A Weekend of Mayo Food Festivals
Mayo Food is slowly gaining the recognition it deserves and it is great to see people getting behind the county's local cafes. restaurants and food producers.
Last weekend was a great weekend for Mayo food. Due to the recent Mayo vs. Kerry All-Ireland Semi-Final replay, the rescheduled Ballina Food Fleadh took place on Saturday the 9th of September in the old military barracks of Ballina town centre. The covered outdoor market was bustling all day. The Chefs from local restaurants such as Luskin's Bistro and Belleek Castle did some brilliant cooking and cocktail demos using some great local ingredients. The Yeast Meets West Craft brew Fest also kicked off with local breweries and distilleries including Reel Deel Brewery, our neighbours Achill Brewery and Connacht Whiskey all set up offering local brews and cocktails.
Meanwhile the inaugural Mayo Street Food Festival took place in Castlebar on Sunday and drew the crowds from all over the county. The town’s main street was closed off, an unusual sight for Castlebar. Local Restaurants, Cafes and Food Producers were all lined up to show what Mayo had to offer including Cuinneog Butter, Velvet Cloud Sheep's Yoghurt, Rua Café and Beca’s Bakery. The pouring rain and wild winds didn’t deter the crowds and it was great to see the town getting behind the event. Former Taoiseach Mr Enda Kenny stopped by our stall to let us know he loved Achill Island Sea Salt and recommends putting it on your boiled egg in the morning!
This is a festival that can only get bigger and it’ll be one you will have to add to your foodie calendar for next year!
