Linzi McLaren, general manager at Sodexo Prestige Venues & Events, said: “We partnered the Edinburgh International Book Festival four years ago and have seen 8% growth in sales over that period.
“We’re proud to support Scottish food and putting fresh and seasonal produce at the heart of our menu has led us to forge some fantastic relationships with local suppliers.
“This year we introduced a range of hot and cold bowls for hospitality guests, which featured the likes of slow cooked Buccleuch beef and Ayrshire potato stovies, while in our retail areas, Chocolate and Guinness loaf and gluten-free Orange Marmalade Polenta cake, provided a twist alongside a selection of more traditional home baking and sweet-treats.”
Sodexo teamed up with regional suppliers to provide food and drink to the public in the Spiegeltent, Signing Tent and Bookshop Cafe, as well as providing hospitality to authors and special guests in the Party Pavilion and Writer’s Retreat.
More than 7,500 freshly prepared sandwiches, wraps and baguettes, 11,000 hand baked slices of cake, 12,000 glasses of wine and 36,000 speciality teas and coffees, were sold during the festival.