Rock Farm Slane wins Natural Food title in Georgina Campbell Awards
Rock Farm Slane run by Alex and Carina Conyngham was proud winner of the Natural Food title in the Georgina Campbell Irish Food & Hospitality Awards 2023. Rock Farm Slane is a 90 acre organic farm certified under The Organic Trust which also has glamping and eco-accommodation. It is also a sought after wedding and event venue.
Celebrating 25 years in their current incarnation, the independent Georgina Campbell Awards represent the four corners of Ireland and are the country’s longest running food and hospitality awards. They recognise and honour the standard-bearers in food and hospitality with particular focus, this year, on genuine hospitality, consistency, innovation and good value. They also pay special tributes to some of the giants of Irish food and hospitality – and the brave newcomers who, against the odds, continue to delight with inspiring new businesses.
Speaking at the awards held recently at the new Bord Bia Global Hub in Dublin, food writer and author Georgina Campbell said: “It’s been a joy to travel freely again this year but accommodation shortfalls (partly due to the continuing negative effects of short lets replacing serviced B&B), short weeks, reduced hours, early kitchen closures, minimum 2-night stays and other restrictions related to staff shortages and high costs, notably energy costs, have been challenging to work around. As always, we have been seeking out genuine hospitality and those striving to give the best possible guest experience, ahead of convenience to the host business. Each year a theme emerges in the awards, reflecting the weight of nominations proposed by the assessment team. This year suggests a swing away from cities towards rural destinations and smaller towns, possibly reflecting post-pandemic preferences and/or a levelling up of standards. And words like unshowy, consistent, genuinely hospitable, customer-focused, and kind are typical of our nominations.”.
The individual citation for Rock Farm read:
Carina and Alex Conyngham's organic farm and ecotourism hub is beautifully situated just across the River Boyne from Slane Castle and the Distillery - and a greenway bridge may link them soon. A great believer in grass roots action for climate change mitigation and environmental protection, Carina is passionate about food and how it is produced. On c.90 acres of organic land they have Dexter cattle, Tamworth X pigs, Bronze turkeys, and hens for egg production as well as a thriving market garden and agroforestry project with apple, pear and plum trees. Accommodation ranges from yurts and shepherds' huts to en-suite rooms in a straw-bale house, and there’s a farm shop on Thursdays, with new online ordering system. A dream destination for families and anyone with a love of the outdoors and an interest in sustainability.