If there’s one thing that we love, it’s food, oh and drink! So we snapped up the chance to go to The Food & Drink Show NI at the King’s Hall last month. Spanning three days, from Friday 25th October, to Sunday 27th October, this show was the first of its kind, exhibiting the best of food and drink that NI (and a bit further afield) has to offer. Tickets were £15 for adults, with a £3 charge for a seat in the Celebrity Chef Theatre, but even if you didn’t fancy seeing Paul Hollywood or Paul Rankin do their thing, there was plenty to keep your eyes and your mouth occupied on the exhibition floor. With over 70 exhibitors, there was something for everyone, and it was a great way to try a lot of local produce that you might not have known about.
We went on the Sunday, the final day of the show and the exhibition area was packed, it’s great to see such a fantastic event get so much support in its first year. There were alcoholic drinks to sample from the Armagh Cider company, Anzac spirits with their massive array of gin and vodka, and even a taste of Bailey’s new offering Chocolate Luxe, alongside a bar supplied by Laverys, in case the free tasters weren’t enough. In terms of food, Mash Direct were there offering their local side dishes, Ballyeamon eggs, Bella Jo preserves, and Broughgammon farm, who were cooking up goat and venison for all to try.
The real star of the show was to be found in the Moy Park Celebrity Chef Theatre (and in the smaller cooking area on the main floor), which was host to loads of celebrity guests throughout the weekend, everyone from Jenny Bristow and Rachel Allen to Chris Fearon and Nick Nairn was there to share some wisdom. We saw James Martin, the host of Saturday Kitchen and he really was a great guest. James cooked up some local fayre, in the form of Dexter beef and a quick seafood curry, providing tips and humour as he went.
The Food and Drink Show NI was a massive success and we all went home with full bellies (and to be honest, a little tipsy too), with a 2014 show confirmed, all we can say is good luck, and roll on next year!
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