The focus on food, as well as farming, and the introduction of a new Food Charter proved a recipe for success for Perth Show last weekend.

Popular celebrity TV chefs Rosemary Shrager and Tony Singh headed up an impressive line-up of culinary talent at the show which attracted around 10,000 visitors.

The event – now the third largest of its type in Scotland – remains a showcase for top quality livestock but this year set itself on a new culinary direction by incorporating the Perthshire on a Plate food and drink festival.

Organised by Perthshire Chamber of Commerce and supported by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), the two-day festival featured celebrity chefs, demonstrations and tastings, book signings, food and drink related trade stands as well and fun-filled activities for kids in a double celebration of food and farming.

The show’s cookery theatre also staged a host of local chefs including Graeme Pallister (63 Tay Street) and Grant MacNicol (Fonab Castle) as well as a cook-off challenge between students from Perth College and the ladies of the SWI.

A pop-up restaurant featured tasty and stylish dishes from some of the area’s best known eateries also allowed visitors to enjoy local produce whilst relaxing in the new Perthshire on a Plate dining area.

Both celebrity chefs really entered into the spirit of the event. Spicemen Tony Singh not only demonstrated fantastic Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork dishes but also visited the sheep lines to meet exhibitors and organisers and learn more about the sheep industry. He said he was thrilled to be asked to part of the new Perth Show/Perthshire on a Plate partnership, supported by QMS.

“I was delighted to be part of this year’s event – flying the flag for fantastic Perthshire produce,” he said. “I am passionate about enhancing fresh and local Scottish ingredients through the use of subtle spice and had a fantastic time getting creative at the show.”

Perthshire Agricultural Society, with support from Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) and Scotland Food & Drink, recently developed a new Food Charter for Perth Show.

The Charter ensured that, where possible, suppliers to the public catering and hospitality at the event were required to serve only locally-produced food, such as quality assured Scotch Beef PGI, Scotch Lamb PGI and Specially Selected Pork.

Get Your Nominations in for the Scotch Beef Farm of the Year Award!

Nominations are coming in for this year’s Scotch Beef Farm of the Year so if you are, or know, a beef producer who is showcasing and developing best practice, get in touch!

Now in its fifth year, the Scotch Beef Farm of the Year award, which is organised by AgriScot and Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), sets out to find, and reward, a Scottish farm which exemplifies the best in beef cattle production.

The overall 2016/17 winner of the competition, run by AgriScot and Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), will receive a fabulous cash prize and the now well-established title of Scotch Beef Farm of the Year. Applications are also sought from others working in the industry who can nominate a farm, or farms, they feel merits the award.

To nominate a farm for the award all that is required is to email the details of the farms which are doing a great job producing Scotch Beef to enquiries@agriscot.co.uk