Former teacher turning barrels into whisky bars

A former teacher has had a change of career as he now creates whisky bars for the stars, including Outlander’s Sam Heughan. Freddie Main, a former design and technology teacher for more than 20 years switched paths during lockdown to launch Oak & Black, which specialises in making bespoke mini bars from old whisky barrels…

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Two exhibitions mark major Jacobite battle

Two new exhibitions are set to open in East Lothian this summer marking a major Jacobite battle that took place at Prestonpans in 1745. The Orders of Battle Exhibition and Open Day will be displayed at Prestonpans Town Hall over the weekend of 26-27 June (11am-4pm). This special temporary exhibition is a chance to find…

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Looking to Lothian for Scotland’s Home of the Year

Anna Campbell-Jones, Michael Angus and Kate Spiers look to Lothian to find the next contender for Scotland’s Home of the Year. They start with Castle Glimpse, a corner tenement flat in Leith with views of Edinburgh Castle. Built in 1815, the property has been home to Matt since 2019. What was once a dilapidated and…

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Four Corners of Scotland charity whisky tasting event

The Scottish Licensed Trade Association is organising a very special, hybrid, whisky tasting event later this month. It is taking place April 28 at 7.30pm in collaboration with Scotland’s newest whisky club, 1775 Whisky Passport and the award-winning bar and restaurant, the Mercat Grill in East Lothian. All proceeds will go to The Ben, the…

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A delicious foccia to make at home

As lockdown continues, we are all looking to find things to keep us busy. Thanks to Katia Crolla, owner of the East Coast, a restaurant in Musselburgh, East Lothian, we can try making a delicious bread. The East Coast is the next chapter for the Crolla family, who have been serving the folk of Musselburgh…

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Seton Castle on the market for offers over £8million

Seton Castle, a late architectural masterpiece designed by Robert Adam in 1789 and built using stone from Seton Palace (said to be Mary Queen of Scots’ favourite residence), has been launched onto the market. Presented by Savills and Rettie, and situated within 10 miles of Edinburgh in the lush East Lothian countryside close to the…

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Historic farm gets new lease of life

A TECHNOLOGY entrepreneur has unveiled plans to turn a historic farm in East Lothian into a museum. George Mackintosh bought Papple Steading in 2017 before adding the farmhouse and adjoining Papple and Papana Woods. Papple Steading was part of the Whittingehame Estate – owned by Arthur Balfour, who served as prime minister between 1902 and…

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Lockdown cupboard clearing reveals secrets in historic family home

Lady Dorothy Ogilvy unearths the past as she clears out the cupboards at Winton Castle in East Lothian. WHAT did you do in Lockdown? I did what most people without any medical training did: stayed at home, oversaw home-schooling, shopped for my endlessly hungry teenagers and shielding parents, did the day-job via Zoom, cleaned the…

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Estates vow to continue wildlife scheme

SCOTTISH estates have vowed to continue expanding an international wildlife and habitat accreditation scheme beyond the UK’s European Union (EU) transition. Wildlife Estates Scotland (WES), which builds information on species and land use to improve Scotland’s biodiversity, is based on a European scheme used in 19 countries. WES is celebrating its tenth birthday this month…

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Artists set to benefit from online auction

BORDERS auction house Brown & Turner will help 24 contemporary artists target the Christmas shopping market tomorrow through a special online auction. Seventy pieces will be auctioned, including two portraits by Berwickshire artist Gill Walton, oil paintings by Kelso artist Neville Storer, mixed media works by East Lothian artist Julie Barnes, and two pieces by…

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