Irish seasoning brand, Favourit, has renewed its collaboration with Ulster University following the success of last year’s partnership, with students this year also taking part in an additional live industry event.
The initiative, which was introduced in 2025, sees students on Ulster University’s BSc Culinary Arts Management course challenged to create dishes using Favourit’s range of herbs, spices and seasonings. Favourit returns for a second year, once again offering a £1,000 bursary to the highest-scoring student.
Alongside the course, Favourit also introduced a separate live industry event at Belfast Cookery School, giving students the opportunity to prepare and serve a meal for invited guests including restaurant owners and well-known chefs.
Sarah Kennedy from Favourit said:
“At Favourit, we are passionate about supporting the next generation of culinary talent and helping young people understand the role herbs, spices and seasonings can play in bringing dishes to life.
‘We wanted to build on our partnership with Ulster University by creating a direct link between students and the hospitality industry. Giving them the chance to cook for restaurant owners and well-known chefs brought another dimension to the collaboration and helped create meaningful connections beyond the classroom. During the event at Belfast Cookery School, a number of students also arranged follow-up meetings linked to potential summer placements.”
Michael Gillies, Course Director and Lecturer in Culinary Arts Management, Department of Hospitality Tourism and Events Management, Ulster University, said:
“Our partnership with Favourit continues to give students the chance to work with an established, home-grown food brand and to explore an impressive range of herbs, spices and seasonings in a practical setting.
“The collaboration encourages them to think carefully about flavour, creativity and technique, while pushing themselves in the kitchen. The additional event created by Favourit gave students another chance to present their skills in front of influential figures from the hospitality industry, complementing the work already taking place as part of the course.”
Ronan Sweeney of Balloo Inns said:
“What stood out to me was how switched on the students already are. They asked good questions, they were engaged, and they clearly have a genuine interest in food. It’s encouraging to see strong young talent coming through, and we need to keep creating ways for them to connect with the industry and see a future for themselves here.”
Colm Oates of The Garrick Bar said:
“Events like this matter because they bring students and employers together in a very direct way. The young people we met were enthusiastic, interested and serious about food. That is good news for the future of hospitality in Northern Ireland. With summer approaching, a lot of operators will be looking for strong people, so it was great to see that potential in the room.”
Conor Brennan of Lasa said:
“What impressed me most was that the students were there because they genuinely love food. You could see that in the way they listened, the questions they asked and the conversations they wanted to have. Northern Ireland needs people like that coming into hospitality, and we need to do all we can to keep them here. There were already discussions on the day around possible summer roles, which shows the value of getting students and employers in the same room.”
Sarah Kennedy added:
“We were delighted by the response to the event from both students and hospitality leaders. Most importantly, it has already sparked conversations around jobs. That shows the value of bringing the right people together and creating genuine connections that can support the future of the industry.”
