Scottish Food News – December 2015

Hey everyone! Christmas is here! Hooray, etc etc. But fear not, for December’s food events column isn’t all ‘mulled this’ and ‘tinsel-wrapped that’. In fact, we’ll begin with a workshop discussion on the very future of the world of food. Didn’t see that coming, did you?

Gallery Unit in Glasgow play host to the Tasty Futures Workshop, a two-hour discussion on the impending technological, social and cultural developments on their way to your kitchen. 3D printers, new methods of growing food, robot waiters (possibly) – time to get your thinking caps on, people. 2 & 3 Dec, various times; Savoy Centre, 140 Sauchiehall St; free, tickets via eventbrite.co.uk

We move from a high-tech future to the pitch-black present, with the return of Whisky in the Dark! The clue's in the title with this one – the chance to try five whiskies, in the dark. The benefit of the darkness is that, with one sense deadened, the others should be amplified, allowing you to make the most of your whisky. That's the theory, although given that it's basically been dark outside since late October, we must all be due for one or more super-senses in the near future. 11 & 12 Dec, 8pm, £20, tickets via eventbrite.co.uk

Next up, it's the Scottish debut of Vegfest at Glasgow's SECC. A vegan food festival of truly compelling scale, Vegfest has veggie-friendly versions of everything you'd expect from a food festival, from cookery demos and talks to hundreds of stallholders pitching vegan food and drink of all kinds. Throw in some spoken word and stand-up comedy, and some top-notch catering from Mono, Henderson's, and Stereo among others, and the only thing that's missing for the full fest experience is a burger van. Which, we suppose, is the point. Touché, Vegfest. 5 & 6 Dec, SECC, Glasgow, £10/6, tickets via vegfest.co.uk

Now, to Christmas, and the annual influx of Christmas Markets in Edinburgh and Glasgow. It's cold and rainy, you're stressed out; what could be better than being outside, but somehow still in a confined space? On the other hand, the Glasgow Christmas Market and the dual markets at Edinburgh's Christmas feature the standard mix of Christmas fare (mulled everything, bratwurst the size of a shoe) that make it easy to slide into the festive spirit. St Enoch Sq, Glasgow; The Mound & St Andrew Sq, Edinburgh, daily throughout December.

And for those of you looking for respite from Full Christmas, you could do worse than checking out new outdoor street food market The Pitt, featuring stalls from the likes of red meat and seafood merchants Barnacles & Bones and gourmet food truck Fresh Revolution, and Summerhall's Christmas Market with foodie contributions from the Crema Caravan, Harajuku Kitchen, and everyone's favourite gua bao specialists Ninja Buns. Don't look at us like that – it's Christmas time for ninjas too, you know. 12 Dec, 12-10pm, Pitt St, Edinburgh; 13 Dec, 11am-5pm, 1 Summerhall Pl, £2, summerhall.co.uk