Tasting the greatness of our food and drink at Balmoral
Article written by Food NI CEO Michele Shirlow, featured in Farm Week
Visitors to our Food Pavilion at the RUAS in Balmoral Park this year will have an opportunity to Taste the Greatness of food and drink now being produced by hundreds of large and small companies.
We’ll have around 100 companies within the pavilion, now among the most successful features of what is the biggest show of its kind in Ireland and among the most significant in the British Isles. There’s really no better way to sample the best of our produce and talk to the people behind our food and drink. 
Our vast Food Pavilion showcases the industry’s contribution to the local economy – over £5 million annually – and the interdependence between food and drink processing and the farming community here.
We want consumers to gain a greater understanding of the range of quality food and drink we now have here, to support producers by purchasing more of their products and by appreciating the talents and dedication of our farmers. They provide superb ingredients for processors to create world class food and drink.
The need for closer collaboration and co-operation between the two sectors has never been greater than it is today because of the threats, challenges and opportunities of Brexit.
We’ve all got to stand together to ensure that our agri-food industry is now undermined by Brexit and any subsequent trade agreements.
This is why our new Taste the Greatness strategy for what is our most important, dynamic and increasingly successful manufacturing industry has been shaped around measures to promote collaboration and on “preserving family farming, celebrating our world class ingredients and causing an explosion of authentic local producers”. The strategy is all about “putting greatness on plates and in glasses, as we express ourselves confidently and passionately through our food and drink”.
Another important feature of our presentation at Balmoral Show is the cookery programme that involves most of the leading chefs in Northern Ireland. This year, I am delighted to report, Jean Christophe-Novelli, the world renowned chef and restaurateur is showcasing his culinary knowledge and skills on Saturday.
It’s tremendously encouraging for Food NI to have such an international celebrity with our local chefs who have been great supporters of the local industry for so many years.
Our food pavilion is an essential part of our plan to “invite and inspire the Northern Ireland consumer, the industry, out of state of visitors and industry buyers to taste the greatness here. It’s also our intention to reach out to more consumers in Great Britain, easily our most important marketplace, to encourage them also to taste the greatness being produced here.
Our overall commitment continues to be “to discover and champion Norther Ireland produce and to increase international standout” for the industry here by 2020. Our strategy will involve harnessing the latest digital technology to help in creating “a strong Northern Ireland food and drink industry – one that encourages tomorrow’s pioneering start-ups to take root and grow beyond our borders.’
