Posts Tagged ‘reviews’
Scotland is ‘king’ of sustainable prawns
A FARM in Stirlingshire that rears king prawns is selling its crustacean direct to the public for the first time. Balfron-based Great British Prawns, which opened last year, will harvest its warm water Litopenaeus vannamei each week and delivery them via courier to most parts of the UK – but not the Highlands and islands…
Read MoreMeet the paper wine bottle coming to Scotland…
Peter Ranscombe ponders a cardboard wine bottle that’s been launched today – and revisits the wine inside. I ALWAYS feel more than a wee bit guilty on recycling day. As the blue box is lugged off the pavement and its contents heaved into the back of the bin lorry, I pause and think about the…
Read MoreMimi’s puts the ‘tea’ in Edinburgh Gin’s ‘G&T’
TWO of Edinburgh’s best-known food and drink brands have teamed up to offer a “G&T” with a difference. For four weekends, Mimi’s Bakehouse and Edinburgh Gin are selling an “Afternoon G&Tea” package to customers in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Each set contains six mini traybakes, two mini elderflower cupcakes and two freshly-baked plain scones with Rodda’s…
Read MoreCapturing Italy’s character with organic wines
Cantina Tollo is letting local grape varieties shine thanks to organic farming, writes Peter Ranscombe. BEING stuck in a coronarvirus lockdown hasn’t stopped Italian wine co-operative Cantina Tollo from innovating. The Abruzzo-based producer has launched its “biologico” range of five wines that carry both organic and vegan certification. The co-op, which was founded in 1960,…
Read MoreA red refresher course with Lidl
An evening of red wine tasting gave Peter Ranscombe an appetite for exploring more of the discounter’s core range. LIDL’S “Wine Tour” promotions are an addictive wee gimmick – every eight weeks or so, the supermarket chain releases a couple of dozen wines in limited quantities – so when they’re gone, they’re gone. The set that…
Read MoreRum 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…
Read MoreOne Year No Beer: a lockdown lifeline
Looking to change your relationship with alcohol? Peter Ranscombe reports on a Scottish firm’s online programme. FOR so many of us who have been staying safe at home with no exposure to the coronavirus, it’s been a lockdown of memes. Memes about face coverings, memes about zoom quizzes, memes about TikTok challenges. One set of…
Read MoreSeafood restaurant nets covid bank loan
ONDINE, one of Edinburgh’s best-known seafood restaurants, has landed a £50,000 bounce back loan from the UK Government. The loans, which were unveiled by Chancellor Rishi Sunak on 27 April, are designed to help businesses to recover from the coronavirus lockdowns. The 80-seat restaurant has continued to serve local customers through its “Ondine At Home”…
Read MoreThe secret gardening life of Beatrix Potter
This delightfully illustrated book reveals a little known aspect of Beatrix Potter’s life. She was a gardening enthusiast and how her evident appreciation and knowledge of gardening informed her work. McDowell writes beautifully, painting a charming portrait of Beatrix Potter and her garden at Hill Top Farm through the seasons. Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life, by…
Read MoreA stunning look at the beautiful Hebrides
Hebrides is a beautiful book of narrative extracts from Peter May’s bestselling trilogy. The text features alongside specially commissioned photographs by David Wilson depicting the eerie mists, abandoned buildings and dramatic lighting of the Outer Hebrides. This book allows fans of May’s Lewis trilogy to experience the land that gave the writing and his characters…
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