Taste AND Food Heroes Awards

Taste AND Food Heroes Awards 2025

Local food and drinks producers have been recognised at the fourth annual TASTE AND Food Heroes Awards, hosted by Ards and North Down Borough Council at Bangor Castle. The event, recognising the local industry’s achievements during 2024, saw a wide range of producers from across the Borough celebrate their successes alongside guests, including representation from the renowned Blas na hÉireann awards.

2024 was an extremely successful year for the Borough’s food and drink sector with a range of regional, national and international awards received by local producers, restaurants and independent food retailers. Ards and North Down currently ranks third among Northern Ireland’s local authorities for the number of awards won by our talented producers and second for awards won by hospitality and restaurant businesses.

This 2024 edition of the Taste AND Food Heroes Awards celebrated 15 producer winners, two retailers and 13 restaurant winners, who secured a total of 105 awards across a range of national and international standards from the most globally reputable competitions. In addition, our first award winner celebrated an MBE for services to the food and drink industry.

The two main awards on the night were presented to Bryan Boggs from Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt who won the Local Food Champion award and Robbie Neill from Stonebridge Farm who secured the prestigious Lady Dufferin Producer of the Year award, judged by the Clandeboye Estate.

Taste AND Food Heroes Awards 2024

Ards and North Down has a strengthening culinary culture with leading agri-food companies exporting worldwide, award-winning eateries, leading food and drink producers supplying  tier 1 fast moving consumable goods (FMCG) retailers and exporting world-wide, as well as new innovative companies starting up every month.  

The creativity and innovation of local producers is celebrated and internationally recognised with a plethora of prestigious accolades including numerous Great Taste Awards, Blas na hÉireann and the World and International Wine and Spirit competition wins. 

On Wednesday 6 March 2024, local food and drinks producers, restaurants and independent food retailers were recognised at the third annual TASTE AND Local Food and Drink Hero Awards, hosted by the Council at Bangor Castle.  

2023 proved to be a hugely successful year with 21 local food and drink producers claiming industry awards across a range of national and international standards. In addition, 8 restaurants claimed 14 national and international accolades. The TASTE AND Local Food and Drink Hero Awards recognised their extraordinary achievements at a prestigious ceremony that included the third presentation of the Lady Dufferin Producer of the Year Award to drink maker, Papa's Mineral Company and the inaugural presentation of the Local Food and Drink Champion Award, which was won by Lightfoot Kitchen in Bangor. 

Taste AND Food Heroes Awards 2022 and 2023

Let's flash back to the Local Food and Drinks Producers Recognised at TASTE AND Food Heroes Awards held in 2022 you can Watch the video here. In 2023 the awards were held in Clandeboye Estate Read more about the awards here.