The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Food festival back on
A weekend of events returns to the Fife coastal village of Crail with both indoor and outdoor markets. Mariam Okhai finds out more...
Foodies across Tayside and Fife are gearing up for this weekend’s Crail Food Festival. The not-for-profit event, which is organised by local food enthusiasts, will make its return to Crail and welcome thousands of visitors across three days of local food and drink.
Annie Marrs, 37, who volunteers with the event management of the festival said that while coming back from the pandemic has had its challenges, she thinks those attending will enjoy the “brilliant” programme of events as part of the line-up of activities taking place.
WHEN AND WHERE DOES CRAIL FOOD FESTIVAL TAKE PLACE?
The Crail Food Festival celebration is run entirely by volunteers and is held at Beech Walk and Nethergate and Legion Hall.
It opened yesterday and will run until tomorrow, events include:
• Street food market: Saturday noon to 9pm
• Producers market: Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm
HOW MUCH ARE THE TICKETS?
Entry to the street food market and producers’ market is free of charge, and visitors can donate to the festival or enter its popular raffle to win a variety of prizes for £10.
A book of five raffle tickets is priced at £10 and can only be purchased in books of five online.
Individual tickets to win one of the 15plus prizes on offer are also on sale in Crail at Dan’s Goods, Penman’s, Smoked Fire and The Beehive as well as at The Cocoa Tree Cafe in Pittenweem.
The money raised by the raffle helps the organisers keep the festival free, and it is heavily supported by a range of local businesses who donate the prizes.
Ms Marrs said the aim is to raise £2,000 from it. All monies are reinvested into the event.
Prizes for the raffle include:
• Dinner at The Peat Inn for two
• A Kingsbarns Distillery Gin Masterclass for two
• Overnight stay in the Cowpad at the Cowshed
• A Tour of Cairn O Mhor Winery for up to 10 people, plus many more
The raffle will be drawn at 3pm tomorrow.
WHAT ABOUT THE FIRE FEAST DINNER EVENT?
The Fire Feast dinner will take place at Beech Walk Park on Friday evening and will be hosted by Highland Firecage chef, Peter Gottgens from Pitlochry.
A ticket is priced at £45 per person and the event will begin with pre-dinner drinks and cocktails before moving on to a three-course meal.
It will kick off with a sharing plate with a mixture of homemade pickles and dips including wild garlic and dandelion pesto dip and black pan roasted chickpea hummus.
This will be accompanied by chargrilled vegetables such as carrots with cumin, courgettes with olive oil and herbs and seared butternut with baby leaves and crumbled cheese.
The main course will include a choice of sea salt and herb crusted peri-peri spitroast free-range chicken or chargrilled lamb ribs with salsa verde.
And for alternative diets, plank-grilled fish in dill butter and lemon, or hay-baked root vegetables and skillet vegetables with African umngqusho and tomato smoor will be served.
Sides of rosemary skewered baby potatoes with garlic and olive oil and flame-grilled seasonal vegetables with black thorn salt and herb-infused oil will be served on the day, and the feast will conclude with a surprise sweet treat for dessert.
The street food market has many tasty offerings.
Today it kicks off from noon and visitors can enjoy live music, fresh food and drinks until 9pm.
Food stalls include Typoon Ten and their range of dirty vegan food, House of Tapas with paellas, tapas and churros, and Roastie Toastie that will fix all of your cheesy bread cravings.
Bonnie Burrito will also be present to bring the best of Mexican food with a distinctively Scottish twist, and Highland Firecage will be on-site cooking up meat, seafood and vegetarian dishes, too.
There will also be a beer garden for festivalgoers to enjoy, which has been provided by St Andrews Brewing Company.
WHAT CAN I EXPECT AT THE PRODUCERS MARKET?
Visitors can browse and buy from the wide range of local producers who have stalls at the market from 10am to 4pm today and tomorrow.
Located indoors and outdoors at Nethergate and Legion Hall in the town, businesses represented including Tayport Distillery, Kingsbarns Distillery, Cairn O’Mohr Winery and Pilgrim’s Gin will be present too so visitors can purchase locally-brewed beverages.
East Neuk Kilnhouse, Alice’s Kitchen, Charlotte Flower Chocolates, Erincroft Bakery, Alba Seafood and Cloverlea Apiaries will also be present selling a mixture of artisan products.
Plus you can also enjoy a drink at the outdoor bar courtesy of Highland Boundary and some street food from Ox & Anchor and The Cocoa Tree.
ENTRY TO THE STREET FOOD MARKET AND PRODUCERS’ MARKET IS FREE, AND VISITORS CAN DONATE TO THE FESTIVAL OR ENTER ITS RAFFLE