Awards – Oscars of the Food World

National Organic Awards 2024

Burren Smokehouse Bord Bia National Organic Award

Our Classic Burren Smoked Irish Organic Salmon won the Best Irish Organic Product Award at the National Organic Awards 2024, organised by Bord Bía.

The Burren Smokehouse is no stranger at the National Organic Awards, having won six awards since the launch of this awards scheme.

 


Great Taste Awards 2024

Great Taste Awards smoked Eel Burren Smokehouse

Amazing success at the Great Taste Awards 2024! 

Our Smoked Eel from Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland, smoked in a complicated process with varying temperatures, won a 3-Star Gold Medal. and was nominated for the Gold Fork which means it was among the TOP 50 Foods.

This is what the judging panels had to say about it:

“This is a handsome eel with its tough, black, shiny skin. The oak smoking adds a mouth-watering aroma. It is glistening with natural oil, once filleted. The flavour is so well-judged. The level of smoking is strong but perfect, with the right level of salting to counteract the oiliness. It also allows the natural, sweet flavour of the eel to come through and manages to linger in the mouth when the smoke has dissipated. The back is tender and juicy, the belly has a more intense smokiness and chew, but each are equally delicious. It is a beautiful balance of cure, salt and natural flavour of the eel. This is a real treat for us and is a joy to behold.”

“What a proud eel on the board. The aroma popped open and the flavour built with the smoke against the oily, meaty flesh. Rich and meaty and smoky and a very good eat.”

“This is an arresting sight! It cuts well, smells enticingly of smoke and is great in the mouth, so moist and fatty (in a good way) – the skin has really kept the juices intact. There is a bold level of smoke but, because it’s natural, rounded, high quality smoke, we didn’t mind a bit (and eel, of course, is a strong flavour so it can take it). It is wonderfully fresh with the right sort of fishiness. Utterly delicious, though, unquestionably.”

“This is certainly a sizable, plump eel – we wondered for a while if it was a conger rather than a lake or river-fished eel. We loved the plump juiciness alongside the wonderfully judged firmness of the flesh. While the belly section was inevitably a touch salty, the back fillets proved positively sweet and juicy, with just the perfect touch of salinity. A dusky taste yielded to sweetly fishy notes, a nicely clean feel and finish. Lusciousness is the sense that remains and inspires us to cut another section.”

 


GTA EEL Great Taste Awards smoked Eel Burren Smokehouse

Great Taste Awards 2024

Great Taste Awards smoked Irish organic Salmon Burren Smokehouse

We are delighted to receive a 1-Star Gold Medal at the 2024 Great Taste Awards for our Classic Burren Cold Smoked Irish Organic Salmon.

This is what the judges had to say about it:

“The aroma is gentle and welcoming. The light smoking allows the fish to feature well. These are attractive salmon slices with a glossy appearance and bright colour, firm texture and a good mouthfeel with a clean salmon flavour and subtle smoke allowing the salmon to come through. It has a good level of salt and is very appetising.”

 

 

 

 


GTA OSSS Great Taste Awards smoked Irish organic Salmon Burren Smokehouse

Blas na hÉireann 2024

Burren Smokehouse awards Blas na hEireann 2024

Our Classic Burren Cold Smoked Irish Organic Salmon did it again! It won a Bronze Medal in the most prestigious of Irish food & drinks awards, the Blas na hÉireann 2024.

 


McKenna's Guide

McKennas Guide award Burren Smokehouse

We have a long history of winning the approval of McKenna’s Guide which was formerly known as the Bridgestone Guide. When you come to the Burren Smokehouse, you can see all the plaques on the wall around the front door going back years and year.

 


Blas na hÉireann 2023

Blas na hEireann awards 2023 for Burren Smokehouse Hot smoked salmon honey lemon dill

Our Burren Hot Smoked Irish Organic Salmon with Honey, Lemon & Dill did it again! It won a Bronze Medal in the most prestigious of Irish food & drinks awards, the Blas na hÉireann.

 


America Awards 2023

America Food Awards 2023 for Burren Smokehouse smoked salmon

Our Burren Hot Smoked Irish Organic Salmon with Honey, Lemon & Dill won a Gold Medal in the America Food Awards! It is not surprising as this marinade which is unique to the Burren Smokehouse is a favourite of anybody who ever tried it.

