The second annual Arts Feast Cowal takes place from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd June 2008. This creative festival combines art and food in unusual venues all over Cowal.

Recipe - Poetry and oysters, music and farmhouse cheese, film and fresh salmon. Mix well.

If art and food are two of your favourite things, then the Artsfeast Festival, taking place this weekend in the Cowal Peninsula should satisfy your appetite for both. The festival hopes to give visitors a taste of the cultural life of this area as well as a taste of some of the best local fresh food in Scotland.

Artsfeast is an annual event over Midsummer encompassing the whole of the largely undiscovered Cowal Peninsula; just over an hour from Glasgow, two hours from Edinburgh, on the West Coast of Scotland.

Events, exhibitions and performances are taking place all over this beautiful area and most will be coupled with food to showcase the natural produce of this part of Scotland.

All over the 20 mile long peninsula, restaurants and hotels will be transformed into gallery spaces where you can enjoy art depicting the local area while enjoying food that was harvested there. Amongst other delights we have “art on the pier” at Tighnabruaich, Bob Brown, Artist in residence at Kilfinan Hotel and photography from Philippa Elliott on the outside walls of Kames Hotel …

Art galleries from Dunoon, Strone, Tighnabruaich and Strachur open their doors and welcome in visitors to enjoy sculpture, painting or pottery from local and Scottish artists. Award-winning artist Pam Glennie opens her studio at Mo Dachaidh at Strone

On Saturday before the Midsummer Music kicks off in Glendaruel, there’s helping of whisky smuggling in the morning with the Walking Theatre Co. and a sampling of a century of dining at St. Sophia’s chapel in the afternoon. An evening buffet of venison stovies and other rural delicacies (a ploughman’s supper featuring cheeses and pickle from Bute) at the Village hall while bands from all over the west coast and Glasgow play will round your day off – the music is eclectic and includes traditional Celtic folk, alt country and Americana.

A special film feature this year is the “The Bedfordshire Clanger”. Fresh from its debut at Cannes and showcasing the work of Cowal resident, jazz musician and food writer, the late Ken Sykora, the film involves music, dance and a pasty – World famous Bedfordshire Clangers are made by Mr Gunn in Bedfordshire, Cowal has recreated the clanger. Chas M Black, award winning bakers will have special edition Cowal Clangers for sale for anyone who wants to involve themselves fully in the cinematic experience - for arts’ sake, of course.

The famous Loch Fyne Oyster Bar at Cairndow is turned into a venue too, with performances of love poetry and a cookery demonstration of aphrodisiac food, very fittingly. The shop at LFO sells the best in local meat, seafood, vegetables, jams and cakes while next door at The Tree Shop there is a demonstration by local craftspeople.

Another Whisky walk and traditional cooking outside - with plenty of tastings - rub alongside a Family Fun day to burn off the calories with the Forestry Commission.

Don’t be swamped by soccer! There’s something for everyone to enjoy in Cowal this weekend