The popular Taste of Shetland Festival is back for 2019 in a new venue. Islesburgh Community Centre will host Shetland food and drink stalls, culinary demonstrations and interactive workshops between 11am and 5pm Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th November. An evening event is also planned for 6-11pm Saturday 23rd.
This year’s festival has a family and community focus, with new children’s activities and live music featuring on the programme.
The main festival sponsors are Scottish Sea Farms. Their Heart of the Community Coordinator, Georgie Mackenzie, said: “Shetland and quality home-grown produce go hand-in-hand: from seafood, beef and lamb, to dairy, bakery, preserves and gin, the list is as long as it is impressive.
“The Taste of Shetland Festival brings all of this together under one roof for young and old alike to celebrate, enjoy, experiment with, learn about and unite behind. It’s a celebration of eating well and eating ‘local’, and as such it’s an event that we are really delighted to be part of.”
A highlight of the weekend will be cookery competition finals in Peerie Bites (under-18) and Muckle Bites (over-18) categories. Potential competitors are still encouraged to apply via heats in Vidlin, Baltasound, Skeld, Bigton or Sandwick. Under-18s prepare one savoury dish and over-18s make two courses. Peerie Bites winners receive a day at Gary Maclean’s Saturday Cook School in Glasgow and the Muckle Bites victor will enjoy a six course tasting menu with matching wines at Restaurant Martin Wishart in Edinburgh. Cookery competition sponsorship comes from Cooke Aquaculture (Muckle Bites), NorthLink (Peerie Bites) and Loganair (transport). DFDS Logistics are also financially supporting the festival.
Programme schedule will be publicised in the next few weeks.