Flavour of Shetland

17-20 June 2010

 

 

 

 

 

Sun Shines on Flavour of Shetland

June 29 2009

Flavour of Shetland drew to a close yesterday evening (28 June) having enjoyed record amounts of sunshine and seen the highest ever levels of visits over the four-day event.  38,000 visits were recorded to Victoria Pier, Lerwick and the town buzzed with locals and visitors who had come out in force to enjoy the holiday atmosphere and all the event had to offer.

There was much to enjoy from live music to traditional Shetland cookery demonstrations, and the aroma of freshly cooked local produce certainly pulled in the crowds.

Glynn Wright and his team were cooking up some delicious dishes at the new ‘Seafood Shack’ and he was amazed at how busy they’d been.  “We’ve been far busier than I’d ever expected and, by yesterday, had sold out of everything.  I’ve had to source more supplies for today.  It’s been a very worthwhile event - we’ve had great feedback from people visiting the stall and it’s given my students the opportunity to practice what they’ve been learning at college.”

Also part of the ‘Seafood Shack’ was North Atlantic Shellfish, whose mussel dishes also proved extremely popular. Managing director, Michael Tait said: “This was the first time that we’ve attended so it was all a bit of an unknown. But we’ve thoroughly enjoyed the experience and it’s been great to receive some positive feedback from locals, tourists and visiting yachtsman alike.”

Another new team were Margaret Stuart and Wilma Couper who were providing traditional Shetland cookery demonstrations from their stall that had been dressed as an old traditional kitchen.  Margaret Stuart said: “Our demonstrations have been extremely well attended and we’ve met very enthusiastic people.  We’ve made around 80 bannocks each day and every single one has been eaten.

“It was my mother’s book ‘Cookery for Northern Wives’ that inspired us and we hope that, in turn, we’ve inspired others to go home and try the recipes by showing how easy it is to make these delicious bannocks.

“We’ve been using bannock flour donated by the Voe Bakery and buttermilk, milk and butter donated by Shetland Farm Dairies in our demonstrations – it is undoubtedly the combination of these unique ingredients that make the perfect bannock.”

The superb weather paid great dividends for stallholder Gillian Ramsay at The Shetland Fudge Company, who’d brought along freshly made ice cream.  “I’d say that 99 per cent of our sales have been ice cream – it’s been challenging to keep up with demand.

“This has been the best ever Flavour of Shetland in terms of the atmosphere and weather, and our sales have been very good.  The festival is now established on the event calendar and my staff love working here.”

Craft producer Cheryl Jamieson of Unst-based Glansin Glass had equally positive comments about the event.  She said: “This has been an excellent opportunity for me to display my range of unique handmade glassware in front of a wide audience. There has been a good level of interest in my products and I’d definitely say there is no better showcase than this.”

Elsewhere on the pier, festival goers enjoyed storytelling sessions with Davy Cooper, while children were entertained by Cheeko the Clown. 

Visitors were also treated to a spectacular parade of more than 200 Vikings who took to the Lerwick streets on Saturday afternoon, attracting a huge crowd.

Commenting on the success of this year’s festival, organiser Nicola Halcrow said: “This year’s event has far exceeded our expectations and we’re delighted with the level of footfall recorded – at times we actually reached maximum capacity. 

“The combination of the impressive programme of activities and the spectacular weather has created a real festival spirit on the pier and made it the place to be over the last four days.  Lerwick has been buzzing with people enjoying the activities on offer and celebrating Shetland’s great food, music, craft and culture – and its been great to be right at the heart of it all.”