Dry January – is it worth it?

Drinks blogger James Robertson looks at the options for “Dry January”. SOME of us do “Sober October”, some of us do “I Cannae Remember December”, and some are now two weeks into “Dry January”. I have not been successful in achieving Dry January by the way, but hats off to my wife who has stoically…

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Restaurant Andrew Fairlie tops UK list

DINERS have selected Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at The Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire as the best in the UK. The restaurant topped Harden’s “Top 100 Best UK Restaurants” list, which was based on 30,000 reports from 3,000 diners. Leith trio The Kitchin, Restaurant Martin Wishart, and The Little Chartroom reached fifth, 14th, and 31st respectively. In…

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Wedding venues prepare for New Year

SCOTLAND’S wedding venues are gearing up for a busy 2023. Joyce and Simon Usher, owners of Dunglass Estate, are celebrating after being named as “wedding venue of the year” at the Scotland Prestige Awards. The 5,000-acre estate in East Lothian was dubbed “the most romantic sweet place I ever saw” by poet Robert Burns. Usher…

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Second TV series for Pettycur Bay Holiday Park

VISITORS and staff from Pettycur Bay Holiday Park at Kinghorn in Fife will be starring on the gogglebox again next month. A second series of Life on the Bay will be shown on the BBC Scotland channel on 8 January. The eight-part series, which was made by Red Sky Productions, will also be streamed on…

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Peek inside Scottish Field’s luxury Christmas hamper

ADD a touch of Scotland to your table this Christmas with our exclusive limited-edition Scottish Field luxury hamper. Our beautiful hamper is overflowing with cheerful and delicious goodies from Stornoway and Islay to Dunfermline and Perthshire, from Fife and Edinburgh to Skye and Arran – and all points in between. Our connoisseurs have curated this…

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Braw Liquor Club

CALLING all cocktail connoisseurs! Looking for something a bit different this festive season? Introducing Braw Liquor Club, locally sourced small batch bottled cocktails from the Isle of Bute, expertly crafted with premium Scottish ingredients. Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ Mackirdy founded the company less than a year ago, and already her tasty concoctions are making a splash, having…

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Film and TV news round-up: Wildlife, Stella, and more

Lights, camera, action as Peter Ranscombe shares the latest film and television news. A SCOTTISH filmmaker has won the on-screen talent pitching contest at the Wildscreen international wildlife film festival. Libby Penman teamed up with renowned filmmaker Doug Allan to pitch the idea of exploring the wildlife in Fife. “This is an environmental nature investigation…

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Dunvegan Garden scoops RHS award

DUNVEGAN Castle & Gardens has been selected as this year’s top Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) partner garden in Scotland. The RHS said that the award recognised the “sizeable investment, hard work, and passion” that has gone into the five acres of formal and semi-formal gardens since 1978. Estate director Hugh MacLeod, who is also his…

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St Leonards and Ardvreck triumph at schools contest

TWO Scottish institutions have carried off prizes at the Independent Schools of the Year awards. St Leonards School, which is based at St Andrews in Fife, won the “Independent School of the Year for International Student Experience” category. Ardvreck School, a preparatory institution based at Crieff in Perthshire, shared the “Independent Prep School of the…

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Christmas market supports Caring Christmas Trees campaign

HOMELESSNESS charity Bethany Christian Trust is holding its first Christmas market as part of its Caring Christmas Trees campaign. The market will take place at St Stephen’s Church of Scotland in Edinburgh’s Comely Bank on 9 and 10 December. Music will be provided by pupils from Broughton High School, alongside stalls run by Edinburgh vendors.…

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