Does Scotland have Britain’s Best Dish?
By Admin | DEC 8, 2010
The 2011 edition of ‘Britain’s Best Dish‘ starts filming across the UK in February. The Britains Best Dish Team have asked us to help publicise their call for entries.
If you would like to promote a favourite dish – preferable with Scottish produce or reflecting Scottish food culture – send your details so they can invite you to an audition near you.Although the focus is often on regular home cooks, this is a huge platform for any restaurant or chef. It would be good to see some exciting Scottish dishes on their shortlist.
Register your details by phone for the next series of Britain’s Best Dish call the production team on 09011 22 33 11. Lines close at 17:00 on Friday 4th March 2011.
SCOTHOT 2011 – ALIVE AND KICKING
By Admin | DEC 8, 2010
ScotHot is the annual showcase for Scotland’s hospitality and catering industries. With the effects of recession, changes in consumer trends … and the recent weather problems, this promises to be a forum for some hot topics and heated discussion.ScotHot 2011 is being held from 28th February to 2nd March at the SECCC in Glasgow. This is an opportunity to see a full range of hospitality products and services under one roof and have face-to-face contact with the suppliers. A range of events are being planned including
- ScotHot Young Hotelier of the Year
- ScotHot Young Restaurateur of the Year
- The 28th Scottish Culinary Championships
This is a chance for Scottish restaurants and hotels to view the latest trends and gather culinary tips at the many seminar sessions. SCOTHOT SCOTLAND 2011
Let’s Celebrate with Snowballs … and Tunnocks Teacakes
By Admin | NOV 27, 2010
In 1890 Thomas Tunnock paid £80 for a shop in Uddingston, Lanarkshire. Initially producing general bakery products, the Tunnocks firm created a range of biscuit confectionary including the famous Tunnocks Teacake in the 1950′s that were to become favourites in Scotland and in 36 countries around the world. This year marks the 120th anniversary of Tunnocks.
Tunnocks Teacakes, Tunnocks Snowballsand Tunnock’s Caramel Wafers form part of many Scots’ childhood memories. A visit to relatives, Sunday afternoon teas and packed lunches or picnics were never quite complete without the addition of at least one Tunnock’s product. These childhood favourites continue their popularity on into adult life which probably explains why more than 10 million biscuits are produced at the factory each week with many exported to countries such as Kuwait, Japan, Canada and the Caribbean.Continue Reading >>Andrew Fairlie celebrates St Andrew’s with Scottish Lamb
By Admin | NOV 26, 2010
Two-Michelin star chef Andrew Fairliehas launched a special St Andrew’s Dayfamily menu to celebrate Scotland’s national day.A real champion for Scottish produce, Andrew’s menu aims to encourage the whole nation to cook up a feast on 30 November with the best local and seasonal ingredients, using Scotch Lamb as the centrepiece.
Scots are encouraged to celebrate St Andrew’s Day with a three-course meal including the warming winter fish soup Cullen Skink, a succulent Roast Shoulder of Lamb with potatoes and onions followed by a spiced winter fruit served with creamed vanilla rice pudding.
St Andrew’s Day is the feast day of Saint Andrew celebrated in Scotland on 30th November. Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, and St. Andrew’s Day is Scotland’s official national day. In 2006, St Andrew’s Day was designated as an official bank holiday by the Scottish Parliament.
Rated amongst the best in the world, Scotch Lamb is currently at its peak of seasonality. Easy to cook at home, Andrew Fairlie’s menu is the perfect way to enjoy Scotch Lamb and all that’s great about Scotland on St Andrew’s Day.
Scotland has a good chance of Winning … Pies!
By Admin | NOV 25, 2010
SCOTLAND is definitely in with a good chance to finally win a world championship this month.
78 of the 80 entrants in the 2010 World Scotch Pie Championships hailed from Scotland. On 16th November, pie makers, butchers and bakers mainly from Scotland’s north and north-east were flocking, together with their pies, to Dunfermline this morning as judging begins in the World Scotch Pie Championship.
A record 390 products including Scotch pies, sausage rolls and bridies were entered for the 2010 Scotch Pie competition. The food is judged in four categories and this year 24 judges were involved. Each pie was sampled by pie experts and master bakers and marked on appearance, taste and taste.Last year Forres butchers Murdoch Brothers were crowned World Champion Scotch Pie Makers for 2010
The awards will be announced on 6th January 2011 … mouth watering stuff!
64 year old sells for $460,000 – Macallan Single Malt Whisky
By Admin | NOV 22, 2010
A 64-year-old Macallan single-malt whisky contained in a unique Lalique crystal decanter sold at auction in New York on 15th November at Sotheby’s for a record-breaking $460,000.This sale represents the most unique collaboration to date between The Macallan and Lalique, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting “Charity: water”, an organization that provides access to clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations.
Macallan described the whisky that sold Monday as the oldest and rarest it had ever released since the famous whisky company was found in Scotland in 1824.
The Lalique crystal decanter was made using a technique called “cire perdue” or “lost wax” method. Stored in Spanish sherry casks since World War II and left to age for over six years, the extravagant concoction had a diminished alcohol level of 42.5% just above the cut-off level for scotch classification.
For those of us unable to afford or savour such a rare whisky I have it on authority that the ‘nose’ was one of peat smoke, dried orange peal, muscovado sugar and cedar wood mix with spicy cinnamon sticks and cloves and it tastes spicy, peaty with hints of blood oranges, rosin, treacle and walnuts, and chocolate.
Maybe I’ll add a 64-year-old Macallan single-malt whisky to my christmas list!
