Festival In The Sky ... photos!

It was over a month ago I dined 100 feet in the air and really can't believe I have taken so long to share the finer details with you. It's been a hectic Summer to say the least.

So one drizzly Saturday back in August, the other half and I went on a little jolly through to Edinburgh to take in the sights of the Festival and unleash the daredevil within by taking part in Festival in the Sky.

Festival in the sky is the 100ft dining experience that some of you may have watched on this years Big Brother and for the period of the Edinburgh Festival it graced West Princes Street Gardens available for any brave foodies to take on!

I was lucky to get quite a special 'flight' on the crane as it was a 45 minute session with Hotel Du Vin chef Matt Powell (who spookily resembles Heston Blumenthal). Before the flight took off we were given a safety chat then we were shown to our seat and strapped in securely. Fortunately the sun split from the skies by the time we were seated and ready to go - perfect weather conditions.

As we took off, I was surprised at how smooth lift off was and how quickly we reached our 100ft limit. We already had a plate of food in front us but we weren't allowed to uncover it until we had reached the sky. In the centre of the table Matt Powell and another chef (can't remember his name for the life of me but he was a lovely man) prepared the main dish and chatted to us about what he was doing. We were also joined on the flight by our host Ben who was there to keep us amused with facts about Edinburgh and make sure our (plastic) glasses were overflowing with Cava :)

Our starter dish was a smoked salmon salad with a selection of cheeses, pate and chutney. It looks delicious, it tasted delicious. Matt then went onto prepare a pork sausage salad which again was very tasty. Despite the good food, nothing took away from the gorgeous views of Edinburgh Castle and the rest of the city.

Before I knew it our 45 minutes had ended and we were on our way back down, satisfyingly full and a little bit tipsy on Cava ... so obviously that called for obligatory post flight cocktails at nearby Tigerlilly.

Festival in the sky was a great experience, much less scary than i had imagined and double the fun.

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Festival in the Sky

You’ve heard of the Mile High Club, now we have the Dine High Club!

This weekend I will be heading to Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens to take part in Festival in the Sky which is running alongside this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.

For the month of August, a 22 seat dining table will hoist adventurous diners 100 feet into the sky by crane to enjoy a unique culinary experience. Yes, you heard me right – ONE.HUNDRED.FEET.HIGH. *gulp*

The unusual concept has already been travelling the world in the likes of Las Vegas, Istanbul and Paris and it was even featured in this years Big Brother house when all housemates were taken up in the air to enjoy a meal.

There are a few dining options offered - breakfast, lunch and dinner and also the chance to experience the talents of a guest Chef. Each ‘flight’ lasts around half an hour and the seats even turn 180 degrees so you can take in the views of the city below. And in such a beautiful city of Edinburgh, the views are sure to delight (unless of course in true Scottish style it pelts it down with rain! *crosses fingers*)

As soon as I heard about this I knew I wanted to try it. I am not a natural thrill seeker and I don’t even like heights or flying but with this taking place practically right on my doorstep, I wasn’t going to be the one to miss out.

My family think I’m mad, my friends think I am a sucker … I will probably need a rather large drink before take off and an even bigger one when we land, but you know what? I can’t wait!

If you happen to pass a dining table suspended from the air on Saturday afternoon ... give me a wave ... and I'll try not to drop my fork!!

Check out the website for booking info

http://www.festivalinthesky.com/

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