I love a wee trip through to Glasgow. I used to go a couple of times a week for work and on arrival it always seems such a huge city compared to Edinburgh. The first thing I think of when I get settled into the city is coffee and food. I was recently invited along to check out Foodies, a new city centre store in the lovely Buchanan Galleries, that brings together some of Scotland’s best independent food producers under the one roof for the first time. Foodies will provide retail space for more than 60 independent producers of high quality, specialist and artisan. Traders include producers of coffee and specialist teas, honey, jams and chutneys, relishes and pickles, sauces, marinades, and glazes. It will also sell, biscuits, chocolate, oatcakes, soft drinks, herbs, spices, and seasonings. If successful, there are plans to open more Foodies stores across Scotland.
Foodies is the brainchild of Lynzi Leroy, who is the chief executive of the not-for-profit Scottish Design Exchange (SDX), which features the work of hundreds of artists and designers at its three stores in Glasgow and Edinburgh as well as through its online store. Foodies will operate the same business model as SDX, providing a high street presence for small independent food producers who will pay a fixed, monthly fee to rent space in the store, and keep 100% of their sales, so they’re not penalised for the popularity of their products.
Foodies traders include Hoods Honey, an East Lothian-based company with more than 200 beehives – and 13million bees – across Lothian and the Borders, some of which date back tothe 1930s. Stuart Hood, whose father launched the business in the 1950s, said its fortunes have been transformed since it started selling through SDX. He said: “We are really excited about Foodies which, we anticipate, will do for the Scottish artisan food industry what SDX has done for artists and craftspeople. SDX gives businesses like ours a level of exposure we could never hope to achieve on our own, because of the prohibitive costs associated with having a high street presence. As well as selling to home-based customers, we are also exposed to thousands of tourist customers every year, giving us an international profile.” He added: “Scotland has an amazing food industry, full of talented, local producers handling some of the world’s finest raw ingredients, and Foodies will help to showcase those skills and products in a way that’s never been done before.” For more information visit here.
In terms of restaurants in Glasgow, I love a trip to Crabshakk for some shellfish. It is always packed! I would like to try The Gannet and Shucks too. In fact, I am sure there are so many amazing restaurants to check out so please feel free to share some with me and I will add to my list.
Then there is the spa. Maaaaaaan I love a spa day. My go to in Glasgow is Blythswood Square ,I actually helped to launch this amazing spa. It is so relaxing and I love the water pools.
In terms of walking, Glasgow is such a lovely city. You could check out the Botanic Gardens, the University of Glasgow or the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. Sometimes I like to just walk around a new city with no real plan and see where I end up. Although I have been to Glasgow a fair bit, I feel. there is so much more to see and experience.
If you check any of these suggestions out then let me know how you get on.
Jojo x
Jojo Fraser is a popular Scottish blogger who loves exploring, good food, cold water swimming and singing. She is an award-winning mental health researcher, author, podcaster and speaker, dubbed as ‘the Queen of positivity and a kindness advocate. She is a Tedx speaker and a regular contributor on BBC radio. Jojo is known for normalising discussions around our mental, emotional and spiritual health, making it accessible and relatable to all. She has quickly grown a reputation for having a huge impact even on the most sceptical of people.
Connect with her across social @jojofrasermojo
Listen to her Tedx talk about the power of removing our masks.
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