The food market at Bloom in the Phoenix Park last weekend was one of the best I’ve visited in a long time. The gardens, helped by the blazing sun, were really beautiful, and there were also stands on growing your own food, beekeeping, and wildlife.
Over 40 Irish producers were selling jams, cheeses, meats, fish, cakes, yogurts, sweets, oils, and more. I spent three hours wandering from stand to stand, taking little samples. By the time I reached the last stand, I’d been nicely fed.
This Bord Bia event was a really good example of what Irish food producers can achieve. These are small businesses, trying to create something delicious while generating employment. With Tesco’s decision to reduce shelf space for Irish products, they’re really feeling the pinch.
Several stall holders, however, singled out SuperValu as a supermarket that supports them. Because of the franchised nature of SuperValu, small or local producers can approach their local SuperValu directly and ask them to stock their product. There’s way less of the rigmarole that comes with trying to get your product into other supermarkets such as Dunnes or Tesco.
The best reason for supporting Irish producers, however, is not because they’re Irish. It’s because many of them are producing delicious food at good value prices.
- Coming soon on CheapEats, we’ll be launching a new weekly feature giving an honest review of one Irish food producer. If you’d like your product to be featured here, please drop me a line: peter@cheapeats.ie