Patriotic fancies from MacMo cakes in
Edinburgh. Photograph: Manuel MeyerPeople are attracted to the Edinburgh festival for many reasons. They come to see cutting-edge theatre and cinema, listen to world-class music and maybe meet a best-selling author or two; some come just to hang out on the streets and enjoy the vibe. The one thing they don't come here for, however, is to eat.
There are of course great food experiences to be had in this city's many fine restaurants that happen tangential to - or maybe I should say in spite of - the festival, but I've never met a single person who came to Edinburgh in August specifically for the food.
Having amassed a slew of awards in recent years for the quality of its restaurants and markets, though, it seems Edinburgh is keen to see its newfound culinary sophistication extending to the festival sphere too.
There was a valiant attempt made last year by Andy Williamson to launch an official food festival; sadly, due to ill health, he couldn't continue it this year. Instead, we had Foodies at the Festival, which took place last weekend in the Roxburghe Hotel. Though the abysmal weather outside may have had something to do with it, the packed-to-the-rafters crowd on both days seems to indicate food events are the kind of thing festival-going gastronomes have been hungry for.
Billed as "a celebration of Scottish food and drink", Foodies at the Festival offered admission-payers a programme of events that included guided tastings and chef demonstrations, as well as an extensive exhibition of Scottish products.
We arrived just in time for a four-dram whisky tasting courtesy of Glengoyne Distillery, which primed our stomachs nicely for the endless parade of samples that followed, things like chocolates hand-made on Arran, Orkney ice cream, farmhouse cheeses, fresh oysters, smoked salmon, micro-roasted coffee, small-batch jams, chutneys, liqueurs and organic, free-range meats.
Talking to the various stallholders, many of whose businesses are only a year or two old, the enthusiasm was palpable; I found myself easily agreeing with their vision of a future in which gourmet cottage industries thrive across Scotland and quality, rather than price, drives consumer choices.
But the purveyors weren't the only enthusiastic ones. We managed to catch the tail end of Tom Kitchin's demonstration on Sunday afternoon, and I could scarcely believe my eyes at the number of people willing to brave the theatre's stifling heat for a glimpse of this multi-award-winning chef stuffing a chicken. Carefully-chosen lines like "in my opinion Scotland's produce is the best in the world" elicited the kind of fervour usually reserved for rock stars, not demure young men who preach the art of seasonal Scottish cooking.
As heartening as it was to see such a strong turnout for Foodies at the Festival, though, I can't help but bristle at the exclusive nature of events like these. I would like to see great food celebrated festival-wide, not just for two days (actually, all year round would be my ideal foodie fantasy). And if Scotland is serious about showing off its culinary stripes, why preach only to the admission-paying choir?
This country clearly has no shortage of great ingredients, great producers and great chefs, and if you ask me, there's no better stage for showcasing this than the month-long festival itself. So what do you think could be done to make the whole festival experience more appealing to food-lovers?
· Melissa Kronenthal blogs at travelerslunchbox.com