 


International Organic Awards 2023

International Organic Awards 2023 for Burren Smokehouse

Another Gold Medal for our Burren Smoked Irish Organic Salmon with Seaweed in the International Organic Awards! It highlights the high quality of the two ingredients. Both come from the west coast of Ireland – our organically farmed salmon and the harvested seaweed flakes from Co. Clare. The seaweed adds another layer of marine goodness to the salmon which already has very high Omega-3 oil contents.

 


Villa Maria "Women of Vision" Awards 2023

Award Villa Maria for Burren Smokehouse

Birgitta won another personal award after being nominated in three different categories in the Villa Maria Women of Vision Awards 2023: Women in the Culinary World,  Family Business Woman Of The Year & Entrepreneur Founders. She won the award in the “Women in the Culinary World” category.

 


Horizon Interactive Awards 2022

Horizon Interactive Awards 2022 for Burren Smokehouse

Our website won another Gold medal in the Restaurant & Food Industry category of the Horizons Interactive Awards.

The Horizon Interactive Awards is one of the most prestigious awards in the field of interactive, web design and creative media. The competition recognizes, promotes and awards the best web sites and web site design, interactive, videos, online advertising, print media and mobile applications. Each year, the Horizon Interactive Awards receives thousands of entries from all over the world and a volunteer panel of industry professionals review the entries.

 


National Digital Awards 2022

National Digital Awards for Burren Smokehouse

Our website (launched in June 2022) was the runner-up in the Food & Drink website category at the National Digital Awards 2022.

 


"Irish Made" Awards 2022

Irish Made Awards by Irish Country Magazine for Burren Smokehouse

We were voted Best Irish Business in the Food category of the “Irish Made” awards in late summer 2022.

“Irish Made” awards is the brainchild of “The Irish Country Magazine”. They made available a long list of Irish businesses online, and then put a call out to the public to vote for what they think is the most deserving business in each category. The public had another opportunity to vote on the whittled down list of finalists, and the winners were announced during a gala in October.

 


Blas na hEireann Awards 2022

Blas na hEireann awards 2022

The Smoked Irish Organic Salmon we smoke for the Simply Better at Dunnes Stores range – Cold Smoked Salmon with Honey & Dill – won a Silver Medal at the Blas Na HEireann awards in Dingle in September 2022.

The Blas na hEireann awards are the most important awards in Ireland when it comes to food.


Great Taste Awards 2022 - 1-star Gold Medal

Great Taste Awards 2022 Burren Smokehouse

Royal Fillet of Burren Smoked Irish Organic Salmon

We entered the Royal Fillet of our classic cold smoked salmon for the first time, and it got a 1-star Gold Medal right away.

This is what the judges wrote about it:

“There has a bold look on the plate with a sheen. The flavour is most attractive with a well judged cure and gentle smoke.”
“This has a good colour, and is well presented. The texture is rather fine.”
“Tight little perfect fillet with the appropriate pinkness and good structure to the body, which allowed the knife to slip through easily. There are clear oils on the flesh and the aroma is very fresh and inviting. This is a triumph of simplicity, the skill of curing and the ability to not mess with a basic product.”


American Food Awards 2022 - Gold Medals

American Food Awards Burren Smokehouse

Entered for the first time – and we won two gold medals at the America Food Awards!

Our

Burren Smoked Irish Organic Cold Smoked classic Salmon, and the

Burren Smoked Irish Organic Hot Smoked Salmon with honey, lemon & dill

were the only Gold Medal winners in the Fish category.


Great Taste Awards 2021 - 1-star Gold Medal

Great Taste Awards Gold Burren Smokehouse

Burren Organic Cold Smoked Irish Salmon with Waterford Whiskey and Lemon Zest

We’ve teamed up with Waterford Distillery and some lemons to create a unique marinade: Burren Irish Organic Cold Smoked Salmon with Waterford Organic Whiskey & Lemon peel. Now the results are in: This special creation was awarded a 1-star gold medal.

These are the judges’ comments:

“A well-smoked piece of salmon with a generous coating of lemon peel. The smoke and salt levels were just right, while the combination of lemon and whiskey really brought out the flavor. They were complex and balanced and extremely flavorful. A well-cured salmon. ”

“What a wonderful aroma of clean smoke and citrus followed by sweet, fresh salmon. The smoke level is just right.”

