Carrick hotel hoping for grand final place

The Clarion Hotel is included in the newly introduced One-Day-Only Carvery section of the event.

Now in its fifth year, the competition is firmly established in Ireland and Northern Ireland’s culinary calendar. Voting is open to the public who will have until Sunday, June 8 to cast their all-important preference.

Great Carvery competition ambassador Tommy Bowe said: “Each year I look forward to getting involved with this contest and seeing the levels of innovation and dedication that each establishment employs in producing their outstanding carvery offerings. That there are such a wide range of entries from all across the island of Ireland comes as no surprise to me, and I am looking forward to seeing what the new One-Day-Only category throws up for the first time this year.”

Mark McCarthy, Business Development chef at Unilever Food Solutions Ireland, will head up the judging panel. He commented: “The carvery meal is something of an Irish institution and it is fair to say that its popularity never diminishes. With the introduction of the One-Day-Only category this year we have broadened the scope of Great Carvery once again, acknowledging its impact across the 32 counties.”

Once the public has chosen its regional shortlist, Mark and a team of mystery shoppers will have the task of whittling these venues down to eight regional winners. This will involve visits across Ireland and Northern Ireland before the eventual winners are unveiled at grand final in Dublin in September.

The overall winners will each receive PR to the value of €2,500 and marketing support also valued at €2,000.

To cast your vote, log on to www.greatcarvery.com/vote and follow the steps on screen. Alternatively, text HOTEL or PUB or ONEDAY, depending on the category they are in, followed by the name of the establishment to 51500. Standard SMS rates apply.