Capturing the beauty of nature with a paintbrush

Sandra Emslie’s house is a gallery of her work, with practically every patch of wall covered in paintings of the agricultural landscapes of Douneside and Migvie interspersed with scenes of her beautiful garden – Sandra’s other passion. As she leads me through a terrace of colourful flowers through a large, well-tended lawn flanked by ancient…

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The craft of whisky inspired Michel Roux Jr

The Balvenie has launched its final instalment of The Craftsmen’s Dinner. This year, the series of short films, hosted by renowned Michelin starred chef, Michel Roux Jr., takes place at The Balvenie Distillery in Scotland, where Michel gets sparks of inspiration from the craftspeople behind the whisky. Spending a week at the distillery, Michel aimed…

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Family go from sourcing gin to making their own

A Scots family has put its expertise in running a gin establishment into creating its own brand. The family behind the iconic Gin Emporium, Smithies Deli, in Arbroath, is to put its intimate knowledge of the gin industry to good use with the launch of its own gin brand, Smithies Gin Company. Smithies Gin Company…

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Single vineyard garnacha from Rioja

Whether you call it garnacha, grenache or even garnatxa, Peter Ranscombe wants to praise the often-overlooked red grape variety. BLENDING is at the very heart of the winemaking tradition in Rioja. Whether it’s mixing the tempranillo, garnacha and other grape varieties used to make Spain’s most-famous red wine or fusing together wines from the Alta,…

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