Say ‘Sayonara!’ to the sofa. It is summertime and, this weekend, there are all sorts of great food and drink festivals where you can scoff and slurp to your heart’s content.
First up, we have Fyne Fest. Now in its seventh year, the festival of food, beer and music has grown in size from 350 people to 2000.
Held in the field surrounding Fyne Ales, this weekend’s festivities will feature some 200 cask and keg beers and ciders. Food will be provided by producers like Loch Fyne Oysters and Winston Churchill Venison as well as food trucks from outfits such as The Real Mackay Stovie Co and Woodburns Pizza.
On the music front, there will be two stages at Fynefest, one in the main marquee and one at The Brewery Tap.
You can browse the line-ups here but the star attractions include Orkestra Del Sol and The Big Shoogle. Speaking personally, I’ve a soft spot for the Banjo Lounge 4 and their bluegrass take on hits down the decades.
Check out the ticket info.
Crail Food Fest
On the other side of the country, the Crail Food Festival is returning for its sixth year.
This time around there is a focus on the area’s fishing heritage as part of Scotland’s Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design.
As well as offering the opportunity to taste fresh local seafood, the Crail Food Festival is working with the Scottish Fisheries Museum to showcase Crail’s history as a traditional fishing village.
The festival encourages visitors to explore a wide variety of locations across Crail, from the famous working harbour; Crail’s town hall (this year acting as a ticket hub) and the Legion Hall at the village centre to the Kirk Hall and Community Hall, where a bustling Producers’ Market is held.
Fife producers will be much in evidence with around 80 participants scheduled to take part. There will also be a series of new Food Conversations with chefs and food insiders, giving visitors the opportunity to find out the stories behind what they’re eating and drinking.
A new marquee will also be placed close to the village’s historic trading marketplace with food served on Saturday and Sunday. More food stalls will be located at the harbour on Sunday.
Edinburgh Juniper Festival
Finally, gin lovers will be delighted to welcome the Edinburgh Juniper Festival back to Summerhall.
As well as cocktails, street food, gin talks and fashion/craft stalls, there will be more than 30 different gins to sample.
While on the subject of gin, have you seen our updated ginfographic showing Scotland’s top gin distillers?
Have a great weekend.