50 Mile Meal Award at the Gourmet Food Festival was run 2007-2014.

Find out about our 50 Mile Meal Award here.

 Prize Winners 2007-2013

The Transition Town Kinsale ‘50 Mile Meal’ Award is given to dishes made from produce which has been sourced within 50 miles of Kinsale.

Transition Town Kinsale 50 Mile Meal Award  at the Mad Hatter’s Taste of Kinsale Saturday 12th October 2013

 There was a wonderful array of ’50 mile Meals’ at the Mad Hatter’s Taste of Kinsale on Saturday 12th October:  A big ‘Thank you’ to Joe McNamee who had the difficult but enjoyable job of adjudicating them.

Paul O’Callaghan of Jim Edwards prepared the ‘Most Exquisite’ 50 Mile Meal:

‘TONGUE IN CHEEK’

Beef cheeks and tongue- Lordans, Ballinspittle, 12 miles

Duck Fat – Skeaghanore Farm, Baalydehob, 35 miles

Herbs and wild garlic – Jack Coffey (works in Jim Edwards), 8 miles

Vegetables- Ballyfeard farm, 8 miles

Onions – John o’Mahony (up the road!)

Beamish – Cork, 20 miles

Lee Kennedy of Blu @ The Blue Haven received the Transition Town Kinsale Special Commendation for his 50 Mile dish:

STARGAZY PIE

Shell fish – Haven Shellfish, 21.5 km

Veg – Kinsale Green Growers, 3 miles

Cheese – Dan Hegarty, Whitechurch 37.5km

Stonewell Cider, 15km

Kanturk Dairy, 46km

Joe made special mention to ‘The Forgotten Fish’ prepared by Martin Shanahan of Fishy Fishy and the Ballycotton Oysters prepared by Daniel Horgan of Man Fridays.

TTK also commended:

• The Summercove Wild wood pigeon Terrine prepared by Olivier Queva. Pigeon supplied by ‘Kinsale Gun Club’.
• Shannon Keane’s ‘pulled free range pork, sourced from pigs fed by Diva scraps all summer.
• Toddies for their Toonsbridge Buffalo Carpaccio; produced from the first cull of the Toonsbridge water buffalo herd.

And it was great to see local producers (within 5 miles) appearing again and again: Horizon Farms, Kinsale Green Growers, Haven Shellfish and Lordan’s of Ballinspittle!

50 Mile Meal Award: 13th October 2012 at the Mad Hatters Taste of Kinsale

A big ‘Thank you’ to Gav Martell who had the difficult but enjoyable job of adjudicating them.

Pearse O’Sullivan of Toddies @ the Bulman prepared the ‘Most Exquisite’ 50 Mile Meal:

Locally caught fish, battered with Bulman Red Ale and served with seaweed tartere and  Toonsbridge Buffalo mozzarella, Mr. Whitaker’s runner beans and raspberry vinaigrette

Toonsbrige Mozarella – Macroom

Mr Whiataker – Kinsale

Bulman Red Ale – Franciscan Well, Cork

Olivier Queva of Max’s Wine Bar received the Transition Town Kinsale Special Commendation for his 50 Mile dishes:

Sauté Irish squid with Gubeen, chorizo, thyme and lemon verbena

Gubeen & chorizo – Schull West Cork

Squid – Matt O’Connell Seafood

Herbs – Max’s herb garden

Gav made special mention to the delicious venison stew and mushroom stroganoff served by the Blue Haven chefs

Also commended:

Jim Edward’s steak & oyster pie in Beamish Stout.

And Daniel Horgan of Man Friday’s for his scallops served with gazpacho and apple julienne: lucky for the punters he took an expert along when collecting his watercress at The Glen, Kinsale as it can be mistaken for a very toxic plant!

50 Mile Meal Award: 8th October 2011 at the Mad Hatters Taste of Kinsale

Judged by Gianna Ferguson

The most exquisite 50 Mile Meal : Toddies @ the Bulman  – Pearse O’Sullivan

Oysterhaven oysters smoked in Irish Oak, green bean salad topped with Stonewell cider jelly.

Oysters – Jamie O’ Dwyer, Haven Shellfish, Oysterhaven

Green beans – Colm O’Regan, Horizon Farm, Ballyregan, Kinsale

Stonewell Irish Craft Cider – Nohovel.

Transition Town special Commendation: Olivier Queva of Max’s Wine Bar for his array of 50 Mile Dish:  Ling, crab and lobster Sausage

Lobster & crab – John O’Brien

Ling – Matt O’Connell

Eggs- Ballyregan Farm

Cream – CMP Dairy

50 Mile Meal Award: 9th October 2010 at the Mad Hatters Taste of Kinsale

Judged by Hugo Arnold

The most exquisite 50 Mile Meal : Toddies @ the Bulman  – Pearse O’Sullivan

Butternut squash & Oysterhaven mussels and pork with jerk seasoning & tomatillo salsa.

Transition Town special Commendation: Fishy Fishy Restaurant – David O’Sullivan

For their feast from the sea which was ‘local, wild and free’: periwinkles, samphire and beetroot from the garden!

50 Mile Meal Award: 10th October 2009 at the Mad Hatters Taste of Kinsale

Judged by Dianne Curtin

The most exquisite 50 Mile Meal : Fishy Fishy – Martin Shanahan

Pickled herring (Christy Hurley) with potato salad (Fred Palmer, Ballygarvan)

Transition Town special Commendation: Max’s – Olivier and Anne Marie Queva

For their selection of local dishes

Special Mention: Restaurant d’Antibes at the White House – chef Martin El-Sahen – for their pumpkin soup – pumpkin from Michael Frawley’s garden.

50 Mile Meal Award :11^th October 2008 at the Mad Hatters Taste of Kinsale

Judged by Sandra Nowlan, MSc – Food and Travel Writer visiting from Nova Scotia

The most exquisite 50 mile Meal: Toddies Restaurant – Pearse O’Sullivan

Ummera smoked eel beetroot and watercress salad

Other dishes included: Pumpkin and mussel soup; Local shrimp cocktail and Mackerel and potato salad

Transition Town special Commendation: Spinnaker – Peter Tiernan

For selection of dishes – Tongue –  O’Crualaoi Butchers, Ballincollig; Oxtail spring roll –  O’Crualaoi Butchers, Ballincollig: Tripe & drisheen – English market; Salmon – O’Connell

Special Mention to

Fishy Fishy café – chef Jonathon Carter – for Back to the Future on a Herring

Restaurant d’Antibes at the White House – chef Martin El-Sahen – for seafood chowder – produce – Matt O’Connell seafood, Gubeen Cheese and vegetable and herbs form Michael Frawley’s garden.

50 Mile Meal Award: October 2007 at the Mad Hatters Taste of Kinsale

Voted by the guests at The Mad Hatters Tea Party

The most exquisite 50 mile Meal:  JimEdwardsRestaurant

The produce used in this dish was provided by

Waterfall Farms (Declan Martin)

Haven ShellFish (Jamie Dwyer)

Runner up:  White Lady Restaurant

With meat provided by O’Crualaoi Butchers, Ballincollig

Transition Town special merit award: The delicious Pumpkin Pie prepared by Martin El-Sahen of The White House – pumpkin grown in Kinsale.