][1]Stuck for a gastro activity to get up to this weekend? Well, if you’re bored rigid with Saturday Kitchen then you could do a lot worse than setting the satnav to Dumfries and Galloway where they are holding a spring preview of Flavour Fortnight, their big, regional food and drink showcase which takes place in August.
This weekend’s events are designed to be a little taster of the main shindig in the summer but, certainly for a prequel, they’ve got a pretty appetising line-up arranged.
There are all the usual tasting sessions and chef demos which you might expect at any food event but some of the other activities make the most of D&G’s rural setting.
If you are up at sparrow fart, literally, on Sunday then you can join the dawn chorus nature walk and breakfast. Later that day, there is a foraging expedition and dinner which will show guests how to find lunch in the hedgerows and rockpools of the surrounding countryside.
The event that really caught my eye is the chance to see the lambing season in action at Auchenree Farm. Not for everyone perhaps but interesting if your only previous brush with lamb has been in the supermarket aisle.
On a similar note, there is a behind the scenes tour and butchery masterclass at Laughtmuirside Farm near Thornhill.
If all the fresh air, livestock and and talk of good arable ground makes you yearn for a bit of dirt under your fingernails then check out the Good Life in Galloway event which offers a crash course in self sufficiency.
][8]