Food and drink

There is still time to submit a proposal to take forward the Scottish Wild Food Festival from 2021. 

Forth Valley and Lomond LEADER developed and funded the first-ever Scottish Wild Food Festival, with the first event being held at Cardross Estate on 14 September 2019. The second festival will run on 9 May at the same venue. The festival is an opportunity to celebrate all that foraging and wild food has to offer the region, and they hope it will continue to grow and prosper in the future. 

The Scottish Government has started early engagement on the development of Scotland's fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4).

The National Planning Framework is a long term plan for development and investment across Scotland.

Community Owned Shops and Pubs - Making It Easy

Has your community shop or pub recently closed or is it considered at risk? Would your community like to take action to secure its future?

A shop or a pub can be the heart of a community, taking on a role well beyond its function, yet more and more are facing closure. To ensure these vital community assets are preserved, communities from across Scotland are coming together to take their shop or pub into community ownership.

An upcoming Scottish Rural Action conference will kick start a 'rural movement' to make rural Scotland's voice heard.

Representatives from rural Scotland's communities, businesses and organisations are invited to attend the free event taking place from 26 to 27 February at New Lanark Visitor Centre, the renowned world heritage site.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon recently launched the Scottish Charity Awards 2020, encouraging organisations from across the country to apply. 

The annual awards are organised by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and celebrate the fantastic work that charities and community groups do every day to help those in need and raise awareness of important causes. 

A new podcast dedicated to rural Scotland and it's various industries has launched today, Monday 13 January.

The OnFARM – Food, Agriculture and Rural Matters podcast has been launched by Scene & Herd PR and Marketing and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and a new dedicated website.

Scene & Herd PR and Marketing are working with industry experts, successful business owners and key organisations to increase public and inter-industry awareness of Scottish rural enterprise and its stories.

Moray LEADER and Windswept Brewing Co have been working in cooperation with Belgian farming and brewing partners to develop a new product line, which will be brewed with ingredients grown in Moray. The project is funded through Moray LEADER and GAL Burdinale-Mehaigne; a LEADER territory in Wallonia, Belgium.

The project aims to create a short supply chain between locally based farmers and breweries. The aim is to enhance product and produce value and reduce carbon emissions to help create sustainable locally economies.

Rural businesses from across the country have been announced as finalists for the Scottish Rural Awards 2020.

The Scottish Rural Awards celebrate the enterprise, innovation and community spirit of those who live and work in Scotland’s countryside. Shortlists have been announced for 12 award categories including a new award for Best Countryside Digital Innovator.

A further 30 events have been announced as part of the Year of Coasts and Waters 2020.

The Themed Year will see a wide variety of events take place right across the country -- from coastal-inspired opera to a seaweed festival!

Events supported through round two of the Year of Coasts and Waters event fund include:

The fourth round of funding from the Connect Local Regional Food Fund (RFF) is currently open for applications.

The Connect Local RFF is a grant to support growth in Scotland's local/regional food and drink sector.

The fund will support projects and initiatives in Scotland which celebrate and promote locally sources and produced food and drink, in line with the priorities of Ambition 2030. 

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