Louth’s food blog sensation The GastroGays has won the title of cookbook of the year at the Irish Food Writing Awards for its debut book.
Surprisingly, Russell Alford and Patrick Hanlon shared the award with three other books in Brasta Books’ series that released the popular “Hot Fat” title last year.
“The first series of Blasta Books isn’t just a breath of fresh air in the cookbook publishing world. It’s a real hurricane,” said Judge Jay Rayner. “Kristin Jensen’s first volumes – Tacos, Hot Fat, Cookies, Wok – are clever, beautifully written and gorgeously designed. I have.
Lily Ramirez-Foran’s Hot Fat and Tacos were nominated, but the jury decided to also award prestigious awards to Jess Murphy and Eoin Cluskey’s The United Nations of Cookies and Kwanghi Chan’s Wok.
The Irish Food Writing Awards were established to recognize and celebrate quality food and beverage writing from across the island of Ireland in print, broadcast and online. Last week’s awards included US-based award-winning writer Colman Andrews, Telegraph Zante Clay writer and columnist, food writer and television personality Andy Clarke, and British Guild President Charlotte Pike. An international jury attended. food writer. Other judges included Rene Redzepi, Tom Parker Bowles and Fiona Beckett.
“The success of our first series shows that there is a real appetite for more stories and more types of food.” Yes, and we are proud to publish them.”
Jensen also founded Blasta Books, Nine Bean Rows and Scoop magazine over the past year and was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award for his work in promoting Irish food and Irish food writing.
Each book in the Blasta Books series is a hardcover, 72-page A5 cookbook illustrated by Dublin artist Nicky Hooper. These are all stand-alone books, but as a quarterly series they also offer a more comprehensive snapshot of Ireland’s contemporary and diverse food culture, from tacos to tapas, spice bags to sushi. is a small book.
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