Press Release

Electric Picnic Vendor Awards 2008

September 3rd 2008

The food at this year's Electric Picnic took centre stage on Sunday evening, when four unsuspecting vendors were surprised with a little recognition for their efforts. For the first time ever, Electric Picnic, in conjunction with Bridgestone Food Guides, created Picnic Awards for the exceptional line-up of food traders at the event. The awards given in four categories are intended to acknowledge special talent and creativity amongst the festival's food stalls, and hopefully inspire even greater things from their owners in future generations of the Picnic.

Presenting the awards, adjudicator Caroline Byrne, Dublin editor for Bridgestone Food Guides, said: "Electric Picnic has really become a food destination in itself and we are delighted to have been a part of this. Bridgestone has always been about recognising talent and individuality, and the standard here this weekend has been very high."

The awards, which were devised for Electric Picnic by Bridgestone publishers John and Sally McKenna, were given in four categories:

• The Best Dressed Food Award for presentation and style
• The Healthy Buzz Award for seriously healthy food
• The Greenest Gourmet Award for eco-friendliness
• The On Our Doorstep Award for best use of local and regional ingredients

Taking the gong for 'Best Dressed' stall, the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, based in the Body & Soul compound, provided festival goers with a picturesque Alice and Wonderland setting to enjoy tea and scones and toasted Gubbeen cheese sandwiches, The Tiny Tea Tent on the Village Green Greenest Gourmet', generating its own electricity through wind and solar power and using its tent to create awareness about deforestation of the tropical rainforest. Dishing up the best healthy food this year was Goodness Gracious, with its healthy salads and exceptionally good veggie burgers. And finally, the Gourmet Offensive took the 'On Our Doorstep' award for its tasty and "very good value" cuisine from around the world made from locally sourced produce.

Speaking about the awards Bridgestone publisher John McKenna said: "The simple thing about the Bridgestones is that they are about inspired people who do inspiring work and who have a singular style, which is why we can go from roadside stalls to five star hotels.

"Giving awards to festival stall holders shows that the old fine dining idea of food is purest bunk; good food is good food, wherever, however, thanks to the person and their passion to be good, to be their best. And it's appropriate to give these awards at Electric Picnic, which has always made an effort to be grown up and serious about food, which shows the respect it shows its punters, a respect often missing in festival situations."

LINEUP SUBJECT TO CHANGE