Scotland’s bartenders toast success

BARTENDERS from Scotland have been raising a glass to their success in a duo of competitions. Sean Cavanagh from Panda & Sons in Edinburgh won the UK title in whisky brand Naked Malt’s Global Bartender Competition. He and a colleague will now take part in a “bar swap” with bartenders from one of the other…

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Feragaia opens Scotland’s first alcohol-free distillery

ALCOHOL-FREE brand Feragaia has opened a distillery at Glenrothes in Fife, the first facility of its kind in Scotland. So far, Feragaia – which was launched in 2019 – has been made at a distillery in the south of Scotland. Now, the label has moved into its own site to cope with demand for its…

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Foraging Fortnight begins on Saturday

SCOTLAND’S Foraging Fortnight begins on Saturday, with events taking place throughout the country. Talks, workshops, and walks have been organised as part of the Orkney International Science Festival, which also begins on Saturday. The Scottish Wild Food Festival is also taking place at Tir na nOg, near Drymen, on 17 and 18 September. The Foraging…

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Restaurant news round-up: Ralph & Finns, Gleneagles, and more

Peter Ranscombe serves up another slice of recent restaurant news. CHEF Kevin O’Neill has taken over at modern bar and brasserie Ralph & Finns in Glasgow. His autumn menu features Shetland hake from fishmonger Bernand Corrigan and Isle of Barra scallops, crustaceans, and oysters delivered by Andy Bell’s Fish People. Specialist butcher C & C…

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Restoring Cairngorms forests – one burger at a time

VENISON from red deer shot in the Cairngorms is being sold to fund tree planting. Deer are culled in the Cairngorms National Park to stop them from eating the growing tips off tree saplings. The venison has gone on sale in the shop at the RSPB’s Loch Garten nature reserve. Previously, Lynbreck Croft – which…

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Review: Summer menu at The Ivy, Glasgow

Peter Ranscombe reviews the summer menu at The Ivy restaurant on Glasgow’s Buchanan Street. LET’S face it, it’s been a pretty drab summer so far. Apart from the small matter of a record-breaking, climate change-induced heatwave last month, the weather’s not been quite as sunny as we wanted. That’s why the summer menu at The…

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Dandelion Festival sends mini vertical farms on bike tour

FOUR miniature vertical farms are heading on a bike tour around Scotland as part of the Dandelion Festival. A quartet of electrically-assisted cargo bikes will carry the “growing cubes” to ten towns and cities over the course of the month. School playgrounds, city parks, and town centres are all on the itinerary. Cyclists will also…

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Jam today as Fingal picks Perthshire Preserves

FINGAL, the luxury floating hotel in Leith, is getting ready for “National Afternoon Tea Week” after picking Perthshire Preserves to supply a special jam. Iain Mackenzie and Kate Thornhill will provide a new strawberry jam for the promotion – which runs on 8-15 August – and hope to become a permanent feature on the ship’s…

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Alan Cumming teams up with Bross Bagels

SCOTTISH actor Alan Cumming has joined forces with Bross Bagels to create his signature snack. Social media sensation and Bross Bagels founder Larah “Mama” Bross invited Cumming to her deli in Edinburgh’s St James Quarter earlier this summer to try his hand at bagel building. The result was “The Holesome Cumming” vegan bagel, which goes…

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Red Onion wins Come Dine With Me: The Professionals

JOHN and Rosie Quigley’s Red Onion restaurant won last night’s Glasgow round of Channel 4 series Come Dine With Me: The Professionals. The father and daught team beat fellow city centre eateries Calabash and Saffron to win a trophy and £1,000. Red Onion served seared Barra scallops for its starter, followed by Gressingham duck breast…

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