Students prepare to serve up the goods at Perth Show

At the annual two-day food festival

It might be holiday time for most students, but UHI Perth Professional Cookery students are planning a couple of days in the spotlight as they sign up to support the annual two-day food festival at Perth Show. The college plays a key role each year at Perth Show, providing valuable on and off-stage support to the festival’s demonstration chefs.

This year, the Show’s rebranded festival “The Perthshire Pantry” will focus on local talent and produce, and students and their Lecturing team are looking forward to playing their part.

Sector Manager Ype van der Schaaf said the two-day event had become a valuable training platform for the students and provided valuable experience working with established professional chefs, he said:

"At UHI Perth, we are delighted to be part of Perth Show’s cookery theatre, working alongside local chefs to highlight the quality of regional produce. This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to engage with industry professionals, gain real-world experience, and showcase their skills in a vibrant community setting.

“Our students have been helping out at this major event since it first launched in 2010. Not only do the students get to rub shoulders with some of the best local chefs in the business, but the experience they gain from their food preparation, cookery management and delivery support to all the showcase chef demonstrations is invaluable in their training.

"It’s also exciting for them to be on stage in front of an audience and pick up tips from some of the best in the business.”

Perth Show secretary Jen Leslie said the lecturers and students who gave their time and expertise freely were “invaluable” to the success of the event, she said:

“We simply couldn’t do without their tireless efforts to support us and we’re looking forward to working with them again at The Perthshire Pantry 2026. It would be impossible to deliver the festival at the high standard we do without their input.

“Everyone involved in their team works flat-out to support our featured chefs throughout the two-day festival and ensure a seamless first-class demonstrations programme. Their professionalism, enthusiasm, obvious enjoyment and hard work is a reflection of the training they receive at UHI Perth and we're delighted and extremely grateful to have them play a key role again."

UHI Perth has around 164 students at various levels within the Food Studies and Hospitality department. This summer, around 50 new qualified chefs from all over Scotland will graduate.

The Perthshire Pantry, supported by UHI Perth, Perthshire Chamber of Commerce and Binn Group, will take place within Perth Show on Friday 31 July and Saturday 1 August, at Perth’s South Inch. It will feature a packed two-day programme of inspiring cookery demonstrations, food and drink producer stands and a pop-up restaurant for visitors to relax and sample taster dishes from local eateries.