Visitors to a north-east tourist attraction will get the chance to see an array of marine life in the tank this weekend – and on their plate too.
Macduff Marine Aquarium will be hosting its first fish pie cookery competition.
And with the culinary contest only days away, the centre’s manager Claire Matthews has emphasised that the seafood challenge is about celebrating the sustainability of local fish.
“As it is Scotland’s National Year of Food and Drink, we thought it would be an excellent opportunity to hold an event about seafood and to get people thinking about their choices of fish, to promote sustainability for our seas and fish stocks,” she said.
“It’s going to be a fantastic weekend with loads going on – inside the aquarium and out.”
The weekend will start with the Young Fish Pie Master final on Saturday from 11.30am. A panel of judges from the food industry has chosen five finalists to compete in the cook-off and the winning recipe will be added to the menu at the Banff Springs Hotel.
Inside there will be fish biology demonstrations, fishing heritage workshops, fishy art, traditional music and presentations from government and university researchers.
Councillor Alison Evison, chairwoman of the local council’s education, learning and leisure committee, added: “Fishing continues to be a hugely significant industry for the area and as part of the FishFest, Macduff Marine Aquarium is showcasing the whole story of fish, from their biology and adaptations to life at sea, to the point they are served up on the plate and the journey in between.”
FishFest is taking place on Saturday and Sunday from 11am-5pm.