Food lovers are sure to be fired up as it’s been announced that one of the UK’s top food festivals is coming to Scotland for the first time.
Meatopia, taking place at SWG3 in Glasgow from June 6 to 8 next year, will showcase renowned chefs from around the world, along with local culinary talents, crafting unique dishes over open flames, as well as drinks and live music.
For the past 12 years, some of the biggest names in cooking – including household names like Yotam Ottolenghi, the pioneer of "nose-to-tail" dining Fergus Henderson, and Scotland’s youngest chef from a Michelin-starred restaurant, Sam Yorke of Heron – have gathered at Tobacco Dock in London to cook to their hearts’ content, using nothing but sustainable wood, charcoal, and responsibly sourced, quality meat, fish, and vegetables.
Over the course of the year, chefs hold multiple tasting sessions, refining each dish before unveiling their creations to the public during the festival.
Meatopia, which is built around sustainability, top-quality ingredients, and unforgettable flavours, was founded in the US by the late American writer Josh Ozersky.
The concept was brought to the UK in 2013 by Mat Kemp, Richard Turner and James George, and a marker was firmly placed in London’s culinary calendar.
Creative Director Mat Kemp believes Glasgow is the “perfect next step” for the festival of food and fire cooking.
He said: “Our festival is all about world class chefs creating one dish each, with knowledge and influence from global fire-cooking culture, but using the best locally-sourced ingredients – and Scotland’s larder is a dream come true for any cook. The cooks will have so much to play with.
“The success of Meatopia has been overwhelming. It sells out every year because it really is a one-of-a-kind experience, founded to champion the use of naturally raised and produced , ethically sourced meat and fish and vegetables, cooked using only fire or smoke. It really is the world’s best BBQ.
“Since taking Meatopia to Dublin in 2017, 18 and 19 we’ve been looking up and down the UK for a place to take it next, and Glasgow was the perfect fit.
“This is about hero-ing hands-on cooks, age-old techniques and natural food, and Glasgow has that in abundance. It has such an incredible food scene. As much as anything else, I wanted Meatopia to be in Glasgow to give me an excuse to explore it more.”
Last year’s event celebrated 10 years of Meatopia, welcoming over 100 renowned chefs and 16,000 visitors. Previous lineups have included chefs such as former Pujol and El Bulli chef Adriana Cavita, and “The Professor” of BBQ, six-time pit-master Tuffy Stone.
Pioneering pitmaster Pat Martin is coming to Glasgow as Meatopia makes its Scottish debut at SWG3 this summer.
Martin is one of the few pitmasters still carrying the torch of West Tennessee-style whole hog BBQ. Since opening world famous Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint in 2006, he’s become a TV personality with appearances on the likes of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and The Today Show.
Cooking in Scotland for the first time, he joins an impressive line-up of Scottish, UK and international chefs at the live-fire cooking festival coming to Glasgow this summer.
Joining Martin is Hattem Mattar, the world's first Arab pitmaster, also appearing in Glasgow for the first time. Founder of The Mattar Farm in Dubai, he’s known for his unique fusion of Middle Eastern flavors with traditional American barbecue.
Chefs and fire cooking experts Melissa Thompson and Maureen Tyne, who have both campaigned for diversity and representation within the food industry, will showcase their bold Caribbean flavours at the festival.
Meanwhile, Sam Evans and Shauna Quinn, the duo behind the celebrated Hang Fire Southern Kitchen in Wales, will bring their expertise in authentic Southern-style barbecue. Also making the trip from Wales will be the “Flamebaster” Chris Roberts, the host of BBC’s Chris Cooks Cymru, who will be cooking alongside event partners YETI.
A few weeks ago, organisers unveiled the first wave of talent — featuring some of the biggest names in Scotland’s food scene.
The much-loved Scoop group of restaurants will be strongly represented, with Robin Aitken of Margo, Danny Carruthers of Sebb’s, Craig Nelson of Ox and Finch, Thomas Greer of BABA, and Sandy Browning of Ka Pao all set to showcase their skills.
Dean Parker, co-founder and head chef of Celentano’s in Glasgow, will also feature. A regular at Meatopia, Parker honed his craft under the renowned Robin Gill in London, where he led acclaimed restaurants such as The Dairy and Darby’s before returning to Glasgow to establish his own celebrated venture.
Joining them is El Perro Negros’ Nick Watkins, a two-time winner of the UK’s best burger title, Edinburgh’s Hamish McNeil, the innovative head chef of Eleanore, Edinbane Lodge’s Calum Montgomery who was Scottish Chef of the year in 2023 and Craig Grozier, the creative mind behind the immersive dining experience Fallachan, which is also based at SWG3.
Completing the stellar Scottish line-up as the festival makes its first foray north of the border are chefs from Mirin and Haraijuku kitchen, as well as Roberta Hall-McCarron and Dominic Greechan, the duo behind The Little Chartroom and Ardfern, both renowned for their refined takes on Scottish cuisine.
Creative director Mat Kemp said: “I'm a huge fan of modern Scottish food, and these chefs are leading the charge.
"Scotland produces some of the world’s best meat, fish, game, and seafood so I'm really excited to see and taste these guys' dishes. We’ll announce the full line-up in the coming months – we can guarantee an eclectic mix of global culinary talent to complement these Scottish heavyweights.”
El Perro Negro founder, Nick Watkins added: “Everyone in the food scene knows that Meatopia is an event not to be missed, so when we heard it was coming to Glasgow, we knew we had to be involved.
“We’re already testing and trialling dishes and we can’t wait to test ourselves against some of the very best in the game. The atmosphere will be incredible and given Glasgow’s amazing food scene, this is the perfect destination for Meatopia to expand to.”
A limited run of early bird tickets (starting at £10) are now available for Meatopia Glasgow, which will take place at SWG3 from 6-8 June 2025.
To learn more and to book your tickets, visit Meatopia.co.uk.
