New Shetland Reel gin is all ready to blast off

Shetland Reel has announced the launch of Countdown Gin, a new collaboration with Shetland Space Centre. The launch brings together two dynamic and ambitious enterprises, both of which operate from the island of Unst, Britain’s most northerly inhabited island. The gin marks the official countdown to the UK’s first ever vertical satellite launch, which is…

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Reconnect this summer at the Balmoral Hotel

The Balmoral, a Rocco Forte Hotel in Edinburgh, has announced the Summer of Love – a new programme of experiences available from May 17 to help guests reconnect with friends, fall in love with Edinburgh and discover world-class hospitality. The Balmoral’s ‘Summer of Love’ encourages locals and visitors alike to reignite their wanderlust and make…

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Culloden’s 275th commemoration moves online

The National Trust for Scotland has shared its plans to reveal some of the latest historical and archaeological research to mark the 275th anniversary of the Battle of Culloden at a series of online events on Saturday, 17 April. Working with historians, archaeologists and local partners the Gaelic Society of Inverness and XPO North, the…

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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…

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Schools tuck into lamb for St Andrew’s Day

MORE than 9,800 pupils have been cooking and eating lamb donated by Scotland’s livestock auction markets as part of the “Make It Lamb for St Andrew’s Day” campaign. Organisers want Scots to associate lamb with St Andrew’s Day in the same way that we mark Burns’ Night with haggis. More than 1.25 tonnes of lamb…

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Butchers are a cut above the rest

SCOTTISH butchers are celebrating after scooping prizes at the industry’s annual training awards. Ariane Bennett, 19, who works for her family’s Arbroath butchers D H Robertson, won the “SVQ Level 2 Apprentice Of The Year Award”. Newly-qualified butcher Michael Carrubba of Minicks of St Andrews took the “SVQ Level 3 Apprentice Of The Year” title.…

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Craft Week Scotland ends with online and in-person events

THE first Craft Week Scotland closes this weekend with almost 50 online and in-person activities. Katie Leask, manager at Nielanell Knitwear, will open her studio at Hoswick on Shetland tomorrow to welcome visitors for a socially-distanced “meet the designer” event. More than 3,000 craft makers and businesses have taken part in this week’s activities. Irene…

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What is ‘slow fashion’ and why is it on the rise?

Patrick Birkbeck, managing director at Perthshire department store House of Bruar, examines the return of ‘slow fashion’. THE term “slow fashion” is generally seen as a recent invention, but the movement has been around for longer than we think. Many people are familiar with the term “fast fashion” and all of its negative connotations. In…

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Blue Skye Thinking: Now is the time to visit The Misty Isle

I’m calling it 20/20 vision. As we clamber into autumn after six surreal months, I realise that seeing Scotland through fresh eyes has been 2020’s almighty silver lining. For many Scots, acquainting themselves more fully with all that this country has to offer has proved unexpectedly enlightening. Entranced by the wildly romantic coasts, crystal-clear waters…

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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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