Think you’ve got the skills to win a home cocktail contest?

EIGHT LANDS, the gin and vodka brand made at Glenrinnes Distillery in Speyside, will launch a home cocktail competition tomorrow to mark its first birthday – and the winner will receive a “mixology” masterclass and a two Michelin-starred meal at the Four Seasons Hotel. Amateur cocktail makers must demonstrate their creativity using no more than…

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Highland food producers gather for online discussion

A SECOND online panel discussion organised by the newly-launched Highland Food & Drink Club (HFDC) is due to take place on Thursday at 2pm on Zoom. John Murray, who launched the HFDC in April, said this week’s session for Highland food producers will include a look at new markets, shopping trends and recovery planning. This…

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Scots can’t identify local species as fishmongers go online

SCOTTISH adults have trouble identifying their local fish species, according to a new survey. Some 74% of Scots don’t know that coley is caught and landed in British waters, while 72% don’t know monkfish is local and 68% don’t recognise hake as native. The results came from a poll of 4,000 Britons, conducted by Seafish…

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Podcast serves food and farming home school ideas

WHILE teachers may be starting to prepare their classrooms this month for the anticipated return of pupils in August, one podcast is giving parents some food- and farming-related home schooling ideas. Rural podcast “OnFARM” has teamed up with the Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) to produce the advice for parents and teachers. The latest episode…

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Glenkinchie is all abuzz as distillery installs beehives

THREE bee hives have been placed in the gardens surrounding Glenkinchie distillery near Pencaitland in East Lothian as the whisky producer gears up to make its own honey. Hoods Honey, based in nearby Ormiston, has installed the hives, each of which will house around 65,000 bees during July’s peak pollen-gathering weeks. Glenkinchie’s honey will be…

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Edinburgh Gin says ‘thank you’ to communities

EDINBURGH Gin wants to hear about communities that have been carrying out good deeds during lockdown – and the winners will receive a “neighbourhood packs” containing cans of its new raspberry gin fizz, a mix of sparking wine and  raspberry liqueur. The limited edition packs of 24 cans are designed to reward neighbours who have…

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Craft distilleries call for clarity on covid support

EIGHT of Scotland’s craft distillers have written to the Scottish Government seeking clarity on whether they qualify for support during the coronavirus pandemic. The group of spirit producers said that some of its members have been turned down by their local councils for the 12 month business rate holiday promised by Scottish ministers, while others…

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Glasgow artists turn tattie display into community food project

ARTISTS Angus Farquhar and Rudy Kanhye have turned what was intended as a display at the SWG3 complex in Glasgow into a community food project. As part of “An Empty Gunny Bag Cannot Stand”, 120 brightly-coloured hessian sacks have been distributed around the area, allowing households to grow potatoes on their doorsteps. The bilingual title…

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Blair residents develop taste for oysters

IT MAY be nowhere near the sea, but residents in Blairgowrie have developed a taste for oysters thanks to their new fishmonger. Restaurateur Willie Little, who runs Little’s Restaurant in a converted church over the bridge in Rattray, opened Fish in Blair in premises that were previously home to the Wellmeadow restaurant. Little, who also…

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Hive of activity as World Bee Day takes flight

Perthshire is all abuzz for World Bee Day, with Kinross-based Webster Honey placing more than 100 new hives at sites including Crieff, Dunning and the Strathallan Estate. As well as producing honey, the hives will be used in beekeeping workshops for schools and nurseries once they reopen, and to give businesses sponsorship opportunities. Meik Molitor,…

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