Food News – March 2013

Here’s a depressing thought to begin this month’s news: young people are really good. No matter how old you are, there’ll always be someone younger whom you can initially dismiss as a sticker-swapping infant until you find out they’re some kind of über-genius. This month, the French Institute is bringing some such young folk to our shores.

The Institute’s Budding Chefs exchange is bringing 12 cookery students from Brittany to run a pop-up restaurant alongside various famous chefs from around Scotland and off the telly. They’ll knock together a lovely four course meal filled with Scottish ingredients and French flair, and you’ll realise that the march of time has caught up to, passed, and accelerated away from you. The food will be good though, so swings and roundabouts. The Hub, Royal Mile, Edinburgh. From 15 Mar. £35 for four courses, 0131 225 5366.

From young people being very good to old buildings being very good, with the continuing after-hours tours of the Barney’s Beer brewery at Summerhall. Andrew Barnett will talk you through where he makes the beer, how he makes the beer, what different beers are like, etc etc. You will see and drink beer in a former veterinary school – that’s all you need to know. Summerhall, Summerhall Pl. 28 Mar, 7.30pm, £5.

Now from beer to more beer! In Fife! With science! The good folk at St Andrews University’s museum will teach you about the science of making beer, and potentially confuse you with their complex descriptions of fermentation and the differences of various forms of yeast. They will also give you free beer, which will taste all the better with a side of knowledge. MUSA, The Scores, St Andrews. 24 Mar, 2pm, free, contact neem@st-andrews.ac.uk.

And seeing as we’re on a boozy tip this month, we’ll close with two drink-based events from the Glasgow Comedy Festival. The Grape and The Grain sees Vladimir McTavish and James Dowdeswell perform their shows about the demon hooch back-to-back at The Stand, while the Merchant City Comedy Pub Crawl sends punters from bar to bar to be greeted by comedians. At each stop, said comedians will do a bit of funny, while you kick back with a pint and a bag of crisps. Young people may be getting good at stuff, but we’ve still got the pub. We can hide from them in the pub. The Stand, Woodlands Rd. 25 Mar, 9.30pm, £8/6; Maggie May’s, Trongate. 28 Mar, 7.30pm, £12.