“A sweet, lemony nose and large, thick slices of salmon with plenty of fresh lemon zest on top. A pleasant aroma from the whiskey and a good fresh lemon kick got us excited about this fresh tasting salmon. A nice texture with a nice bite and well prepared and cut pieces of fish.”


International Organic Awards 2021

International Organic Awards Gold 2021 Burren Smokehouse

Burren Irish Organic Cold Smoked Salmon

In February 2021 Organic-newspaper.com held an international food competition to which we were invited. Our Burren Classic Irish Organic Cold-smoked Salmon won the gold medal in its category.


Best Online Premium Smoked Fish Retailer 2021

Irish Enterprise Awards Burren Smokehouse

The Burren Smokehouse has been awarded “Best Online Premium Smoked Fish Retailer 2021”  in the Irish Enterprise Awards 2021, hosted by EU Business News.

The basis for the award was determined as follows: “The research was centred around an in-depth evaluation of skills and services on offer, and the wider market reputation of each nominee was also taken into consideration. Case studies were built following research into public domain sources which were used to determine the performance, achievements and contributions of each nominee, and were then presented to our panel for assessment.”


Bord Bía Organic Awards 2020

Bord Bia awards 2020 Burren Smokehouse

We were thrilled to learn that we won two awards in the Bord Bía Organic Awards 2020! One is the E-Commerce Award for the use of digital marketing to drive sales of our organic salmon range.

The other one is the Business in the Community Award for our new visitor centre, “Taste the Atlantic – The Salmon Experience”, an interactive and educational visitor attraction that tells the story of Irish Salmon.

The awards are the tangible outcome of a combined team effort here at the Burren Smokehouse!


Great Taste Awards 2020 - 2-star Gold Medal

Great Taste Awards Whiskey with dill awards Burren Smokehouse

Burren Cold Smoked Irish Organic Salmon Infused  with Whiskey and Dill

We are thrilled to win two more 2-star Gold Medals at the Great Taste Awards 2020!

One of the two marinades is the Burren Cold Smoked Irish Organic Salmon Infused  with Whiskey and Dill. Here the tasting notes by the tasters for this new marinade:

“Good texture and mouthfeel with bite in a quite darkish pink fish. The taste of the salmon is sea-water fresh, no oil or greasiness on the tongue and in no way has the smoking or the added ingredient detracted from the honesty of its flavour. Yes, there is a hint of sweetness – presumably from the whiskey – and the dill is subtle in its presence which is a good thing. The finish is rounded, comfortable and incredibly long.”


Great Taste Awards 2020 - 2-star Gold Medal

Great Taste Awards trio of seaweedl awards Burren Smokehouse

Burren Hot Smoked Irish Organic with a Trio of Seaweed

Another new combination which won a 2-star Gold Medal is the Burren Hot Smoked Salmon with a trio of Seaweed.

From the judges’ tasting notes:
“A handsome piece of salmon generously strewn with seaweed. A firm meaty texture that is still juicy. The addition of the seaweed really enhances and boosts the flavour of the sea. Both the smoke and salt have been balanced just right and we can still taste the actual salmon. This product has been treated with enormous care and we applaud the attention that has gone into this – all flavours, salmon, smoke, salt and seaweed work a treat together.”


Great Taste Awards 2019 - 1-gold-star medal

Great Taste Awards Hot smoked salmon Burren Smokehouse

Burren Hot Smoked Irish Organic salmon, plain

Our Burren Hot Smoked Irish Organic Salmon (plain) tasted so good that the tasters – all experts in their culinary fields – thought it worthy of a 1-gold-star medal at the Great Taste Awards 2019 which is the equivalent of the Oscars for food.


Green Awards - The Green Seafood Business Awards 2018

Green Awards 2018 Burren Smokehouse

In its tenth year, the Green Awards 2018 gala ceremony celebrated the achievements of environmentally minded businesses and organisations in Ireland.

The Burren Smokehouse was first shortlisted and then announced the winner of the Green Seafood Business Award category!

The team of the Burren Smokehouse is very proud to see all the hard work being recognised, and it is a great incentive to do even more on that front.


