Scottish Festival of Real Bread returns

The festival welcomed almost 1,000 people last year and this February expects to attract even greater numbers with a line-up packed with events championing those who produce Real Bread, from soil to slice, and that cater to those who value its place on the table.

The programme includes activities for every visitor, from Real Bread newbies wanting to learn how to make the most of their breadmachine, to creatives keen to see grain in a new artistic light during cyanotype photography workshops or straw weaving sessions, to children who can get hands-on making sourdough flatbreads and have a blast threshing and milling grain at The Big Thrash.

This year’s new Festival Marquee will host two exciting productions. In the morning there will e a rare performance of The Breadagogues’ glowingly reviewed show ARISE! Songs & Stories for the Bread Revolution, which last played to a sold-out audience at the Scottish International Storytelling Festival 2023. After lunch the marquee will host the Scottish premiere of Six Inches of Soil, followed by a panel discussion. This feature-length documentary film tells the inspiring story of young British farmers standing up against the industrial food system and transforming the way they produce food - to heal the soil, our health and provide for local communities.

On the Main Stage there will be an introduction to Nourish Scotland’s ambitious new Public Diners campaign, exploring the creation of infrastructure for a Good Food Nation, with a discussion of the central role The People’s Bread deserves in that vision. This will be led by Pete Ritchie, Director of Nourish Scotland, alongside Lyndsay Cochrane from The People’s Bread project, Professor Wendy Russell (The Rowett Institute) and community bakers from Glasgow and Perthshire.

The prize-giving of the Scottish Bread Championship is a festival highlight, which this year will be presented by Chris Young, Coordinator of the Real Bread Campaign and author of Slow Dough: Real Bread. The championship is Scotland’s only Real Bread competition, attracting increasing numbers of entries from professional and amateur bakers across the country.