Food for thought: Secretary for the Environment Edward Yau compares the deep-fried shrimp rolls to the golden haxagonal columns featured in a photo of one of the Geopark sites.

Visitors can now get a more enriching and refreshing experience during their visits to Hong Kong National Geopark, thanks to the introduction of geopark gourmet dishes.

To connect geology and nature conservation with sustainable socio-economic development, the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department, Sai Kung District Council and Sai Kung restaurant groups have created a variety of gourmet dishes inspired by geological concepts such as volcanicity and superposition.

Forty guests sampled volcanic lava lao sha pau (custard bun) and golden hexagonal columns (deep-fried shrimp rolls) at a lunch in Sai Kung today.

Secretary for the Environment Edward Yau thanked the Sai Kung community for their enthusiastic support for the development of Hong Kong's geopark.

"A geopark will not have a soul if local communities are not involved. Empowering them will increase their sense of ownership to conserve resources while revitalising the local economy," Mr Yau said.