Oot and Aboot at the BBC Good Food Show Scotland

Every autumn, the country’s finest chefs and food experts descend on Glasgow’s iconic SECC complex for the Scottish leg of the BBC Good Food Show. This year’s event saw over 150 different exhibitors filling the SECC’s cavernous Hall 4, with tens of thousands of people attending a three-day celebration of fine food and innovative ingredients. Almost 50 companies were appearing at the Good Food Show Scotland for the first time, helping to make this the biggest and most successful event to date.

This year’s GFSS exhibitors ranged from local firms like Tunnocks and Billingtons of Lenzie through to international giants including Lidl and Whole Foods Market. The latter’s stall contained the giant meringues and artisan loaves that have ensured their Giffnock store in Glasgow has gone from strength to strength since it opened in 2011. The Scottish theme was maintained by numerous firms from every corner of the country, with two Hebridean salt specialists joined by Highland distilleries, lowland biscuit makers and local producers of everything from chilli jams to rapeseed oil.

However, the GFSS attracts exhibitors and visitors from all over the UK, and this was reflected in the calibre of celebrities gracing the Supertheatre for live demos before fielding questions at the Interview Stage. Sunday saw James Martin battling technical gremlins as he attempted to whip up a three-course meal within half an hour, while Tom Kitchin was also performing in the Kenwood-sponsored Supertheatre show kitchen. Friday and Saturday had seen a mixture of solo and duet performances by the Great British Bake Off stars Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry, who shared top-billing on Saturday with MasterChef presenter John Torode.

The GFSS has always been about more than just ingredients or free samples, and cookware specialists Lakeland had the largest single presence with their huge store beside the Interview Stage. While most of the stands were conventional exhibition spaces, some were more reminiscent of market stalls – particularly those taken by smaller companies making unique products like fudge or chilli oils. One or two exhibitors even opted to trade from the back of Amazing Spaces-style converted vehicles, which seemed particularly fitting for a show sponsored by Lexus. A variety of non-food exhibitors were also in attendance, with charities including Guide Dogs and the RSPB joining DC Thomson Books and even East Lothian Council. Visitors could get books signed by celebrity presenters in the WH Smith signing shop, while an enthusiastic Highland dance earned one Supertheatre attendee a free Kenwood blender in a spontaneous product giveaway.

By midday on Sunday, the GFSS was almost becoming a victim of its own success, with so many people entering Hall 4 that walkways and stalls near the entrance became hard to navigate. Given the popularity of this year’s event, we’d recommend that anyone planning to attend next year’s show should arrive early to beat the crowds so that they can enjoy a more relaxing visit.

Neil Cumins