Scottish Food News – June 2016

June kicks off with the return of the West End Festival in Glasgow – foodie highlights include a ‘meet the maker’ chat with the folks behind the delicious Caorunn Gin at The Hyndland Fox (7 Jun, 7pm) at which you’ll taste the gin, learn about its story and recipe, and find out once and for all how to pronounce the word ‘Caorunn’. Also on the West End Festival line-up is a battle of the brewers at Munro’s, with four Glasgow craft breweries squaring off against each other in what’s been dubbed ‘The Royal Rumble’. Incredibly, that isn’t the last professional wrestling reference in this month’s rundown. 22 Jun, 7.30pm, 185 Great Western Rd, £6

Also making a return this month is the Glasgow Science Festival, with a host of food-based events to sink your proverbial and literal teeth into. Among our favourites are Casks, Coats & Chemistry (9 Jun, Kelvingrove Café, £25) which charts the story of Harris Tweed’s development through the magic of whisky-based science experiments and delicious canapes, and Bugs in the Pub (16 Jun, Admiral Bar, free) which sees a flock of scientists discuss the ever-evolving world of microbial life while you hold a pint and try to look like you know what’s going on.

Our pick of the GSF events is the Cheesy Science Chewtorial, and not just for the name. It’s a deep dive into cheese history and the chemistry of food, exploring and explaining the many vagaries of the world of cheese. There are also eight different cheeses to try on the night, so you’ll get plenty of ‘hands-on’ insight as well. Also, we love the name. 10 Jun, Siempre Bicycle Cafe, 162 Dumbarton Rd, £15

Over in Edinburgh, the Edinburgh Juniper Festival returns to Summerhall for a weekend of gin-based hijinks just in time for World Gin Day. With talks, street food, cocktails and a host of botanical-themed stalls there’s plenty going on, although the fact that the press notes mention 'OVER 30 GINS TO TRY' in all caps is really all you need to know. Gin fans – it’s your time to shine. 10-12 Jun, various times, £17.50-£21.50

Back in Glasgow, the North Hop beer festival makes its west coast debut at SWG3. Expect a wide array of breweries from across Scotland to put in appearances, with festival specials from Drygate, Tempest and Spey Valley among others. There’s also food from Burger Meats Bun and Brewdog’s Doghouse, coffee from Edinburgh’s Brew Lab, and a host of live bands and DJs to watch if you can’t face the classic beer festival game of ‘Explain What You’re Drinking’. 18 Jun, 100 Eastvale Pl, £17.50

Next, an all-too-rare chance to enjoy the dual pleasures of tacos and Lucha Libre-inspired surf rock. The dream combo is in place to help launch The Mexican Wrestlers Cookbook – the new book from Rolando Cardenas and Dougie Bell of much-loved Mexican deli Lupe Pintos – at the Citrus Club in Edinburgh. The tacos are from top-notch New Town taqueria El Cartel, the music is from US outfit Los Straitjackets, and Cardenas and Bell will be signing copies in character as Kankun Luchador and El Cocinero respectively. Colour us intrigued. 20 Jun, 40 Grindlay St, £15, tickets via Lupe Pintos, 24 Leven St

How do you follow that? By getting everyone together in the pub for a sketch-off, of course! Part of this year’s Glasgow Comic Festival, Drink ‘n’ Draw is a chance to get together with some like-minded artists and comic types with a pint in one hand and a sharpie in the other. Sketch something up, compare it to your colleagues, then celebrate or drown your sorrows with a tasty pint. 29 Jun at 8pm, CCA Saramago Bar, 350 Sauchiehall St, free