Garden Show & Event News

Soil Association brings Europe's biggest organic food celebration to Glasgow  

The Soil Association is hosting its first Organic Food Festival in Scotland on 4 and 5 November at Glasgow's Old Fruitmarket, at the heart of the vibrant Merchant City. The Festival will showcase the best in organic food and drink, including a large proportion of Scottish produce, and provide lots of special gift ideas in the run up to Christmas.

The Soil Association Organic Food Festival, held in Bristol over the last six years, has been an overwhelming success and pulled in crowds of over 100,000 since it began. This is a true reflection of the strength of the organic market, with organic sales across the UK up by a huge 30 per cent in last year.

The Glasgow festival will offer an innovative mix of delicious food markets, ethical clothing and health and beauty stalls. Candleriggs will be transformed into a food extravaganza and 'Mela at the Met', at the Metropolitan College on Cathedral Street, will host a dynamic talks and tastings programme. Leading Scottish chefs will host the demonstration kitchen and provide people with delicious recipe ideas and inspiration for entertaining their guests this Christmas.

There will be fun and entertainment for all the family, including the Scottish premier of Go Further, the new film by award-winning documentary maker Ron Mann. It follows actor Woody Harrelson and his eco-activist friends as they make a bio-fuelled bus trip down the Pacific Coast Highway to promote environmental awareness and organic living. Audiences have already described it as radical, inspiring and hilarious.
 
Hugh Raven, Soil Association Scotland’s director, believes that the time is right for an organic festival with a Scottish flavour.

"Scotland is renowned world-wide for the quality of many of its food products", he says, "and the Old Fruitmarket is an outstanding venue that we're going to fill with the finest of Scotland's organic produce, for a home and international audience. With public concern over food quality and safety growing, and more people opting for tastier, healthier, GM-free food, the festival will offer consumers the chance to find out more about the benefits of an organic lifestyle."

Tickets are available for only £2 (free to Soil Association members and under-16s). The Festival is guaranteed to make a huge impact on the Scottish food scene and has already been welcomed as a positive addition to Glasgow’s programme of world class events.

A glance at what's on -

• Visit the Soil Association's organic food market at the Old Fruitmarket and look out for seasonal food and drink, wild harvested products, organic health and skincare products, textiles, and ideas for the home.
• Try the special organic menu at The Fruitmarket's own Bazaar Bar and relax at the Grassroots Organic Cafe at the Metropolitan College.
• Find out what’s so special about organic food and taste the difference at our lively talks and tastings seminars.
• Be inspired by our lively cooking demonstrations where leading Scottish chefs will provide inspired ideas from healthy, school packed lunches to delicious Christmas treats.
• Enjoy Mela at the Met, a funky blend of live entertainment, film screenings, cookery workshops and children's activities with fun ways of finding out where food comes from.

For more information please log onto - the Soil Association's website.

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