Ian Rankin delves into his archive for online event

THE UK’s best-selling crime novellist, Ian Rankin, will lift the lid tomorrow on his literary archive. Rankin donated his archive to the National Library of Scotland last year. He also donated money towards creating a post to catalogue each item for the library, which was carried out by curator Rosemary Hall. Rankin and Hall will…

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Foraging guides and films launched

A SERIES of guides and films to encourage increased responsible foraging in Scotland has been launched following the Foraging Fortnight project. There are guides to foraging for wild food, guides aimed at children, and guides translated into Gaelic. The videos feature highlights from Moray, Forth Valley and Lomond, Lanarkshire, Orkney, and Fife. The resources have…

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Edinburgh food blogger wins baking contest

A FOOD blogger in Edinburgh has been crowned as Scotland’s best home baker. Sophie Greig, a student at the University of Edinburgh, was named as the “Contini Bake Off” champion. The competition was run by Carina Contini, who owns The Scottish Cafe & Restaurant at the Scottish National Gallery. Greig, who shares her recipes and…

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Lockdown cupboard clearing reveals secrets in historic family home

Lady Dorothy Ogilvy unearths the past as she clears out the cupboards at Winton Castle in East Lothian. WHAT did you do in Lockdown? I did what most people without any medical training did: stayed at home, oversaw home-schooling, shopped for my endlessly hungry teenagers and shielding parents, did the day-job via Zoom, cleaned the…

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Scottish drinks have a ‘can’ do attitude

SCOTLAND’S brands are continuing to embrace canned drinks with two recent releases. Forrit has launched a range of “hard seltzers”, while Boe has unveiled two gins mixed with lemonade. Forrit has blended sparkling water with alcohol, botanicals, and fruit flavours. The brand, which is owned by whisky maker Loch Lomond Group, has unveiled three variants:…

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Conifox donates Christmas trees

RESIDENTS and staff at Murrayfield House Care Home in Edinburgh have received an eight-foot Christmas tree following a public vote. Conifox Adventure Park, which sells Christmas trees and sourced the 60-foot tree for The Mound, donated the tree to the care home after holding a poll on its Facebook page. The business has also donated…

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Scottish countryside dominates ‘best kept secrets’ list

SCOTLAND has dominated a series of lists of the “best kept secrets of the UK countryside“. Scottish locations finished top of the tables for beaches, parks, and routes for hikes. Newburgh in Aberdeenshire topped the beach list, followed by Polin near Kinlochbervie, and Embo near Dornoch. The Berwickshire coast path was the top hiking route,…

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Easy festive styling tips from an expert

You don’t have to be a design guru to make your home feel special this Christmas writes Kate Henderson, owner of Henderson’s Garden & Home Store in Melrose. PEOPLE worry they are not creative enough or might get something wrong when it comes to trying out new ideas at Christmas. But if you use what…

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Merchiston offers free academic advice

MERCHISTON Castle School in Edinburgh is offering free academic advice tomorrow night. Dale Cartwright, deputy head learning and teaching, will host a live questions and answers session at 5.30pm. The school said: “We are hoping this session, in particular, will help those who still have outstanding questions or concerns regarding their UCAS applications. “There is…

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Hospitality launches ‘Taste Edinburgh’ campaign

CHEFS have launched a campaign to encourage customers to buy gift vouchers for their favourite Edinburgh restaurants, bars, and hotels this Christmas. The launch of the “Taste Edinburgh” scheme was attended by Michelin-starred cooks Tom Kitchin and Martin Wishart. Other restaurateurs taking part in the campaign include: James Thomson from Prestonfield House Hotel and The…

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