We have been busy working with local companies, community groups and schools to create events during the Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight and are delighted so many have opted in.
A mouth-watering range of events featuring fantastic local produce, hosted by local businesses, community groups & schools, working together to promote local food. Events include a vegetarian cookery demonstration, whisky, venison and bread tasting events as well as wild food foraging and edible seed saving talks. This is the first year Linlithgow has taken part in the Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight and we can’t wait to get our teeth into it!
Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight has provided an opportunity for stakeholders to work together to create additional demand for local food, as well as clearly indicating to both local residents and visitors where local, seasonal food can be found. There is genuine (and cost-effective) benefit in working together to increase demand, and wide-ranging benefits, including supporting local employment, reduced food miles & enjoying healthy, fresh, local produce.
EVENT DETAILS
Tasty Tastings – Pardovan Farm Shop, 4th-5th Sept, 10am-5.00pm
Free tastings of products from the extensive range at this friendly, local farm shop, including meat products from Ramsay of Carluke, preserves from Mrs Bridges and many other tasty options.
Contact: Ian & Wilma Johnston, 01506 834470
Pie ‘n’ a Pint – The Four Marys, 4th-10th Sept, 4-7pm only
Free meat pie with any pint of Real Ale. Pies include steak, chilli and chicken & mushroom, featuring Campbells Meats. Real Ales include Caledonian Deuchars (Edinburgh) and Bellhaven (Dunbar). One pie per customer, while stocks last. (Note 9th Sept: from 9pm there will also be a folk music session with ‘Pure Malt’ as part of Linlithgow Folk Festival)
Contact: Eve & Ian Forrest, 01506 842171
Traditional Scottish Dishes – The Star & Garter, 4th-19th Sept, 12noon-9pm, Sun from 12.30pm
The Specials Blackboard will feature traditional Scottish dishes, freshly made with tasty seasonal ingredients, throughout Scottish Food Fortnight.
Contact: John Bartlett, 01506 846362
Herbal Tea Tasting – The Line Gallery, 10am to 5pm Mon – Sat throughout the Fortnight
Free tastings of locally grown & mixed herbal teas, created by Medical Herbalist Breda Sneddon of Clarendon Therapies, in the attractive surroundings of the Line Gallery.
Contact: The Line Gallery, 01506 670268
Seed Saving Talk – Linlithgow Climate Challenge Eco Advice Centre, Mon 6th Sept, 7.30-9.30pm
There are many reasons why saving seed from edible plants is important – retaining locally adapted seed strains & traditional varieties, the importance of seed sovereignty and having the skills to save seed from your own crops. Includes a short seed-saving workshop and the chance to ask questions, hosted by Matthew Love of East Kilbride Development Trust. Suitable for experienced veg growers as well as those looking to ‘grow’ their fruit & veg skills.
Venue : Police House, Court Square, Linlithgow - next door to the police station. Max 20 attendees, donations welcome
Contact: Linlithgow Climate Challenge, 01506 670433
S2 Soup Challenge – Linlithgow Academy, 6th-13th Sept
S2 will be creating hearty, healthy soups suitable to take hillwalking, using seasonal, local produce.
Contact: Terry Rowland, 01506 843211
Fish Dishes – Blackboard Lunchtime Special Offers – Ship 2 Shore 24, 7th-11th Sept & 14th-18th Sept, 12 noon-2pm
Selected Scottish fish dishes at special prices on the blackboard, including Seared King Scallop & Smoked Haddock Rissotto, West Coast Mussels with coriander, lemon grass and lime and Eyemouth Langoustines.
Contact: Ship 2 Shore 24, 01506 840123
Vegetarian Cookery Demonstration – Canal Tea Room, Thur 9th Sept, 7.30-9.00pm
Catriona Staddon of Hyndberry will be using fantastic, healthy produce from Taste Deli, The Millstone health food shop & My Local 5 a Day veg box company to create mouthwatering vegetarian dishes, with recipe sheets to take away.
Tickets must be bought in advance: £7 each, available via Taste, The Millstone & My Local 5 a Day, max 30 attendees.
Contact: mel(at)linlithgowclimatechallenge.org.uk or phone the Eco Advice Centre on 01506 670433
Food for Free – foraging walk – Beecraigs Country Park, Sat 11th Sept, 1.30-3pm
With autumn showing its face let’s make the most of nature’s harvest! Come take a walk through Beecraigs and find out where tasty wild foods can be found.
Please book in advance, cost £3 / £2 kids, max attendees 20.
Contact: Rangers, 01506 844516
Venison: field to plate – talk & tasting – Beecraigs Country Park, Sun 12th Sept, 10.30am-12noon
Join the Rangers on this walk around the Deer Attraction to see Scotland’s largest native land mammal close up, learn about their life cycle and find out how the Red Deer are managed at Beecraigs. Finish off at Beecraigs Restaurant with a lunch of either venison burgers or sausages.
