HAIRY Bikers Simon King and Dave Myers are to headline this year's Food Festival dinner, to be held by Peterhead & Buchan Tourism Initiative in September.
The format of the annual fish festival had to be changed after suffering dwindling numbers, and it was decided to incorporate a wealth of foods for 2010 under the banner 'Buchan's Larder'.
The week will launch mid-September with the dinner taking
place on Friday, September 17 at the Waterside Inn, and confirmation came last week that Dave and Si will be guest speakers for the event.
Speaking to the Buchanie this week, group chairman, Mike Chandler, said he was "delighted" that the TV personalities had agreed to come to the Blue Toon, giving a major boost to the revamped event.
"We had approached them at the end of last year and were asked to wait for confirmation as they had TV filming schedules to look at, so we were delighted when we received the news last week that they were definitely coming.
"I'm sure that Si and Dave will be a major attraction and hopefully tickets will be snapped up for the food festival dinner, where space will be limited.
Si and Dave are heading for Peterhead in September
"The Waterside Inn has agreed to provide accommodation free of charge for Si and Dave and it's sure to be a fantastic evening."
The Fish Festival ran for the fourth consecutive year in 2009, but Mr Chandler admitted that from a marketing aspect there was as much interest from the farming community as there was from the fishing community, which led the group to think that it perhaps should expand the event.
"The original Fish Festival was the brainchild of the Peterhead Tourism Initiative and it's now the Peterhead & Buchan Tourism Initiative so we are going to include the whole of the Buchan area and look at showcasing Buchan's bountiful produce," said Mr Chandler.
"It will have the same elements as the Fish Festival has had over the past four years, including the popular art competition and the market, but last year we added the folk night for the first time and we think that can be expanded on for 2010."
The 2010 food festival will run from Saturday, September 11 to Saturday, September 18, and in another innovative move there may be a dance on the first Saturday to kick-off proceedings.
"The art competition will run as usual as it has proved to be very popular since its inception, but we are thinking of having some sort of ball or dinner dance to launch the week in style," said Mr Chandler.
"The Waterside Inn has kindly offered its services once again for the dinner, but we are looking to other venues throughout the Buchan area which would be suitable for hosting a range of events both this year and in future years."
The Saturday market event is also set to undergo a revamp, with plans to utilise the St. Peter Street flats site for a larger event.
"We are taking the view that there will be the usual stalls in Drummers Corner, but that in itself is not a reason for people coming into the town, so we are also setting our sights on organising something on the site of the St. Peter Street flats.
"There are quite a lot of groups who have static displays, such as Coastguards, Fire Brigade, Aberdeenshire Council etc, and the idea is to make it that sort of thing along with market stalls, both there and in Drummers Corner."
Another idea which has been given the go-ahead by the group is the creation of a 'Food Heroes of Buchan' calendar for 2011. This will feature local entrepreneurs in the food industry - whether fish producers, fishermen, farmers, butchers or bakers, while the group is also looking at creating a Buchan Food Trail booklet.
However, in order to get the project off the ground, the group is keen to hear from any food producers, business, group or individuals who would be willing to get involved or suggest ideas.
"We would be delighted to hear from anyone who may have ideas or suggestions for the food festival - or any other event which would promote the area's bountiful produce," added Mr Chandler.
Meanwhile, anyone who would like to book a stall on market day - September 18 - is encouraged to do so as soon as possible.
Prices are £15 if they have their own stall or £20 if a stall has to be provided on the day.
Full details on any of the above can be obtained by popping into Peterhead Projects office in the town's Broad Street.
