Turriff Show to celebrate food and drink

Scotland’s biggest two-day agricultural event, the Turriff Show, is introducing a new food and drink pavilion for 2019.

In its 155th year, the show (4-5 August) is expanding its food and drink offering with over 50 stalls featuring some of the best produce from growers and makers throughout Aberdeenshire and beyond. Exhibitors include artisan yogurt makers, rora dairy; homegrown meat producer and farmer, Louise’s Farm Kitchen; and The Teasmith, Scotland’s first gin makers to distil with hand-picked tea.

Jane Mackie who, along with husband Bruce runs rora dairy, producing healthy yogurt on their family dairy farm near Peterhead, said: ‘It’s a wonderful show and people from all over the country come to visit.

‘This is our first year exhibiting at Turriff Show and we are very much looking forward to it. We will have some of our favourite products for visitors to sample and purchase, including our natural and Scottish raspberry flavoured yogurts.’

A cookery theatre sponsored by Quality Meat Scotland will have chef demonstrator Kate Moore keeping the crowds entertained with a full schedule on both days connecting food, farming and the environment, showcasing healthy eating and allowing the farmers, growers and makers to share their stories. Whilst watching the demonstrations visitors can also enjoy some tasty offerings from the pavilion’s ‘coffee shop’, being run by local caters Hoodles.

President of Turriff Show 2019 and local potato farmer, Graeme Mackie, said: ‘Turriff Show has a strong history of being one of the most prestigious agricultural shows in Scotland, but it is not just for farmers. It has evolved over the years to become a celebration of food, farming and the rural environment with over 23,000 visitors annually.

‘Feedback from last year’s event illustrated how important food and drink is to our visitors, so we have invested this year in a vibrant mix of stalls and demonstrations dedicated to this. It is the perfect opportunity to showcase the excellent businesses in the area that create farm-to-fork products and services including local fruit and vegetables, farm meat, veg box schemes, farm shops, farmers’ markets and artisan bakers.’

Alongside the EQ Food & Drink Pavilion, a new space has been developed to include arts, crafts, band stand entertainment with singers, musicians and dancers, and an area of picnic benches and food vendors for visitors to sit, relax and enjoy the surroundings.

The two-day show also includes livestock competing for the champion of champions award, a kids’ trail supported by Hamlyn’s of Scotland, ringside entertainment from the 3SIXTY Bicycle Stunt Group and over 300 trade stands.

There will be something for all the family at the 2019 Turriff Show

The £70,000 investment into the new food and drink offering and surrounding area has received support from organisations including Opportunity North East, Aberdeenshire Council and Connect Local Regional Food Fund. Main sponsor of the pavilion is EQ Charted Accountants.

Peter Cook from Opportunity North East – an organisation launched in 2015 which has a unique role in accelerating growth and diversification activity in the North East region of Scotland., said: ‘Supporting the food and drink pavilion at the Turriff Show is aligned to Opportunity North East’s ambition to bring local food and drink businesses to wider national and international market opportunities, tell the story of the region’s sustainable production systems and develop food and drink experiences for the growing tourism opportunity which showcase authenticity and provenance.’

The enhanced food and drink focus has been driven and coordinated by local farmer Sarah Mackie. Sarah is a well-known food professional, with a background with Tesco, Brakes and other leading food companies. She is a director for the Royal Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland and Quality Meat Scotland.

Turriff Show is a registered charity, first established in 1864 and is now the biggest two-day agricultural show in Scotland, attracting 23,000 visitors annually

Turriff Show offers over £88,000 worth of prize money and have over 1500 livestock classes

This year the show will host the Blue Du Maine National Sheep show and introduce a new Blue Texel category in the sheep schedule

Special offer discounted tickets for the Turriff Show are now on sale at www.turriffshow.org. Children under 15 go free.