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.
food and drink
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.
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.
Salad Cream is considering changing its name and people are not happy
It’s been called Salad Cream since 1914, but now Heinz are potentially re-branding the tangy condiment and switching its name to Sandwich Cream…
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.
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.
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.
An early taste of summer with these delicious elderflower recipes
For centuries the traditional sign that summer has arrived is the eruption of the creamy frothy elderflower in the hedgerow. This ancient plant is synonymous with the magic and mystery of nature as bumble bees hum around the saucer-sized blossoms rich with pollen, packing their baskets with yellow gold as they have done for time immemorial, ready to transform it into sweet, sticky honey.
Recipes: Heading back to our roots with Claire Macdonald
Spring is taking its time arriving, and although we have the joy of light evenings and early mornings, we do still suffer the on-going chilly weather and I feel the need to continue to cook with winter-type ingredients.
Restaurant review: Getting to know The Pier in Aberdeen
The Pier cafe bistro was always a favourite of ours on family visits to Aberdeen beach, so I was saddened when it was destroyed by a fire at a neighbouring restaurant.
This vlogger turned Percy Pigs into beer and it’s everything you dreamed it would be
There’s nothing quite like savouring the sweet chewiness of a Percy Pig gummy, but now one home brewer has taken them a step further.
Recipes: Michelin star chef, Tom Kitchin, bridges the gap between winter and spring using leafy green vegetables
This time of year can make chefs a little impatient. We’re so close to spring that we can almost taste it, yet a chill – and sometimes snow lingers in the air, reminding us that winter is only just ending.
Recipes: Enjoy a taste of the Orient
Wing Yip – the UK’s leading Oriental supermarket – is encouraging fans of Oriental food to try creating authentic Chinese dishes at home.
Restaurant review: Fine family fare at hub of village community in Torphins
When choosing a restaurant to visit, I always like to act on recommendations. So after finding out that a friend used to work at the Learney Arms in Torphins, I marked it down as next on our list to visit.
Eat and drink your way along the NC500
Until you’ve picked up your car at Inverness Airport and set out along the North Coast 500, it’s hard to grasp exactly how beautiful Scotland is – and also, just how hungry all that open sky and chilly air will make you.
Everything you need to know about making your own sourdough – according to the Modern Baker
Forget thick white, seeded or wholesome brown bread - it’s sourdough bread that’s been the big talking point of late.
RECIPES: Be a star, bake a cake
Families, friends and colleagues are being encouraged to take part in the Be a Star, Bake a Cake campaign which supports Bowel Cancer UK and Beating Bowel Cancer for Bowel Cancer Awareness Month in April.
Restaurant review: A darling by the sea
“Anchors away!” is usually the cry that signals a safe and welcoming haven for ships at sea, but we bumped into not one but two anchors on sentry duty just inside the entrance to The Silver Darling restaurant at Aberdeen Harbour.
Grants scheme to help promote Scots produce
The Scottish Government is making £250,000 available to promote locally produced food and drink.
World championship launched amid fear true essence of snack being lost
A competition will be held to crown the world’s best buttery, amid concerns that traditional methods of making the delicacy are at risk of being forgotten.
REVIEW: Prime dining in the Highlands
I love it when a restaurant gets you talking, especially if you’re still talking about it days after you’ve dined there.
Easter offers are springing up everywhere!
Spring is finally in the air so there are plenty of Easter deals springing up.