Top 10 questions to consider about your food and drink offering

1. How aware are you of local food & drink producers and unique ingredients in your region?

2. How well do you describe the dishes on your menu to reflect local sourcing and your relationships with suppliers? How confident are your staff in communicating this to visitors?

3. Does your food & drink offer reflect an authentic Northern Irish experience?

4. Do you actively pair dishes with local spirits, craft brews and ciders? This will be covered in more detail in the next section.

5. Do you use the seasons to offer variety on your menu? Being aware of seasonality allows you to offer distinctive dishes made with ingredients at their best.

6. Does your menu reflect your food story? Are you using ingredients that are foraged, or herbs and vegetables grown from your gardens? If so, ensure this is exploited. This can add value to your dish and can help drive profit.

7. Are you using any family or generational recipes? Put you and your family on the menu.

8. Are you championing traceability and sustainability? This is an ideal opportunity to differentiate your business.

9. Do you maximise co-marketing opportunities? Do you hold food & drink pairing opportunities or meet the producer events? Boost interest by combining established products with new, local produce.

10. Have you considered a “love local food & drink” event in your restaurant or food establishment?