A TASTE OF THINGS TO COME
First funded events revealed for Year of Food and Drink 2015
Castle Douglas Food Town Day has been awarded £4,000 as just one of the mouth-watering events that will form the Year of Food and Drink.
With a focus on ‘thinking local’, Food Town Day on 6 June will celebrate local food and drink from Dumfries & Galloway, with artisan producer stalls, cooking demonstrations from local chefs and street entertainment, piping and Highland dancing. The one day event invites visitors and locals to experience the best of the region.
Scotland’s outstanding natural larder will be showcased over the next 12 months at events the length and breadth of the country, including special events supported through a dedicated £265,000 fund aimed at raising awareness of the role food and drink plays in the country’s cultural identity and in shaping the nation’s economic success.
Led by VisitScotland on behalf of the Scottish Government, the Year of Food and Drink aims to increase and promote Scottish produce across the tourism sector and enhance Scotland’s global reputation as a land of food and drink.
Food Town Day is one of many funded events spread across the country including existing or established events such as Borders Book Festival (11-14 June), the Orkney Folk Festival (21-24 May) and the Glasgow Science Festival (4-14 June) – which this year will carry a greater food focus.
Food Town Day is also included in a number of events designed to inspire and engage diverse audiences with Scottish produce, joining the Children’s Food Festival in the Highlands (5-6 June) and Cake Fest Edinburgh (21 June) at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.
Whisky Month will also return in May, with events like Mhor Whisky Festival in Perthshire (23-24 May) and Whisky Stramash in Edinburgh (23-25 May) inviting visitors and locals to sample Scotland’s national drink as well as explore both the traditional and contemporary blend of stories, circumstances, provenance and science behind our vast array of marvelous malts.
With eating traditional dishes and local produce listed as one of the top activities undertaken by visitors to Scotland, promoting food and drink has the potential to provide significant growth for tourism. Recent figures revealed that Scotland’s food and drink tourism industry is worth an estimated £2.5 million per day to the economy.
Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Food, Richard Lochhead said:
“The Year of Food and Drink is a brilliant opportunity to build on Homecoming 2014, and inspire the people of Scotland and our visitors to celebrate the exceptional food and drink we produce the length and breadth of our country.
A representative of the Castle Douglas Development Forum (CDDF) said;
“The CDDF are very pleased to receive support for Food Town Day. The award will mean that the committee can showcase the wonderful selection of local food and drink producers we have here in Dumfries and Galloway. The event will now be able to have a large marquee presence on Market Hill where over 30 local, artisan food and drink producers will be on offer. With this year being the Year of Food and Drink in Scotland we are so pleased to be able to add such a wide selection of local producers to our traditionally very successful event in support of the Food Town initiative.This will help to enhance our reputation as a land of food and drink and achieve the vision of Scotland becoming a Good Food Nation.”
Paula McDonald, Regional Director of VisitScotland, said:
“The region’s reputation for quality food and drink is increasing and the Year of Food and Drink is a chance not just for visitors to sample the best of our natural larder but for people in Scotland to learn more about what is available here.
“Castle Douglas Food Town is a great event which helps encourage visitors from far and wide. Last year we welcomed the world with major events in Scotland and this year is an opportunity to build on that momentum and use Scotland’s key strengths, such as our world-famous food and drink, to take Scotland to the world.”
All funded events will now go through a workshop organised by EventScotland to help develop their Scottish and local food and drink offering and enhance the visitor experience. A further series of special events for July to December 2015 supported through the dedicated £265,000 events fund will be revealed in the coming months.
For a full list of events visit www.visitscotland.com/tastescotland
