Another hugely successful Lonach Gathering

The sights and sounds of one of Scotland’s most iconic Highland Games filled the Aberdeenshire valley of Strathdon last weekend as the annual Lonach Highland Gathering and Games took place. A crowd of around 7000 descended on the small Aberdeenshire village of Bellabeg to enjoy one of the highlights of north-east Scotland’s summer events calendar.…

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Where Irn Bru, haggis and black pudding are banned

Haggis, black pudding and Irn Bru are three Scottish food favourites which have been banned around the world. The idea of ‘banning’ certain foods is nothing new. We all remember when Jamie Oliver famously had Turkey Twizzlers taken off the school-dinner menu, and the E-numbers backlash of the noughties. But these aren’t the only examples,…

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Scotland to face Germany, Iceland and Austria

International competitors are heading for Scotland to take part in this year’s Cowal Highland Gathering. The event’s most fiercely contested competitions will this year welcome a fourth international team, as Austria joins the athletes battling to be crowned Cowal International Heavy Athletics Champions. Introduced to the Gathering in 2016, the Cowal International Heavy Athletics Championship…

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What have the Romans ever done for us?

Peter Ranscombe learns more about Croatian wines from Igor Kroljic of Pine Nut Path and Diana Thompson of Wine Events Scotland. “WHAT have the Romans ever done for us?” comes the cry from Monty Python’s Life of Brian. Ask that question in Croatia and the answer may include winemaking. Although Croatia in its current form…

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Oddbins goes au natural

Peter Ranscombe salutes Oddbins’ new range of natural wines. LOVE them or hate them, natural wines are here to stay. There’s a lot of confusion over what constitutes a “natural” wine – and how organic, biodynamic and natural wines sit together. Probably the most useful definition focuses on “low intervention” wines, in which the grape…

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