The Food and Drink Show NI was back again last weekend to celebrate all that is good and right with Northern Ireland’s food scene. The past few years have seen a huge boom in local craft beers, ciders, cheeses and even cooking oils all made from the finest homegrown ingredients and what better place to discover these than at the Food and Drink Show? There were loads of stalls, from Broighter Gold to Tempted Cider all peddling their wares in the King’s Hall Pavilion.
The standard ticket price of £18 per person did seem a bit steep, but there were quite a few free samples being handed out and the Moy Park Celebrity Chef Theatre demonstrations were superb. Compared to last year, the whole event seemed slightly smaller, with more open spaces, less stalls and more intimate. It didn’t have the same hustle and bustle of last year, but we went on a sunday this year as opposed to a saturday last year, so one would it expect it to be slightly quieter. This did make it easier to navigate and interact with the stall holders as well.
We sampled some Broughgammon Farm goat and venison burgers which were delicious, something different and a definite must-try if you ever get the chance. We also saw a baking demonstration by the people from Treat Boutique which was a lot of fun.
Throughout the weekend there were loads of celebrity chefs on hand to give demonstrations, from John Torode and Rachel Allen to Simon Rimmer and James Martin. We caught James Martin again this year, after seeing him put on a great performance last year, and he certainly didn’t disappoint. Throughout the demonstration you could see how much James loves our produce as he joked his way through cooking a deep fried soft boiled egg and Brighter Gold rapeseed mayonnaise, pan fried sea bass and the quirkily named ‘monkey bread’.
Hopefully after two years, the Food and Drink Show NI has found its footing and will be bigger and better next year with even more great local producers. It would be great to see this show progress even more.