Great Taste Awards 2017 - 2-star Gold Medal

Great Taste Awards Burren Smokehouse

Burren Organic Hot Smoked Irish Salmon with Honey, Lemon & Pepper

Our Burren Organic Hot-Smoked Irish Salmon with Honey, Lemon & Pepper, with its unique marinade used only by the Burren Smokehouse, was awarded a 2 Star Gold Medal!

These are the various notes from the blind tasting, which can take a long time and takes many hours and people:

“A nice looking fish with lots of black pepper. The fish is deliciously juicy and meaty. The balance of smoke and flavor is spot on in this product allowing the fish flavor to shine through.”

“A nice looking piece of salmon. There are some good flavors here, a light smoke not overpowering. The pepper comes through and the seasoning is okay. A good smoked fish lingers on the finish.”

“A nice side of salmon, browned on the outside and with good sized fish flakes on the inside and a wonderfully delicate aroma. The delicacy runs through to the fish and then comes a long lasting flavor. We particularly liked the juiciness and freshness as well as the restrained smoke content.”


Seafood Sustainability Award of the Marine Industry Awards

Marine Industry Seafood Sustainability Award Burren Smokehouse

The Burren Smokehouse was one of the winners of the Marine Industry Awards held in July 2017.

Birgitta Hedin-Curtin, owner of the Burren Smokehouse, accepted the Seafood Sustainability Award on behalf of the whole team.

She said, “We are thrilled and honored to win this award in recognition of our sustainability efforts.”


Great Taste Awards 2016 - 2-star Gold Medal

Great Taste Awards Burren Smokehouse

Burren Hot Smoked Irish Organic Salmon with Highbank Orchard Apple Syrup & Dill

Our innovative Burren Hot Smoked Irish Organic Salmon with Highbank Orchard Apple Syrup & Dill almost got a 3-star gold medal to judge by the tasting notes:

“Well done for not overdoing the smoking, a pleasant moist texture, beautifully fresh dill, a very stunning presentation. There is a sweet note to start with, the dill is good, the salmon is moist and much sweeter and juicier at the belly of the fish. A rich moist fish, dense flesh with wonderful aroma of fresh dill and sweetness from the syrup. The flavour is lovely. The moist flesh is complemented by the ingredients, with the salt delivering what it should without overpowering. The freshness of the dill is really good. We were almost there for 3 stars, but not quite….”


Great Taste Awards 2016 - 1-star Gold Medal

Great Taste Awards 2016 Burren Smokehouse

Burren Peat and Oak Hot Smoked Irish Organic Salmon

Our Burren Hot Smoked Irish Organic Salmon deservedly got a Gold Medal at the Food Oscars. It is our flagship in the hot smoked salmon category as it appeals to both those who love salmon and those who are not fans of cold smoked salmon. Pure “barbecued” salmon, flaky and juicy at the same time – a delight!


Great Taste Awards 2014 - 2-star Gold Medal

Great Taste Awards Burren Smokehouse

Burren Cold Smoked Irish Organic Salmon

Our bestseller, the Classic Burren Smoked Irish Organic Salmon (cold smoked), won a 2-star Gold Medal at the most prestigious awards scheme in Europe.


Great Taste Awards 2014 - 2-star Gold Medal

Great Taste Awards Burren Smokehouse

Hot smoked Irish organic salmon with honey, lemon & dill

Our Hot-smoked Irish organic salmon with honey, lemon & Dill won a 2-Star Gold Medal at the 2014 Great Taste Awards.


Great Taste Awards 2013 - 3-star Gold Medal

Great Taste Awards for Burren Smokehouse

Burren Cold Smoked Irish Organic Salmon with Seaweed

Out of almost 10,000 products entered into Great Taste Awards 2013 just 125 have been awarded 3-star Gold Medals. And three of them come from the Burren Smokehouse!

The first one is our Burren Cold Smoked Irish Organic Salmon with Seaweed.

This is an excerpt from the tasting notes:
“Seaweed is a lovely addition, showing originality and genius. Well balanced smoke and the seaweed is not too salty. Very bold and we congratulate them!”


