Haud yer Wheesht: listen tae low-alcohol lockdown libations

Wanting to cut down on your alcohol intake during the lockdown and beyond? Peter Ranscombe has some suggestions. I DON’T know if it’s just my imagination or if it’s a guilty conscience, but my blue glass recycling box sounds like it’s been clinking just that wee bit more during lockdown. If the number of memes…

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Armchair exploring: Supporting South African wines

As South Africa lifts its ban on wine exports – again – Peter Ranscombe picks bottles to kick-start some armchair exploring. FEW countries have had such an intense rollercoaster ride through the lockdown as South Africa. First wine exports were banned. Then they were allowed again. Then they were banned again. Last week’s news that exports…

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The final straw

In an unanticipated side-effect of the Covid-19 pandemic, shops in Glasgow have been forced to stop selling Buckfast, the iconic tonic wine made by Benedictine monks in Devon which is popular on the west coast of Scotland, as supplies have dwindled. “It’s really bad,” Whiteinch-based shop owner, Sobhan Rashid, told the Glasgow Times. “At the…

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It’s Bordeaux, but like you’ve never seen it before

Before the lockdown, Peter Ranscombe travelled to Bordeaux to visit winemakers who are caring for the environment as well as their vines. JEAN-BAPTISTE Cordonnier knew he was doing something right when the baby grass snakes started coming back into his kitchen. His father, Pierre, had farmed the family’s vineyards near Moulis in Bordeaux organically “without…

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NHS staff being given free fruit and veg

Lidl will be donating thousands of its fresh fruit and vegetable bags to NHS staff across the country in an effort to help provide frontline health workers with fresh produce. The initiative comes through the retailer’s partnership with Royal Voluntary Service, which is committed to supporting those who need it most in hospitals and communities…

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Social distancing? Brush up on your whisky knowledge

Peter Ranscombe goes back to school to put the online ‘focus on flavour’ module from Edinburgh Whisky Academy through its paces. REGULAR readers will know that my geekiness knows few bounds when it comes to wines and whiskies. I even put myself through the diploma from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), the equivalent…

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‘Babs recognised for delicious plant-based fare

A Glasgow restaurant has placed in the top 10 list of vegan kebabs in the UK. The charity PETA has finalised its list of the top 10 places to find vegan kebabs in the UK. It includes tasty plant-based options that are available via delivery and eateries that offer gift cards that can be used…

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Ten great Scottish films to get you through lockdown

With Scotland under lockdown, we’re all looking for ways to pass our time – today we recommend 10 great films set in our country. Over the past year, we’ve seen Netflix’s Outlaw King take prominence and gain a cult following, while Mary QUeen of Scots was another hit. With TV series like Outlander, our country…

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£3000 crowdfunder to buy hospital staff pizza

A Scottish trio of friends, in partnership with pizza restaurants around the country, have started a crowdfunding campaign to raise £3000 to provide pizza to healthcare workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  Scottish Field’s whisky writer Blair Bowman, with Mark Dickson and Helen MacInnes, organised the initiative, with the goal to start delivering pizzas this Friday…

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Fresh ideas are given vital start-up funding

The winners of this year’s national Fresh Ideas competition have been revealed today, with seven entrepreneurs from across Scotland recognised for their innovative business ideas. Fresh Ideas is Scotland’s longest-running national student enterprise competition for early stage ideas. Run by the Scottish Institute for Enterprise (SIE), 15 finalists were in the running to be awarded…

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