Blas na hÉireann is something we should be hugely proud of. I am especially delighted to congratulate Temptation Chocolates Boutique on being named Best in County.”  

“These awards are recognition of the quality, creativity and hard work that goes into building a successful food business. Our producers are fantastic ambassadors for Laois and, collectively, they are helping us build a really strong story around the quality of food and drink being produced here in the county.”  

“The food sector also has an important role to play in how we promote Laois more widely. Great local produce gives people another reason to visit, to experience the county and to spend locally. We want to continue working with our producers to grow their businesses while also developing Laois's reputation as a destination for great food and authentic local experiences.” 

This year's success comes as Laois continues to build its profile as a food and drink destination. Eight Laois businesses reached the final of the 2026 competition, following an entry process that attracted more than 3,000 products from across the island of Ireland.  

The Blas judging process took place during June and July in partnership with UCC and TU Dublin. Products are blind tasted and scored by a network of judges drawn from areas including food, retail, hospitality and academia, with only the highest scoring entries progressing to the final stage.  

The four-day Blas na hÉireann programme ran in Dingle from Thursday, 1st October to Sunday, 4th October and included the Blas Village, producer showcase and Eat Ireland in a Day market, providing finalists with opportunities to showcase their products and connect with buyers, fellow producers, media and food lovers.  

The strong showing reflects the growing profile of Laois food and drink businesses nationally and provides further momentum for the development and promotion of the county's food sector. 

Further details on Laois at Blas na hÉireann are available here: www.irishfoodawards.com/best-in-laois-award-at-blas-na-heireann/