VisitScotland Business Events celebrated its food and drinks sector by hosting a private dinner at The Savoy Hotel in London, which took place on 27 February.
The private dinner welcomed 20 guests from the Scottish hospitality sector and 11 corporate buyers.
As part of its drive to align activity with the Scottish Government’s National Performance Framework, VisitScotland Business Events used the dinner to highlight the importance of the country’s the food and drink sector, which is worth £14bn each year and employs 115,400 people.
Neil Forbes, Scottish chef, created and executed the menu which incorporated Scottish-sourced ingredients such as Scottish native lobster, haggis and East Lothian beetroots.
To ensure the event was sustainable, rather than opting for disposable flower arrangements, Scottish partners contributed to the table centre pieces with items centred around sustainable food and beverage items.
This included bee hotels from Fairmont St Andrews, botanicals from Holyrood Distillery and reusable straws from Meetings Perthshire.
Forbes also travelled with the produce to London from Edinburgh by train rather than flying, to ensure the produce was fresh and to reflect VisitScotland’s commitment to sustainability.
Forbes said: “I’m very excited to be working with VisitScotland to showcase just how diverse and delicious the country’s food offering and culture is right now. This dinner is an excellent opportunity to celebrate the very best of what we have to offer north of the border.”
Katherine Nelles, market manager, UK (South) and Ireland, said: “The Scottish food and drinks sector is thriving, and we wanted to celebrate this whilst showcasing its strength and giving guests a true taste of Scotland. The menu created by Chef Neil Forbes was a true celebration of Scottish cuisine and we appreciate the dedication of his team in ensuring the produce was as fresh and as sustainably sourced and transported as possible.”
