Well, that was just a brilliant weekend, full of celebration, fun and sunshine.
No, not the Platinum Jubilee bread and circuses (can whoever came up with the term “Platty Joobs” please report to the Tower of London?) – I’m talking about the joyous event to mark all that is good and great when it comes to eating and drinking in the north and north-east.
Taste of Grampian finally burst back into life after two long years of darkness – curse you, Covid. And what a triumphant return it was, too, at its new home in P&J Live.
Sure, my initial thought was that I didn’t want to be indoors on a sunny day. But, then, I have spent some Taste of Grampians trying to find shelter from a monsoon, so, hey-ho.
What hasn’t changed is just the sheer range and quality of produce our part of Scotland gives the world. From Mackie’s lush ice cream through to fine gin from Orkney, top quality beef to the freshest of fresh fish, this truly was a dizzying cornucopia of goodies.
Going from stall to stall, trying samples of this, a taste of that, it took massive self-restraint not just to buy everything from everybody. The whole experience just underlined, once again, how blessed we are in the north-east of Scotland to have such a stunning larder of land and sea to feed us.
Exploring (and eating)
It’s not just the produce, either. The day after Taste of Grampian, we decided to explore the beauty of our region with a wee trip up Deeside.
OK, so the idea of escaping jubilee nonsense clearly wasn’t thought through on my part. Ballater was awash with bunting, Union Flags and a party on the green… but that’s fine, we just retreated back down the road to Aboyne to walk along the Dee instead.
The weather, for once, played ball, with glorious warm sunshine just to ramp up the enjoyment factor
It is the joy of exploring that you find finds. Now we know there is a hidden wee path you can take from the centre of Aboyne out to the bridge that offers stunning views and even the odd little sandy stretch to chill out in peace, perfect peace.
As an added bonus, you can retreat to The Boat Inn for a cheeky cold beer (thanks to Mrs B for being designated driver) and an epic smorgasbord of starters – again, all of them made with local produce.
Even better was that the weather, for once, played ball, with glorious warm sunshine just to ramp up the enjoyment factor.
Treat yourself to more than just a taste
Taste of Grampian is, obviously, a once a year event. However, the producers, the food, the brewers, distillers, bakers, chefs… they are here all year round.
We don’t need to wait for them all to be gathered together under one roof to enjoy them. Go and seek them out – even the ones in places you might think of as “out of the way”.
The real joy is in feasting on delights on our doorstep at any time
Not only will you find fine food and drink, you’ll also get the chance to discover more of our beautiful region, from soaring mountains to stunning seascapes.
Taste of Grampian was just that. A taste. The real joy is in feasting on delights on our doorstep at any time.
Scott Begbie is entertainment editor for The Press & Journal and Evening Express
Conversation