The ESSE Cookers and Scottish Venison Cookery Theatre is a great way to explore Scottish produce and how to get the best from our game.

The best of Scottish food has always been at the heart of The GWCT Scottish Game Fair and every year visitors flock to The Cookery Theatre to be inspired by well-known chefs and cookery experts.

The main remit is game cookery and you can watch popular names from the cookbook, restaurant and kitchen world. The Theatre is in partnership with ESSE Cookers and Scottish Venison Association, the providers of venison and other game for use in the Cookery Theatre demonstrations. Ardgay Game and Perthshire Game are both integral members of the Scottish Venison Association (SVA), and will be supplying venison for the Cookery Theatre.

Amy Rankine

Amy is a forager based in central Scotland and has been delivering walks and workshops for 8 years. Holding an BSc in Food Science and Technology and an MSc in Gastronomy, she is currently researching a PhD in food and communication. In 2023 she took part in the Wildbiome Project, eating only wild food for a period of three months as part of a study on its impact on the gut microbiome. As an advocate for Slow Food, she places sustainability, environment and culture mat the heart of her practise. As well as teaching, Amy works with craft drinks producers to bring wild flavours to imbue a sense of place to local beer and gin.

Andrew Moss

Andrew runs the acclaimed North Port Restaurant with his partner Karen in the historic cultural quarter of Perth. Their intimate restaurant serves up the best of Scotland’s produce in a modern, unpretentious way. Andrew started working in a commercial kitchen as a dishwasher when he was only 14-years-old, which eventually led to taking over the Perth eatery in 2014. Now aged 40, Andrew has secured and retained two AA Rosettes for the North Port as well as an entry in The Michelin Guide. The dishes on the menu are ingredient led with a big focus on seasonality. Game plays a major part on the menu all year round as it is something Andrew is very passionate about.

Andrew Spence

Andrew Spence has spent the past years cooking some of the best produce in Scotland. A MasterChef of Great Britain member and award-winning chef, Spence has achieved accolades ranging from earning a mrosette in a small pub to winning Restaurant of the Year. Now, as a private chef, Spence aims to showcase his culinary expertise and bring amazing food to the people of Scotland.

Daniela Forbes

Daniela Forbes, a chef, stylist, and food educator with Italian heritage, collaborates with numerous brands including The GWCT Scottish Game Fair, Quality Meat Scotland, and Seafood Scotland. She also operates her own cookery school in Edinburgh, The Cook Academy. Daniela is dedicated to inspiring children and young people through workshops in secondary schools across Scotland. Her passion lies in equipping individuals of all ages with the skills and confidence to prepare delicious food from scratch in a fun and relaxed setting.

Kevin Dalgleish

Kevin Dalgleish has been one of the North East of Scotland’s most prominent chefs for the last two decades. After training under the legendary Anton Edelman at The Savoy in London, he moved back to Scotland as head chef for 10 years at the exclusive Ackergill Tower where he started The Food of Love weekend. These events saw him joined by some of the country’s top culinary stars from Angela Hartnett and Anton Mosimann to cohost private dining weekends. In 2012, Kevin joined The Chester Hotel in Aberdeen as executive chef where the concept evolved into The Signature Food Festival and became an annual event at the hotel. Over the years the festival continued to attract the great and the good of the UK’s kitchens to cook for charity including Marco Pierre White, Phil Howard, Daniel Clifford, Glynn Purnell and Richard Corrigan.

Perthshire Game

Based in Scone, Tom and Oli started Perthshire Game in March 2023 to increase the availability of wild ethical and sustainable game meats for the local consumer. All venison is from Perthshire, and is sourced from estates and landowners who work with Perthshire Game to sustainably manage the population of deer on their landholdings. Perthshire Game are delighted to be working with the Game for Giving initiative – estates in the local area donating game birds to be processed for the benefit of those who need it most in the local community. Be sure to visit Perthshire Game’s regular market stalls at Perth Farmers’ Market, Aberfeldy Market and the Blairgowrie Farmers’ and Producers’ Market.

Stavros Bampatsikos

Stavros says: “Working as head chef at the Strathearn restaurant at Gleneagles has provided me with the platform to enact and follow through with my vision of using great local and seasonal produce, allowing the ingredients to speak for themselves. Scotland has an abundance of natural ingredients, wild game, and a prime location to access some of the world’s best fish from the North Sea moving around towards the Outer Hebrides and then into the great north Atlantic. I firmly believe in being accountable as a chef, with a responsibility not only to provide a sustainable approach to cooking but to influence the wider community in reducing food waste and minimising our impact on earth.”