As part of Irish Week on Wednesday 16 October, in front of a large audience, Owen Feeney, Deputy Ambassador of the Republic of Ireland, Sheena Dignam, Tourist Facilitator of Food Tours in Tours, Chef Vincent Villeroy of the Embassy of Ireland, and Germaine Maillet from Bord Bia Paris, Agricultural Production, Food Traditions, France, Ireland territories were discussed. Kilian Stengel, head of the Open University of Gastronomic Sciences at Villa Rabelais, moderated the debate.

Irish Cheese Tasting

Owen Feeney said humorously: “My French friends who visit Ireland often say that they are surprised to find our food so much better than they expected…” 500,000 French go to Ireland every year. The Deputy Ambassador is keen to promote Irish products, which export over a billion euros a year to France, mainly beef (45%) and dairy products (30%).

Germain Millet, a company promoting Irish agricultural products in France, recalls that cattle graze on average 220 days a year in the open air and that meat represents 95% of the animal's diet and grass. There is also whiskey tourism, which allows visitors to visit distilleries and discover new flavors. After some time of discussion with the audience, the meeting ended with a tasting of Irish cheeses. Of course !