Over 100 Belfast restaurateurs and other foodies have taken part in a workshop exploring new opportunities in the city’s thriving culinary scene.
Irish chef and TV personality Anna Haugh was joined by restaurant legend Paul Rankin for the panel, designed to inspire the industry with new ideas and insights.
It was organised by the industry-led Belfast Food & Drink Collective with the support of Belfast City Council and the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera).
The panel was hosted by Belfast Telegraph restaurant critic Joris Minne and featured his Sunday Times counterpart Patrick Hanlon, Flout Pizza owner Peter Thompson and Belfast Stories’ programme directors Wendy Langham and Eimear Henry.
The Belfast Food & Drink Collective aims to promote the city’s culinary reputation through training, networking events and partnerships.
The event was hosted at Belfast cookery school and restaurant Waterman in the city’s Cathedral Quarter.
Andrew McCormick, Belfast deputy lord mayor, said: “Delivered by Belfast’s Food and Drink Collective, this full-capacity event represented a major a platform for chefs, producers and industry leaders to connect, share insights and drive innovation.
“Belfast City Council is proud to support the collective and its ambitions for the future growth of the city.
“I’m also grateful for the support provided by Daera and the NI Regional Food Programme for their continued support and to everyone’s dedication to making Belfast a top-tier food destination.”
The collective is the city’s champion for promoting healthy and sustainable food and supporting Belfast’s aim to be a sustainable tourist destination.
Paul Kane, Belfast Food and Drink Tourism co-chair, said: “Belfast’s food and drink industry enjoys an outstanding reputation for quality, choice and value and we are consistently overwhelmed by the sector’s industry leaders for their passion and enthusiasm to look forward, to innovate and to embrace sustainability practices right across their businesses.
“A key economic driver for the city, this thriving industry helps to promote Belfast as a world class tourism destination, and I’m delighted by this success of this exciting future-focused event.”
Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir added: “I wish to thank Belfast Food & Drink Collective for organising the event and for the opportunity to again profile our quality food from Northern Ireland.
“The event closely aligns with the Northern Ireland Food Strategy Framework, which I recently launched after securing Executive agreement. The framework recognises the interconnectedness between food, health, the economy and the environment.
“The successes from this initiative and the Belfast Food & Drink Collective will have a long-term benefit to the wider agri-food industry, not only here in Belfast but across the whole of Northern Ireland.”
The event was also supported by Tourism Northern Ireland and Tourism Ireland.
The next free event, which will focus on sustainability for food and drink, takes place on March 25 at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park in Belfast.