Two mayo businesses scoop prestigious awards

TWO Mayo businesses have scooped 2016 Georgina Campbell Awards, Ireland’s longest-running food and hospitality accolades.

Rua, Spencer Street, Castlebar, won the ‘Just Ask’ Restaurant of the Year title, while The Bervie, Keel, Achill, was named Hideaway of the Year.

‘Just Ask’ is a public awareness campaign that aims to encourage consumers when eating out to look for information on where the food (particularly meat) on their plate comes from, and encourages chefs to provide this information on their menus.

Rua stood out for a number of reasons, not least the leadership that two generations of the McMahon family have shown in seeking out and supporting the very best of foods from the region.

Going back to the time when Ann McMahon first opened the original business, Café Rua, in 1995, they have adopted a policy which has not only helped to build a reputation for the great home cooking that their two cafés are famous for but also, more recently, has drawn customers from all over the west of Ireland to their terrific shop.

The Bervie, run by John and Elizabeth Barrett, was described as ‘a place that you can disappear to and escape everyday pressures’. It has a family history in hospitality going back to 1932.

Athough modestly categorised as a B&B, with its sweet, unpretentious comfort, cosy fireside chairs and really excellent dining, it has the feeling of a much-loved country house and it’s a place to where people keep calling back.