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A wealth of offerings at local food festival

Deeside Local Food Festival
Deeside Local Food Festival

From jams to jalapenos, cheese to chocolate, cottage industries and kitchen table firms are big business.

According to a new report by entrepreneur organisation, Enterprise Nation, and Direct Line for Business, these home-based businesses now contribute more than ÂŁ300 billion to the UK economy each year.

The north-east is no exception. Artisan food and drink producers have experienced something of a resurgence in recent years, fuelled in many cases, by the downturn in the fortunes of the oil and gas industry.

Yesterday the Deeside Local Food Festival, in association with Kippie Lodge Sports and Country Club, returned for its fourth successive year.

Featuring 62 produce stalls and food outlets, 94% of whom hail from the local region, the festival took place at Cults Academy during Scottish Food and Drink Fortnight.

At the heart of the event was an expanded local produce market, where around 50 stallholders producing local food had the opportunity to showcase and sell their produce.

A number of these have gone through a career change to enter this lively sector or are indeed running their businesses while simultaneously pursuing a career in an entirely different sector.

Pete Dignan and Richard Pearce of the Lost Loch Distillery, for instance, combine their passion for producing craft spirits such as gin and absinthe, with life offshore, working for Bibby Offshore and Conoco Phillips.

Aberdeen City Council culture spokesperson Marie Boulton said: “Aberdeen’s food and drink larder is absolutely bursting with quality produce, and the Deeside Local Food Festival showcases the exceptional selection of food and drink producers we have in the city and surrounding areas.

“Aberdeen City Council is delighted to support the growth and delivery of the Deeside Local Food Festival, and events like this help smaller food and drink businesses to realise their growth ambitions.

“Working in partnerships such as these demonstrates our commitment to development and diversification of the city.

“Our local produce companies are continuously innovating to deliver exciting new product lines to an ever-expanding global marketplace.”

Exceptional selection of food and drink producers