With just over a month to go until Northern Ireland's Year of Food and Drink begins, those companies who have already achieved success have been recognised for their achievements.

Enterprise Trade and Investment Minister, Jonathan Bell, has congratulated Northern Ireland’s Food and Drink Industry a highly successful year with 69 companies awarded 191 gold stars in the Great Taste Awards. In the Irish Quality Food Awards, 13 products from Northern Ireland companies gained category awards; 16 were highly commended and six were commended and in the recent Blas Na hÉireann, Irish Food Awards, Northern Ireland companies won a total of 45 awards.

The Minister said: “It is only fitting that we celebrate the outstanding achievements of local companies in this year’s UK Great Taste Awards, the Irish Quality Food Awards and the Blas na hÉireann Awards.

“Northern Ireland’s food and drink industry is going from strength to strength and this is evidenced here, at this event, by another string of food awards which showcase the pure, natural quality of our food and drink.

“This event, hosted by Invest Northern Ireland, gives companies the opportunity to showcase their winning produce to leading retailers and speciality buyers from Great Britain, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It’s an important factor in the drive to assist our food and drink companies to grow sales outside Northern Ireland and the fact that so many buyers are here is recognition of the scale and quality of our food and drink.

“I would like to offer special congratulations to Baronscourt Estate of Newtownstewart who won the 2015 ‘Golden Fork for Northern Ireland’ award for its Wild Sika Venison French Rack. This is a tremendous endorsement of their work to ensure only the most highly selected quality meat.

"The industry exports £1.3billion of products around the world and the 2016 Year of Food & Drink will enable us to continue to raise our profile nationally and to promote food tourism here on the international stage.”

The Golden Fork from Northern Ireland was sponsored by Invest Northern Ireland and also nominated this year was a Great Taste 3-star Fivemiletown Ballyoak Soft Smoked Irish Brie by Dale Farm.