Celebrating local produce at the Seaview Hotel

Sean Kelly, head chef at Seaview Hotel, talks about Aberdeenshire’s abundant local produce, power cuts during service and his idea of food hell. What’s your background? I’m from Aberdeen originally. During my school years I lived in Glasgow but my family moved back up north so I ended up back home in the north east.…

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A celebration of game with over 100 recipes

Access to good quality game is not just a luxury reserved for people living in the Scottish countryside, argues Claire MacDonald in this cookbook. This no fuss game cookbook contains more than one hundred recipes for all sorts of game, from venison to wild boar. Stuffing, sauces and accompaniments are also included in this all-encompassing…

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Doune Castle renamed in Game of Thrones takeover

Following the most anticipated finale in television history, four regions across the nation have been transformed into the World of Westeros from Game of Thrones. It marks the digital download release of Game of Thrones: The Final Season. In this Kingdom-wide takeover, Doune Castle in Stirlingshire, Blackpool, Essex, and London’s Covent Garden have all pledged…

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Strength in depth at Austria’s Pichler-Krutzler

Gruner veltliner and riesling were the stars of the show when winemakers Erich and Elisabeth Pichler-Krutzler visited Edinburgh, writes Peter Ranscombe. THERE’S never been a more exciting time to be drinking wine in Scotland – the breadth of bottles available from independent wine merchants, supermarkets and restaurants is simply astounding. Yet sometimes it’s refreshing to…

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Scottish wildcats on the last of their nine lives

With wildcat numbers dwindling, is there hope for Scotland’s feisty feline? It was only as recently at 1988 that wildcats received the full protection of the law. Before that they were snared, trapped, shot, stuffed and poisoned (a wildcat sporran lurks in our cupboard, a relic from a Victorian relative), and it took a long…

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Fewer Scots kids play games like hide and seek

While adults enjoyed games such as hide and seek growing up, more than 50% of kids today would prefer to play on their electrical devices. That’s according to a survey commissioned by Scottish hotel chain Macdonald Resorts. Cries of ‘ready or not, here I come’ have been a constant for generations, but interest in the…

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Paying tribute to Scotland’s fairs and shows

Archie Hume of A Hume Country Clothing pays tribute to Scotland’s country shows and fairs. Scottish summertime doesn’t come with many guarantees, certainly not any that relate to the weather. As the joke goes ‘I love summer in Scotland. Last year it was on a Wednesday.’ To top it off, the things you can rely…

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Extermination to germination for the jay

The naturalist Henry Williamson described the distinctive shrill call of the jay as like the sound of tearing linen. But this bird has a large repertoire of vocalisations and is one of the best mimics in the avian world, particularly adept at mimicking sheep, lambs and horses. Some become specialists; I once followed the sounds…

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Masters to check in for distillery chess event

Lindores Abbey Distillery is holding a chess tournament this week – and to mark the occasion is releasing a commemorative edition of its Aqua Vitae, Aqua Vitae Thabill. The competition will be held at the distillery on 25 and 26 May. Players taking part include World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, former World Chess Champion Viswanathan…

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Why Rory Bremner has made a big impression

As befits someone who pretends to be other people for a living, Rory Bremner is conflicted about his identity. ‘I am not feeling very Scottish today,’ he declaims, brows arched. It turns out this is part of the problem. ‘I have just had my eyebrows threaded in preparation for a Noel Coward play, which opens…

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