Taste of Grampian is back and we’ve got everything you need to know about the north-east’s biggest one-day food and drink festival all wrapped up for you.
From the dates to ticket prices, not to mention information on the celebrity chefs and the times of their demonstrations, to other entertainment, there’s plenty for all ages to get involved in.
Taking place this summer at its new home at P&J Live in Dyce, Aberdeen, the festival is gearing up to be one of the biggest and best to date.
When is it?
Taste of Grampian will take place from 9am to 6pm on Saturday June 4 – so be sure to put the date in your diary!
Where is it taking place?
The event is taking place at P&J Live in Aberdeen for the first time since moving from Thainstone Exchange and The Mart in Inverurie.
It will take place in the main arena hall at P&J Live where acts including Gerry Cinnamon, Lewis Capaldi and Ros Stewart have performed.
The Sports Personality of the Year event was also held there in December 2019.
How much does it cost to get in?
Tickets for the festival are priced at £12 each and children under 12 go free.
There is a booking fee of £1.50 on Ticketmaster and a £2.50 service charge.
Celebrity chefs – who are they?
This year the celebrity chefs in attendance will be none other than James Martin and Si King of The Hairy Bikers.
Sadly Dave Myers had to cancel his appearance with Si King at the festival due to ill health.
The chefs were destined to headline the 2020 event, however are looking forward to returning to the festival and the north-east this year.
James is best-known for presenting the ITV cookery show, James Martin’s Saturday Morning.
Si and Dave have published more than 20 cookbooks including British Classics, Mediterranean Adventure and Mums Know Best and their latest releases Veggie Feasts and Everyday Winners.
The chef demonstrations cost £15 and are also available to purchase now.
James Martin’s demos take place from 9.30am, noon and 2.30pm.
The Hairy Bikers’ will take place at 10.45am, 1.15pm and 3.45pm.
Is it just a festival to buy things at?
While you can buy some of the best Scottish food and drink the north-east and further afield has to offer to take home, there will also be a number of vendors you can purchase hot and cold food items from.
This year more then 150 vendors will be present at the festival.
In the past there has been ice cream, drinks, burgers, wraps, chips and more available to indulge in, with plenty lined up to try this year.
As well as the huge variety of food and drink stallholders, you’ll also find a crafters market where you can pick up a range of items. In recent years there has been everything from jewellery, crockery, skincare, glassware, art and more.
What other things can I do?
As well as a massive food and drink offering Taste of Grampian is designed to be a fun day out for all of the family.
From a children’s zone to live music on the main stage, not to mention the buskers and other festival entertainers, there will be plenty happening.
As well as the celebrity chef demos there will also be masterclasses from local chefs, wine and gin tastings, workshops and more taking place.
Each of the five chefs in the local kitchen will host their own masterclass for 45 minutes and will create a range of dishes.
Craig Wilson, owner of Eat on the Green will kick things off at 10am and will be followed by Oyin Adekola of O’Caykx at 11am who will do something a little different with her baking background.
From 12.30pm Ross Cochrane of Rothesay Rooms will entertain and he will be followed by two north-east chefs who will be opening their own venues soon. The first, Graham Mitchell of Tarragon by Graham Mitchell, will be on at 1.45pm and Kevin Dalglish, who is opening Amuse by Kevin Dalglish this summer, will take to the stage at 3pm.
Festivalgoers will also be able to purchase drinks masterclass tickets for £10 to four different experiences.
They include:
- Cocktails with Angels Dare at 11- 11.45am
- Origin Gin with Orkney Distilling at 12.15-1pm
- The Brewdog Experience with  Brewdog at 1:30-2:15pm and 2:45-3.30pm
Taste of Grampian’s Showstopper Bake Off winner
Fancy yourself a bit of an amateur baker? Why not enter into the festival’s baking competition which is running in association with the Aberdeen Bake Club.
There are two categories, both with 15 spaces, for amateur bakers to enter. The first is aimed at those aged 16 and under, while the second is for adults and those who are 17 and older.
All cakes are to be made at home in advance of the festival and will need to be dropped off at the very latest on the morning of the event so they are on display in time for the event kicking off at 9am.
The 15 celebration showstopper cakes will be put on display for festivalgoers to view and will be judged by a panel.
Click here to find out more or to enter.
Nominated charity
Community Food Initiatives North East (Cfine) if the festival’s nominated charity this year.
The firm, which is headquartered in Aberdeen but works across the north and north-east, will have a number of activities taking place on the day.
They include:Â
- Plant potting in the children’s zone
- Selling fresh fruit pots from their mobile pantry vehicle
- Selling fresh fruit and vegetables from their stand
- Providing produce for the celebrity chefs
And to support the charity, festivalgoers are being invited to bring along donations of tins and cans of food.
The items the charity is in desperate need of include:
- Tinned fruit
- Tinned vegetables
- Tinned meals and meats – ravioli, macaroni, steak etc.
- Tins of tuna
- Jars of pasta sauce/other sauces
- Tinned desserts – rice pudding, custard etc.
What does the music line-up look like?
The music line-up will see a range of local bands and artists take to the Taste of Grampian stage which is sponsored by Kingfisher Music.
- 10.30am:Â JOYFUL
- 11.15am:Â Katie McMullan
- 12.00pm:Â Rock Choir Aberdeenshire
- 12.45pm:Â The Funky Red Pandas
- 1.30pm:Â UNF
- 2.15pm:Â The Kymatiks
- 3.00pm:Â Rock Choir Aberdeenshire
- 3.45pm:Â Spiralmind
But wait, how do I get there?
While you can take your car and park in the underground car park on-site at P&J Live for free, get a taxi, or get dropped off at the venue, many people are now looking into more sustainable and environmentally-friendly ways to travel.
Two bus services run through the event complex daily.
Stagecoach’s Jet Service 727 runs from Aberdeen’s Union Square Bus Station to the airport via P&J Live. It operates 24-hours a day with services up to every 10 minutes Monday to Friday and every 30 minutes Saturday and Sunday.
For more information including full timetable and ticket information visit Stagecoach 727 timetable/info.
First’s X27 Service is from Guild Street Aberdeen Bus Station to the airport via P&J Live. This service operates from 5.35am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday with a travel time of around 30 minutes to get to the venue.
For more information on the full timetable and ticket information visit First X27 timetable.
All bus stops are just a short walk from P&J Live.
The venue is also a 15-minute walk from both Aberdeen International Airport and Dyce Train Station and there’s also the park and ride that festivalgoers can use.
Aberdeen City Council provides three park and ride facilities within the city and shire. The routes are from Kingswells, Bridge of Don and Craibstone.
Sponsors
The headline sponsor of the event is Quality Meat Scotland.
Other sponsors include Aberdeenshire Council, Royal Bank of Scotland, Brewdog, Angels Dare, Orkney Distilling, Lofthus, 1881 Distilling, Jury’s Inn, Laings, Cala, Costco, Donald Russell and Kingfisher Music.
The event is in association with Opportunity North East and ANM Group.
For more food and drink news…
- The Beach Bar: A first look inside the newly refurbed Aberdeen sports bar with crazy pool, axe throwing and quirky cocktails
- Too Good To Go: The 7 items I received in my £3 bag from JG Ross – was the trip worth it?
