Food and Writing Festival hosted in Uist for first time

A FESTIVAL of Food and Writing is taking place in the Outer Hebrides this month - the first ever to be held on the island of Uist.

Food and Writing Festival to take place on South Uist. Picture: Allan Milligan/TSPL

The event is taking place between 24-27 August, from Berneray to South Uist.

There will be plenty for everyone, from Farmers’ Markets to Book Fairs, from cheesemaking, food foraging and Beer Festival, to croft walks, talks and a Blessing of the Boats.

There will be a focus on grain, meat and fish.

Financial support has come from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the Stòras Uibhist Community Fund, CalMac, SNH, Awards for All and Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

This has helped support a strong Gaelic element within the festival, including Uicipeid na Gàidhlig, an initiative by the National Library of Scotland and Wikipedia UK, which will be a workshop on creating content for Wikipedia.

Prof Magnus Course will talk about the deep-rooted relationship between Gaelic and fishing, as part of an all-day event at the Lochboisdale Harbour.

Several intriguing panel discussions are planned: ‘Our Food, Our Future’ will be moderated by Iain Stephen Morrison (editor Am Pàipear) and include crofters, foodies and food thinkers from the Western Isles and beyond.

It will look at some of the forces driving local food production, and relate the local scene to national trends.

‘Could Uist be a Land of Milk and Honey?’ will explore alternatives for the croft - both successful and not - with various Scottish producers.

Authors will discuss their writings at the Book Fair in Lìonacleit Library, and a special Uist Noire evening will take place with Uist mystery writers.

For more information about the event, visit the website www.toradh.org.