Press release -
Garden Explorers Launch a Fortnight of Food Adventures
Children from Aultmore Park Primary School embarked on a food adventure to celebrate the launch of Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight. The Fortnight, which runs from 6 – 21 September, promotes the wealth of produce available in Scotland, offering people the opportunity to learn more about Scottish products, discover new tastes and meet producers.
A dozen pupils from the school in Easterhouse in Glasgow embraced their Fortnight food adventure challenge and got green fingered digging out some delicious, fresh and seasonal vegetables from the school’s allotment.
This year people are encouraged to embark on their own Fortnight food adventures to experience the best food and drink Scotland’s rich larder has to offer. From foraging or growing your own, like the pupils from Aultmore Park, to heading along to one of the many Fortnight events taking place across Scotland or even simply by trying a new Scottish ingredient or recipe, organisers are challenging the public to take stock of the culinary wonders right on their doorsteps.
Scotland Food & Drink chief executive James Withers said:
“The pupils at Aultmore Park have embraced their food adventure and their hard work and enthusiasm is evident in their bumper crop. We want people of all ages to get involved in the same way and try something new this Fortnight.
“Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight is the perfect opportunity to shout about Scotland’s delicious produce. Our world class natural larder offers premium produce which has earned us our reputation as a Land of Food and Drink.
“A host of diverse events are taking place around the country as part of the celebration ranging from food festivals and special menus to farmers’ markets and cookery demonstrations. There is something to appeal to all tastes, ages and budgets, with many of the events free of charge and numerous promotions in hundreds of retailers.”
Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Food Richard Lochhead said:
“My ambition is for everyone in Scotland to enjoy the benefits of our nation’s spectacular food and drink success. Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight continues to go from strength to strength with events the length and breadth of the country showcasing our outstanding larder. These are a great way to experience the fantastic produce we have on offer and I call on everyone in Scotland in make a special effort to celebrate our larder over the next fortnight and enjoy the fresh, local produce available on our doorstep.”
Deputy head teacher at Aultmore Park Primary School, Alison Pears, said:
“It’s great to see the children so enthusiastic about growing their own food – they really do see it as a food adventure. They are so excited to see what they have planted grow and flourish into something they can pick, eat and enjoy.
“I think it’s great that this year’s Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight is encouraging food adventures and I hope that more young people are inspired to grow try something new and explore the wonderful food and drink we have in Scotland.”
Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, said:
“Scotland’s food and drink offering has something to suit all tastes, quite literally! The next fortnight offers the perfect opportunity to explore and experience our country’s culinary delights, with a series of amazing events and festivals taking place across the entire country. I urge all Scots and visitors to Scotland to take the time to embark on their own food adventures, whether it’s cooking with Scottish produce, visiting a new restaurant or taking a trip to discover dining in a new location, it all helps raise awareness of our national larder.
“Worth an estimated £14bn to the Scottish economy, the food and drink industry has enjoyed strong growth in recent years. Food is an important part of the tourism experience, visitors to Scotland spend over a fifth of their budgets on eating and drinking, so the industry has the potential to provide significant growth for tourism. This year’s Food & Drink Fortnight is particularly significant, acting as the perfect starter to 2015’s Year of Food and Drink.“
Aultmore Park Primary School is part of Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Eco-Schools programme - an international initiative designed to encourage whole-school action on sustainable projects which includes educating young people on the benefits of growing their own food.
Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight will also act as an excellent introduction to the Scottish Government’s 2015 Year of Food and Drink celebrations and is a key part of the Year of Homecoming.
To learn more about Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight and how you can be involved visit
www.scottishfoodanddrinkfortnight.co.uk, like www.facebook.com/eatscottish
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- homecoming 2014
- year of food & drink
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors:
Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight
Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight is the annual celebration of Scotland's fantastic produce, which takes place every September. Delivered by industry leadership organisation Scotland Food & Drink since 2009, the Fortnight grows more successful every year.
The Fortnight aims to highlight the fresh, seasonal and locally sourced food and drink products available throughout the country and the producers behind them. The 16-day series of events will also act as an excellent lead in to the 2015 Year of Food and Drink celebrations.
Some of this year’s key events include:
• Dundee Flower and Food Festival 5, 6 and 7 September
• Loch Lomond Food & Drink Festival 6 and 7 September
• Huntly Hairst Food & Farming Festival 6 and 7 September
• Best of the West Festival 13 and 14 September
• City of Elgin Food and Drink Festival 20 September
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation has three key roles:
- To market Scotland to all parts of the world to attract visitors
- To provide information – and inspiration – to visitors and potential visitors so they get the best out of a visit to Scotland
- To provide quality assurance to visitors and quality advice to the industry and partners to help the industry meet and strive to exceed customer expectations
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- 2014 is the year Scotland welcomes the world, when it hosts the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles and more than 800 Homecoming events throughout the country.For more information on Homecoming Scotland 2014, go to www.visitscotland.com
- The VisitScotland Information Centre network is a unique face-to-face channel engaging with around five million visitors and locals each year. Everyone who uses a VisitScotland Information Centre goes on to spend an additional £5.35, generating over £24 million for Scotland’s economy.
- According to a recent Deloitte study, tourism employs 270,000 people in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the industry contributes £11 billion annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland.
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
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- For more information on VisitScotland’s annual review please go to www.visitscotland.org/about_us/our_focus/annual_report.aspx