Top chef represent UK at Bocuse d’Or with Scotch Lamb
By Admin | NOV 20, 2010
Scotch Lamb will be a main ingredient in a competition taking place in Lyon, France in January 2011. Scottish seafood will also feature on the menu. Simon Hulstone is the UK finalist in the Bocuse d’Or, an international contest set up by culinary legend Paul Bocuse in 1987 to celebrate the individual talent of young chefs.
Earlier this month, as part of his preparation for the competition Simon, came north to meet Scots farmers and chefs with a passion for Scotch Lamb. Accompanied by Jordan Bailey who will assist him at the competition, Simon visited Stirlingshire farmer Andrew Morton, who runs a 1450-head flock of top quality Scottish sheep and lamb over around 1000 acres with his parents, Andrew and Jean, atLochendarm, near Denny.During his visit north of the Border Simon met with Scotland’s only two Michelin-star chef, Andrew Fairlie at The Gleneagles Hotel, Auchterarder who is a real champion for Scottish Lamb.
Andrew Fairlie described Bocuse d’Or as “Very challenging, demanding and a real test of the creativity of competing chefs. If anyone in the UK can win Bocuse d’Or it is Simon he is the best competition chef in the country at the moment.”
November Newsletter from Taste-of-Scotland.com
By Admin | NOV 10, 2010
November sees the start of more awards for Scottish restaurants and food producers as well as some innovative products and some controversial dishes from Scotland’s culinary heritage. Look out for our Scottish Hamper Competition later this month – details appearing on our Taste of Scotland blog in the next couple of weeks. Enjoy!
Sunday Times Lists Kitchin #10 Top British Restaurant
By Admin | NOV 7, 2010
Congratulation to Tom Kitchen and the Kitchin Restaurant for
securing a place in the Top Ten British Restaurants as featured in the Sunday Times Food List.
securing a place in the Top Ten British Restaurants as featured in the Sunday Times Food List.Restaurant Martin Wishart (15th), Andrew Fairlie (18th) and seven other Scottish Restaurants were also listed. We were pleased to see Kitchin’s cuisine being listed as ‘Scottish’ – two other restaurants also promoting themselves as service ‘Scottish cuisine were The Three Chimneys (30th) and Wedgwood. As well as the aforementioned Scotland’s Foodie Destinations included Number One (Balmoral), 21212 Restaurant, Gamba, David Bann and Mother India.
Killiecrankie Wins a César!
By Admin | NOV 6, 2010
Killiecrankie House Hotel has been awarded a coveted Cesar by The Good Hotel Guide for Scottish Hotel of the Year 2011. The Cesar is given to only 10 hotels in Britain each year and, known as the Oscar of hotel-keeping, is undoubtedly the accolade most hotels want to win. Henrietta Ferguson, director at Killicrankie, is quoted as saying: “We are so proud of our achievement. We want to shout it from the rooftops!”Continue Reading >>
From Estate to Plate – Roxburghe Foodie Experience
By Admin | NOV 5, 2010
The Roxburghe Estate which includes the Roxburghe Hotel and Golf Course is enticing visitors to visit and explore the delights of their restaurants as well as the treasures of Floors Castle through an innovative web development.
Food provenance is a hot topic for discussion as diners, producers and consumers debate the benefits of buying and eating local produce and reducing their food miles. The distinctiveness of so many olive oils, spices, fruits and specialist regional foods from around the globe will ensure international food trading for many year come. But being able to trace the origins of your food from source to table is an important factor for consumers who prefer to ‘eat local’ if similar indigenous products are available. Many restaurants including the Roxburghe hotel restaurant menus now list the provenance of their meat and fish and we are encouraged to look for UK supermarkets clearly mark their
The Roxburghe Estate, perhaps the largest in Scotland, is the source of much of the food used in the Castle and at the Roxburghe Hotel.
From lamb to game, from fish to local cheese and diary products – the new web site from Roxburghe Estate entitled ‘From Estate to Plate‘ is a new entry into this niche of food provenance.
Scottish Seaweed – Superfood from Scotland’s Isle of Bute
By Admin | OCT 30, 2010
Seaweed is one of the top superfoods yet remains a secret to many of us. Full of vitamin A, B, B12, C, E, K, iron and iodine it is now being farmed and marketed by a Scottish company – Just Seaweed – based on the Isle of Bute.
“Seaweed tastes fantastic”. That was the message of Iain McKellar, owner of Just Seaweed, when I met him at his busy exhibition stand at the recent BBC Good Food Show in Glasgow. Iain and his team hand cut fresh Scottish seaweed off the Isle of Bute“Cooking with seaweed is just like cooking with anything else. You can boil, steam, bake or fry it. Dried seaweeds can be used straight from the packet or rehydrated in fresh cold water for 15 minutes, rinsed then cooked as normal.”
To ensure their freshness, purity and nutritional value seaweed needs to be harvested from pristine seas free from pollutants. The waters off the Isle of Bute are perfect and dulse, channel wrack, sea grass, sea lettuce, atlantic kelp and sugar kelp arejust a few of the varieties now available from Just Seaweed.
Humans have been eating seaweed for millennia. Living close to the shore early settlers on Scotland’s islands and west coast supplemented their shellfish and seafood diets with some of the local seaweeds. Japanese culture has developed seaweed cuisine to gourmet level and these flavours and textures that characterise Japanese food is making seaweed increasingly popular as a food in the west.
If the idea of eating seaweed doesn’t appeal then don’t worry. Pop it in your bath and enjoy a beneficial Thalassotherapy bath. Seaweed baths have great health benefits. Throw a few handfuls of bladderwrack or knotted kelp wrack in a bath of hot water and you are on your way to improving blood circulation, helping to release toxins, rejuvenating, toning and moisturising your skin.
Pass the loofa Janet!
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