Scottish Food News - January 2017
Our first food events guide of the new year, packed with festive fun, delicious bread, and a round-up of some of Scotland's best food and drink venues
Naturally, we kick off our first food round-up of 2017 looking back at 2016. The Pitt street food market was one of the year's great foodie success stories, and the team behind it launch their new venture this month. The Food and Flea Market on New Street will bring some of Edinburgh's best vendors to the city centre seven days a week – the launch line-up includes Pizza Geeks, fried chicken aces The Buffalo Food Truck and beef-or-crab specialists Barnacles & Bones. From 14 Jan, facebook.com/thefoodnflea
Over in Glasgow, this month sees the inaugural running of the National Whisky Festival at SWG3. Dozens of whiskies to try, masterclasses to talk you through what to look out for in a dram, local breweries and restaurants handling the food and drink, and live music programmed by Celtic Connections; if you've ever wanted to get into whisky but never quite got round to it, this is a good place to start. 28 Jan, 12.30-3.30pm & 4-7.30pm, £35, details and tickets here.
It is of course New Year's Resolution season, all gym memberships and ill-advised dietary changes. If your resolution is something vague like 'learn a new skill', or specific like 'learn to make really good bread', then Bakery47 in the southside of Glasgow have just the thing.
The bakery's Introduction to Sourdough course is a two-day whistle-stop tour through the ins and outs of sourdough bakery, from starters and ingredient selection through to the vagaries of baking the stuff. Given their pedigree there are probably few better people to talk to when it comes to bread, and you'll end up with some cracking loaves at the end of the two days. And you can't get that at the gym, can you? 23 & 24 Jan, £75 (lunch, brunch and refreshments included), tickets via BrownPaperTickets
Oh, and of course we can't leave without reminding you of the greatest of all the food news this month – the results of The Skinny Food & Drink Survey 2017. We pored over thousands of your votes at the end of last year to find your favourite bars, cafes, restaurants and shops – your selections are detailed in an eight-page special in this month's magazine, and can also be found in full on this very website. Thanks to everyone for voting, and to Scotland's food and drink scene for being full of great places to eat and drink – now if you don't mind, we're off to lie down in a dark, spreadsheetless room.