Eurest, the workplace caterers of Compass Group, is celebrating after becoming the only contract catering business to win the prestigious Taste of Ulster award 2016.
The Taste of Ulster initiative, headed up by Good Food NI aims to positively promote Northern Ireland’s food and drink, with efforts to link all elements of the food supply chain and encourage and support the agri-food industry.
Eurest was recognised for its outstanding efforts in sourcing local food, fresh produce and suppliers at this year’s 2016 Taste of Ulster awards. Eurest’s caters for the Northern Ireland Assembly in Parliament Buildings, Belfast. The team serves thousands of meals in the multiple restaurants and banqueting rooms as well as providing front-of-house services for meetings and events.
The team were awarded the much sought after wall plaque as part of their win. Sporting the slogan 'Grown Here, Not Flown Here', Good Food NI’s criteria for the award focused heavily on local provenance and the use of fresh ingredients. Eurest submitted a range of menus in which its cooking methods and supply chains were carefully scrutinised.
Margaret Campbell, Operations Director at Compass Group’s Ireland division, said, “At the very heart of our business is fresh, farm to fork food, so we couldn’t be prouder that our work towards sourcing our produce locally and creating menus that showcase Northern Ireland’s food and drink have been recognised by Taste of Ulster.
'We celebrate the use of local produce to create and promote a positive dining experience and continue to support all that is unique about Northern Ireland food, and this can be seen at our many themed banquets held in Parliament Buildings at the Northern Ireland Assembly, which are all centred on seasonal Irish foods.
“We’re keen to lead by example on this journey of progression towards a wider knowledge of the fantastic foods and produce available in Northern Ireland, and hope that this will encourage other caterers, businesses and restaurateurs to source their produce locally and help be the voice of food and drink in Northern Ireland.”