Highlands and islands gift boxes launch

A GIFT box service dedicated to showcasing products from the Highlands and islands has been launched. A Whale of a Time brings together products from independent businesses spread across Inverness, Lochaber, Moray, Wester Ross, and Wick, as well as islands including Harris, Islay, Lewis, Orkney, and Skye. Its range of eight gift boxes stretches from…

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Awards nod for Perth’s recycled metal fish

A FISH sculpture created by a Glenalmond-based artist using an old cattle feeder and other scrap metal has been shortlisted for a national award. Local farmer Willie Simpson donated the aged cattle ringfeeder that formed the base of the sculpture, which has been shortlisted at the 2020 Gaga Galvanising Construction Industry Awards. Artist Sarah-Louise Wilson…

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Caledonia on my mind

Like many of those born outside Scotland to avowedly Scottish families, Dugald Bruce-Lockhart has a complicated relationship with the mothership. “WITH a name like Dugald Alastair Roddick Bruce-Lockhart, you must be Scottish,” says the casting director, studying my CV with a frown. It’s a good question – and one I’ve never known quite how to…

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Making organic wine in style

NEVER judge a book by its cover – nor a wine by its label. Fortunately, the liquid inside brothers Paride and Jacapo d’Angelo’s bottles lives up to the promise of its packaging. The siblings have been making wine in Italy’s Abruzzo region for the past seven years, having learned about wine at the feet of…

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Satellite tags reveal tiny Shetland birds’ journeys

BRITAIN’S smallest seabird spends more time around the coast of Shetland than was previously known, according to new research. Satellite tags were attached to storm petrels on the island of Mousa to study their flights between 2014 and 2017. Each bird weighs between 25 and 30 grams – the equivalent of three pound coins. They…

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‘Wheelyboat’ helps anglers fish on Uists’ lochs

ANGLERS and tourists can now explore more of the Uists’ lochs thanks to funding for an accessible “wheelyboat”. Hydraulic platforms will allow people in wheelchairs to use the boat, no matter how low the water level or how inaccessible the banks. The boat will be used by anglers in the Outer Hebrides to fish for…

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Winemaker’s love of Scotland shines during online tasting

Peter Ranscombe enjoys three great-value South African wines while hearing what their maker would serve alongside them. THE Co-op in Melrose is perhaps the last place you’d expect to find a South African winemaker – but Alastair Rimmer has an affinity for the Borders. The cellar master at Kleine Zalze winery enjoys fishing on the…

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Six of the best wines for takeaways

All Peter Ranscombe‘s beige dreams came true when he paired wines with takeaways*. SOMETHING really special happens when the right wine is matched to the right food – the two components harmonise and the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. As we’ve seen again and again with the Wine to Dine column…

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Trailer lands for Scottish Opera’s fishy tale

SCOTTISH Opera will next week unveil its latest work online – and it’s released a trailer to whet your appetite. The Narcissistic Fish is set in the kitchen of a seafood restaurant in Leith. The 12-minute film is a collaboration between Scottish Opera composer in residence Samuel Bordoli, The Panopticon author Jenni Fagan and the company’s…

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Furloughed foodies flock to support local food and drink

More than 3,500 people have supported Scottish food and drink businesses by searching for produce in the supportlocal.scot online directory during lockdown, according to the latest figures. Nearly 300 suppliers are promoting their wares through the website, which was created by industry body Scotland Food & Drink. Demand for Scottish produce has risen during the…

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