French chef Novelli will be guest of honour at Taste North 2019

FRENCH chef Jean-Christophe Novelli will be the star attraction at Taste North 2019, the Scottish mainland's most northerly food festival.

Now in its fifth year, Taste North takes place on Sunday, October 6, and again the setting will be the Together Travel venue at John O'Groats.

Event-managed by tourism cooperative Venture North, with funding from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, the event has grown steadily since its pilot in 2014. The 2018 festival, featuring Tony Singh as special guest, attracted some 1700 visitors and exhibitor space was sold out in record time for this year.

Venture North chairperson Catherine Macleod said: “Taste North 2019 is looking even better than ever with more producers, more space, more delicious food and drink, more amazing artisan craft, more family activities and more prize-winning baking.

“We hope the local community and visitors alike will join us on October 6 and have a great day celebrating all the very best of Caithness and Sutherland’s producers.”

Throughout the day there will be cooking sessions, cocktail masterclasses and workshops. Jean-Christophe Novelli will conduct a number of live demonstrations and be charged with choosing the winner of the annual baking contest, the Taste North Challenge.

Taste North 2019 is looking even better than ever with more producers, more space, more delicious food and drink and more amazing artisan craft.

Jean-Christophe, who came to Britain in 1983 and has accumulated no fewer than four Michelin stars, said: “I am honoured to have been invited to take part in the Taste North festival this year. Most exciting, for me as a chef, is to come and sample and experience the rich tapestry of food and drink from the area and meet the producers and makers behind it.”

The exhibitors' market will offer visitors the opportunity to sample food from local eateries and producers, taste local tipples and see an array of artisan crafts. The leading Caithness and Sutherland food and drink businesses will again be represented along with exhibitors from further afield, including Skye and Orkney.

There will be plenty of children’s entertainment and opportunities for them to get their hands sticky and learn where their food comes from.

The event’s annual baking competition, the Taste North Challenge, continues with support from the Gordon and Ena Baxter Foundation – the philanthropic foundation established by Baxters food group. The competition offers local bakers the chance to take part and win prizes across two categories, open and youth, supported by Developing the Young Workforce and Mackays Hotel, Wick.

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