Lomond to offer two International Baccalaureates

LOMOND School is set to become the first institution in Scotland to offer two International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes and a Higher National Certificate (HNC) to its fifth- and sixth-year pupils. The independent school will offer an IB diploma programme and an IB careers programme, as well as an HNC in business studies. Lomond, which is…

Read More

Gleneagles unveils plans to reopen

ONE of Scotland’s most famous hotels will fling open its doors once more on 15 July. The Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire is introducing a flexible booking policy that will allow guests to rearrange their stay at short notice while the coronavirus pandemic continues. Gleneagles, which opened as a railway hotel in 1924, said it had…

Read More

A 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 More

Paul and Jacine Rutasikwa breathe fresh ‘Liv’ into rum

A new range of Scottish spirits offers no rum deal as far as Peter Ranscombe is concerned. PAUL Rutasikwa may have just restored my faith in liqueurs. While most of our so-called “gin liqueurs” in Scotland fall flat on their faces because the other flavours mask the juniper – the taste of which is the…

Read More

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…

Read More

Jazz star Fergus McCreadie kicks off Conservatoire lunchtime concerts

RISING jazz star Fergus McCreadie will perform at today’s maiden lunchtime online concert organised by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) and Scotland House, the Scottish Government’s centre in London. McCreadie will begin his concert at 1pm on the YouTube channel run by the Glasgow-based RCS, formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama…

Read More

One 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 More

Seafood 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 More

Record your version of Auld Lang Syne for Make Music Day

BUDDING musicians have until 5pm on Friday to record their version of Auld Lang Syne and submit it to a massive online project. Videos of the public’s recordings will be made into a collage that will be broadcast on Make Music Day on 21 June. Make Music Day UK has commissioned composer Hamish Napier and…

Read More