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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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…

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Festival to boost Glasgow coffee shops

GLASGOW Coffee Festival is taking to the streets to promote local businesses. The festival, which has been running for six years, was due to take place in May, but was postponed due to the lockdown. Plans to run the festival indoors next month have now also had to be changed to fit in with Scottish…

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Leith market’s Oktoberfest starts today

THE first of three Oktoberfest weekends gets underway today at Pitt Street Market in Leith “Pittöberfest” features Barney’s Beer, Bellfield, Campervan, Edinburgh Beer Factory, New Barns, and Pilot. Barnacles & Bones and Ròst are among the street food vendors taking part in the festival. Barney’s Beer boss Andrew Barnett said: “While the cancellation of beer…

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Year’s supply of ice cream up for grabs

ICE cream maker Equi’s has teamed up with Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight to give one customer a year’s supply of free ice cream. Customers who buy an Equi’s product between now and the end of October will be in with a chance of winning a tub of ice cream every month for a whole…

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Perthshire castle hosts digital farmers’ market

MEGGINCH Castle in Perthshire will host its first digital farmers’ market next week. Customers will be able to place their orders for local produce from Friday and then collect them from the castle’s courtyard on Thursday 24 September. Buyers will be given half-hour slots to collect their goods to help maintain physical distancing. Catherine Drummond-Herdman,…

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Foraging for rosehips and crab apples helps care homes

EAST Lothian residents are being asked to forage for rosehips and crab apples to help residents in care homes. Tom Chisholm and Rupert Waites, who founded drinks company Buck & Birch, have launched a foraging campaign called “Restoring Vital Connections”. They want people to bring them rosehips and crab apples, which they will make into…

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Fizz Feast organiser unveils ‘Fizz Friday’ online tastings

THE annual Fizz Feast wine and food festival may not be taking place in Edinburgh this autumn but organiser Diana Thompson has created an online “bonanza of bubbles” to take its place. Thompson, who runs Wine Events Scotland, has organised five “Fizz Friday” tastings on video conferencing platform Zoom. They begin on 30 October and…

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Bowhouse unveils market dates

BOWHOUSE in Fife has unveiled the dates for its autumn and winter weekend markets – and the first one’s this Saturday. Customers placing orders through the Bowhouse Link website can collect their groceries between 9am and 11am on Saturdays, before the site opens to the general public. Produce on offer includes wholemeal organic flours from…

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Alcohol-free ‘spirits’ up 30%

SALES of alcohol-free “spirits” in the UK are up 30% year-on-year, according to market research firm Neilsen. Shoppers have spent £5.4 million buying 171,000 litres of alcohol-free “spirits” in supermarkets so far this year, analysts said. Many alcohol-free “spirits” use herbs, berries, roots and botanicals to create flavours similar to gin, prompting their use in…

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