Jam today as Fingal picks Perthshire Preserves

FINGAL, the luxury floating hotel in Leith, is getting ready for “National Afternoon Tea Week” after picking Perthshire Preserves to supply a special jam. Iain Mackenzie and Kate Thornhill will provide a new strawberry jam for the promotion – which runs on 8-15 August – and hope to become a permanent feature on the ship’s…

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Edinburgh’s Christmas unveils plans

IT MAY only be August, but Edinburgh’s Christmas is today sharing plans for its festivities. Markets will return to the Mound precinct, East Princes Street Gardens, and West Princes Street Gardens. New sites are also proposed, with a “Scottish market” on Castle Street and an “artisan market” across High Street and West Parliament Square, both…

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Aberdeen wins seven Green Flag Awards

ENVIRONMENTAL charity Keep Scotland Beautiful has presented seven Green Flag Awards to Aberdeen. Duthie Park won its tenth green flag in a row, while Garthdee Field Allotments, Hazlehead Park, Johnston Gardens, Seaton Park, Slopefield Allotments, and Victoria Park were also rewarded. Councillor Miranda Radley, convener of Aberdeen City Council’s operational delivery committee, said: “As a…

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Red Onion wins Come Dine With Me: The Professionals

JOHN and Rosie Quigley’s Red Onion restaurant won last night’s Glasgow round of Channel 4 series Come Dine With Me: The Professionals. The father and daught team beat fellow city centre eateries Calabash and Saffron to win a trophy and ÂŁ1,000. Red Onion served seared Barra scallops for its starter, followed by Gressingham duck breast…

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Gin Round-up: Mary King’s Close, Rock Rose, NTS, and more

Peter Ranscombe distills the latest stories from the world of gin into a light-hearted round-up. YOU might have thought that some of the botanicals that end up in gin are a wee bit scary – but wait until you visit The Real Mary King’s Close in Edinburgh. The ghoulish tourist attraction beneath the streets of…

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TV chef Clodagh McKenna to headline Stranraer Oyster Festival

TELEVISION presenter and chef Clodagh McKenna will lead cookery demonstrations at the Stranraer Oyster Festival in September. McKenna, the resident chef on This Morning on STV and a previous regular on The Today Show in the United States, will cook in the kitchen marquee at the harbour. “Scotland’s reputation for high-quality and award-winning produce is…

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Meet the Ardbeg whisky cask that sold for ÂŁ16m

ARDBEG is donating ÂŁ1 million to charities on Islay after selling one of its casks for a record ÂŁ16 million. The sale price, which eclipses all previous cask records, was more than double the ÂŁ7m that French luxury goods giant Louis Vuitton MoĂ«t Hennessy (LVMH) paid in 1997 when it bought the distillery. The whisky…

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Whisky round-up: Glen Ord, Cail Bruich, Scottish Open, and more

Peter Ranscombe takes a light-hearted romp through the latest whisky news. GLEN Ord distillery at Muir of Ord near Dingwall is today reopening its visitors’ centre for its Singleton brand. Chef Tony Singh was on hand earlier this week to launch the centre, which is part of owner Diageo’s wider ÂŁ185 million investment in its…

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Restaurant round-up: Tom Kitchin, Dovecot, and more

MICHELIN starred chef Tom Kitchin will offically open his new restaurant in Edinburgh tomorrow. Kora occupies the site in Bruntsfield of his previous Southside Scran restaurant. The new premises join the Kitchin and his wife Michaela’s other eateries at The Kitchin in Leith, The Scran & Scallie in Stockbridge, and The Bonnie Badge at Gullane…

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SRUC milkshakes bring all the farmers to the show

STUDENTS from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) handed out nearly 3,500 free milkshakes and conducted more than 1,200 steak taste tests during last week’s Royal Highland Show. Thousands of guests visited the SRUC’s pavilion during the show’s four days. Eileen Wall, professor of integrative livestock genetics and head of research at SRUC, supervised 1,209 steak taste…

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