Plans are gathering pace for Kingussie’s new Food on Film Festival on the first weekend of February, with confirmation of major funding from the National Lottery through Scottish Screen and also from The Cairngorms National Park Authority and Leader Plus Initiative.

Other funding is coming in from two Kingussie hotels, The Duke of Gordon and The Scothouse , both of which are keen to support this event, which should be  a real draw for visitors in an otherwise quiet time of year.

Local businesses are also getting behind the venture by donating in kind to the weekend’s festivities – among them The Cairngorm Brewery, Delfour Hatchery, Country Harvest and Spey Valley Smokehouse.

To add to the excitement of an already packed weekend, Tern TV are hoping to come and film during the event as part of a documentary they are making in the area this year. With award winning feature films, director’s Q & A’s, and feature documentaries, February the 1st – 3rd promises to be a weekend of wall to wall films, food and fun - spread between two venues- Kingussie High School and Tall-nan-Ros.

The Indoor Food Hall at the High School on Saturday the 2nd of February will be a great afternoon, with upwards of12 local food producers setting out their stalls of meats, fish, cheeses, eggs, cakes, biscuits, preserves, soups, garlic, honey and more. There will  be Cookery Demonstrations from 2 Celebrities who are both tv presenters and cookery writers – Lady Claire MacDonald and Nell Nelson. High School film–makers will be filming people sampling the food for the “Eat It Movie” that will be shown as a backdrop during the End of Festival Party, and some youngsters will be encouraging people to join them making The Great Big Food Frieze to decorate the hall for the party. There will also be films screened in the café, all for free.

Entries for the 3 short film competitions have been pouring in, so with the offer of free hot stovies or soups at the bar in Talla-nan-Ros as well, The Late Shows on Friday and Saturday nights are not to be missed. A n exciting  new addition to the Judges Panel is Marcello Tully, Executive Chef at Kinloch Lodge, who has worked for 6 years with the Roux brothers at Le Gavroche.

Sunday’s late afternoon Awards Ceremony and Party, hosted by Nell, looks set to be memorable event – with a fantastic range of food and drink, all included in the ticket price of £10.

Tickets are now on sale at Kingussie Post Office or on-line at www.thebooth.co.uk. Starting from £3 for The Late Shows, £5 for feature films, and a bargain price of £30 for a Weekend Ticket including all 7 screenings and a programme and festival bag.

All the best Highland events end with a lively ceilidh, and this one will be led by a band made up of excellent musicians who are ex Kingussie High pupils and their friends -The Bo Jingham Ceilidh Experience.

Vist the KFFF website to find out more.