Photo of
July 28, 2015
There will be no shortage of cakes at Foodies Festival.
There will be no shortage of cakes at Foodies Festival.

August is nearly upon us and once more Edinburgh is beginning to get busy with enthusiastic young thesps and hopeful comedians desperate to avoid the shame of a one star review.

But the various arts festivals are not the only show in town. Foodies Festival is at Inverleith Park on the 7-9th August, the same weekend as the Fringe opening.

Tenth anniversary

Unbelievably, it’s the tenth anniversary of Foodies and my, how it has grown. From the original Edinburgh bash, the event now takes place in thirteen different cities over the course of the summer.

Last year’s Edinburgh Foodies welcomed 34,000 visitors. This year, the organisers have expanded the festival site by 50%, making room for new food and drink theatres, an extended Producers Market and a huge selection of street food for visitors to feast on.

The Aga Rangemaster Chefs Theatre welcomes Michelin-star, celebrity and top local chefs, who will cook their favourite summer recipes. Chefs confirmed include:

Jamie Scott – MasterChef: The Professionals 2014 winner

Adam Handling – Adam Handling at Caxton voted Scotland’s Chef of the Year

Fraser Allan – The Pompadour by Galvin

Mark Greenaway – Restaurant Mark Greenaway

Neil Forbes – Café St Honoré

Jian Wang – Chop Chop

A day out with friends at Foodies Festival.
A day out with friends at Foodies Festival.

Highlights of the Festival

New Wine and Champagne Theatre: Experts Neil Phillips and Charles Metcalfe guide visitors through this season’s best bubblies from around the world, while beer expert Melissa Cole is on-hand in the New Craft Beer Theatre with food and beer pairing master classes.

New Tasting Theatre: Festival-goers can learn new skills and discover new flavours with masterclasses in bee keeping, sushi rolling and sausage making, and chocolate experts Coeur de Xocolat host ‘How to Sniff Chocolate like a Rockstar’ classes, which leave participants tasting chocolate for hours.

Street Food Avenue: A feasting hub which takes visitors on a flavour adventure around the world. Japanese, Thai, Brazilian, Argentine, Indian, Mexican, French and African are just some of the cuisines visitors can tuck into at communal tables.

Cake & Bake Theatre: A haven for passionate bakers with Scotland’s top cake makers and patissiers sharing their tips for baking delicious summer cakes.

Artisan Producers Market: over 200 artisan producers from Scotland and across the UK selling everything from award-winning salted caramel cheese to pink raspberry gin.

Chilli Market: A destination for those who like it really hot, selling UK grown chillies and face-meltingly spicy sauces. The brave and foolish can try the Chilli Eating Competition to try and break the current record of 16 million Scoville units and win the Chilli Eating Crown.

New Spaghetti-Eating Competition: pairs of contestants – friends and strangers – race from either end of a four meter spaghetti to be crowned ‘Lady and her Champ’.

Under 12s go free and mini-gourmets can explore their taste buds and learn basic cooking skills with Picnic in the Park-themed master classes in the Children’s Cookery Theatre.

Tickets are on sale now at www.foodiesfestival.com or by calling 0844 995 1111

Friday adult day ticket £10 (£8 concession)

Saturday or Sunday adult day ticket £13 (£11 concession)

3-day adult ticket £20 (£16 concession)

Friday VIP ticket £35

Saturday or Sunday VIP ticket £38

VIP tickets include a welcome glass of bubbly, access to the VIP tent with private bar and refreshments throughout the day, priority entry to food and drink masterclasses, a goody bag and a showguide.

Open times:

Friday 7th August: 11am-7pm;

Saturday 8th August: 10am-8pm;

Sunday 9th August: 10am-7pm.

Over 200 producers will be sampling and selling at Foodies.
Over 200 producers will be sampling and selling at Foodies.