Feed your soul with a slow-grown Scottish chicken

When it comes to a roast chicken dinner, buying Scottish and choosing a slow-grown bird will satisfy more than your stomach. Roast chicken used to be a luxury enjoyed in the Easter holidays or a treat at the weekend. Some of the older generation may remember seeing chickens slaughtered in the backyard for a particular…

Read More

Get ready for a beer spa treatment this weekend

Dry January has become a phenomenon, but with four weeks of detox almost complete and February being only days away, Heverlee is offering a novel way to ease out of abstinence – with the UK’s first official ‘beer spa’ treatment. Belgian beer, Heverlee, has teamed up with renowned men’s grooming company, Ruffians in Edinburgh, to…

Read More

Shooting on the island that time forgot

A pheasant shoot on Inchmurrin island in the middle of Loch Lomond feels like an escape from modern life, starting with a peaceful boat ride and ending with views of a Scottish landscape that take your breath away. The clouds may be the darkest shades of grey and the current may look a bit wild,…

Read More

Plenty of pluck in Scotland’s turkey industry

Scotland’s small farmers raise, slaughter and prepare their own turkeys. It’s January, and the memories of the festive season are disappearing rapidly into the distance. Gone are the trees and lights, the decorations are down, and the turkey has long since been basted, cooked and eaten. In many ways Christmas encapsulates what my Ethical Carnivore…

Read More

School backs ban on mobiles during the day

One of the UK’s most famous boarding schools is putting its weight behind calls for all schools to ban the use of mobile phones during the school day. The Principal of Gordonstoun, Lisa Kerr, says this is the only way to help the next generation develop the social skills they will need to succeed in…

Read More

Drivers unprepared for winter weather breakdowns

Car owners in Scotland are more likely to carry an umbrella than basic safety equipment. That’s the surprise statistic to emerge after an NFU Mutual and RAC survey of more than 1,500 UK-wide car owners on their ability to cope with a winter breakdown. As a result, a rural insurance company is urging Scottish drivers…

Read More

Murder and mystery grip Granite Noir 2020

With the very best in home grown and international crime fiction, a courtroom drama, poison cocktails, music and murder mystery escape games, Granite Noir returns to Aberdeen in February 2020. Now in its fourth year, Granite Noir is inspired by the Granite city – its history, its atmosphere and its strong sense of place –…

Read More

Granite Noir announces its first two guests

Granite Noir, Aberdeen’s international crime writing Festival, returns in February 2020 with an exciting line-up of Scottish, UK and International authors. While the full programme won’t be announced until early December, organisers have released the names of two headline speakers as part of an early-bird booking package. Sara Paretsky is the award-winning American author who…

Read More

Author Ian Rankin launches quirky tourist attraction

Rebus writer Ian Rankin has launched Save the Children’s ‘rescued’ phone box ‘Gilbert’ on Edinburgh’s Queen Street. The old-fashioned red phone box, which is kindly run and maintained by bespoke tailors, Stewart Christie & Co, has been decked out in traditional tiling and bespoke features and contains items of dressing up, such as hats, pipes…

Read More

10 reasons to use VPN when travelling outside of the UK  

Are you planning on traveling abroad for business, family, or fun? Going to another country can be a fantastic adventure. But it can also be a serious pain. And one of the first roadblocks that you’ll run into isn’t going to be a physical one. Accessing the internet is a critical part of most of…

Read More