Having filled Holyrood Park with appetising smells in August, the Foodies Festival will be spreading Christmas cheer at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh this weekend.
As well as more than ninety producers’ stalls, Foodies promises kids’ cooking classes, wine and whisky tastings, chocolate making masterclasses and Spanish wine and food matching courtesy of Iggy Campos, the owner of Igg’s.
The biggest draws are always the chefs performing in their theatre kitchen. As well as Michelin men such as Tony Borthwick of The Plumed Horse and Jeff Bland of Number One at The Balmoral, the line-up is packed with 5pm members. John Quigley of Red Onion, Charlie Jarvie of Tempus, Paul Tamburrini of Glasgow’s rather yummy Hotel du Vin, The Tower‘s Gavin Elden, the hard-working Jacqueline O’Donnell of The Sisters and Neil Forbes, who is boss of the kitchens at Blue, The Atrium and Cafe St Honore will all be manning the pans. According to the event’s organiser, the girls and boys in the chefs’ whites have promised to demonstrate accessible recipes that any fudger could manage.
Among the restaurants showcasing their dishes is Amber at the Scotch Whisky Experience. They will be serving mini-portions of their casserole of saddle of venison served with mashed roasted parsnips at £5 a pop and their whisky marmalade ice cream with candied orange at £3 a time.
Tickets, which are valid for both days of the event, cost £10 for adults but your old chums at 5pm are running a tasty two for one deal if you book through here. What are you waiting for?