The December issue of Scottish Field is out now

Christmas is coming – and it’s at the heart of our December issue, which is available now.

We captured the Christmas spirit when we head to the Secret Herb Garden for a foraged festive dinner with a difference – and it our team had a great time dressing for the occasion.

We also highlight Coorie, as we take a look at Scotland’s answer to the Danes’ hygge – which was once used to describe cuddling up with a loved one, but is now more about a way of living, such as getting up for a loch swim before breakfast, before enjoying a steaming hot bowl of porridge. We present 10 top coorie tips.

We keep it festive as Louise Grey tells all about the humble Brussel sprout.

Scottish Field Christmas Banquet at the Secret Herb Garden (Photo: Phil Wilkinson)

In our area focus, we put Edinburgh and the Lothians under the spotlight, discovering the story of explorer Isobel Wylie Hutchison, Edinburgh’s own Gossip Girl and the best walks in the area.

Editor Richard Bath said: ‘I love the excess that accompanies this time of year.

‘I know the festive season is upon us when we start working on this Christmas issue. For a start, we find ourselves staging a humongous food shoot in some far-flung location, and then there are all the interiors shoots in which people have to get their Hogmanay-ready house prepared months early.

Some of the tasty food sampled by the Scottish Field team (Photo: Phil Wilkinson)

‘This year, our food shoot was one of the best we’ve ever done. Chef Scott Smith came along and cooked us a wild Christmas meal which included boar, goat, mulled cider and chestnut strudel, and it was as delicious as it sounds. Those smiles you see if you read the end result are not put on, but rather the result of an early dose of good food and cheer.’

In our regular monthly features, Guy Grieve looks beneath the surface at the kelp forests, Alan Cochrane hopes we continue remember the war heroes that fell during the World Wars, Alexander McCall Smith looks at the renewable potential of an age-old mechanism, while the rising tax burden of whisky has Blair Bowman concerned.

Our wildlife column looks at moths and why they are much-maligned in the UK.

There’s all this, and much more in the latest issue, priced £4.50.