Festival FOOD & DRINK
SUPPORTED BY The Hendrick’s Emporium of Sensorial Submersion
FRINGE FARE
Performers might be hungry for audiences at the Fringe but most audiences are just, well, hungry. Keith Smith discovers the medley of festival shows that allude to food
F rom coffee and croissants to pies and pints, the Fringe freebie might not set foodies‘ hearts a-flutter, but it does at least ensure penniless performers get one square meal a day. For the rest of us well-fed festival-goers, we can look beyond the bribe, seeking out shows that place food at their very heart.
With a title straight from Roald Dahl’s rejection pile, The Enormous Turnip (Spotlites, 17, 19–21, 31 Aug, times vary) is one of a number of interactive shows for kids that deliver an introduction both to cooking and to where our food comes from. There are stories and singalongs with The Mrs Mash Show (The Royal Scots Club, 17–22 Aug, 11am) while Magic Porridge Pot (Spotlites, 19–21, 31 Aug, times vary) promises a very hands-on experience for the wee ones.
Also featuring that most traditional of breakfasts is History of Porridge (Victor & Carina Contini Royal Mile Café, until 31 Aug, 9am) which looks back at the humble oat’s role in nourishing a nation, complete with tutored tastings. And if you like the idea of being guided, there are plenty of supervised sippings, nosings, noshings and quaffings to choose from this year, including The Art of Reduction and the Distillation of Humanity: Whisky Theatre (Valvona & Crolla Scottish Foodhall@ Jenners, until 30 Aug, times vary), The Hendrick’s Emporium of Sensorial Submersion (Venue 459,
until 30 Aug, times vary) and Edinburgh Gin’s Night of Literature and Liquor (Edinburgh Gin Distillery, 10, 17, 24, 31 Aug, 7pm), which delves deeper into the relationships authors – and their protagonists – have developed with drinks. For the chance to immerse yourself even more fully in food (figuratively, not literally), try Foodies Festival (Inverleith Park, 7–9 Aug, 10am) and the Scottish Beer Festival (Cloisters Bar, until 31 Aug, noon), which offers 140 beers in keg, cask or bottle from 70 different breweries across Scotland.
Plenty of us enjoy talking about food as much as eating it. One such person is acerbic food writer Jay Rayner: My Dining Hell (Assembly Rooms, 24 Aug, 12.45pm), who examines our fascination with bad reviews. Elsewhere, in The History of Gluttony (Sweet Grassmarket, 6–30 Aug, 2.05pm), American Linda Moulton looks at the world of epicurean excess. Inspired by New Nordic Cuisine, Wild, Scottish And Free (Stand in the Square, 20 Aug, 3pm) explores the country’s natural larder, challenging experts to deliver a truly Scottish experience, without paying a premium. And, having spent 20 years surviving the stand- up circuit, George Egg: Anarchist Cook (Gilded Balloon, 5–31 Aug, 2.45pm) has developed novel ways of avoiding uninspired hotel food, using various objects found in those lodgings to rustle up ingenious three-course meals.
T S E B 5
S P O T S E E F F O C
ITALIAN ON THE MOUND Italian know-how that’s ideally placed for the dozens of venues scattered around the Royal Mile. 15 Bank Street, Old Town, EH1 2LN
FORTITUDE COFFEE Small, lovable and, best of all, for coffee and comedy fans, it’s almost directly above The Stand. 3C York Place, New Town, EH1 3EB
CAIRNGORM COFFEE Unpretentious newbie that’s handily located for Assembly Rooms and New Town Theatre. 41a Frederick Street, New Town, EH2 1EP BREW LAB Cool coffee geekery just a few minutes’ stroll from Pleasance Dome, BBC@Potterrow, Gilded Balloon and Underbelly. 6–8 South College Street, Old Town, EH8 9AA
MACHINA ESPRESSO Top notch brews of all shapes and sizes, not far from the Traverse and Filmhouse. 2 Brougham Place, Tollcross, EH3 9HW
RECOMMENDS . . .
JOLLY BOTANIST EDINBURGH
An upmarket gin bar in the Haymarket area with quirky Victorian decor.
Enjoy their impressive multi- page gin menu or a cool Birra Moretti to accompany your dinner if you’re all
ginned-out! @jollybotanist
28 THE LIST FESTIVAL 6–13 Aug 2015