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Once the delicacy of the ancient Egyptians, 2015 has become the year of the edible insects in Ireland. Blazing the trail in this field is Blessington farmer, Tara Elliott. Having begun her farming endeavours on a purely theoretical basis as part of her MSc thesis research, she soon began to discover that there was demand for this creepy-crawly cuisine.

Anyone for cricket?

Anyone for cricket? Image by Feans / CC BY 2.0

Despite there being 1900 species of edible species to choose from, her main focus will be on crickets, the Wicklow Voice reports. She argues on behalf of their multiple health benefits, claiming that they are packed with protein, are low in fat and “about 20 times more efficient than beef at producing body mass from feed”.

Around two billion people eat insects regularly as part of their diet, a habit particularly common to cultures in North, Central and South America, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

It is Elliott’s hope that the Irish public will prove willing to alter their views and their eating habits once they taste her product. Her intention is to establish cricket and mealworm flour on the market as a means of increasing protein, vitamins, minerals and Omega 3 fat levels in baking.

In a world where gluten has become a bad word, this may just be the answer for those seeking a baking substitute with a bite. The farmer herself has been experimenting in her kitchen, with everything from insect sweets to breads.

The sale of cricket flour is currently prohibited on the Irish market but it is her hope that this may change in accordance with shifting legislation on the sale of insects for human consumption in other countries. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation has even been supportive of regarding it as an inexpensive and nourishing food source.

With a business that has grown exponentially from 1000 beetles to a 20,000 square foot unit, Elliott is also catering for live insect feed required as food for Irish pets and wildlife, such as reptiles, amphibians and fish.