Food Festival promises a feast of fun

Published 8 Aug 2011 09:30

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FROM a ready-steady-cook challenge featuring expert local chefs to whisky tastings, gourmet dinners and a special farmers market, this year's East Renfrewshire Food Festival (August 27 to September 2) is shaping up to be the best yet.

At popular Clarkson bar-restaurant venue Clark & Sons, multi award-winning chef Gary Maclean (pictured) will be cooking up a feast at a series of special master class events which also include a tutored wine tasting.

Owner Ryan Barrie said: "When you taste the sort of results you can achieve with cookery of the sort Gary practises you immediately realise just why he won that culinary gold medal recently - and all his other awards."

The art of matching the best wines to particular dishes will be an important element of an evening to remember, with wines supplied by Inverarity Vaults (wine supplier of the year award winners).

This sets the standard for a week-long banquet of culinary delights which will also see Seumas Macinnes, owner of Glasgow's renowned Cafe Gandolfi, presiding over a battle of talent between celebrated local chef-restaurateur John Quigley (Red Onion) and Ian Brown (formerly of the Ubiquitous Chip - now owner of critically-lauded Brown's Restaurant in Williamwood).

In the festival's wide-ranging menu of sizzling-hot dining events the emphasis is squarely on quality, and passion for cookery at its best - with masses of events for children to accompany the fabulous fare on offer for the grown-ups.

It's a first class opportunity to find out first hand what turns a nice meal into a repast fit for the most demanding gourmet chef, but you won't have to become an apprentice chef to enjoy the sumptuous dishes created.

Dates to look out for include Sunday, August 28, when eco-group Go Greener stages its Apple Day at Rouken Glen Pavilion (noon to 4pm) while on the same day there's a welcome appearance of the farmers market at The Avenue shopping centre.

Meanwhile the Clark & Sons evenings are on Tuesday, August 30 and Thursday, September 1 - contact the restaurant direct for to book.

The overall theme of this year's East Renfrewshire Food Festival is sustainability and growing your own food, with plenty of tips and advice available to help local gardeners produce their own first class vegetables and herbs.

Caulders Braidbar Garden Centre will be hosting special sessions with local producers which will include plenty of opportunity to sample prime produce as you learn how to turn everyday vegetables into memorable meals.

And there are special offer vouchers in the council's brochure which can be used throughout the festival, and you'll find this leaflet at council offices, libraries, etc.

This article appeared in Eastwood Mercury 08 Aug 11