Meatopia, the live-fire food festival which has been a flaming success in London since being imported from the United States in 2013, is making its Glasgow debut next month.
Taking place at SWG3 from 6th to 8th June, the festival will transform the venue into a ‘smoky haven of world-class open flame cookery, drinks, and live music’.
First staged in New York by the late Josh Ozersky, Meatopia brings very best live-fire chefs from UK, Europe and the World, to cook over wood or charcoal and serve one curated dish each, to be served up alongside drinks, and entertainment from eclectic bands and DJ’s.
Insisting on only ethically sourced meat, poultry, seafood and vegetables, cooked using sustainably produced fuel, this first Scottish iteration of the festival involves Scotch meat accreditation body Quality Meat Scotland, which is sponsoring The Cutting Stage at the event.
There Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb, and Specially Selected Pork will take centre stage, featuring in live-fire demos, craft butchery, and ‘immersive food experiences’, led by chefs and butchers from across Scotland who are supporters of the three Scotch brands.
That line-up includes Fraser Cameron of The Globe Inn, National Chef of the Year Orry Shand, and Andrew Toogood of Porter and Rye, alongside expert butchers Jordan Hanley of Campbells Prime Meats, Sean Graham of Pearson Hepburn Butchers, and Karl Hearton of Kinnaird Butcher.
Director of marketing at QMS, Emma Heath, said: “It’s fantastic to see Meatopia coming to Scotland having been in London for the last 12 years – and really exciting to be part of it.
“As sponsors of The Cutting Stage, we have a brilliant platform to use some of the top names in the industry to champion the quality, sustainability and versatility of Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb, and Specially Selected Pork.
“Being at events like this helps us connect directly with people who care about the provenance and quality of the meat that they eat and bring to life what lies behind our blue labels,” said Heath.
“It’s a brilliant way to share the importance of whole of life whole of supply chain quality assurance, inspire confidence in our brands, and show why Scotland is the natural home of premium red meat.”
Meatopia Glasgow’s confirmed line-up of live fire chefs includes Pat Martin, pitmaster of Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint, Nadshville, teaming up with London favourite Lee Tiernan of FKA Black Axe Mangal. Pat’s ‘whole hog’ cooking is legendary across the United States and this will be his first time cooking in Scotland.
From Dubai, Hattem Mattar is bringing a taste of the Middle East’s only artisanal smokehouse, Mattar Farm, while Hang Fire BBQ’s Sam Evans and Shauna Guinn return to the Meatopia fold with their signature Southern-style flavours honed across the American Deep South, and the BBC’s Flamebaster, Chris Roberts, flies the flag for Welsh fire cooking.
Nick Watkins and Elliot Cunningham will team up for a much-anticipated El Perro Negro x Lagom collaboration, while Craig Nelson of Ox and Finch and Ashley Bennett of Ka Pao will bring their inventive flair to the Friday session.
Saturday highlights will include Roberta Hall-McCarron and Dominic Greechan of The Little Chartroom, Dean Parker of Celentano’s, and Calum Montgomery of Edinbane Lodge.
Sunday sees a strong showing from new talent and returning stars like Craig Grozier of Fallachan, Hamish McNeil of Eleanore, and Amy Elles of The Laughing Stock.
