25,000 people tasted Northern Ireland’s mouth-watering products at Taste Festival

New lines were showcased over the weekend

Thousands of visitors came to Belfast City Centre this weekend (16-18 September) for the tastiest food event in the calendar.

The Tesco Taste Festival returned to Custom House Square for the eighth year, with a bigger bang than ever before, including the unveiling new products from some of Northern Ireland’s most iconic brands including Tayto, Genesis Bakery and Cloughbane Farm Foods.

More than 25,000 visitors attended the festival over the weekend, sampling the newest local products – some before they’ve even hit our shelves.

Northern Ireland’s favourite crisp brand, Tayto, revealed three moreish popcorn flavours as it responds to consumer demand for the lighter than air snack.

Bread and bun aficionados sampled the latest treats created by the baking masters at Genesis, Grahams and Scott’s, including Graham’s Cracking Caramels and Coconut Snowballs, two new additions to Scott’s miniature range – high tea cakes and carrot cake – and Genesis’ whirls and tartlets.

On the back of its recent £450,000 deal with Tesco, Cloughbane Farm Foods showcased its 11-strong range of farm-inspired ready meals.

With over 60 exhibitors, and back-to-back activity throughout the weekend including a special FoodNI cookery theatre, entertainment for all the family with Ark Open Farm’s petting zoo, a climbing wall, roving entertainers, plus live music, there was no end to the fun for all the family at the free three-day foodie festival.

Tesco NI Marketing Manager, Caoimhe Mannion, said the event was the showpiece in the ongoing Tesco Taste NI campaign citing its importance in the Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink and cemented the retailer’s credentials as a ‘force for good food’ in Northern Ireland.

She said: ‘The Tesco Taste Festival forms part of our 2016 support programme for Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink, valued at half a million pounds.  But every year, we assist food producers and suppliers in a wide variety of ways via artisan programmes, multi-store sampling, food fairs, listing opportunities, in-store promotion and more.

“The Tesco Taste Festival offers a rare chance for producers to interact directly with the public and visitors can sample local produce at its best for free and of course favourites can be found at Tesco throughout the year – so visitors received a real treat.”

Irish dancing at @Tesco_NIreland #tastefestival – join me on #snapchat forestfeast for more! @Forest_Feast pic.twitter.com/1DfPrTfKwg

— Love Belfast ❤️ (@love_belfast) September 17, 2016