Food and Drink
Secret Garden Distillery bought by Admiral founder
THE founder of insurer Admiral Group has bought the Secret Garden Distillery on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Kate Armstrong was one of the founders of Admiral and was the founding managing director of price comparison website Confused.com Her daughters, Isobel and Imogen, will run the distillery and focus on brand and product development. Head distiller…
Read MoreHollywood stars’ favourite tea comes to Glasgow
A TASTE of Hollywood has come to Glasgow as Oprah Winfrey’s favourite tea is being served at The Dhabba and Dakhin Indian restaurants. Previously only available to buy online and in North America, Vahdam India tea has been in Oprah’s “favourite things” list over the past few years and was even included in the Oscars…
Read MoreREVIEW: Yotel Glasgow
Peter Ranscombe straps himself in for lift-off as he reviews Yotel in Glasgow. I’VE never been a great one for gimmicks – “A sprat to catch a mackerel” was one of my Granny’s favourite sayings and often echoes through my lugholes. But the spaceship theme running through Yotel in Glasgow even managed to make the…
Read MoreBaxters hampers help small businesses
LEGENDARY Moray food producer Baxters is launching its first luxury Christmas hampers, with a focus on small Scottish brands. Products that have made their way into the hampers include Wild Hearth Bakery sourdough whisky stollen bread, a Clootie McToot clootie dumpling kit, and Kinalba cashmere socks. Kinloch Anderson has supplied tartan crackers, while the Highland…
Read MoreMichelin-starred Maria Jose San Román cooks in Scotland
CHEF Maria Jose San Román – who holds a Michelin star at her restaurant, Monastrell, in Alicante – will be cooking in Scotland as part of the Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival. Her film, Time for Olive Oil: The Essence of Sustainability, will be shown at the French Institute in Edinburgh on 6 October. She will…
Read MoreWorld’s smallest martini bar joins Glasgow Cocktail Week
THE world’s smallest martini bar is rolling into the Dear Green Place to mark the start of Glasgow Cocktail Week. Hidden inside a former boulangerie van, the bar can only seat two people. Dubbed “The Grey Goose Camionnette”, the van has already toured Europe this summer and will make its Glasgow debut when the city’s…
Read MoreLittle Chartroom welcomes guest chefs
THE Little Chartroom restaurant in Leith is welcoming a string of guest chefs to its kitchen. Roberta Hall-McCarron will be joined at her pass on 2 October by Tom Booton, head chef of The Grill at The Dorchester Hotel in London. Booton is the youngest head chef in The Dorchester’s history. The other chefs who…
Read MoreNative Hebridean smoked salmon makes splash at awards
A NATIVE Hebridean smoked salmon scooped the top prize at last night’s Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards in Edinburgh. Bakkafrost Scotland’s salmon took home the “product of the year” trophy. Lazy Day Bakery won the new free-from award for its chocolate cake bars, while Girvan-based butcher We Hae Meat won the sustainability award. Other…
Read MoreREVIEW: A taste of the Highlands at The Lovat by Loch Ness
Morag Bootland visits the Station Road restaurant at The Lovat hotel in Fort Augustus. A SHORT break in Sutherland behind us, we decide to cushion the blow of returning home to the daily grind with a rather indulgent stop off at Station Road restaurant at The Lovat hotel in Fort Augustus. The restaurant is currently…
Read MoreHunt is on to find game meat champions
NOMINATIONS have opened for the next Eat Game Awards. The Eat Game initiative, which was created by the British Association for Shooting & Conservation (BASC), wants members of the public to nominate their champions. The awards were set up five years ago to reward the promotion of wild meats. Last year, 250 individuals and businesses…
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