25 October 2010, 15:14 PM
  • Consumers are being asked to nominate their favourite Scottish tearoom, as part of Scotland's Year of Food and Drink

Farm shops and delis with catering facilities have been encouraged to make customers aware of the scheme, which aims to celebrate the country’s array of independent retailers, cafés and teashops. The nominated venues will form part of VisitScotland’s 2011 Spring/Summer promotions and will be publicised to visitors across the UK.

According to figures from VisitScotland, 60% of tourists visit a tearoom when on holiday in the country, while £1 in every £5 spent by Scotland’s visitors is on food and drink, amounting to more than £500 million for UK visitors alone.  “Often a great day out can be made even better when you find a wonderful wee tea shop to relax in. We want to find out about these great businesses, and share them with other visitors to Scotland,” said Mike Cantlay, VisitScotland’s chairman.

“Visiting a cafe is a great way to sample Scotland’s delicious food produce and try something new during Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink,” says Lorna Bruce, food and drink product manager at VisitScotland. “We hope that many people who have special memories of one of Scotland’s fantastic cafes will share it through the Cafe Days website and in turn provide visitors in 2011 with some fantastic insider tips,” she adds.

Retailers can be nominated at www.visitscotland.com/harvest