Almost 1,000 people are set to enjoy a unique experience when they will be served venison as part of the Blas Festival’s Piping Gala at Eden Court, Inverness. The festival-goers will be offered the venison on arrival as well as information about how it is produced.

The opportunity to sample the meat has been created by The Scottish Venison Working Group, as part of the ‘Eat Scottish Venison’ day celebrations. The Piping Gala takes place on September 5th, the day after a new Scottish venison website is launched, http://www.scottish-venison.info

Festival Director Donna MacRae said: “The Blas Festival is about our culture, music, food and language. This is a fun and tasty way of combining all those elements. Scottish venison is delicious and we welcome this support for Blas which we are sure the Piping Gala audience will enjoy.

“There will also be a venison-based menu in the restaurant at Eden Court specifically for that night. This is an excellent example of how Blas can showcase elements of Highland culture. We are also working closely with the Scottish Deer Commission on plans for their involvement with Blas 2010.”

Linzi Seivwright of the Deer Commission for Scotland, a partner in the Working Group said: “We are delighted to be giving Blas festival-goers a taste of Scottish venison. Other foods and drink like Whisky and the British sausage are celebrated in the UK, so we felt it was time to celebrate venison, especially as it’s one of the healthiest meats available. It is lower in fat than skinned breast of chicken, higher in iron than any other red meat, contains omega 3, is low in cholesterol, and is free of any antibiotics or growth promoters. So as well as giving a Blas audience some really tasty venison nibbles, we will be giving them a healthy snack.”

Marie Christie, Director of Homecoming Scotland, said: “The Year of Homecoming is all about Scotland re-connecting with its global family and welcoming people back in 2009 to enjoy a celebration of Scotland’s many great contributions to the world. The Blas Festival provides a fantastic platform to experience many elements of contemporary and traditional Scottish culture in the outstanding setting of the Scottish Highlands. This link up to highlight the benefits of a great Scottish delicacy is a prime example of what we have to offer visitors to the country, especially excellent entertainment and delicious food.”

One of the festival’s key supporters is EventScotland, the national events agency. Paul Bush, Chief Operating Officer, said: “The Regional Events Programme was put in place to give events such as Blas a platform for growth, development and innovation. The 2009 programme, with so many events in a wide number of venues, ensures that Blas is an excellent showcase for Scottish culture and gives visitors and tourists to the area a taste of the Scottish Highlands. Now they will also be able to taste some fine Scottish venison.”

The Piping Gala Concert takes place in the Empire Theatre in Eden Court, 5th September at 7.30pm. It features the Northern Constabulary Community Pipe Band, the National Youth Pipe Band, famous piping brothers Allan, Angus & Iain Macdonald, Anna Murray, and Ross Ainslie with Jarleth Henderson.

Featured artists during Blas will include top musical talent such as Dougie MacLean, Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain, Blazin’ Fiddles, The Barra MacNeils, and Karen Matheson.

The full programme and information about tickets is available from the website www.blas-festival.co.uk. For more information about ‘Eat Scottish Venison’ day, please visit http://www.scottish-venison.info