Six top chefs will host intimate private dinners at an Aberdeen hotel as part of a fine dining festival.
Between them, the leading names on in the Signature festival have collected six Michelin stars and 19 AA rosettes.
Four of the main men in the line-up – TV cookery show favourite Glyn Purnell, Scottish household name Martin Wishart, Michelin-starred Brian Grigor and seafood specialist Roy Brett – will be returning for the third year of the culinary showpiece.
New flavour will be added by twice Michelin-starred Phil Howard and two-time winner of the Great British Menu Daniel Clifford.
And the Press and Journal can also reveal today that laughter is on the menu, with comedian Jason Manford performing at a lunch to launch the event on November 3.
The dessert and petit fours to round off the lunch will be created by world-class patissier and chocolatier William Curley.
His event kicks off Signature Festival, which will run at The Chester Hotel from November 3 to 15.
Hotel owner Graham Wood came up with for the festival, now in its third year, after seeing the local appetite for fine dining in the north-east.
Keen to show off the quality of north-east produce while also raising cash for local causes, he launched the Signature festival.
Mr Wood said: “We have some outstanding produce available to us here in the north-east, yet for many years Aberdeen simply didn’t appear on food lovers’ radars.
“This event has sold out the past two years – we’ve had to operate a waiting list for some dinners – and we’ve had guests travel considerable distances to be part of it.
“Signature, along with all the other food-focused events and markets in Aberdeen, is putting the city on the map as a must-visit destination for foodies.”
And he said he was delighted to have funnyman Manford on this year’s bill.
“We’re delighted to have the company of such a high-profile star on the opening day of Signature, following from last year’s performance by soul singer Beverley Knight.
“We’re all looking forward to seeing his stand-up routine, and we’re sure it will get Signature off to the best possible start.”
Last year’s festival raised more than £250,000 for Friends of the Neonatal Unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and hidden disabilities charity Friendly Access.
This year’s beneficiaries have yet to be revealed. Tickets for the lunch with Jason Manford – which also features performances by musicians The London Essentials – are £125, while the chef dinners are priced at £150. For more information, or tickets, visit signaturefoodfestival.co.uk
