What we’re doing

We have several programmes running in Scotland.  And we are campaigning on raw-milk cheese and supporting local artisan food producers. We also arrange specific events to highlight Slow Food principles and actions.

Ark of Taste

The Ark of Taste is a key international project of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity. It aims to catalogue and promote quality products from around the world that are rooted in culture, history and tradition and that are in danger of disappearing. It seeks to re-discover an extraordinary heritage of fruits, vegetables, animal breeds, cheeses, breeds, sweets, cured meats, and much more. Here in Scotland, we are blessed with so many incredible products and our Ark list features everything from Reestit mutton and Native Shetland Lamb to beremeal, peasemeal and the Musselburgh Leek. There is a pressing need to research, record and promote the many other special heritage products that are in danger of disappearing.

The project strives to draw attention to the products and the history behind them, inspiring people to take action to protect them. This might be simply buying and eating them, spreading the word, or supporting the producers behind them.  In the case of endangered wild species, this might mean eating less or none of them in order to preserve their existence for future generations

For more information and a list of current items on the Scottish Ark of Taste, click here.

Chefs’ Alliance

Hundreds of chefs around the world – from Mexico to Morocco – have joined the Slow Food network to support small producers, defend biodiversity and promote the ‘good, clean and fair’ philosophy. The Slow Food Chefs’ Alliance brings these dedicated chefs together – from restaurant and hotel kitchens, cafes and street food trucks, schools and hospitals, cooking schools and community projects. They join a  growing global, active network, and are encouraged to meet, share knowledge, participate in local group events and cook together. All the while supporting small local producers and putting Ark of Taste products on the menu.

Scottish Chef Alliance member Zoltan Szabo

Scotland boasts a roll-call of over 20 superb Alliance members, growing all the time. Further information about the Slow Food Chefs’ Alliance and the members in Scotland can be found here.

If you are a Scottish chef and interested in joining, please contact chefalliance@slowfoodscotland.com

Taste Adventure

The Taste Adventure encourages children aged 4 to 12 to experience food in an entirely new way, through each of their five senses: Seeing, Hearing, Smelling, Touching and Tasting. The activity is run by local groups, and the educational kit can also be made readily available to anyone, so that Taste Adventures can be run by volunteers at festivals, schools and even markets. The Taste Adventure inspires children to be curious about food, try new things and learn more about where their foods come from. Demonstrating that food can be fun, exciting and enjoyable is an important step in encouraging children to take an interest in what they eat.

International Delegations

Slow Food international hosts bi-annual gatherings around the world, bringing producers and consumers together around both specific and general topics, as well food product specific gatherings.

Every two years, this culminates in Terra Madre, the largest international gathering of artisan food producers. Other international gatherings include Slow Cheese, Slow Fish, Slow Meat, Indigenous Terra Madre, and a traveling Slow Wine road show.

Slow Food Youth Network Scotland

The Slow Food Youth Network (SFYN) is a worldwide network of young people creating a better future through food. It unites groups of young food enthusiasts, chefs, activists, students and food producers who participate in public debate about current issues and introduce young people to the world of gastronomy.

SFYN Scotland operates semi-autonomously to Slow Food Scotland, is an aspiring Social Enterprise and works directly with SFYN & Slow Food International on projects focused on engaging and empowering young people to create a more sustainable food future. You can get in touch with SFYN Scot by visiting their Facebook page or emailing them sfynscotland@gmail.com .