"We serve 1,250 a week" - Kildare pub wins top award for "best roast dinner"

Kildare town’s Silken Thomas has won a national competition to find the greatest roast in the country.

Sponsored by Knorr Professional, the Ireland’s Great Roast 2021 competition aimed to find the best of the roast dinners offered by hospitality venues right across Ireland.

This year’s competition was as hotly contested as previous years with pubs, hotels and restaurants from right across the country entering for the much-coveted title. Twenty venues were shortlisted to be mystery dined, where each was scored for the quality of their food as well as customer service and overall value.

ABOVE: Heidi McCaughey, Customer Marketing Manager, Unilever Food Solutions, Brian Flanagan, owner of the Silken Thomas and Hannah Leavy, Unilever Food Solutions. 

Speaking about the win, Brian Flanagan of the Silken Thomas said: “I’m delighted for the team that we’ve won Ireland’s Great Roast competition. They work hard every day to produce the best quality food for our customers. Over the past 20 years, we have continued to focus on ensuring we used the freshest and best quality ingredients possible. Fresh produce cooked correctly will never disappoint.

Customer loyalty
“We serve over 1,250 roast dinners each week and make sure each one is as good as the last. We’ve a very loyal customer base in Kildare so consistency is important. But we also take great pride in the hospitality and warm welcome each customer gets.”
The Silken Thomas has previously won the title of Great Carvery of the Year – Pub in 2018, also carried out in association with Knorr Professional, which is owned by Unilever
Audrey Crone, Executive Chef at Unilever Food Solutions highlighted the standard of the food this year. “It’s a huge credit to the management, chef and service team at the Silken Thomas and it’s fantastic they are acknowledged with this win.”
The Silken Thomas won €3,000 towards catering equipment as well as marketing and PR support.