REVIEW: Edinburgh’s Tipo restaurant is a triumph

Weekends were made for good food, fine wine and feel-good surroundings. Chief sub-editor Rosie Morton heads to Tipo on Edinburgh’s Hanover Street on the promise of all three… ‘MY FRIEND once gave me the best advice,’ began my plus one, his head arching skyward. ‘Always look up in Edinburgh. So much is hiding up there.’…

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Whisky news round-up: coronation special

Peter Ranscombe rounds-up the latest coronation news from Scotch whisky brands. SCOTLAND’S whisky distilleries are gearing up for the coronation with a raft of new releases. Balmoral Castle & Estate, the royal family’s Scottish residence, teamed up with Diageo’s nearby Royal Lochnagar distillery to bottle the “Balmoral Coronation Edition”. The first two bottles – on…

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Ash dieback trees turned into furniture

DESIGNERS are being commissioned to turn trees that were killed by ash dieback into pieces of furniture. The Ash Rise project aims to highlight the threat from ash dieback in Scotland through a nationwide exhibition and education programme. The nationwide tour is due to begin later next year. Twenty designs will be selected for the…

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Stone of Destiny heads to coronation

THE Stone of Destiny has left Edinburgh Castle on its way to Westminster Abbey in London for the coronation. It marks the first time since 1996 that the stone has left the castle. A ceremonial procession from the castle’s Great Hall was led by the Lord Lyon King of Arms – the monarch’s representative in…

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Royal Conservatoire of Scotland hosts ‘Plug’ festival

THE “Plug” new music festival returns to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) next month. More than 300 pieces of music have received their premieres at the festival during the past 17 years. This year’s festival runs on 8-12 May in Glasgow. Highlights at this year’s Plug festival include nine accordionists being accompanied by a…

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Picts DNA sheds light on Scotland’s history

A GENETIC study of the Picts has shed fresh light on one of Scotland’s most mysterious peoples. Researchers from the University of Aberdeen and Liverpool John Moores University studied genes from Pictish-era cemeteries at Lundin Links in Fife and Balintore in Easter Ross. Dr Linus Girdland Flink, a lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, said:…

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REVIEW: ‘Kidnapped’, National Theatre of Scotland

Megan Amato reviews the National Theatre of Scotland’s production of Kidnapped. THE key ingredients for many good stories start with a hapless character down on their luck before meeting the chaotic chancer who will lead them on an adventure far outside their comfort zone. Described as “a swashbuckling rom-com adventure”, Isobel McArthur and Michael John…

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Return of the lynx discussed in parliament

REINTRODUCING lynx to Scotland is being discussed at the Scottish Parliament today. Ariane Burgess, a Green MSP for the Highlands and islands, has sponsored a reception that was organised by conservation charities Scotland: The Big Picture, Trees for Life, and The Lifescape Project. Today’s reception follows a debate last Thursday, during which a motion by…

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‘Thrown’ wrestling play tours Highland Games circuit

THROWN, a play that inspired by Scottish backhold wrestling, is going out on tour around the Highland Games circuit before a run at this summer’s Edinburgh Internaional Festival. The play, written by Nat McCleary and staged by the National Theatre of Scotland, will visit towns and villages that host Highland Games, along with community halls,…

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Aberdeenshire county flag unfurled at Castle Fraser

THE new Aberdeenshire county flag was hoisted up the pole at Castle Fraser on Saturday. The flag was based on designs by pupils from Newtonhill primary school in Stonehaven and Elrick primary school in Westhill. Children from the schools presented the flag to Sandy Manson, Aberdeen’s lord-lieutenant at the castle, which is run by the…

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