‘Drive through’ afternoon teas are here to stay

A HOTEL that launched “drive through” afternoon teas during the coronavirus lockdown has decided to keep running them because they proved so popular. The Stair Arms Hotel at Pathhead in Midlothian transformed an old shipping container into a hatch from which to serve its teas. Customers can order their afternoon tea over the phone and…

Read More

Mimi’s puts the ‘tea’ in Edinburgh Gin’s ‘G&T’

TWO of Edinburgh’s best-known food and drink brands have teamed up to offer a “G&T” with a difference. For four weekends, Mimi’s Bakehouse and Edinburgh Gin are selling an “Afternoon G&Tea” package to customers in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Each set contains six mini traybakes, two mini elderflower cupcakes and two freshly-baked plain scones with Rodda’s…

Read More

British Classic Slow-cooked Spaghetti Bolognese

Chef Director of Parker’s Tavern restaurant is well-known for his unbeatable spaghetti Bolognese, which always goes down a treat with patrons of all ages at University Arms hotel’s destination restaurant. A classic British dish, it is a staple on the menu at Parker’s Tavern, which specialises in reimagined British classics, using locally sourced ingredients from…

Read More

Time for Tunnocks

Sir Boyd Tunnock’s daughter Karen and son-in-law Fergus Loudon have delivered thousands of teacakes and caramel wafers to frontline medical and construction staff at the new NHS Louisa Jordan hospital, at Glasgow’s SEC Campus. The 87-year-old owner of one of Scotland’s most iconic companies is isolating at his home near the company’s Uddingston headquarters, which…

Read More

Scotland has its say on pronouncing ‘scone’

A fun survey has revealed that more than three-quarters of Scots agree that ‘scone’ should rhyme with ‘gone’. What makes up the perfect afternoon tea was at the heart of a recent surveying of the UK’s aficionados. The survey  found there were many forms with new twists on the classic sandwiches and cakes offering to…

Read More

Toulmin Prize competition reveals commended stories

The Toulmin Prize is open to amateur writers over the age of 16. The stories entered should have a north east focus, and may be written in Doric or English, or a mixture of the two. This week, we’ll be posting one story a day, including the four commended stories and the overall winner of…

Read More

A drink with a twist for National Iced Tea Day

Aside from water, tea is the second most drunk beverage in the world so National Iced Tea Day (today) is something we should all be celebrating in Scotland. The humble cuppa is a favourite here and Scots reportedly drink an average of four cups a day. That equates to a whopping 22m cuppas consumed. For…

Read More

These wine and doughnut matches have a certain ring to them

Food and wine pairing is a well-trodden route, but how about doughnut and wine matching? Peter Ranscombe investigates, with help from wine importer Inverarity Morton and Tantrum Doughnuts of Glasgow. CAN I murmur “Mmmm, doughnuts…” without channelling Homer Simpson? Probably not, but that’s not going to stop me extoling the virtues of one of my…

Read More

This will sort you out if you’ve got a spring snuffle

When you’re feeling under the weather, we all know how much a good drink can help us out. Today we bring you the Cold Buster, a smoothie made with lemon and ginger tea, honey and Celtic Kombu Matcha powder. This week we’re bringing you some recipes with a difference, courtesy of the award-winning Eteaket  –…

Read More

A tasty Kiwi smoothie will give you a healthy boost

Fresh ingredients make such a difference when you’re looking for something healthy. This week we’re bringing you some recipes with a difference, courtesy of the award-winning Eteaket  – a Scottish independent whole leaf tea company based in Edinburgh. Today we present a simple recipe for a smoothie with a cheeky name – the Kiwi Kick…

Read More