Food and Drink
Review: Sanja By Sagar Massey at The Kirkhouse Inn
He might only be 25-years-old, but Sagar Massey already has a career enviable by chefs twice his age. Raised near New Delhi in India, until leaving for Scotland in 2014, he is renowned for using the spices of his homeland to embolden Scottish fine dining. A finalist in the BBC’s Masterchef – The Professionals in…
Read MoreIn a nutshell, Chef Keith Greig: ‘I was vegan for nine months – it was an awful experience’
Keith Greig is an Edinburgh-based chef with a passion for wild game and outdoor cooking with a field to fork approach. During the shooting season, Keith caters on a small estate in Fife, using wild game from the local area in the dishes. What’s the closest thing you have to a signature dish: I…
Read MoreIn a nutshell, Chef Gary Townsend: ‘I’d be a Scientist if I wasn’t a chef. I am fascinated with how things work’
Gary Townsend has had an illustrious career spanning 20 years working in some of the UK’s top kitchens. Townsend recently announced that he will be opening his own fine dining restaurant, Elements in Bearsden, Glasgow. What’s the closest thing you have to a signature dish: I love Scottish seafood and langoustines always feature on…
Read MoreThe Glen Grant: Scotland’s longest serving distiller Dennis Malcolm retires after 63 years
Born on The Glen Grant distillery grounds in 1946, where both his father and grandfather worked, Dennis Malcolm was always destined for a career in Scotch whisky. He began working as an apprentice cooper at just 16-years-old and went on to have a six decade long career, becoming an icon of Scotch whisky. But now…
Read MoreReview: The Spanish Butcher, Edinburgh
I’ve always struggled to correctly identify the streets that flow North from Princes Street over George Street in the capital, so I’m marching in what I hope is the right direction to locate the newly opened The Spanish Butcher. I’m reassured when I see the horizontal yellow and red stripes of the Spanish flag wafting…
Read MoreIn a nutshell, Chef David Smith: ‘I tried pig’s brain once, it was the weirdest thing I’ve ever eaten’
David Smith is the Head Chef at The Dipping Lugger in Ullapool, Wester Ross. What’s the closest thing you have to a signature dish: I’d have to say it would be our scallop dish in which we use both the meat and the roe in a sauce to be served with it. Describe your…
Read MoreReview: The Old Manor Hotel, Lundin Links
The sea really does have my heart. So it doesn’t take much to convince me a weekend away on the coast is a good idea. A hop, skip and a jump along the motorway and I’m on the sand in the Kingdom of Fife. I am here to stay at the Old Manor Hotel in…
Read MoreArdnahoe Distillery: First whisky to come from a new distillery on Islay since 2009 released
It has been six decades since Stewart Laing first learned how to make whisky on Islay. In the 1960s he travelled to the world-famous whisky island to learn the ropes. The experience was once which sowed the seeds of a dream – the idea of building a distillery on the Hebridean island. That dream came…
Read MoreIn a nutshell, Chef Coalin Finn: ‘Family dinner was always at the table, where we laughed and shared stories’
Coalin Finn is the Executive Chef at Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa in St Andrews. At the Old Course, Coalin is committed to celebrating local Scottish cuisine. Describe your style of cuisine in ten words: Delicious, intentional, understandable, seasonal, approachable, beautiful , luxurious, classic based with modern techniques. Best and/or most memorable meal…
Read MoreReview: Cherry Blossom Tuesday at Tattu Edinburgh
I’m not sure what alchemy was involved in the scheduling of Tattu restaurant’s Cherry Blossom dinner for the first warm day of the year in Edinburgh, but I’m certainly not going to question it. This was my first visit to the modern Chinese restaurant tucked away on West Register Street, and sitting below the thousands…
Read More