North-east food and drink fans were spoilt for choice at this year’s highly-anticipated Taste of Grampian. Thousands headed to the P&J Live to tuck into some tasty treats from producers across the region and watch celebrity chefs take to the stage. Hairy Biker Si King, Nadiya Hussain MBE and Marks and Spencer’s and ITV’s Cooking with the Stars’ Poppy O’Toole captivated audiences with their Q&As and demos throughout the day.
And to top everything off, there were also appearances on the main stage from award-winning north-east chefs. They included Ross Cochrane, Kevin Dalgleish, Graham Mitchell and Graham Sutherland. The festival kicked off at 10am and the huge arena was packed with keen foodies from the get-go.
Visitors were greeted by a pipe band and a giant kilted Percy Pig before entering the main arena, where 150 stalls were waiting to be explored. Crowds gather round the main stage As I walked in, Ross Cochrane from Mara was on the stage in the middle of the hall frying up something tasty and talking the crowds through making some of the small dishes at home. Despite being the first on the stage, the chef was kept busy with the crowd asking questions about his Thistle Street restaurant.
He was followed up by an emotional Q&A with Si King, who was returning to Taste of Grampian for the first time alone. Rachael Cunningham was enjoying the “great atmosphere” at foodie festival with her mum Katriona. The pair were looking forward to the cooking demos from Nadiy.
