History has been made at the 19th annual Blas na hÉireann awards in Dingle, as Kilkenny City’s Arán Bakery & Bistro became the first-ever producer to be crowned Supreme Champion twice.
The bakery, founded by husband-and-wife duo Bart Pawlukojc and Nicole Server-Pawlukojc, secured the highest honour in Irish food for its signature Arán spelt sourdough, crafted using 80% local flour from Kells Wholemeal.
Arán previously lifted the coveted title in 2022, and this historic repeat victory led an incredibly successful weekend for regional food producers across the South East.
In total, eight Kilkenny producers took home gold, silver, or bronze awards from the Dingle finals.
Alongside Arán’s Supreme Champion and Best in County double-win, local businesses including Callan Bacon, Goatsbridge Fish Processors Ltd, Highbank Orchard, Karro Food Ltd, Lekker Food Collection, McCarthy’s SuperValu Newpark, and Tirlán were all celebrated on the national stage.
Carlow is also celebrating a massive achievement, with five of its seven shortlisted finalists taking home coveted Blas awards.
Murphy’s Craft Butchers was named Best in County Carlow, with other producers including Bolton Family Jam, Carlow Brewing, Seerys Heatherfield Ltd, and Sunshine Juices.
The record-breaking 2026 Blas na hÉireann awards saw over 3,000 products from every county in Ireland compete across more than 200 categories.
