SCOTLAND's arts funding body has come under fire for spending £15,000 of public money on a celebrity cookery show for STV.
The Country Show Cook Off, a commission for BBC2 by STV Productions, will see eight chefs travelling in pairs around Britain in a van to compete in local cookery competitions.
Creative Scotland said the award for the 20-part show was made as part of its drive to stimulate television production north of the Border.
But the move has been derided by some of Scotland's top writers and cultural commentators amid ongoing controversy over changes to the way creative industries are funded.
Author Irvine Welsh described the use of Creative Scotland's funds for the cookery programme as a "joke".
Kenneth Roy, editor of the Scottish Review online cultural magazine, said: "Financing a cookery series at the taxpayers' expense in the interests of economic development – that does seem a bit extreme, even by the standards of Creative Scotland. It poses a number of related questions: aren't cookery programmes what the BBC and STV do anyway? Why do they need public support to turn out routine commercial tat?"
Welsh added on Twitter: "Kenneth Roy is correct to be outraged. What a joke."
Glasgow-based author Zoe Strachan added: "[It] seems an odd choice, given recent discussions."
Creative Scotland has awarded £170,000 to STV over three years, and £14,900 will be spent on the Country Show Cook Off, which will feature eight chefs including Aldo Zilli, Rachel Allen, Theo Randall and Valentine Warner.
The funding body has come under widespread criticism for switching the way it supports more than 40 arts organisations from flexible fixed-term funding to project-by-project grants paid for by the National Lottery.
Creative Scotland was formed from a merger of the old Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen, and inherited the latter body's responsibilities for backing film and TV ventures.
A spokeswoman said it has a commitment to investing in the cultural economy in Scotland with a "responsibility to stimulate growth in the creative industries".
It has signed deals with the major broadcasters in Scotland, including BBC Scotland, Channel 4, STV and MG Alba.
The spokeswoman added: "The aim of this is to increase television production generated and made in Scotland, using crews, writers or acting talent based in Scotland."
A STV spokeswoman said Creative Scotland will recoup its funding in full and added: "Creative Scotland's investment in productions, including Country Show Cook Off, is not only supporting the growth of this sector in Scotland but also bringing employment opportunities to the industry."
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