Tickets launched and Impressive line-up announced for top food festival

Tickets launched and Impressive line-up announced for top food festival

Top chefs and industry connoisseurs confirmed for Foodies at the Festival 2007

Tickets are now on sale for this year’s Foodies at the Festival and as the excitement builds more and more top names join the bill. Edinburgh festivals only dedicated food event will celebrate Scottish food and drink at the Sheraton Grand Hotel and Festival Square on the 23rd and 24th August. Following a highly successful debut in 2007 the event is attracting Scotland’s finest chefs, leading industry connoisseurs and an impressive line-up of producers.

Hour-long demonstrations will take place in the specially created chefs theatres, they will focus on Scottish ingredients and aim to inspire visitors to recreate the dishes themselves, many of the ingredients can be sourced at the outdoor market. Michelin-starred chefs Martin Wishart, Tom Kitchin and Liam Ginniane of Champany Inn are booked as well as award-winning Paul Tamburrini of Hotel du Vin in Glasgow. BAFTA awarding winning Hardeep Singh Kohli comes fresh from his culinary journal around India to cook his favourite British dish, with an Indian twist.

Following the high attendance at last year’s drink masterclasses the organisers have included food masterclasses in this year’s programme.  Classes will be held in areas ranging from chocolate to special cheeses. Mackies award winning ice-cream will be unveiling new flavours of ice cream and Demijon liquid deli will be showcasing their remarkable collection of products sourced from around the world.

This year the producers market has moved outdoors, allowing more spaces for more stalls, and a larger arena for hot food preparation and café-style seating areas. Roy Brett, head Chef at Dakota will also be launching a ‘Seafood Shack’ where wide ranges of fresh seafood will be available and prepared in front of you; leading Spanish Tapas Restaurant La Tasca will be recreating the vibrate Spanish atmosphere and serving traditional dishes with authentic taste of Spain. This year’s fantastic range of exhibitors include Foodies Boxes, stylish hampers; everything olive related from Love Olive; juicy grass fed Aberdeen Angus beef from Well Hung and Tender; award winning pork from Piperfield; organic vegetables from Bandirran Garden; and wine from Appellation and Brown Brothers.

Sue commented: 

“Foodies was very well attended last year and this year we’re moving to a larger venue in order to provide more visitors with more fantastic Scottish food and drink experiences.  I’m very proud to live in a country with such a rich larder and want to do my part in sharing it with the rest of the world.”

The Edinburgh Festival is the world’s largest arts event, incorporating the international, fringe, book and jazz festivals which take place in Edinburgh during August.  Last year the festivals attracted over 2 million visitors.

ENDS

For further information and images please contact Lee McGregor or Roben Hera at Crimson Edge PR.

Tel: 0131 311 7050 Fax: 0131 311 7051

Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Editor’s Notes

·               Tickets are on sale now and can be purcheed through the Fringe box office, buy calling 0131 226 7766 or visiting www.foodiesfestival.com

·               Foodies at the Festival 2008 is located at the Sheraton Grand on Lothian Road directly opposite the Usher Hall, the Lyceum and Traverse Theatres, and within close walking distance of many other prime festival venues

·               Research carried out through Edinburgh Festivals magazine by Sue Hitchen, director of Edinburgh-based The Media Company, identified a strong desire from festival fans for a food-focused event.  Foodies at the Festival was created to meet that demand.

·               Edinburgh is recognised as Scotland’s culinary capital.  The city now boasts three Michelin-starred restaurants

·               Demonstrating chefs

Martin Wishart – Restaurant Martin Wishart

Paul Tamburrini – Hotel du Vin, Glasgow

Neil Forbes – Atrium

Stuart Muir – Harvey Nicols, Forth Floor Restaurant

Tom Lewis – Monachyle Mhor

Jeff Bland – Number One, The Balmoral

Jacqueline O’Donnell – The Sisters Restaurant

Roy Brett – Dakota

Malcolm Webster – Sheraton Grand Hotel

Jamie Wakeford – Winner of the Scottish Food Scholarship

Hardeep Sing Kholi

·         Foodies at the Festival Masterclasses:

Alcohol:

o    Lovely Bubbly - 2 Sessions

      a. Vintage Champagne

      b. Non-vintage Champagne

o    Glengoyne Distillery

     a. Whisky

     b. Whisky with chocolate

o    Geraldine Coates – gin masterclass

o    Cooley Irish

Irish Whisky method and tastings.

o    Stewart Brewery

Local brewer demonstrating Edinburgh beers and production and tastings.

o    Appellation Wines

     a. New World Wines

      b. Old World Wines

o    Better Beverage

     a. Coffees of the world

     b. Teas of the world.

o    George Hotel – Cocktail and Canapé

Non-Alcohol

o    Demijohn - 2 sessions - variations of an olive oil theme.

 Tastings, methods etc.

o    Smoothie maker - tasters, fruits, benefits etc.

o    Loch Arthur x 2

Cheese - method, tastings etc.

o    Mackies Ice-cream x 2

 - New flavours and smoothies.

o    Delfour Hatchery x 2

Method to smoking trout and sustaining livestock.

o    La Trinity x 2

Authentic Caribbean products

·               Stall holders for the producers’ market include:

•  
  • Angus Organics – Organic Meat Produce
  • Appellation Wines – Cases of exciting wines.
  • Bandirran Estate – Organic Produce
  • Brown Brothers – Global Leading Australian Wine
  • Chocolate Tree – luxury selection of chocolate
  • Cooley Irish Whisky – Best of the Irish
  • Dakota Hotel in partnership with DR Collins are launching a 'Seafood Shack'
  • Delfour Hatchery – Sustainably farmed Scottish Brown Trout.
  • Demijohn – Liquid Deli – Oils, Vinegars, Wines etc
  • Devenick Dairy – Aberdeen produced cheeses and yoghurts.
  • Findlaters – Home Made Pate
  • Foodie Boxes – Scottish Food Hampers full of quality produce.
  • Godminster Vintage –Organic Produce – Cheese, Vodka, Crackers, Chutney
  • Henderson Wines – International quality wines.
  • La Tasca – Leading Spanish Tapas Restaurant
  • Macleod Distillery – Whisky Distillers, Blenders and Bottlers
  • Mackie’s Ice-cream – a selection of ice-creams, sorbets and smoothies.
  • Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), promoting sustainable fish.
  • Mr Lindsay Grieve’s - Championship Haggis
  • Muriel’s Kitchen – Jams, Preserves, Chutneys
  • Oleifera – RapeSeed Oil
  • Pampered Chef – International company with quality kitchenware.
  • Piperfield Pork –Pork and award winning sausages.
  • Simpsons of Speyside – Oatcakes and Biscuits
  • Spencerfield Spirits – Unique Whisky
  • Stewart Brewers – Independent and Local Brewery
  • Stoats Porridge Bars –Organic and Flavoured Porridge
  • Terra Rossa – Specialist Olive Oil
  • Townhouse Company  - barbecue by high-end hotel business.
  • Weardale Organic Soups
  • Well Hung and Tender – Award winning Beef.
  • Wickenfen – Gourmet Vegetarian Produce