Perthshire On A Plate….05.08.16 Celebrity chef Rosemary Shrager pictured with from left Vicki Unite Perthshire Chamber of Commerce, Fiona Walker of DWK Office Solutions and Maureen Young of Perthshire On A Plate. Rosemary officially opened Perthshire On A Plate food festival by cutting a cake. The show is held today and tomorrow at Perth Show. Tomorrow’s celebrity chef is Scottish Spice King Tony Singh. Each day features a full demonstration programme of celebrity and top local chefs. The two day food lovers event is organised by Perthshire Chamber of Commerce. Picture by Graeme Hart. Copyright Perthshire Picture Agency Tel: 01738 623350 Mobile: 07990 594431

Perthshire Chamber of Commerce is celebrating a huge success after serving up another helping of its popular two-day Perthshire On A Plate food festival.

This year the Chamber was invited to bring an exciting and attractive new dimension to the region’s annual agricultural showcase event. And the celebration of the area’s food and drink industry proved a perfect fit at the recent 154th Perth Show held at the city’s South Inch.

TV chefs Rosemary Shrager and Tony Singh headed up a demonstration cast of celebrity and local culinary talent in the packed Cookery Theatre, while a bustling trade marquee showcased a wide range of local food and drink producers. Pop-up restaurants added to the widespread foodie appeal of the festival with several Perthshire eateries offering “taster” dishes to the thousands who flocked to the Show.

Perthshire On A Plate (POAP), sponsored by DWK Office Solutions and supported by Quality Meat Scotland, is organised by Perthshire Chamber Chief Executive Vicki Unite and journalist Maureen Young, who are both now hopeful of POAP becoming a regular feature at the annual Perth Show.

“This inaugural partnership proved hugely successful,” said Vicki, “and everyone involved has enthused about it – from the demonstration chefs to the producers and sponsors. A couple of our producers even received an export business boost with new overseas orders.

“When Perthshire comes together to celebrate our vital farming industry it is a natural progression to bolt on a celebration of food and drink,” she added. “POAP provided an exciting two-day programme offering our food and drink industry a platform to showcase their skills, produce and expertise to an audience of thousands.

“Perthshire is really the top shelf of Scotland’s larder with an abundance of prime quality produce covering everything from game to soft fruit,” she said, “and this festival showcases that larder perfectly with the help of producers, suppliers, retailers and experts from across the county.”

Perth Show secretary Neil Forbes also praised the success of the new partnership.

“Perthshire’s food and drink sector has a natural crossover to our agricultural industry and the combination has proved a real hit with the public. The partnership between Perth Show and POAP is the perfect fit – a double celebration of food and farming – and we’re hopeful that this inaugural partnership will become an annual feature.”

POAP was supported by a wide range of businesses and organisations including DWK Office Solutions, Perth Common Good Fund, Knock Castle in Crieff, Perth College UHI Hospitality Department, The Fraser Bruce Group, Momentum Design, Something Special Flowers and Quality Meat Scotland.