A small Tracton vegetable farm has been catapulted onto the world stage this morning.

Gort na Nain’s collaboration with Cork’s revered vegetarian restaurant Paradiso on Lancaster Quay has nabbed the partners a spot on the World Restaurant Awards shortlist.

Ultan Walsh and Lucy Stewart’s nine-acre smallholding near Kinsale has been the main supplier of Denis Cotter’s Paradiso for over a decade.

The farm’s ten polytunnels house aubergines, peppers and tomatoes, while asparagus, seakale and globe artichokes fill the vegetable fields. Thanks to the effect of the Gulf-Stream on Cork’s South Coast, exotic vegetables such as aubergines, chilli peppers, borlotti beans and melons grow side-by-side with the potatoes and cauliflowers.

The quality of the locally grown produce earned Paradiso a spot on the Collaboration of the Year shortlist, alongside Franzen in Stockholm, Single Thread Farm and Vespertine in the USA and Mirazur in Nice.

Tweeting their reaction to the nod, Paradiso tweeted: “Genuinely shocked but deeply honoured to be recognised for the core element of what we do, our collaboration with Gort na Nain farm.”

Ballymaloe House in Shanagarry also earned a spot on the World Restaurant Awards shortlist this year.

The famous foodie destination received a nod for its dessert trolley, curated by head pastry chef JR Ryall, in the Trolley of the Year category.

Next stop Paris for @worldrestawards #OffMyTrolley pic.twitter.com/OhZWWOalwV

— JR Ryall (@JRRyall) January 17, 2019

Led by the editor and writer Joe Warwick, there are 18 awards in total, presented across a number of categories.

The judging panel includes more than 100 experts, including ‘star chefs and restaurateurs; influential figures in old and new media; book publishers, filmmakers, food system scientists, activists and campaigners’.

The winners will be announced in Paris on February 18th, 2019.