After the rip roaring success of last year’s inaugural Let’s Eat Glasgow!, the food festival is set to return to SWG3 in Finnieston this weekend.
It is organised by the not for profit group Real Food, Real Folk. A co-operative of Glasgow restaurants, the group comprises Cail Bruich, Crabshakk, Guy’s Restaurant, Mother India, Ox and Finch, Stravaigin, The Gannet and Ubiquitous Chip.
The aim is to shine a light on the great food and drink being grown, reared, fished and cooked in and around Glasgow while recognizing, and raising money to help tackle, food inequality across the city.
Artisan producers
As well as pop-up restaurants serving great dishes – prices start at £5 – there will be live music; a market with some 50 artisan producers plus a showcase of nine innovative Glasgow-based social enterprises which have been given free stand space in the pop-up market.
Participating social enterprises this year are: Freedom Bakery, Shettleston Community Growing Project, Slow Food Glasgow, The East Ate/Bottle of Ginger, The Milk Café, Unity Enterprise’s Spoon Café, Urban Edge, Woodlands Community Garden and the Zero Waste Wise Project.
This year, the eight Real Food, Real Folk restaurants will be joined by eight guest restaurants – Banana Leaf, Café Gandolfi, El Perro Negro, Eusebi Deli, Lychee Oriental, Martha’s, The Hanoi Bike Shop and Wee Guy’s. A host of celebrities and guest chefs will also be donating their time.
Address food inequality
Any profits made by Let’s Eat Glasgow! will go towards Real Food, Real Folk’s work to address food inequality in the city.
Real Food, Real Folk is distributing 3,000 free restaurant food vouchers among the participating social enterprises and a wide range of community groups across the city.
Colin Clydesdale, Chair of Real Food, Real Folk, says:
‘We came together to create our not for profit co-operative Real Food, Real Folk because we wanted to be part of the growing movement of chefs across the world who are leaving the comfort of their kitchen to work with grassroots organisations helping improve access to good food.
‘We knew we couldn’t shout about the great food we have in Glasgow and across the West of Scotland without trying to do something to help address the very real food inequality across our town.
‘We are surrounded by great local produce yet we continue to be a long way from being a place where everyone has the choice and opportunity to eat well.
‘We quickly discovered the wealth of really innovative and successful community projects working to improve access to good, local food here in Glasgow and designed Let’s Eat Glasgow! to raise money to help them.
‘We hope everyone coming along to Let’s Eat Glasgow! takes the time to chat to the participating social enterprises, buy their produce and help drive the movement for change across the city.’
Buy restaurant vouchers
Let’s Eat, Glasgow! takes place at SWG3, Finnieston on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th September. Entry is free. Vouchers for the pop-up restaurants can be bought in advance from here. The organisers recommend the pre-purchase of vouchers.
