Leith Food Festival makes its debut on Leith Links with the area's top chefs

Leith has long been talked about as one of Edinburgh's best places to eat. This year it got a festival to prove it. The first Leith Food Festival took over Leith Links on 30 and 31 May, mixing street food, family entertainment and live cookery from some of the city's best-known chefs.

The festival was founded by events organiser Mike Johnstone, with the aim of celebrating the area's food culture and offering a day out for adults and children alike. Food trucks lined the edge of the park, serving everything from Jamaican jerk chicken to ostrich burgers, while fairground rides and tug-of-war contests kept younger visitors busy.

The main attraction was an indoor cookery theatre seating up to 150 people, curated and hosted by chef Barry Bryson of Barry Fish on The Shore. Nine chefs took to the stage over the weekend for 45-minute demonstrations, including Dan Ashmore of The Roxburgh, Sarah George of The Palmerston, Tomas Gourlay of Cardinal, Theo Pantazis of Krema, Sharif Gergis of Mirin, Scott Smith, Pedro Barreira of The Lighthouse Restaurant aboard Fingal, and MasterChef 2025 quarter-finalist Molly Pennington.

The masterclasses covered classic Scottish beef, shellfish and fish, award-winning Scottish Asian fusion, Greek baking, classic pastry and recipes for good gut health.

Barry said he was excited to do his bit to promote Leith as the capital's leading food and drink destination, and wanted the demonstrations to be fun, interactive and accessible for everyone. His husband and co-owner Robin Bryson Jack explained that hosting a demo is harder than it looks, with chefs talking, presenting and cooking at the same time.

Scott Smith said Leith's strong food and drink community meant the festival felt like a long time coming, and Theo Pantazis said he was excited to be part of the first edition alongside such a talented line-up.

For a neighbourhood with so many independent restaurants, a festival of its own felt overdue, and the first edition gave locals and visitors a chance to meet the chefs behind their favourite plates.

News about future festivals and tickets is on the Leith Food Festival website.