Dine like a king or queen on board the Britannia

An exclusive dining experience with the last captain of the Royal Yacht Britannia is being held later this year. To celebrate the 65th Anniversary of the launch of the Britannia by Her Majesty The Queen in 1953, an exclusive evening event is being held on board with special guest speaker, Commodore Anthony JC Morrow, CVO.…

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Scallops with onion and Gruyère purée, pancetta and mushrooms

Scots chef Joanne Munro shares her recipe for scallops with onion and Gruyère purée, pancetta and mushrooms. Working at Glasgow’s famous Cafe Gandolfi, she said: ‘As soon as I joined I was really aware of the quality of the produce being purchased. ‘When I became sous chef I started to take control of some of the specials. The restaurant has been…

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A meal to savour with succulent loin of venison

Andrew Cook, head chef at The Lime Tree in Fort William, presents this recipe for loin of venison. When starting out, Andrew’s experience came from big, bustling hotel kitchens, before the chef ’s career took a new direction. He said: ‘I didn’t really start in restaurants until about ten years ago, when I got into the fine dining side…

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Snow egg offers a dessert with a difference

This snow egg recipe was created by Andrew Cook, head chef at The Lime Tree in Fort William. The menu at the Lime Tree changes every three to four months. Andrew said: ‘As a team, we all write down our ideas and then we handpick it from there. There are just four of us in the team, so things…

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When good things come in small packages

The Fat Pony This addition to David Ramsden’s culinary menagerie is a wine bar serving small plates of loveliness. Chef, Rose Gregory creates these wee gems in a kitchen so tiny that it barely exists. There’s a choice of charcuterie and cheese boards and a selection of tapas-style plates on the menu. We found it…

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Views over the river make for an ideal break

NE250 Hotel Review: Banchory Lodge Hotel The hotel: Just a few minutes off the NE250 route, Banchory Lodge Hotel is a beautiful country property set in 12 acres on the banks of the River Dee. We arrived in the dark so it wasn’t until the morning when we stepped out onto the terrace that we…

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Legendary whisky area will celebrate with its first festival of gin

Campbeltown and the Kintyre area are legendary for their whisky, but now it’s set to host its first festival of gin. The inaugural Gintyre Festival will take place from 20-22 April as a collaboration between Campbeltown Town Hall, Explore Campbeltown and local gin producers, Beinn an Tuirc Distillers. A spokesman said: ‘Our aim is to…

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Another fantastic honour for Scotland’s tennis hero Andy Murray

Scottish tennis hero Andy Murray’s Victorian mansion has become one of only two Five Star Gold Country House Hotels in Scotland following a grading by VisitScotland. Cromlix, located three miles from Dunblane, received the highest award possible from the national tourism organisation’s Quality Assurance (QA) Scheme in recognition of its exceptional standards and outstanding customer…

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Award-winning restaurant has served up a treat as it moves to Oban

The Taynuilt’s award-winning Etive Restaurant has upped sticks to serve up a move to Oban. The new restaurant, which is a joint venture by chef John McNulty and sommelier David Lapsley, re-opened in its new location last month, on the site of the old Light of India at 43 Stevenson Street. The Etive opened in…

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