Al fresco? Yes/no

What feels like our sixth winter this year hasn’t discouraged Scotland’s hospitality scene. We’ve got outdoor dining aplenty in the next month. Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Gardens is opening its Garden View Deck and Bar in the evening. You can sip Pommery champagne and enjoy wood-fired pizza while peeping at the gardens after hours, until 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the summer. The line-up for the inaugural Leith Food Festival has been revealed. Let’s hope there’s sunshine on Leith by Saturday 30 May for host Barry Bryson and his team of nine chefs (including Tomás Gourlay, Dan Ashmore and Sarah George). Glasgow hasn’t been put off by the unseasonal cold either, with a huddle of street food traders starting up Good Times Market in Broomielaw. Plus, a big celebration of all things barbecue, wood and coal is occurring at SWG3 from Friday 12 to Sunday 14 June as Meatopia BBQ Festival returns to the city.   

Summer School

As the kids gear up for long summer holidays, we’re thinking about upskilling over summer, perhaps starting with Peter Sawkins’ (off Bake Off) intimate baking masterclass at the Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy on Saturday 30 May. Or maybe welcoming the new Ottolenghi enterprise to George Street with an Ottolenghi-inspired cookery class at Yarrow Cookery School in Longniddry on Sunday 7 June. Soul Food Sisters in Glasgow have a roster of workshops and events over the summer. The collective, led by migrant women, runs cookery and baking classes embracing flavours from around the world, and the Algerian and Spanish baking workshop at the beginning of July looks like a tasty way to learn something new.   

For even more food experiences, check out our Tip List in the new Edinburgh edition of Eat & Drink 365.  

Life on the Farm

Food and drink isn’t all about chefs and white tablecloths. This month is a great time to peek behind the curtain and learn about where food comes from as the Royal Highland Show returns to Ingliston between Thursday 18 and Sunday 21 June. Balcaskie Estate in the East Neuk holds the Bowhouse Market on the second weekend of every month (the next is on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 June). This year, they are also running Grass To Grill Tours, showing off their vast organic farm and culminating in a dreamy long-table feast. Guardswell Farm in Perthshire has its next produce market day on Wednesday 1 July, where sipping a crisp Diggers Cider while admiring the view is a must.  

More to chew on

In our May issue, we chat to Peter McKenna about his new Glasgow venture, Bistro Eleven Fifty Five. The food and drink team scour Glasgow and Edinburgh for the best shawarma and kebabs, and EADith lays down some wisdom about photogenic desserts without the queue. Our spanking new food and drink guide to Edinburgh launched Monday 18 May, and is out in the wild NOW. Edinburgh’s Eat & Drink 365 is your year-round guide to restaurants, diners, bars and cafés across the city.