Celtic twist at this year’s food festival
Top Scottish and Irish chefs booked to appear
Jak O’Donnell is looking forward to the event There will be a Celtic connection at this year’s Perthshire On A Plate (POAP) food festival.
Organisers announced two celebrity chefs who will appear at the August event earlier this week.
Irish chef Paul Rankin and Scotland’s own Jak O’Donnell will take centre stage for the fun-filled celebration of food and drink.
Paul revealed his own Scottish roots ahead of the festival.
He said: “Most folk think me as ‘the Irish chef ,’ but with a name like Rankin a lot of people know that’s probably not strictly true.
“I’m very proud to say that I was born in Baillieston just outside Glasgow - my mum was from Belfast and dad grew up in Baillieston. So as you can imagine Scotland is very dear to my heart.
“I’ve seen a fair bit of Scotland between cooking events and filming with my pal Nick Nairn but I’ve never spent any time in Perth - shame on me.
“My auntie Ella who used to stay in Airdrie used to say: ‘Oh Perth is lovely. I’d like to live in Perth.’ So folks, I’m expecting great things.”
Paul is a great favourite with TV viewers following regular appearances on top shows such as: Ready Steady Cook; Paul and Nick’s Big Food Trip, Big American Food Trip and Big Canadian Food Trip; Saturday Food Kitchen; The Rankin Challenge and Win It, Cook It.
Renowned as the chef who changed the face of culinary Northern Ireland when he opened Roscoff restaurant and won the country’s first Michelin Star, Paul’s affable personality Paul Rankin has already asked pal Nick Nairn for advice makes him a favourite with Scottish audiences.
And he revealed he had been taking advice from Nick Nairn, who appeared at POAP last year.
He said: “I’ve been talking to Nick and he says not only is Perth great but the Perth Show and POAP are fabulous too.
“I’m really looking forward to it great produce, great folk, great craic and hopefully new friends. And some of the cooking demos should be pretty good too!”
Topping the bill on the Saturday will be Scottish favourite Jacqueline (Jak) O’Donnell.
Acclaimed chef Jak, who is patron of The Sisters restaurants in Glasgow and regularly appears as a celebrity chef on television, said she is really looking forward to making her debut visit to Perthshire On A Plate.
She said: “The team behind POAP should be congratulated on an event which goes from strength to strength each year.
“It showcases the very best of local produce to the general public – who not only have a great day out but also get a better understanding of how great food is produced in the area. I can’t wait.”
Hosted by Perthshire Chamber of Commerce, the two-day food festival on August 3 and 4 will showcase not only celebrity chefs creating delicious dishes with local produce, but also the outstanding culinary talents of some of the district’s top chefs.
Supported by Sodexo, Perth College UHI and Quality Meat Scotland, POAP will also showcase a selection of Perthshire’s finest food and drink producers and feature a pop-up restaurant area where visitors can dine on sample size portions of meals created by local restaurants.