Latest news with #StranraerOysterFestival
The Herald Scotland
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Seven unmissable foodie festivals in Scotland this summer
From a spirited celebration of the humble Oyster to a day of whisky sipping in a Highland city, find out more below. Foodies Festival August 1 to 3 at Inverleith Park, Edinburgh August 8 to 10 at Rouken Glen Park, Glasgow Taking place across both Edinburgh and Glasgow in August is the Foodies Festival, a family-friendly event that attracts some of the culinary world's biggest names every year. Expect the likes of Gary Maclean, Dean Banks and The Hebridean Baker to roll up their sleeves for live cooking demos, while elsewhere, budding chefs can take part in kids' cookery lessons to hone their skills. Each day of foodie fun will be rounded off by performances from artists like The Wanted 2.0, Symphonic Ibiza or Scouting for Girls. Stranraer Oyster Festival Stranraer harbourside September 12 to 14 Just last week, it was announced that TV chefs Matt Tebbutt and Rosemary Shrager will join festival favourites Tony Singh and Julie Lin to headline this year's Stranraer Oyster Festival. A lively celebration of Scotland's last wild, native oyster fishery, the event seeks to entertain and educate with a new Speaker's Corner launched for 2025. The highly competitive Scottish Oyster Shucking Championships will also take place during the festival as challengers battle it out for their spot at the World Oyster Opening Championships in Ireland. Edinburgh Folk and Food Festival Assembly George Square Gardens, Edinburgh July 18 to 27 There's change afoot this year for the Edinburgh Food Festival as the annual event rebrands with a new name and concept. The newly expanded Folk & Food Festival in July will include a host of delicious food and drinks from local traders as well as a jam-packed programme of free and ticketed events and live folk music. With performances from Duncan Chisholm, The Unthanks, The East Pointers, and more, the team promises it will be an "exciting new addition to the Edinburgh festival scene". Look out for street food favourites like Moskito Bites, The Peruvian, Jarvis Pickle Pies, Ceylon Cartel and many more doing their thing over the week. The Royal Highland Show Ingliston, Edinburgh June 19 to 22 Taking place this weekend is the Royal Highland Show, an annual event which showcases 'the best of food, farming and rural life' in Scotland. The 'Scotland's Larder' hub is the place to be for foodies over the weekend, bringing together talented artisan producers from across the country in one room. Event organisers have also curated the Food for Thought Conference and Cookery Theatre, where chefs and producers will prepare dishes live on stage. Stick about for the Royal Highland Hoolie if you fancy an evening of full of music from Scottish trad artists and Irish Country bands. Scottish National Whisky Festival Eden Court, Inverness Saturday, July 5 A dream day out for any whisky enthusiast, this festival gives ticket holders the chance to sample hundreds of different drams from "old school gems to Islay powerhouses to lesser-known producers and bold new voices from across the whisky spectrum". To find out more about what to expect, revisit our experience of the Glasgow edition of the festival here: Scottish National Whisky Festival embodies Glasgow spirit. The Scottish Game Fair Scone Palace July 4 to 6 It's game on as this celebration of Scotland's 'rich countryside heritage' returns to the grounds of Scone Palace next month. Acclaimed chefs Tom Kitchin and Tony Singh are set to headline the Highland Fire cage Kitchen, where they will cook up a storm over charcoal, while over in the Cookery Theatre, talented cooks will stage live demos showing crowds how to get the best out of game such as Scottish venison. A stop by the food hall to stock up on local produce, including charcuterie and aged cheese, is a must. Sausage and Cider Festival Camperdown Park, Dundee Saturday, August 16 This quirky one-day event offers Dundee festival goers the chance to choose from over 30 different ciders to accompany their freshly grilled sausages of choice. Anyone feeling extra peckish can enter 'eating contests' to test the limits of their appetites throughout the afternoon, or simply peruse the onsite market for foodie goodies to take home. There's also a huge range of tribute acts set to perform on the main stage, followed by headliners Scouting for Girls. If you're based in Aberdeen, the festival will be visiting the city on Saturday, August 9, while Glasgow welcomes the event to Rouken Glen Park on Saturday, September 9.
