It seems perferctly normal now but perhaps one of the most surprising phenomenon of the last ten years has been the rise of the food festival. A decade ago, the idea that the public would want to spend a day watching chefs cook, tasting restaurant dishes and buying food from producers would have been unthinkable. Now, the process of buying and preparing food has become a mass entertainment option.
Tomorrow from 10am, there is a Christmas Food and Drink Festival taking place at Edenmill Farm near Blanefield.There will be loads of home-grown and brewed goodies from companies such as Glengoyne Distillery, Loch Fyne Oysters and WEST Beer. As well as cookery demonstrations from Monachyle Mhor owner and Great British Menu chef Tom Lewis, Ian Brown of the Ubiquitous Chip and Neil Clark of La Vallee Blanche will also be rattling the pans.
The ‘Garden of Consumption’, complete with the inflatable Glengoyne Pub, will be dishing up fresh oysters and salmon from Loch Fyne Oysters, barbequed meats from Edenmill as well as a whole range of produce from Tom Lewis and the team from MHOR Bread and MHOR Fish.
For the children, there will be a cooking competition, judged by Tom Lewis , baby farm animals to feed, carol singing, angel hunts, a straw play area with bouncy castle and inflatable gladiator game and of course, Santa’s Grotto, complete with real reindeers.