Spurtles, Smoothies and Smoked Salmon: Scottish Food Festivals

Scottish food festivals generally celebrate seasonal produce. The biggest event is Scottish Food Fortnight, which is held in September, and draws in farm shops, markets, hotels and restaurants across Scotland. Supported by Lady Claire Macdonald, it has a strong focus on Scottish meat, game and fish. The festival, which runs from 6th to 21st September 2008, will be launched on 5th September in the magnificent grounds of Glamis Castle – the childhood home of the late Queen Mother. Loads of events are held, making September a great time for culinary tours of Scotland. You’ll be able to enjoy free tastings of all sorts of Scottish produce such as Aberdeen Angus beef, smoked salmon, cheese and whisky.

Fish from Fife

The country is famed for the quality of its fish, so it’s not surprising that several Scottish food festivals are devoted to seafood. There’s one in the picturesque East Neuk of Fife, a group of fishing villages on the coast near St Andrews. One of them, Anstruther, has a great seafood restaurant as well as one of Britain’s best fish and chip shops – it’s so popular that the queues can stretch along the street. Fish festivals are also held in Tarbert, in Loch Fyne and in Arbroath – where you’ll get the chance to taste Arbroath smokies.

October is a busy month and there are food festivals in Glasgow, Peebles and the Highlands. There’s also a specialist Mushroom Festival in the pretty town of Aberfoyle in the Trossachs - Rob Roy McGregor country in the tourist brochures. They’re giving it a Spanish theme this year.

Stir Your Porridge

However, if you want to try traditional Scottish foods, one event stands out above all the others. It’s the Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championships, held in Carrbridge, Inverness-shire. Your chance to find out whether you should make it with milk or water – and whether you should be sprinkling it with salt, rather than your usual dollop of jam.

There are also food festivals in:

England

Wales

Find out about them, and culinary tours of the country, at uk-food-drink-travel.com