Chefs help us feast for Food Fortnight

Food and drinks industry is one of the keys to helping to drive the country’s economic success

The value of Scotland’s food and drink industry has increased by 43 per cent in six years to more than £ 14 billion.

The Scottish Government said the figures, released at the start of Scottish Food and Drink Fortnight, show the sector is making good progress towards meeting the 2017 industry target of £ 16.5 billion.

Annual turnover in the sector reached £ 14.4 billion in 2014 and is growing at twice the rate of the UK average.

The industry spans the activities of agriculture, fishing and aquaculture, food manufacturing and drink production.

The data is contained in a briefing from the office of the chief economic adviser and is published on the Scottish government website.

Scottish Food and Drink Fortnight is a nationwide event which supports and promotes the country’s produce and the people who grow, make, cook and sell it.

This year’s celebration will take place between Saturday, September 2, and Sunday, September 17.

Tying in with the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, Scottish Food and Drink Fortnight is profiling a range of different food themes.

The fortnight is a celebration of Scotland’s outstanding produce, managed by industry leadership body Scotland Food and Drink and supported by the Scottish Government. Throughout the fortnight food fans are being asked to incorporate Scottish food themes into their daily menus. Then they can upload photos with the hashtag their #one thing fort night experiences, activities and photos on social media, or via email, so that everyone around the world can celebrate Scottish food and drink together.

People are also being encouraged to switch to Scotch Beef or Scottish Salmon in their daily sandwich; a chef may add an additional Scottish supplier to their list; a retailer may implement a new system for profiling their Scottish suppliers on social media – the list of possibilities is endless.

And Ayrshire Life has teamed up with our regular chef Chris Steele of Ayr’s Stage Door and Hollybush restaurants and chefs from the Woodlands at Dumfries House to share some recipes for you to try at home during Scottish Food Fortnight.

So turn over and get ready to tuck into some amazing dishes.