THE Scottish Borders delivers great gastronomic flavour in Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink An estimated £14.06m is spent on food and drink every year by visitors from Great Britain staying overnight in The Scottish Borders, new figures have revealed.

It comes as a 12-month celebration of Scotland’s natural larder was launched by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead, as several award winning businesses in The Scottish Borders showcase the best of Scottish food and drink.

The Year of Food and Drink will build upon the momentum generated in 2014, increase and promote Scottish produce across the tourism sector and enhance Scotland’s global reputation as a Land of Food and Drink.

It will be supported with activity by VisitScotland including; a new TV advert which will be shown across the UK in 2015, a bespoke logo, an event fund, a dedicated Year of Food and Drink Growth Fund, social media activity, industry engagement and international marketing, which will focus on connecting ‘plate to place’ - linking the country’s food and drink with brilliant moments around Scotland.

Starting on the January 1 and running until the end of December 2015, there will be ample to whet the appetite of visitors including a packed programme of food-focused events taking place throughout Scotland, and a series of monthly themes for tourism businesses highlighting key food and drink industries such as seafood, whisky and soft fruits.

With trying local food ranked as the top activity undertaken by visitors to The Scottish Borders, the region’s reputation for quality food and drink experiences is growing. There are currently more than 20 Taste Our Best accredited businesses in The Scottish Borders including recent awardees; Skirling House by Biggar, the Cobbles Inn at Kelso, the Schoolhouse B&B at Selkirk, Traquair House B&B near Innerleithen, Oblo Bar & Bistro in Eyemouth and the Lodge at Carfraemill at Lauder.

A joint initiative between VisitScotland and the Scottish Government, Taste Our Best is designed to recognise businesses including hotels, restaurants, cafes, takeaways, visitor attractions and B&Bs that not only offer a quality food and drink experience, but include and promote Scottish produce on their menus, to give consumers choice.

Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Food, Richard Lochhead, said: “Scotland’s food and drink is world-renowned for its exceptional quality and unrivalled provenance, and so it comes as no surprise that it is already a big draw for visitors. My ambition for Scotland as a Good Food Nation is for us all to make the most of our outstanding natural larder, which has a turnover of almost £14 billion. The Year of Food and Drink is a fantastic opportunity to show off at home and abroad the delicious local produce we have right on our doorstep and to build on the already phenomenal success of our food and drink sector.”