Fermanagh food companies have embraced the exciting opportunities arising from Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink in 2016.

At the regional roadshow launch of the Year of Food and Drink 2016 held at the Lough Erne Resort on Friday, Tourism NI said they were looking at new possibilities for local providers through the designated year ahead.

This new initiative led by Tourism NI is aimed at putting food and drink at the heart of the Northern Ireland visitor experience. Tourists spend an estimated £350m in Northern Ireland each year on food and drink.

With a year-long celebration, there will be a special food or drink theme for each month of the calendar. For example, January 2016 will be themed with Breakfast, February with Love Local; March with Heritage and Traditions, April with Brewing and Distilling, May with Landscape and Places, June with Love Dairy, July with Seas, Rivers and Loughs, August with Love NI Meat, September with Bread and Baking, October with Harvest, November with Legacy and December with Christmas and Premium Foods.

There will be a series of events and industry development programmes celebrating quality, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship in the food and drink sector. Working with partner organisations, they hope to stimulate trade, tourism growth and increase visitor spend.

Tourism NI will be supporting the Year of Food and Drink 2016 with the development of masterclasses and mentoring programmes and a series of events and advisory roadshows and has launched an industry toolkit to help anyone who wants to get involved in promoting their food and drink offer in their area.

Tourism NI will be using £300,000 of funding for the Tourism Event Funding Programme 2016/17 which will incorporate the Year of Food and Drink Scheme.

The plans for the year ahead were outlined to industry providers on Friday. Among those attending was Howard Hastings, an ambassador for the Year of Food and Drink 2016 and former Chairman of Tourism NI. Also present was local board member, Terry McCartney.

Also attending was Noel McMeel, Executive Head Chef at the Lough Erne Resort, hosting the event. He said: “Its a great way to show our wares. I believe we have the confidence in this. All our menus will be themed around the Year of Food and Drink with focus on local providers.” One of the food companies exhibiting was Orchard Acre Barn. Owner, Teresa O’Hare, said she would be using next year to develop our cookery side and promote the theme, “We Grow, We Cook.” Other food producers attending included those producing a variety of meat, preserves, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and ice creams.