Drinks news round-up: Barra, Curling, and more

Peter Ranscombe serves up another helping of drinks news. ISLE of Barra distillery has unveiled the new bottle for its Atlantic gin. The bottle is made from 78% recycled glass, meaning no two bottles will look the same. The company is also cutting its supply chain’s carbon footprint by selecting Allied Glass to make the…

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Gin Extremes: From Shetland to Scilly

Drinks blogger James Robertson reviews gin from either end of the UK. WHO would have thought that you would find a gin distillery on the southern tip of the UK on the island of St Mary’s, part of the Isles of Scilly, and then 776 miles as the crow flies there is another one on…

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REVIEW: A Canadian’s first trip to Royal Deeside

Megan Amato visits Ballater on Royal Deeside for the first time. ON THE east side of the Cairngorms National Park, the “Snow Roads” connects two picturesque and now-thriving villages – Ballater and Braemar – but that wasn’t always the case. Like many rural communities, the area best known for being home to Balmoral Castle, the…

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REVIEW: A taste of the Highlands at The Lovat by Loch Ness

Morag Bootland visits the Station Road restaurant at The Lovat hotel in Fort Augustus. A SHORT break in Sutherland behind us, we decide to cushion the blow of returning home to the daily grind with a rather indulgent stop off at Station Road restaurant at The Lovat hotel in Fort Augustus. The restaurant is currently…

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Artificial intelligence gets arty for Scotland

TOURISM marketing body VisitScotland has used an artificial intelligence (AI) program to create pictures of Scotland. Photographs and paintings were fed into the NightCafe AI art generator, which then produced images in-keeping with the originals. The agency is using the images to promote the 13 sites on Scotland’s United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organisation…

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Restaurant news round-up: Ralph & Finns, Gleneagles, and more

Peter Ranscombe serves up another slice of recent restaurant news. CHEF Kevin O’Neill has taken over at modern bar and brasserie Ralph & Finns in Glasgow. His autumn menu features Shetland hake from fishmonger Bernand Corrigan and Isle of Barra scallops, crustaceans, and oysters delivered by Andy Bell’s Fish People. Specialist butcher C & C…

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Events celebrate Orkney chairs and Fair Isle chairs

MAKERS of Orkney chairs and Fair Isle chairs will be celebrated next month during a special weekend at Marchmont House in the Borders. Kevin Gauld, who launched his Orkney Furniture Maker business in 2007, and Eve Eunson, who works as an architect on Shetland, will take part in the events on 2-4 September. Both styles…

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Wine to Dine – September 2022 – Ballintaggart

In his final Wine to Dine column, drinks writer Peter Ranscombe recommends five bally good bottles for Ballintaggart. “THERE’S been a murder!” – oh no, wait, wrong Taggart. Rather than the crusty Glasgae cop, we’re talking about the recipes from Ballintaggart, which featured in the food feature in the September issue of Scottish Field magazine.…

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Cabrach Games return after 87-year gap

THE Cabrach Games and picnic are returning on Sunday following a 87-year hiatus. The gathering was a staple on the Highland Games circuit between 1877 and 1935. Yet a fall in the local population between the two world wars led to the games coming to an end. The Cabrach in Moray was once home to…

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Red Onion wins Come Dine With Me: The Professionals

JOHN and Rosie Quigley’s Red Onion restaurant won last night’s Glasgow round of Channel 4 series Come Dine With Me: The Professionals. The father and daught team beat fellow city centre eateries Calabash and Saffron to win a trophy and £1,000. Red Onion served seared Barra scallops for its starter, followed by Gressingham duck breast…

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