Posts by Peter Ranscombe
Scottish rowan up for European tree award
A ROWAN tree near Moffat will represent Great Britain in a European contest. The Woodland Trust has chosen “The Survivor” at Carrifran to represent Great Britain in the “European Tree of the Year” competition. The public selected “The Survivor” as Scotland’s “Tree of the Year” back in October. It has now beaten off competition from…
Read MoreHighlands and islands gift boxes launch
A GIFT box service dedicated to showcasing products from the Highlands and islands has been launched. A Whale of a Time brings together products from independent businesses spread across Inverness, Lochaber, Moray, Wester Ross, and Wick, as well as islands including Harris, Islay, Lewis, Orkney, and Skye. Its range of eight gift boxes stretches from…
Read MoreGizzi Erskine: ‘Soil can be sexy’
CHEF and food writer Gizzi Erskine teamed up with dairy farm Yeo Valley to mark World Soil Day on Saturday. Data released by the United Nations showed that the equivalent of one football field of soil is eroded every five seconds across the world. Yeo Valley invited Erskine to its organic farm to shine “the…
Read More‘Spectacle of Light’ opens at Dalkeith
DALKEITH Country Park’s second “Spectacle of Light” opened on Saturday. The display runs until 4 January. Midlothian residents are taken on a light and sound journey up through Fort Douglas, Sky Maze, Mini Maze, Rainbow’s End, and into the new Fantasy Forest. The historic Orangerie is also lit for the occasion. Read more stories on…
Read MoreAlexander Wines serves up Christmas with a twist
Peter Ranscombe pops the corks on some exciting alternative festive choices. I’M AS guilty as anyone else when it comes to reaching for the same old favourites at Christmas. A bottle of Chablis, a bottle of pinot noir, and a bottle of something with bubbles in it, and I’m usually set for the festivities to…
Read MoreReview: When venison meets beef
What happens if you combine venison with beef? Peter Ranscombe finds out – courtesy of Mac & Wild’s ‘venimoo’ kit. I’VE always had a soft spot for Mac & Wild. Scots Andy Waugh and Calum Mackinnon opened their first restaurant in London in 2015, adding a second site the following year. I’ve interviewed Waugh for…
Read MoreThe story behind Gleneagles’ Christmas tree
GLENEAGLES may be closed until the end of January, but that hasn’t stopped staff from erecting the hotel’s traditional 47-foot Christmas tree. It took head gardener Duncan Clephane and his team of eight gardeners and two tree decorators a full week to add more than 6,000 lights to the tree. Clephane said: “Deciding on the…
Read MoreOne lucky group will get to taste Glengoyne’s 50-year-old whisky
GLENGOYNE will open a bottle of its oldest whisky, a 50-year-old Highland single malt, for one lucky group to enjoy next year. Only 150 decanters of the £22,500 Scotch were filled. An online ballot is running until 14 December for groups of five or more people to submit their entry, alongside a description of their…
Read MoreIs this the ultimate Christmas ice cream?
ICE cream maker Mackie’s has joined forces with Crieff Hydro Hotel to create what could be the ultimate festive flavour. Their turkey and cranberry ice cream will be served to visitors at the hotel’s Glen’s Adventure Park. A gingerbread crumble flavour has also be created. Richard Leckie, manager at the park, he said: “Turkey and…
Read MoreMacduff man makes rum in Mauritius
A MACDUFF man has swapped wine making in rainy England for rum making in sunny Mauritius. David Adamson studied winemaking at Plumpton College near Brighton. “I spent some time working at a winery in England, but pruning vines in the cold UK winter wasn’t for me,” he explained. Instead, Adamson has now launched Beach Bum…
Read More