Great British Bake Off finalist and Ulster born cookery creative Andrew Smyth has joined the Northern Ireland Pork and Bacon Forum as brand ambassador working on a creative campaign to celebrate NI Pork’s provenance, versatility.

Great British Bake Off finalist and Ulster born cookery creative Andrew Smyth has joined the Northern Ireland Pork and Bacon Forum as brand ambassador working on a creative campaign to celebrate NI Pork’s provenance and versatility.

As part of the activity Andrew visited Northern Ireland to film a collection of locally produced pork inspired videos providing some great recipe ideas in the kitchen.

The hugely popular amateur chef and full time engineer from Holywood, Co. Down, who became well known on the seventh series of The Great British Bake Off in 2016, rose to fame for his innovative creations which combined his love of baking with engineering. His cookery and baking skills have now made him a household name.

Commenting on the partnership Deirdre McIvor, Chief Executive of NI Pork and Bacon Forum said:  “Northern Ireland Pork which carries the ‘Assured Origin’ logo guarantees that the cut, from pork chops to shoulder of pork, is wholly produced here in Northern Ireland to the highest possible standards. This means that customers can trust that item’s with this label have been produced in line with some of the highest standards in Europe.

"The pig farming industry makes a significant contribution to the agri-sector right across Northern Ireland and sustains 400 farming families and 2,000 local jobs. We’re proud of that industry and we encourage customers to support and protect it by always looking for the label and choosing locally produced pork.

"Andrew is an emerging local culinary talent and we are delighted that he has come on board with a range of tasty Pork based dishes bringing new energy to our campaign which has provenance and creativity at its heart.”

12 videos will be created as part of the new campaign. The campaign has been created in support of NI Pork and Bacon Forum’s ‘Assured Origin’ quality seal which is a guarantee to customers that pork is 100% Northern Ireland produced, governed by the highest animal welfare standards and quality production systems. It forms part of NI Pork’s larger effort to encourage retailers across Northern Ireland to stock NI Assured Origin pork product to ensure they offer customers the best locally produced products.

Andrew Smyth said: “Northern Ireland pork is among the best and tastiest in the world - cue Andrew with his delicious, bespoke recipes for NI Pork. Pork is really versatile, is great value, incredibly tender if cooked correctly and oozes flavour. It can be enjoyed as a classic slow-cooked roast, in casseroles, as an accompaniment with fresh summer salads - the options are simply endless. Hopefully my recipes and videos will show people just how easy it is to cook and will offer some simple inspiration in the kitchen.”

Deirdre McIvor, continues: “We urge consumers to take inspiration from the recipes showcased in Andrew’s videos and look for the Quality Assured label in shops.”

Go to the NIPork’s Facebook or Instagram page for more of Andrew’s recipes or to find out where you can buy Northern Ireland Pork ‘Assured Origin’ products."

For all the latest news, top tips and NI Pork recipes visit NI Pork’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/nipork/