Booking is essential as numbers are limited. Cost Adults £10, Child £6 (including lunch).
Contact: Rangers, 01506 844516
Rock Dust Talk – Low Port Centre, Mon 13th Sept, 7.30-10pm
Research has shown that mineral levels in fruit & veg are much lower than in the 1940s – Cameron & Moira Thomson, of Blairgowrie-based charity the SEER centre, advocate replacing conventional, oil-based fertilisers with natural Rock Dust to help address this, as well as increasing carbon sequestration in soil. Hosted by The Falkirk & West Lothian Green Party, this talk is suitable for gardeners, landowners and anyone interested in a more sustainable approach to food production.
No booking required, free entry, donations welcome to cover cost of refreshments.
Contact: Stan Mowat – stan.mowat(at)hotmail.co.uk
Slow Food Tasting – Featuring organic Scottish cheeses & artisan breads from Patisserie Dujardin – Epulum Restaurant, Wed 15th Sept, 7-10pm
An evening of tasting some of the best organic Scottish cheeses, accompanied by artisan breads from Patisserie Dujardin, Linlithgow’s first bespoke patisserie & bakery, all washed down with a glass of wine.
Tickets £15, Slow Food members £13, please reserve places in advance.
Contact: Epulum 01506 844411
Whisky Tasting – Champany Inn, Thur 16th Sept, 7.30pm
Tickle your tastebuds with this tutored tasting of vintage Glen Farclas whisky, hosted by the highly-rated Champany Inn, which now includes an Aladdin’s Cave of a wine shop – Champany Cellars.
£15, please reserve places beforehand.
Contact: Champany Inn, 01506 834532
Catch it, Cook it, Eat it – Bowden Springs Trout Fishery, Sat 18th Sept, 10am-3pm
Family-friendly hands-on trout fishing and barbecue, suitable for beginners as well as the more experienced, on Bowden’s 5 acre fly & bait loch, in beautiful surroundings to the West of Linlithgow. Once you’ve caught your trout (with a bit of guidance for novices if needed), we’ll show you how to gut it and you have the choice of barbecuing it on site or taking it home to cook up something special later.
Cost £5 per rod permit / hire, plus £2/lb of fish caught (typical weight 2-4lb – but there are some monster trout up to 9lb out there!), allow 2 hours for fishing, please reserve places in advance.
Contact: Jacqui Gargaro, 01506 847269
Scottish Lamb Special - Bar Leo Italian Restaurant
The Specials Board will feature locally sourced lamb throughout the Food Fortnight: Rack of West Binnie lamb, served with red wine & rosemary jus.
Contact: Bar Leo 01506 846667
To Bee or Not To Bee – The Lounge, Low Port Centre, Mon 20th Sept, 7.30-9.30pm
Bees pollinate about a third of the food we eat, but numbers are declining sharply, with some species already extinct. If you’re thinking about keeping bees, would like to make your garden more bee-friendly or are simply concerned about our buzzy friends, then come along to this Bee-themed evening, including talks from Graeme Sharpe, SAC and G Henderson, local beekeeper, and the opportunity to meet other local beekeepers.
This Linlithgow Climate Challenge monthly public general meeting will also include updates on the work of this popular community group and final arrangements for the Harvest Feast. All welcome, no charge but donations in support of our food projects are welcome.
Contact: Linlithgow Climate Challenge, 01506 670433
Harvest Feast – Clarendon House, Manse Road, Sat 25th Sept, 3-6pm
Fabulous community meal, featuring local produce and including outdoor games and competitions, this year held in a marquee in the beautiful grounds at Clarendon House. Please dress for the weather as there are many outdoor activities.
This is an audience participation event! If you are able to donate home-grown produce, home cooking or help out on the day please get in touch – the more the merrier.
Tickets now available via Blast-off Books, The Linlithgow Bookshop, Epulum and the Line Gallery, cost £7 adults, £3 children, under threes free.
Contact: Linlithgow Climate Challenge, 01506 670433 or email mel(at)linlithgowclimatechallenge.org.uk
Community Ceilidh – Clarendon House, Manse Road, Sat 25th Sept, 7-11pm
Our Feast day Finale – a Community Ceilidh hosted by Linlithgow Climate Challenge & Linlithgow and Linlithgow Bridge Town Centre Management Group, with licensed bar.
Tickets now available via Blast-off Books, The Linlithgow Bookshop, Epulum and the Line Gallery, cost £8
Contact: Linlithgow Climate Challenge, 01506 670433
Contact:
If you have queries about any event, please email us, phone 01506 670433 or drop into our Eco Advice Centre at Police House, Court Square (just behind the Police Station). We are usually open Tue 10-3, Thu 10-3 and Saturday morning.