SPRING FLINGERS TO HAIL A BLACK CAB FOR FOOD AND DRINK

Fresh fare not taxi fare – cab with chef and kitchen will tour Dumfries and Galloway serving meals using local ingredients

Hail a taxi in Dumfries and Galloway during Spring Fling and you might well end up with bangers or smoked mackerel instead of a lift.
Artists have fitted out a black cab and converted it to run on used cooking oil, for an eco-friendly cooking tour of the region during Scotland’s premier contemporary visual art and craft open studios event from 23-25 May.
Running on Empty will see catering duo Jade Norcross and Craig Middleton preparing everything from a seaside barbeque at Port William to canapes and smoked mackerel lunches at Brydekirk.
The project has been commissioned by Spring Fling from Dumfries-based artist led organisation The Stove Network and is funded by Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Major Festivals and is funded by EventScotland, the events team at VisitScotland, as part of the 2015 Year of Food and Drink.
Leah Black, Spring Fling Director, said: “It’s got to be the ultimate in recycling, to turn a taxi into a catering project and run it on used cooking oil.
“I’m sure our visitors will love the idea black cab café, complete with chef, serving up superb food, in some of the most beautiful spots in Dumfries and Galloway alongside six artist’s studios across the region.
“It’s also a fun way to get people thinking about sustainable fuel and transport.
“Just as importantly we want to let people enjoy some of the wonderful ingredients that come from our region, and highlight how good it can be to make the most of local produce.”

Craig and Jade, who run Scrumptious, a café and bistro-style eatery in Dumfries, have spent weeks preparing delicious menus and sourcing ingredients for Running on Empty.
Some of the goodies on offer (see details below) will be free and others paid for.
Jade said: “We’re really looking forward to getting out there on the road and serving great food and drink made with lots of local ingredients.
“The idea of street food is really taking off across the country right now and we thought we’d bring it to Dumfries and Galloway in a novel and environmentally friendly way.”
David Ralston, the artist who converted the cab, not only made it run on cooking oil but also collected the fuel from chip shops across the area.
Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland Director of Events added: “Running on Empty is a wonderful example of the clever, creative way in which artists and events can interact with 2015, Scotland’s year of food and drink. Part of the fantastic Spring Fling, the taxi will give food and art lovers something else to look forward to as part of their visit to Dumfries at the end of the month. There is also a really important point raised about eco-friendly travel and sustainability within the events sector, which will get people thinking.”
Matt Baker of The Stove Network said: “This project is a great example of the way people in the arts are all working together in Dumfries and Galloway – we think of ourselves as ‘creative crofters’ all adding our skills to group endeavours.”