Review: Time for tea at Aberdeen’s Café Bohème

Fairy lights? Check. Brussels sprouts? Check. Shopped till you’ve dropped? Check. After all those festive preparations – and, let’s face it, a rather trying year for us all – there couldn’t be a better time to indulge in a pre-Christmas treat. As we headed down to Aberdeen’s Café Bohème, a gorgeous restaurant that pairs Scottish…

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Scottish rowan up for European tree award

A ROWAN tree near Moffat will represent Great Britain in a European contest. The Woodland Trust has chosen “The Survivor” at Carrifran to represent Great Britain in the “European Tree of the Year” competition. The public selected “The Survivor” as Scotland’s “Tree of the Year” back in October. It has now beaten off competition from…

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Highlands and islands gift boxes launch

A GIFT box service dedicated to showcasing products from the Highlands and islands has been launched. A Whale of a Time brings together products from independent businesses spread across Inverness, Lochaber, Moray, Wester Ross, and Wick, as well as islands including Harris, Islay, Lewis, Orkney, and Skye. Its range of eight gift boxes stretches from…

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Gizzi Erskine: ‘Soil can be sexy’

CHEF and food writer Gizzi Erskine teamed up with dairy farm Yeo Valley to mark World Soil Day on Saturday. Data released by the United Nations showed that the equivalent of one football field of soil is eroded every five seconds across the world. Yeo Valley invited Erskine to its organic farm to shine “the…

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‘Spectacle of Light’ opens at Dalkeith

DALKEITH Country Park’s second “Spectacle of Light” opened on Saturday. The display runs until 4 January. Midlothian residents are taken on a light and sound journey up through Fort Douglas, Sky Maze, Mini Maze, Rainbow’s End, and into the new Fantasy Forest. The historic Orangerie is also lit for the occasion. Read more stories on…

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South of Scotland launches virtual advent calendar

SCOTLAND Starts Here, a campaign to promote businesses in the South of Scotland, has launched a virtual advent calendar. Behind each of the 24 windows, Christmas shoppers can find an exclusive experience, gift or treasure, only available from the website. The range of gifts available includes food and drink experiences, sport and outdoor activities, and…

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Scots among Stonehenge ‘heritage heroes’

TELEVISION presenter Sir Tony Robinson will today unveil a display at Stonehenge to celebrate eight “unsung champions of heritage”. Two Scots are among the heritage workers and volunteers from throughout the UK whose contributions are being celebrated. Luke Strachan is chief executive of Wild Things, an environmental charity based at Findhorn in Moray, while Jade…

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Doddie toasts whisky auction success

RUGBY legend Doddie Weir has toasted the results of a whisky auction, which raised more than £50,000 for his My Name’5 Doddie Foundation. The Whisky Shop’s online auction was one of the foundation’s biggest fundraising events this year. The charity supports people with motor neuron disease (MND) and funds research. Foundation chief executive Jill Douglas…

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Inverness hotels share positive figures

RESIDENTS in the North of Scotland are being encouraged to discover “what’s on their doorstep” as Inverness’s hotels report brighter figures amid the covid gloom. Chris Taylor, regional leadership director at national tourism marketing agency VisitScotland, said: “Right now, we are encouraging local people in the Highlands to discover what’s on their doorstep, in line…

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