Goatsbridge Trout - Special Irish Foods & The People Who Make Them

Dee Laffan

Hard work and passion go hand-in-hand for most small farmers and artisan producers and no truer statement could be made about Mag and Ger Kirwan of the third generation business, Goatsbridge Trout Farm. They are hard working, passionate and always looking at how to ensure that their brand and top quality products are available to as many people as possible.

It was this mindset that led them to launch their new ‘Eat Trout’ retail products, along with new branding that was created to coincide with the launch of the range. “We realised that we were never going to compete outside Ireland with fresh trout, for obvious reasons, so within Ireland we focus on growing the fresh fish counter market,” explains Mag. “I really wanted to create an ambient product with a long shelf life, giving potential to extend our brand abroad and that’s how these new products came about.”

The first product in the range was launched early in 2014, a delicious Traditional Smoked Rainbow Trout. “Traditional smoking means curing fish by smoking it at an air temperature not higher than 33°C to avoid cooking the fish, resulting in a delicate texture.”

The next was Barbequed Rainbow Trout, which has also been available in specialist shops since 2014, following into supermarkets in spring/summer 2015. The hot smoking process means that the fish has a firmer texture.

Next in the range was their famous Trout Caviar, which is available only through specialist food shops. This award-winning product has a very mild fish taste and is a true delicacy.

Taking a very different tack, two exciting products, Tinned Smoked Trout and Barbecued Trout Paté, are both available through the Goatsbridge website, and will also be in supermarkets nationwide spring/summer 2015.

“We are really excited to be able to bring these new products to supermarkets because we really feel that trout is something special that everyone should taste. The Tinned Smoked Trout is preserved in sunflower oil, so it’s great for salads and pasta dishes. The Paté is absolutely delicious and is something we’ve been making for years at home, but just decided to bring it to the market as we think it will be very popular. The flavours are fantastic.”

High quality is paramount at Goatsbridge, where the fish are taken daily from The Little Arrigle River at Thomastown (designated Town of Food; www.townoffood.com). The crystal clear waters of the river have been fished since the foundation of nearby Jerpoint Abey in 1180, and this is what gives Goatsbridge trout its unique taste and texture. It’s no wonder that their products fly off the shelves - Mag and Ger deserve every success with them.

For more information and to buy products online, visit www.goatsbridgetrout.ie

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Dee Laffan is a freelance food writer and editor. Formerly editor of Easy Food magazine, she has written for the Irish Independent and Sunday Independent. She is a proud supporter of Irish producers and their products, and takes part in judging for food competitions including Blas na hÉireann and the Great Taste Awards. She is a member of the Irish Food Writers' Guild and secretary for Slow Food Dublin. Twitter @deelaffan