This weekend sees the first ever Taste Dunoon food and drink festival, taking place on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th July at the Argyll and Bute’s town’s Castle Gardens and the adjacent Queens Hall, as well as a variety of other venues.
Taste Dunoon will be officially opened by Scotland’s National Chef Gary Maclean and promises to be a treat for ‘foodies’ eager to find out what the area has to offer.
Maclean, a former Masterchef winner, said: “I’ll be there on the 25th July and I’ll be doing some live cookery demonstrations with loads of audience participation, loads of tasters and loads of laughs.”
With over 50 stalls and street vendors as well as demos and workshops, the weekend festival will showcase everything from artisan cheeses to chocolates, cocktails to cakes and rum to rhubarb – as it incorporates the Cowal Peninsula’s second annual rhubarb festival.
Local fish and chip shop Anselmo’s will even be laying on deep fried rhubarb for anyone looking for a novel taste sensation, while the GoYo frozen yoghurt shop will be using a rhubarb crumble topping.
“We’re almost there,” said organiser Ciorsdan Fagan of Dunoon Presents as they prepared to get the festival underway.
“There’s just so many creative local businesses taking part that visitors will be spoilt for choice with what’s on offer.
“The festival will also feature the launch of a dedicated Taste Dunoon food and drink trail kindly funded by Argyll & Bute Council throughout the town,” said Fagan. “It will include over 40 businesses encompassing speciality food shops, cafes and restaurants.
“There will be a large number of stalls, housed within a marquee and street vendors arranged around Castle Gardens. We’re hoping for some blue skies.
“There’s even an arts exhibition, organised by Cowal Art Network, taking place in the pier’s pavilion building for those seeking a break from the food and drink.”
Fagan continued: “There’s all manner of associated events being laid on by restaurants and cafes in the town and there’s a ceilidh taking place at Argyll Hotel, live music and lots of entertainment. Our local Highland Dancers will be performing at mid-day on the Saturday.”
Fagan concluded: “Taste Dunoon really will be a true celebration of the variety of food and drink available in our spectacular corner of Argyll and, we hope, the first of many!”
Dunoon Presents is the town’s Business Improvement District (BID) organisation, and has been busy organising a range of sport, music and community-focused events throughout the year, including the Dunoon 10k Coastal Road Race (1st August), Doon the Watter Revival (14th to 15th August), Dunoon Ultra Marathon and Relay (22nd August), Dunoon Tradfest (24th to 26th September) and the Dunoon Dazzles Winterfest (21st November).
