evidence: Northern Ireland has been named Best Food Destination 2018/19 by the International Travel & Tourism Awards and it hasn’t taken me long to find out why. The region – already well known for world-class golf and Game of Thrones – is home to some outstanding produce and a growing number of creative food entrepreneurs. Food NI and Tourism NI, a huge effort is being made to promote the region’s food culture. The initiative really got going with Food NI’s Year of Food & Drink in 2016, and continues with gusto. Lengthy banners advertising produce greet you at the airport, and many producers recently descended on London’s Borough Market over this year’s St Patrick’s Day weekend. [...] The town is home to NearyNógs – Northern Ireland’s ‘first and only’ chocolate manufacturers – but my trip to Kilkeel was to visit Rooney Fish. Andrew Rooney is an oyster farmer and commercial fisher of langoustines, crabs and lobsters, all of which are bountiful here. His Millbay Oysters boast a higher meat yield than any you are likely to try, with pleasing notes of cucumber, grass and kelp.