Taste of Cavan feeds 40,000

Sean McMahon

Over 40,000 people flocked to County Cavan throughout the week-long programme of events as part of the Taste of Cavan Festival 2014 to officially make it one of the leading food exhibitions in the country.
Organisers put the attendance at the core food festival event last Friday and Saturday at The Anglo-Celt marquee at Cavan Institute at almost 35,000 over the two days with some visitors coming from as far afield as Cork and Belfast.
In all, there were 96 stands in the exhibition marquee, which is a 50% increase on last year.
The chief co-ordinator of the event, Paddy Connaughton, told The Anglo-Celt that the feedback from major supermarket buyers at the event clearly indicated that they were highly impressed with the quality of produce and presentation on show. “The feedback we have received from the exhibitors is that they were really thrilled with the reaction they got from the public. The proof of the pudding was reflected in the amount of produce they actually sold – it was phenomenal,” said Mr Connaughton.
“It is all about brand awareness and getting their name out there and ensuring that Cavan is not just known for artisan food but also food production and for a hub of activity for food in the north east and north western regions,” he added.
Mr Connaughton also praised of all the celebrity chefs for their cookery demonstrations in the FBD Kitchen at the event. “They took the time out after the actual demonstrations to meet with the public and talk to them,” he added.
The family entertainment events, which were enhanced at the festival this year, proved a real winner and included jousting, featuring two knights on horseback, the World War 1 reenactments, the pet farms, climbing walls, bungee trampolines and face painting.
Mr Connaughton said that the event is now permanent fixture on the calendar and the focus now is to build on that success to grow the festival to be a major regional event.