Food-based frolics are easily found around Scotland this weekend. In Finnieston’s SWG3, the inaugural Let’s Eat Glasgow! is taking place.
Styled as ‘Scotland’s first truly indigenous restaurant festival and pop-up market’, it is a cross between a food festival, farmers’ market and social enterprise.
Not for profit co-operative
It is organised by the not-for-profit Real Food, Real Folk co-operative. As well as being the chef patron of The Ubiquitous Chip and Stravaigin, Colin Clydesdale is chair of the co-operative.
He says that the group aims to ‘change perceptions of Glasgow as a food destination and address the city’s food poverty and poverty of awareness’.
Over Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th of September, Let’s Eat Glasgow! will feature live bands, artisan producers from the West of Scotland; chef and producer demos; meet the livestock sessions and, of course, lots of innovative cooking.
The objective is to showcase the fab food produced in the West of Scotland and demonstrate how everybody can make the most of it.
Glasgow has no shortage of great restaurants or great produce but there are large swathes of the city where good, nutritious food is by no means the norm.
The money raised from events such as Let’s Eat Glasgow! will go towards projects that encourage social inclusion and food education.
Live music
Participating restaurants include Cail Bruich, The Cottonrake Bakery, The Crabshakk, The Gannet, Guy’s, Mother India, Ox and Finch, Stravaigin and the Ubiquitous Chip.
Among many others, the musicians playing include Louis Abbot of Admiral Fallow; The Cairn String Quartet and the big brass sound of Glasgow ska band The Partick Monkeys.
The festival will be free to enter. Visitors will be able to swap pre-sold food vouchers for restaurant dishes. The £5 food vouchers are available from www.letseatglasgow.co.uk