Celebrating Grampian and the Best of Local Produce

90 Dining Club guests enjoyed a wonderful evening of hospitality with fine local Grampian produce at Aberdeen’s contemporary city centre hotel, The Carmelite on Monday 8th February. Guests had the opportunity to visit producers tables during the reception and sample some of the local delights, including venison and beef from The Deeside Smokehouse, hummus made from Ola Oils and fresh cheeses from the Cambus o May Cheese Company.

The evening attracted a mix of chefs, hoteliers and local suppliers who enjoyed a chance to network, establish new links whilst enjoying a menu prepared by head chef Kenny Smart that reflected the wealth of wonderful local produce available in the region.

The speaker for the evening was Fergus Younger, Project Leader for the, ‘Food from Argyll’ initiative. Fergus is an avid promoter of the use of local seasonal produce and has worked closely with a range of producers in Argyll to promote their local produce to a whole host of events held nationally in the UK. “In Argyll the producers have collaborated to exhibit at festivals and events throughout the UK. I’d like to think that the initiative in Argyll proves how successful promoting and using local produce can be in raising the profile of a region and increasing business for all the partners involved. It’s proved very successful for us and something that could be replicated by other areas.” said Fergus.

The event also launched this year’s Taste of Grampian, with the steering group chair, Brian Pack saying : “Taste of Grampian has grown from strength to strength and the event provides the perfect opportunity for local producers to showcase their new products and ideas whilst gaining recognition for their success. We expect 2010 to attract a record number of attendees so would encourage all Grampian suppliers to get their places booked now.”

Full details on this year’s Taste of Grampian programme are available via the website at www.tasteofgrampian.co.uk