Great Taste Awards 2013 - 3-star Gold Medal

Great Taste Awards for Burren Smokehouse

Burren Hot Smoked Irish Organic Salmon with Honey, Lemon & Dill

The second 3-star Gold Medal winner is the unique blend of sweetness of the honey and a hint of acidity from the lemon – our Burren Hot Smoked Irish Organic Salmon with Honey, Lemon & Dill.

The tasting notes of the judges read like this:

“Appearance is excellent, juicy but not wet. Clean tasting, sweet on the nose, wonderfully balanced, a fabulous texture. All the judges wanted more! We can taste citrus, dill, oakiness and all are in perfect balance. Absolutely fabulous.”


Great Taste Awards 2013 - 3-star Gold Medal

Great Taste Awards Burren Smokehouse

Honey-infused Burren Cold Smoked Irish Organic Salmon

Honey and smoked salmon are not ingredients one would think spontaneously of combining but they really do work well together.
The judges’ tasting notes reveal that they agree with this statement:
“Well presented and attractive product. Smells delicious. We can identify that the salmon is of good quality. Nice colour, not oily. The flavours are levely, with an even balance of oak smoke, sea salt and acacia honey. The texture is firm and matches the description. Maybe a touch more sweetness from the honey would be good, but a faultless product.”


Great Taste Awards 2013 - Golden Fork - TOP 50 FOODS

Great Taste Awards Burren Smokehouse

Burren Organic Irish Cold Smoked Salmon with Seaweed

Of the nearly 10,000 products submitted to the 2013 Great Taste Awards, only 125 achieved 3-star status.

And of these 125, only 50 were deemed worthy of being among the TOP 50 FOODS and receiving the Golden Fork. Our Burren Organic Irish Cold-smoked Salmon with Seaweed was among them!

Bruce Langlands, then director of groceries at Harrods in London, gave an enthusiastic video review of our new salmon creation. He said, “This is the most amazing smoked salmon I’ve ever tasted. It comes from the Burren Smokehouse and is made by one of the biggest fish lovers I know in Ireland, Birgitta, and her team.” He goes on to say that the salmon is beautifully smoked and has subtle smoky flavors. And he also mentions that we served our salmon to Queen Elizabeth II of England.


Great Taste Awards 2013 Golden Fork Burren Smokehouse

Great Taste Awards 2013 - 2-star Gold Medal

Great Taste Awards 2013 Burren Smokehouse

Burren Hot Smoked Irish Organic Salmon, plain

This Burren Hot Smoked Irish Organic Salmon is what we call a flavour for the purists. Loved especially by those who don’t like cold smoked salmon, it reveals the clean taste of the salmon and well-balanced oak smoke.

This is what the judges wrote about it:

“A glorious appearance – we all wanted to dive in. A fantastic smoky aroma and great balance of flavours and seasoning. Flakes beautifully. The right balance of smoke, salt and moisture.”


Great Taste Awards 2010 - 2-star Gold Medal

Great Taste Awards für Burren Smokehouse

Burren Cold Smoked Irish Organic Salmon with Honey, Whiskey & Fennel

This is probably the most Irish of our unique marinades combining organically sourced and grown Irish honey, whiskey and fennel in a wonderful taste fest on top of our cold smoked Irish organic salmon. We are delighted that our new Burren Cold Smoked Irish Organic Salmon with Honey, Whiskey & Fennel got the approval from this prestigious awards scheme.


Great Taste Awards 2010 - 2-star Gold Medal

Great Taste Awards für Burren Smokehouse

Burren Hot Smoked Irish Organic Salmon – Honey, Lemon & Dill

We are very happy about the reward for our tireless efforts to maintain and, if possible, improve the high quality standard of our products. The Irish Burren Organic Hot-Smoked Salmon with Honey, Lemon & Dill is an absolute must for anyone who enjoys hot smoked salmon.

This is what the judges wrote about it:
“A glorious performance – we wanted to finish it all. A fantastic smoky aroma and a great balance of flavor and spice. Wonderful salmon flakes. Just the right balance of smoke, salt and succulence.”


Gold Medal from EcoTourism Ireland

Burren Smokehouse Ecotourism gold medal

The Burren Smokehouse was certified with the Gold Award by EcoTourism Ireland in 2011. We are a founder member of the Burren EcoTourism Network and offer an adequate and sustainable experience for visitors of this unique area. Learn more here.