‘Our cooking career started in Scotland,’ say The Hairy Bikers
Since they first hit our TV screens back in 2006, Si King and Dave Myers, better known as The Hairy Bikers, have become two of our best-loved chefs.
Food and Drink
Michelin-star chef Michael Smith creates two quick and easy-to-make seafood dishes which will have dinner guests – and the family – yelling for more
Today's recipes are easy to make at home and feature two of my favourite fish - fresh mackerel and Scottish farmed halibut from Ghia.
Aberdeen scientists have found proof that eating fat is the only cause of weight gain in mice
Scientists from the north-east have found proof that eating fat is the only cause of weight gain.
Second Aberdeen Restaurant Week to give tempted businesses food for thought
City centre businesses are being encouraged to sign up for Aberdeen’s second restaurant week.
Doubts raised over authenticity of 19th Century Speyside whisky bottles
Whisky bottles suspected to be fake have been removed from display at a Speyside distillery.
Eating out at The New Knowes Hotel in Macduff
At a family gathering in Buckie recently, I happened to discover that my wife’s great, great grannie was formerly the owner of a hotel in Macduff many moons ago.
Eight of the best places for dessert in Aberdeen
Desserts are not just to be enjoyed at the end of the meal - they can be a meal in itself.
Aberdeen’s Boozy Cow to reopen under new name next month
The Boozy Cow, which shut its doors for the final time at the weekend, will reopen as a bar and kitchen later this summer.
Restaurant review: A taste of Oz in Montrose
A business lunch with colleagues from Dundee and a suggestion to meet halfway between Aberdeen and Dundee to save on travelling seemed like a sensible idea.
Review: Filling family fare at Dyce Farm
Not being a regular flier, it had been a long time since I’d been out by Aberdeen airport. So I was amazed to see the changes that have taken place when I found myself in the area recently. Not least the arrival of Dyce Farm, sandwiched in between the new Crowne Plaza and Moxy hotels, and opposite the Aberdeen International Business Park.
Final year for world tattie scone competition in Forres
Budding cooks have been invited to enter a competition to crown the world’s tastiest tattie scone maker.
Rugby team expects brew-haha over festival plans
North-east rugby fans are being asked if they have the bottle to help set up the sport’s only youth programme in the north of Aberdeen.
5 distilleries you must visit
The world’s only malt whisky trail is right here on your doorstep. Along the famous route of Speyside’s Whisky Trail are more than half of Scotland’s malt whisky distilleries.
Recipes: Super healthy salads
Lifestyles featuring little physical activity and lots of fast and processed food are fuelling weight issues and obesity, resulting in dramatic increases in cancer rates across Scotland and beyond, according to a recent report from the World Cancer Research Fund, a leading authority on the links between diet, weight, physical activity and cancer prevention and survival, and backed by the Scottish Cancer Prevention Network.
Restaurant review: Miller and Carter Steakhouse a cut above the rest
I am not sure how the name Miller and Carter came about, but even although it might sound like an obscure comedy double act, one of its newest restaurants in Aberdeen is drawing a lot of appreciative applause from what I can see.
Did you miss World Gin Day?
World Gin Day celebrated their 10th anniversary on Saturday, June 9. Don’t worry if you missed it as here are 10 of the best Scottish gins you can pick up today.
Restaurant review: Indian gem has added spice to Echt
Curry, often referred to as Scotland’s other national dish, is more popular than ever across P&J country. Believe it or not, once the nation’s favourite carry out, the chicken tikka masala, was invented in a Glasgow curry house in the early 70s.
Recipes: Michelin-star chef Tom Kitchin says patience is the key to a good barbecue
I really enjoy a good barbecue. Thanks to the recent weather there’s been a lot of people mentioning their love for barbecuing over the past few weeks and many are sharing their barbecue stories with me. I particularly enjoy the excitement that comes with a barbie and the garden smelling of charcoal. The flavour that a charcoal barbecue brings to the produce is hard to beat.
Raising a glass to Taste of Grampian Food and Drink Festival
If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to nose wine, identify different flavours in beer or be able to impress your friends by showing off a knowledge of Scottish gins, then Taste of Grampian is the place you want to be.
Restaurant review: Dornoch Castle Hotel
Dornoch Castle Hotel is one of Sutherland’s landmark buildings and sits in a prime spot opposite the 17th-Century cathedral once at the centre of a media storm after pop singer Madonna – then at the height of her fame – and film director Guy Ritchie had their baby Rocco christened there 18 years ago.
Wine expert Susy Atkins returns to Taste of Grampian
Wine expert Susy Atkins is on a mission – and the message she wants to get across is that wine is not stuffy, but something everyone can have some knowledge of and talk confidently about.
What’s on offer at this year’s Taste of Grampian festival
Some 19 years ago, Taste of Grampian started out as a small event designed to stimulate the local food and drink sector.
Restaurant review: A royal treat with majestic menu
Ballater, just over an hour’s drive from Aberdeen, is a favourite destination of ours. When our children were younger, we enjoyed camping weekends there and regularly walked our dogs on the scenic paths around Loch Muick.
Restaurant review: Tasty treats on classy Kerrera at the Waypoint Bar and Grill
If you are in Oban and fancy a slightly different vibe, why not take a trip across the bay to the restaurant at Kerrera’s marina for a nautical feel.
Carol Brown: A rose for all seasons
What are your thoughts on rose wine? Is it something that you think of as a seasonal drink or a wine that always has a presence in your wine rack?
Recipes: Add a little Scottish flavour to your next barbecue with Crabbie’s Ginger Beer
National barbecue week starts on Monday, May 28, but budding grill chefs are no longer confined to just one week a year – having a barbecue has become a popular way to cook any time the sun comes out.
Give your crafty road trip the amber light with this beer map
While it’s whisky that everyone associates with Scotland, another amber liquid, beer, has also been popular for a long time.
Restaurant review: A fine evening with an old friend at Shimla in Beauly
It’s unsettling to realise it’s more than 40 years since I first went for a curry and a few drinks on a Friday night. Then, of course, I tended to be heading into the restaurant at about half past 11 having spent an evening in the pub with friends.
Recipes: Food and friendship with Gennaro Contaldo
Spend an hour with Gennaro Contaldo and you are guaranteed to be fed, for this 69-year-old is still passionate about being in the kitchen.
Restaurant review: Trying something different at Cafe Harmony
I had avoided the temptation to press my nose to a window to see what all the fuss was about at Cafe Harmony – every time I walked by at weekends, it always seemed busy with happy, smiling diners.
Restaurant review: Fresh and tasty fare with a warm welcome in Pitlochry
We were definitely having a better afternoon than our pal from Finland – in my humble opinion.
Best of British: Nine gins you need to try
Spring is here and with it comes longer days and – hopefully – some warmer weather. And how better to celebrate the end of winter than by raising a glass of fine British gin?