Great Taste showcase at Northern Ireland's biggest food expo

Great Taste Award winners from many parts of the UK and Ireland will be showcasing their winning food and drink at a major event scheduled for Northern Ireland in 2018.

Around 40 smaller companies will be presenting their successful products at an enhanced Great Taste Market to be held as part of the IFEX show in Belfast organised by events business Fresh Montgomery. The show is Northern Ireland's main food and drink expo and is held every two years.

Toby Wand, managing director of Fresh Montgomery, says: "IFEX 2018 is set to break all records set previously in 2016, reflecting the immense interest in food and drink, the biggest industry across Northern Ireland.

"Our enhanced Great Taste Market, supported by the Guild of Fine Food, will be a magnet for trade buyers because of the quality and breadth of food and drink, on show, particularly from artisan and smaller enterprises. Great Taste is such a powerful food and drink icon.

"We are set to attract over 6,000 trade buyers as well as members of the public to what will be a very colourful and busy complex. It will certainly be the biggest show of its kind to be held in Northern Ireland.

In addition, the organisers, also behind Speciality and Fine Food Show in London, will be launching two innovative features at the event, which will be held at the huge Titanic Exhibition Centre from 20-22 March.

These are the new Meat@IFEX, which will focus on butchery skills and also provide a platform for the World Butchery Challenge and will see upwards of 250 butchers from 12 nations, including the UK and Ireland, bidding for the top international title. There will be a specially constructed arena for the challenge.

Meat@IFEX will celebrate the skills of butchers and feature around 60 exhibitors.

The second of the new features is a Street Food International focus that will see specialists in street food from the UK, Ireland and abroad demonstrating the quality of their food and drink in a street food environment.

This also recognises consumer trends towards convenience meals which offer quality and taste.

The Salon Culinaire will showcase the skills of top chefs and include a competition to find the best young chef. Skills and training programmes for chefs and catering staff are a key element within IFEX.

Pic: Rhonda Montgomery of Butchery Excellence Ireland and chef Sean Owens, director of IFEX Salon Culinaire are driving the World Butchery Challenge as part of IFEX.