*The Burren.
THE Burren Slow Food Festival promises to nourish body and soul through food and wellness when it returns in May.
The event, organised by Slow Food Clare, is Ireland’s longest running food festival and will take place on May 19th at the Pavilion in Lisdoonvarna. It is part of a month-long festival of wellness, hosted by the Burren Ecotourism Network.
Visitors can expect a diverse array of culinary delights, with local producers on hand to share the stories behind their products and the health benefits they offer.
From artisanal cheeses, local honey and distilled products to freshly caught seafood, the festival showcases the best of what the Burren region has to offer – including an artisan farmers’ market, cookery demonstrations and wellness talks.
The much-loved Slow Food Banquet will take place in the Burren Storehouse on the night before the festival – a double celebration as it also marks the Burren Smokehouse’s 35th year in business. Head chef Peter Jackson and his team from the Roadside Tavern will create a three-course dinner with locally produced ingredients.
According to festival organiser Birgitta Hedin Curtin, “An important part of Wellness is the food that we eat. The Burren area offers a range of small batch production high nutrition food produced in pristine limestone soil and Atlantic coastal water. Many of these foods will be sold at the Burren Slow Food Festival directly by the producer. They can tell the story and health benefits of their foods”.
This is nowhere more evident than in the GEOfood brand, which was launched at the festival in 2022 and now has 12 food producers on-board.
Carol Gleeson, Manager of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark said: “GEOfood is an initiative within UNESCO Global Geoparks to promote the health, environmental and economic benefits of locally grown and produced food. Supporting local producers not only helps the local economy, but it is also good for our gut, reduces the food miles of food, guarantees freshness, encourages seasonal eating, and strengthens food security.
“Promoting this brand and concept will encourage more producers to develop and grow and local shops, markets and restaurants to stock and showcase their produce”.
For more information and ticket bookings, please visit https://www.slowfoodclare.com/.
