If you’ve ever wanted to try some authentic Scottish and Irish food and beverages, you’ll have your chance to eat and drink your fill at CelticFest!
In addition to running Guinness on tap at the bar, the CelticFest snack bar and canteen will offer a host of items to give patrons a taste of what locals chow down on in Caledonia (Scotland) and the Green Isle (Ireland).
Chief among the items on offer is the delicious Scottish haggis (trust me, don’t think about it, just eat it, you will love it!), which will be served up in pies, sausage rolls and baps (bread rolls), cooked by local bakery Westside Bakery, with the haggis supplied from Syd’s Pies, a Brisbane-based distributor of British foods. Haggis is an offal-based, seasoned delicacy in Scotland and is enjoyed year around, often served with neeps (mashed parsnips) and tatties (mashed potato), especially on Burns Night, January 25, when it is ceremonially addressed during Burns Night suppers, and when a dram of whisky is also imbibed.
For those who are not fans of the haggis, Guinness pies, Cornish pasties and Irish soda bread from another local baker, Steele’s, will also be available. The wedge-shaped Cornish pasty hails from Cornwall, and can be either savoury (including meat, potatoes and other vegetables) or sweet (including fruit, jams or sweetened rice); Cornish pasties at CelticFest will be savoury.
Patrons can also feast on Scotch pies and Scotch eggs, which are also supplied by Syd’s Pies. A Scotch pie is a double-crusted meat pie – double-crusted for extra durability during soggy Scottish football (soccer) matches – and a Scotch egg is a deep-fried snack which comprises a boiled egg coated in sausage meat, with an outer crust of breadcrumbs. Mmmmm, delicious!
If it’s something sweet you’re after, there’ll be a range of Tunnocks-brand cakes and biscuits (Scotland), including Snowballs and Caramel Wafers. Those wanting a light snack could do worse than to crack open a packet of Keogh’s chips (Ireland): choose from Shamrock and Sour Cream, Flame-grilled Irish Steak, Atlantic Sea Salt and Irish Cider Vinegar, or Irish Cheddar. Or you could also try some KP dry roasted peanuts.
And then to wash it all down, how about some of Scotland’s national soft drink, Irn-bru? Often described as Scotland’s other national drink – whisky is the other, naturally – this orange-flavoured drink is the top-selling soft-drink in Scotland, even beating out Coca-Cola! Alternatively, you could try some Irish flavours, including Lilt (tropical), Rock Shandy (orange and lemon), Club Orange, Club Lemon or Cidona Sparkling Apple Drink.
Immerse yourself in CelticFest – from the inside out, as well as the outside in!
