Rum distillery prepares to release summer liqueurs

PAUL and Jacine Rutasikwa, the husband-and-wife team behind Matugga Distillers in Livingston, are getting ready to launch a pair of rum liqueurs. Their honey and lavender and raspberry and hibiscus flavours will go on sale next month. They’ll join the navy strength, pot distilled and black spiced rums in the company’s Liv range, which was…

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School delivers 700 online lessons each week

STRATHALLAN SCHOOL is delivering 700 live online lessons each week to its pupils during the lockdowns. Its “Strath Worldwide” remote learning facilities will have be used to conduct more than 7,000 lessons by the end of the independent school’s summer term. Other online activities have included one-to-one tutorials, sports and training sessions, music lessons, ensemble…

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Trailer lands for Scottish Opera’s fishy tale

SCOTTISH Opera will next week unveil its latest work online – and it’s released a trailer to whet your appetite. The Narcissistic Fish is set in the kitchen of a seafood restaurant in Leith. The 12-minute film is a collaboration between Scottish Opera composer in residence Samuel Bordoli, The Panopticon author Jenni Fagan and the company’s…

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Scottish artist scoops award in Derwent Art Prize

A SCOTTISH artist has taken second place in the Derwent Art Prize, which attracted 4,756 entries from 1,884 artists in  72 different countries. Irvine-based Maree Hughes, who studied at Glasgow School of Art, was awarded £2,000 for 15. Fellow Scottish artist Charles Avery – who was one of the judges alongside director of Turner Contemporary Victoria…

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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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Island businesses join forces for online whisky tastings

CANNED water brand Larkfire has been teaming up with island distilleries including Highland Park and Jura and a new whisky retailer to offer online tastings during lockdown. Larkfire founder James McIntosh joined forces with Iain Faller, founder of The Island Spirit Whisky Shop, to hold the first “Whisky & Wild” tasting last month, which featured…

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Online talk to reveal secrets of two impressive Inverness buildings

CONSERVATION architect Calum Maclean will present an online talk on Thursday covering two of the most historic buildings in the Highland capital – the former Inverness Royal Academy and the Rose Street Foundry. Both buildings were designed by the Ross & Macbeth architecture practice. The talk has been organised by the Inverness Townscape Heritage Project…

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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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Kevin McKidd ‘gets the band back together’ for charity

TELEVISION hunk Kevin McKidd’s Speyisde Sessions Band of musicians and singers has recorded a single during the lockdown to raise cash for two charities. Money from the sale of Leave A Light On is going to The Trussell Trust food bank operator and Help Musicians UK. The Grey’s Anatomy star duetted on the track with Northern…

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Outlander star Sam Heughan reflects on his Steiner school days

HOLLYWOOD heartthrob Sam Heughan has spoken about his time as a pupil at the Edinburgh Steiner School during a new online video interview. The star of Outlander, the television series based on the historical fantasy books by Diana Gabaldon, said: “The Steiner education gives you this understanding about the world; that you are not being…

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