Shetland firm makes Scotland’s first lamb biltong

A COMPANY on Shetland is launching a range of biltong – including Scotland’s first lamb biltong. J&G Shetland, which owns Sound service station, will start production next month in Lerwick. The firm has secured £24,000 from economic development agency Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE) to buy the specialist equipment it needs to dry and cure…

Read More

Scottish Ballet unveils first feature film

SCOTTISH BALLET has revealed its winter programme, including the company’s first feature film. The Secret Theatre will have its online premiere on 21 December at 6pm. “Seen through the eyes of a young boy as he stumbles into an empty theatre, this Christmas special will feature characters, choreography and music from Scottish Ballet’s popular festive…

Read More

Brewers go direct as pubs close

SCOTLAND’S breweries are stepping up direct sales to consumers amid the latest coronavirus restrictions on pubs. Bars cannot currently sell alcohol indoors, with those in the Central Belt closed completely. Alva-based Harviestoun Brewery has lifted the lid on how the latest restrictions are hitting its business. Joint managing director Stu Cook said: “This is a…

Read More

Bringing sea salt harvesting back to Fife

SEA salt harvesting could soon resume in the East Neuk of Fife. St Monan’s local Darren Peattie, whose family has lived in the area for more than 200 years, launched his East Neuk Salt Company 14 months ago. Now, he’s starting a crowdfunding campaign to raise the final £28,450 he needs to buy the right…

Read More

Tattie growing art project marks finalé – with chips

POTATOES grown in Glasgow’s gardens are being turned into chips to mark the end of an innovative art project. Aproxima Arts and the SWG3 venue gave 150 brightly-coloured handmade hessian bags to households in Kelvinhaugh and Kelvindale during the lockdown, each filled with soil and a batch of Maris Pipers. Their “An Empty Gunny Bag…

Read More

Sewing course helps Dundee mum land fashion job

A COURSE that teaches young parents how to sew could become a feeder to the fashion and textile industry after one its first students landed work with a Scottish fashion house. Dundee mum Chelsie Bruce was one of the first 10 students to complete the online pilot “Kindred Clothing” course run by Tayside charity Front…

Read More

Scottish Opera’s outdoor performances begin

GREENOCK plays host to Scottish Opera this afternoon as its series of autumn pop-up operas begins. The programme shifts to East Lothian on Sunday, followed by Ayr, Stirling, Easterhouse, Glasgow, Inverness, Dundee, Edinburgh and St Andrews during the rest of the month. This season’s pop-up operas feature extracts from The Gondoliers and Don Giovanni, along with The…

Read More

Getting Hitched Asian Style returns

GET set for more colour and vibrancy as Getting Hitched Asian Style returns to the BBC Scotland channel tonight for a second series. The BBC describes the first series as one of its “surprise hits” as viewers followed the adventures of wedding planners at Saffron Events. The new series, which was filmed last year, was…

Read More

Phoebe Waller-Bridge supports Underbelly’s Fringe fund

FLEABAG creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge is among the artists who are supporting a new fund to help Fringe performers. Production company Underbelly has set up the fund to support acts that have lost out on the chance to perform at this year’s Fringe. It’s asking the public to donate £12 – the cost of an Underbelly…

Read More

Plaudits for precision potato predictor

FARMERS could produce more salad and seed potatoes thanks to a new way to predict the size of their crop while it’s still buried in the soil. The “Tuberzone” project used the global positioning system (GPS), satellite images, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to monitor potato plants as they grew. It predicted the size of…

Read More