University news

Whilst Glasgow is in the international spotlight during the forthcoming Commonwealth Games, leading chefs, food writers, television broadcasters and cultural figures will gather for Place at the Table, a festival that celebrates the city’s diverse food culture and explores Scotland’s relationship with Commonwealth nations.

Familiar faces including Andi Oliver, presenter of the BBC’s Great British Menu; local broadcasting legend Kirsty Wark; poet, playwright and Scotland’s former Makar, Jackie Kay; and chef Julie Lin, whose work represents her Scottish Malaysian heritage, will use food as a tool to consider Scotland’s place in the world.

As Dr Peggy Brunache of the University of Glasgow explains, food cultures provide an ideal lens through which to view Scotland and Glasgow’s complex shared history with other countries: “Glasgow needs to consider new and engaging ways to discuss its participation in Trans-Atlantic slavery, British imperialism, and their legacies, including racism and prejudice. As the city expands through diverse communities, our love, curiosity, and passion for food provides a channel to (re)examine these difficult histories and embrace a hopeful future that reclaims and honours our shared heritage.”

Whilst the various talks and panel discussions will focus on challenging issues, the festival will also adopt an optimistic, forward-looking approach, as outlined by the festival’s lead curator, Don Sloan: “Glasgow’s restaurant scene is the most visible representation of its creative, diverse culture. We will take the opportunity to acknowledge the city’s wonderfully talented community of chefs and food writers, who are shaping its’s welcoming and inclusive character.”

Place at the Table will also include three high-profile dinners, each focused on distinct aspects of our shared food heritage. Chef Ajay Kumar, proprietor of Swadish in the Merchant City, will be joined by Romy Gill, the respected chef and broadcaster who began her international career in Scotland, to prepare the opening night dinner on 30th July. As Ajay notes, “Our menu and discussion will explore how Indian cuisine has evolved as a defining part of Scotland's food landscape, shaped by migration, shared histories, local produce, and generations of cultural exchange.”

Dinner on 31st July at the Drygate Brewery, from chef Julie Lin and podcaster and food writer Noby Leong, will be a Malaysian feast. As Noby explains, the dinner will provoke new thinking: “While the foods of migrant communities are enthusiastically consumed, migrants themselves are often ignored or devalued. As food writers and chefs, we can tell our personal stories, promote cultural understanding and help everyone move forward together.”

The festival’s closing dinner, on 1st August, will be held at Celentanos at Glasgow’s new Arthouse Hotel. Chef Proprietor Dean Parker will be joined by Andi Oliver and Pam Brunton, owner of Inver restaurant on Loch Fyne, to prepare dishes that combine the distinct culinary cultures of Scotland and Caribbean nations. 

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Place at the Table: food, drink and Scotland’s identity 

• City Halls and city centre venues – 30th July to 1st August 2026
• A cultural festival from the Oxford Cultural Collective, University of Glasgow (Beniba Centre for Slavery Studies) and Glasgow Life.
• Prominent culinary and cultural figures (chefs, food writers, television broadcasters and academics) gather to explore Glasgow and Scotland’s relationship with Commonwealth nations.

Tickets and information

• Place at the Table: food, drink and Scotland’s identity, is a festival staged collaboratively by the Oxford Cultural Collective, University of Glasgow and Glasgow Life. - Tickets are on sale from 5th June 2026, via the Glasgow Life website: Glasgow 2026 Festival - Glasgow Life

Festival programme

• The full festival programme can be viewed on the Oxford Cultural Collective website, which contains links to booking pages: www.oxfordculturalcollective.com

First published: 9 June 2026