Daily Record
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Saturday Kitchen's Matt Tebutt and TV chef Rosemary Shrager to headline Stranraer Oyster Festival
Tony Singh and Julie Lin will also be returning, with Bake Off star Dr James Morton and a number of local chefs also appearing. Saturday Kitchen's Matt Tebutt and TV chef Rosemary Shrager will headline this year's Stranraer Oyster Festival. Tony Singh and Julie Lin will also be returning, with Bake Off star Dr James Morton and a number of local chefs also appearing. The festival will take place from September 12 to 18, with Matt making a dash from BBC's Saturday Kitchen studio for his festival debut. He'll be making multiple appearances, including an exclusive in conversation event, and he will lead the new Sunday Oyster Kitchen. He said: 'I'm genuinely excited to be part of Stranraer Oyster Festival. What draws me to events like this is the opportunity to celebrate truly exceptional local produce in the place where it's grown or caught. 'The story of Loch Ryan's native oysters is remarkable. You've got this incredible natural resource that's been sustainably managed for centuries, and now it's the heart of a festival that's brought a whole community together. 'That's exactly the kind of food story I want to be part of.' Rosemary Shrager, whose warmth and expertise have made her a household name through shows including The Real Marigold Hotel and I'm a Celebrity, brings her passion for seasonal cooking and local produce to both cookery demonstration and in conversation' events. The festival's chef ambassador Tony Singh will make his fifth, with Julie Lin returning for the third time The festival also welcomes back popular local chefs including Ryan McCutcheon, the Lisi brothers, Douglas and Massimo and David Alexander from Dunskey Estate, and includes a special event from Penninghame Cooking School. Podcaster and cookery writer Helen Cross returns to her home town of Stranraer to host an event with Dr James Morton, expert bread baker and a finalist in the 2012 series of Great British Bake Off. Stranraer Development Trust chairman, Roman Petrucci, said: 'What excites me most about this year's line-up is the calibre of chefs who said yes when we approached them. Matt Tebbutt, Rosemary Shrager, Julie Lin - these are people at the very top of their game who could be anywhere, doing anything, but they want to be here, in Stranraer, celebrating with us. 'That tells you everything about the reputation this festival has built. We're a destination that attracts the best talent in the country. I can't wait to introduce this year's chefs to Stranraer and share the passion and determination that is making our oyster festival one of the most popular food festivals in Scotland.' Stranraer Oyster Festival 2025 is sponsored by Lactalis UK & Ireland, alongside Rock Island whisky from Douglas Laing, Stranraer Skills Station and Loch Ryan Oyster Fishery Company. The festival is supported by Dumfries and Galloway Council's signature events programme and the coastal benefit fund, and the work of Stranraer Development Trust is also supported by South of Scotland Enterprise and The Holywood Trust.
Daily Mail
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Countryfile sparks wave of complaints as farming special leaves BBC viewers furious and ‘unwell' - but who's in the wrong?
Countryfile sparked a wave of complaints after a farming special left some BBC viewers furious and 'unwell'. Sunday's instalment of the show featured presenters Adam Henson, Sammi Kinghorn and Matt Baker. The special episode showcased their different techniques during lambing season and even captured a sheep giving birth. 'With the health of the animals being so important and then you've got unpredictable outcomes and of course the physical and mental strain of looking after so many animals,' Adam said. 'Lambing can be a tough time for sheep farmers.' The programme delved into how Matt was dealing with a change in sheep breed on his farm, while Sammi and her father demonstrated how they get ewes to foster lambs. However, the instalment was hit with backlash from some viewers who expressed their issues with what was shown on the episode. One posted on X: 'What the lambing #CountryFile, 4/5/2025 isn't looking at is how male lambs not chosen as tups for breeding are treated, & how the male presenters on the programme would like being treated that way (ouch!!).' 'I don't understand how farmers can put all this care and attention into the wellbeing of their flocks only to then send them for halal/kosher slaughter at a later date...' According to the Express, someone else said: 'I don't feel well #countryfile.' Some found the episode uninteresting and wrote: 'Time to ditch Countryfile. It's so dull.' Another commented: 'The poor mother, her lamb is huge… #Countryfile.' While others spoke positively of the episode and one penned: 'What's happened to #Countryfile tonight? 'It looks like they've suddenly remembered it used to be a programme for farmers and those involved in the countryside. More of this please.' Last year, Countryfile was bombarded with complaints just minutes into a show as fans raged 'I can't believe it!' over a baffling report. However, the instalment was hit with backlash from some viewers who expressed their issues with what was shown on the episode The BBC show usually gives insight into farming and rural life, but some took issue with the episode being dominated by oysters. The instalment was presented by Joe Crowley and Adam Henson and Joe headed to Scotland to discover more about the famous Stranraer Oyster Festival. He followed fishermen as they caught the oysters in the sea to provide for the 10,000 that are used for the festival for punters to enjoy. Still, many were confused that the show was mostly dominated by seafood and fishing. Countryfile airs weekly on BBC One and is available to stream on iPlayer.
