ScotHot, Scotland’s leading showcase for food, drink, hospitality, retail, and tourism, which made a return to Glasgow last week, saw a 17% increase on 2023, welcoming over 8,000 attendees and 250 exhibitors from food and drink, technology, catering equipment, tableware and design.
Highlights at the show included the Spotlight Stage run in partnership with the Scottish Tourism Alliance, where Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands Mairi Gougeon opened the show praising Scotland’s rich food and drink landscape. Her address kicked off a packed programme of industry panels, with appearances including Chefs Lorna McNee, Gary Maclean, Gary Townsend and Dean Banks, CEO of HIT Scotland David Cochrane, and Rebecca Brooks, Chair of the Scottish Tourism Alliance and UKinbound, to name a few.
Meanwhile on the Liquid Academy Live stage, a series of drinks demos, publican talks and discussions was capped off by the Caledonian Bartenders Cup 2025 sponsored by Franklin & Sons and HIT Scotland, with first place awarded to Janos Otvos, Bar Manager at Gleddoch Hotel.
Other competitions across included the Scottish Culinary Championships which saw challenges for junior sustainable fish dish, plated dessert, risotto challenge, chicken for sauté and others and saw David Millar, Group Executive Chef at Carlowrie Castle crowned Scottish Chef of the Year 2025 with Oliver Redgwell-Welch, Apprentice chef at Entier Ltd picking up Scottish Young Chef of the Year.
Toby Wand, Managing Director of 365 Events, the team behind ScotHot, said, “ScotHot 2025 has once again demonstrated why it is the must-attend event for Scotland’s food, drink, hospitality, retail, and tourism industries. The energy and enthusiasm from exhibitors and attendees alike were phenomenal, reinforcing the resilience and innovation driving our sector forward. From the engaging discussions on the Spotlight Stage to the fierce talent on display in our competitions, the show was a testament to the strength and future of our industry.”
ScotHot25 was supported by major industry partners including Scotland Food & Drink, the Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA), Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA), VisitScotland, Scottish Chefs, HIT Scotland, and The Guild of Fine Food.