Scottish Food News – October 2013

This month’s food news is all about big events. Big, we say! Big! Right, now that’s been made clear, let’s get started with a chili-making competition. Yes, it’s the now-annual Chili Cook-Off organised by Lupe Pintos. The West End of Glasgow is set to be transformed into a spicy, coriander-packed battleground as the likes of Stravaigin and defending champs The Left Bank are joined by relative newcomers such as The Squid and Whale and Little Urban Achievers Club in a fight to see who can do chili the best. And it will be a fight, as this is serious business as evidenced by the big crowds and men dressed as animals. Serious business. 19 Oct, tickets from Lupe Pintos, 313 Great Western Rd, £10

From competitive cooking to beer. Not just one beer though, a whole load of beers, courtesy of Stewart Brewing. The Stewart chaps have teamed up with Midlothian Science Festival to let you non-brewing luddites see where the magic happens at their new brewery, followed by tastings from their award-winning and bloody lovely beers. You’ll marvel at big tanks filled with brown ooze, have a few drinks, and maybe even learn something. And that’s big. 10 Oct, tickets free but limited, midlothiansciencefestival.com for more info

Okay, time to ramp up the bigness. What we need is a food event with its own village. Wait a minute, we have one of those! Yes, it’s the corporate culinary monolith that is the BBC Good Food Show, racing beyond parody at such pace that you’ll just hurt yourself trying to slow it down. So go on, enjoy the Great British Bake-Off Village, an area of the otherwise barren and disgusting SECC devoted to the lovely act of baking. It’s got those people off that baking programme, the pair who aren’t Mel and Sue. When you tire of that you can head on over to the ‘Supertheatre’ for such ‘super’ events as a chef’s demonstration by one of the Hairy Bikers. Yep. 18-20 Oct, Glasgow SECC, tickets from £18

Finally, in this month of big important events, it’s The Skinny Food and Drink Survey. Go to tinyurl.com/foodsurveyscotland and cast your votes for your favourite places to eat, drink and be merry. Where should we be getting our coffee? Which is the best craft beer? We need to know, and we need you to tell us. Get voting, as this is a big deal. Bigger than a cooking guide from one half of an incredibly annoying television double act? We’d say so.