August 1, 2026

Inside Taste of Sligo: A Celebration of Irish Food, Flavour & Community

A celebration of the Taste of Sligo Food Festival — from cooking on the chef stage to championing the local producers, rural communities and food culture helping put Sligo firmly on Ireland’s food map.

Sligo is quietly becoming one of Ireland’s most exciting food destinations — and Taste of Sligo Food Festival is helping to put it firmly on the map.

It was a real pleasure to be part of the Taste of Sligo Food Festival, joining a brilliant line-up of chefs, producers and food businesses celebrating the people and places behind Sligo’s growing food story.

For me, this is where food tourism becomes particularly interesting. It’s not simply about finding somewhere good to eat; it’s about discovering a place through its food, meeting the people who produce it and understanding the story behind what reaches the plate.

Our rural communities are an essential part of that story. Across Ireland, farmers, growers, artisan producers and independent food businesses are creating exceptional food while contributing to the character, identity and vitality of the places they call home. Festivals like the Taste of Sligo Food Festival provide an important platform to celebrate that work and encourage more people to experience these regions first-hand.

As part of the festival, I joined the cookery stage for a live demonstration, sharing a menu centred around generous flavours, great ingredients and simple cooking.

We started with warm flatbreads layered with smoky muhammara, chargrilled striploin, silky smoked onion mayonnaise and a glossy sour cherry molasses — rich, smoky, sweet and savoury, with plenty of contrast in every bite.

Alongside it, I made a vibrant couscous salad with golden halloumi, warm cumin, earthy beetroot and jewel-like pomegranate seeds, finished with a bright, herby green goddess dressing. Colourful, generous and full of texture, it’s the kind of food that feels just as at home on a summer table as it does served to a crowd.

But, for me, the food was only part of the story.

What stayed with me was the sense of pride in the region — and the opportunity to celebrate the people working behind the scenes to make Sligo such an interesting place to eat, visit and explore.

Salad

Cous Cous with Clementine & Halloumi

Flatbread topped with red sauce, sliced meat, edible flowers, fresh herbs, and white cream garnish on a pale blue plate

Main Course

Flatbreads with Muhammara, Chargrilled Striploin, Smoked Onion Mayonnaise & Sour Cherry Molasses

Salad

Green Goddess Dressing

"Food has the power to tell the story of a place — its people, its landscape and its traditions. Taste of Sligo Food Festival is a wonderful example of how celebrating local food and producers can put a region firmly on the map, while giving rural communities the recognition they deserve. It was a pleasure to be part of it and to share in that story."

Aisling Larkin

There is a growing appetite for food-led travel, and Ireland has so much to offer. Our landscapes, producers, restaurants, markets and food festivals all have a role to play in telling a richer story about where we come from and what makes each region distinctive.

Food can be a reason to travel, but it can also be a way of connecting with a place. It gives visitors a reason to stop, explore, meet local producers and discover the communities behind the food.

The Taste of Sligo Food Festival is doing exactly that — championing local food, celebrating rural communities and giving visitors another very good reason to put Sligo on their Irish travel list.

It was a pleasure to be part of it, and to play a small role in celebrating the people, produce and stories that make Ireland’s food culture so exciting.