Sampling the Culinary Delights at Galway Food Festival

With Galway being officially awarded a European Region of Gastronomy 2018, the first region in Ireland to receive this designation, what better way to sample some of the culinary delights of our region than by attending the Galway Food Festival.

The Galway Food Festival boosts food demonstrations, culinary walking tours, foraging walks, kids pizza materclasses and so much more!!    Of course there are also many, many food stalls with a diverse range of products from seaweed to biscuits; chocolate to sauces; kale to honey and cheeses of all shapes and sizes!!  Hard for anyone not to find something to tickle the taste buds at this delightful festival.  

Now in its sixth year, the Galway Food Festival has gone from strength to strength and as JP McMahon, Chairperson of the Festival says;

"The Galway Food Festival has played an increasingly significant role in highlighting the importance of good food provenance and food education throughout Galway and along the Wild Atlantic Way". 

There were exhibitors from Cork, Kerry, Clare, Mayo, Sligo, Donegal and of course Galway represented at the Festival this year. 

I also decided to take a foraging trip near my local Barna Woods on Easter Sunday morning with a wonderful lady called Wild Food Mary and it was the most delightful hour and a half of learning and nibbling all things direct from Mother Nature.    

As a lover of all things natural, making my own remedies is something I do as a hobby so learning about the medicinal values of our local flora and fauna is something that hugely interested me. 

The theme of the Galway Food Festival this year was community and there was no doubt that this theme was celebrated in style.   

A fantastic community spirit emanated all across the City of the Tribes and here is to next year and Galway being showcased for its excellence in all things gastronomy.  

Speaking after the awarding of the European Region of Gastronomy 2018, Kevin Kelly, Chief Executive, Galway County Council said

“this is a fantastic achievement for Galway which will build on our key strengths and contribute to the economic, social and cultural development of our City, County and our region. Galway County Council are excited about working with all stakeholders to deliver on the key focus areas of our programme. This is an excellent example of how co-operation and collaborative working can assist to deliver on the shared objectives of a wide range of partners.”

I don't know about you but I can't wait for 2018 and in the meantime will be continuing my efforts in showcasing all that is excellent about Galway's culinary delights! 

Dolores Andrew-Gavin, Founder IrishHealthHour, Author, Energy Therapist and Mum.