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Huntly Hairst: Festival of Food and Farming

03 Sep 2011 - North East

A weekend packed with good food, fun and a chance to see where your food comes from.

Thursday 1st September 2011

Guided Textile Tour 18.30 Around town
Open music session 20.00 Ex-Serviceman's Club

Friday 2nd September 2011

Fair trade wine tasting 19.30 Gordon Arms

Saturday 3rd September 2011 Huntly Town Centre

Extended farmers market PLUS... Food demonstration tent, Music stage, Children's entertainment, World stovies championship, Tablet competition, Shortbread competition, Supermarket challenge, Primary school allotment Open day, Can't Cook, Won't Cook, Food bike tour of Huntly food producers, Family film, A tasting table, Cook books old & new.

Sunday 4th September 2011 at the Mart

Family harvest service, Collage competition & art display, Butchery demonstration, Music & song, Raffle draw & prizegiving, Craft & charity stalls, Scottish sculpture workshop, Wood turning demonstrations, Sheep shearing, Pigeon plucking contest, CCOW, Fly-tying demonstration, Mystery farm object display, What is permaculture?, Joanneke and barefoot books, Market stalls, Bouncy castle, Vintage tractors, Horse-shoe pitching & old west paraphenalia, Pony rides, Forest crafts, Tranquility town cowboy shows, Guided walk up the Clashmach, Archeological farm walk & drive, Dudendance's Into the Wild and Trade stands
Tin Hut Supper Goes Gourmet 18.30 for 19.00 Tin Hut, Gartly


Food Trail

Visit five of the town's leading food and drink producers and retailers. Bring your own bike, or hire one for the afternoon from the Nordic Ski Centre (01466 794428). The easy-cycle ride with tasting stops to learn more about local food and drink will take about two hours. Helmets must be worn. Children with road sense are welcome.

1 Strathbogie Bakery A traditional town-centre family bakery.

The bakery, housed in the former Missionar Kirk made a name for itself producing one of the first animal fat-free vegetarian 'butteries' or Aberdeen roll. 1 Old Road AB54 8DL t 01466 793989

2 Forbes Raeburn Butchers

A traditional family-owned butcher which specialises in prime Aberdeen-Angus beef. The Raeburns pick the animals personally. 7 Bogie Street AB54 8DX t 01466 792818

3 Rizza's of Huntly Ice-cream maker Rizza's roots are in Italy.

Still a family owned business with a homely sweetie and tobacco shop in the town centre. Rizza's new factory sends ice cream all over Scotland. 31 Steven Road AB54 8SX t 01466 793666

4 Dean's of Huntly

Helen Dean started baking shortbread in her kitchen for the Huntly Pipe Band. Now a brand leader, Dean's export shortbread and oatcake products around the world.
Depot Road AB54 8JX t 01466 792086

5 Duncan Taylor and Co.

A young firm specialising in a range of unusual and rare whiskies bought direct from famous distilleries. Managing director Euan Shand is planning a new 'green' distillery for Huntly. 36 Gordon Street AB54 8EQ t 01466 794055

The Tin Hut Supper Goes Gourmet

Tin Hut Suppers invite chefs to showcase their skills at the Tin Hut in Gartly, with the aim of promoting local produce to a wider audience combined with the Slow Food ethos of good, clean & fair food.
We are delighted to have secured a multi-award winning chef to host the finale to this year's Huntly Hairst weekend. Israeli-born Yoram Odentz was awarded the bronze medal in the 2011 Scottish Chef of the Year competition, the most prestigious competition in the Scottish Culinary Championships. Yoram is no stranger to awards having been Grampian Chef of the Year seven times and been in the top three for the past 16 years. He has also been a member of the Scottish Olympic Culinary team. Yoram is Chef Manager for Sodexo.


Sunday 4th September 2011
18.30 for 19.00

Haggis wonton served with neep and heather honey cream

Game broth with homemade soda bread

Hairy tatties galette served with organic tomato chutney

Fillet of Herds of Insch beef served on feed barley
and forest mushroom risotto
with roast vegetables and smoked garlic drizzled
with oxtail reduction

Cranachan cheesecake
with crushed apple and whisky almond crumble
and vanilla ice-cream

Coffee or tea and petits fours

£40 per person. Booking essential.
Licenced Bar
The Tin Hut aka Gartly Community Hall
Contact emmaplumpton@hotmail.com for bookings


Farming the Clashindarroch

Join archaeologist Colin Shepherd on a drive and walk through the Clashindarroch Forrest. Discover how people have farmed and lived in the area for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.

The Clash is extremely unusual in containing a large number of archaeological sites in a rare state of preservation, which Colin has been studying for a number of years.  This is a rare chance to see and scramble over and understand the clear remains of 15th, 16th  & 17th century field systems, settlements and a kiln. See the remains of a 19th century mill.

On the way you can also visit the site of the Battle of Milduan where Malcolm Canmore killed Lulach, son of Macbeth and arguably changed the course of Scottish History. Forget Shakespeare and learn what really happened.

Not to be missed is Wormyhillock a neolithic henge in a remarkable state of preservation. All this within a short drive from Huntly!

Meet at Huntly Mart 2pm. Participants are asked to travel in their own cars, but car sharing will be encouraged. Come in stout shoes, children to be accompanied and dogs to be under control. The event is free.

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