A beautiful modernised home by the river

A beautiful home by the river in Kirkcudbright has been made available for purchase. Presented by Galbraith, Moatwell occupies a prime position overlooking the River Dee in the ‘Old’ High Street, and is a delightful category B listed Townhouse which dates back to at least the late 18th century in its present form. It is…

Read More

Another winner of a Scottish cookbook

The Lady Laird of Ballindalloch had no intention of serving up third helpings of homemade recipes with I Love Food 3, but I am thrilled she did. This instalment is packed with delectable ideas, and includes a special nod to the country’s exceptional game. As a pudding fiend, I’m taking note of her banana, orange…

Read More

New Zealand syrah: Gimblett Gravels and beyond

After exploring syrah from Gimblett Gravels, Peter Ranscombe casts his net wider to look at other parts of New Zealand. WINES fall into two categories. There are the crowd-pleasing styles that most fans will recognise – Prosecco from Italy, shiraz from Australia, sauvignon blanc from Marlborough. Then there are the niches, the bottles about which…

Read More

Small businesses unite to mark Valentine’s Day

Award-winning St Andrews distillers Eden Mill have collaborated with a collection of small Scottish businesses to create the ultimate Valentine’s day gift. Their A Time for Love hamper includes a range of premium Eden Mill drinks and gifts alongside bespoke handmade chocolate bonbons from Edinburgh-based artisan chocolatier, BonBox and a bespoke bouquet of dried flowers…

Read More

Scottish shoppers name their favourite soup flavour

Shoppers with a leading Scottish food company have declared lentil soup is their favourite flavour. Scotty decided to find out people’s favourite flavour. The survey reveals that nearly a third (29%) of voters chose lentil soup as their favourite soup, followed closely by a quarter (24%) preferring Scotch Broth, and a fifth (20%) choosing Cream…

Read More

Winners of People’s Choice Drinks Awards revealed

Drinks enthusiasts from around the world were able to ‘attend’ the People’s Choice Drinks Awards from the comfort of their own home this year. Britain’s Got Talent finalist Steve Royle handed out awards for wines and spirits for the first time this year in a virtual awards ceremony at Manchester’s Zymurgorium Distillery. Winners in the…

Read More

Find fantastic fizz for your Valentine’s Day at home

Whether you want splash-out sparklers or bubbles on a budget, Peter Ranscombe has you covered. FEW dates strike fear into the hearts of wine fans like the fourteenth of February. Should I buy bubbles? Should the wine match the food? Should I shake the bottle and spray the room like I’ve just won an F1…

Read More

Red squirrels put on a diet to help them survive

A Scottish council’s ranger service is putting red squirrels in the area on an diet. Aberdeen City Council’s countryside service ranger service is teaming up with Carnie Woods Community Group and the Scottish Wildlife Trust on a diet plan for the woods’ red squirrel population and other wildlife in the area. The plan follows discussions…

Read More

Online wine tasting just went hi-tech

Peter Ranscombe logs on to tech entrepreneur Michael Baum’s Vivant virtual wine tasting platform – and he’s impressed by what he sees. I GUESS is was just a matter of time before online wine tastings got the gamification treatment. When every other aspect of our lives – from logging the miles we slog on running…

Read More

Innovation key to lockdown success for family farm

A family farm in Aberdeenshire ended the year on a high, celebrating a rise in sales boosted by local shoppers over the festive period and into the new year. Thorneybank Farm Shop near Inverurie, which made headlines in 2019 after being the first shop in the UK to install digital vending machines selling fresh produce,…

Read More