Food News:
McGhee's family bakers named Scottish bakers of the year 2015
McGhee's family bakers of Glasgow have been crowned Scottish bakers of the year 2015 at a ceremony held by Scottish bakers, an event designed to raise awareness of the bakery industry in Scotland.
“We are extremely pleased to be recognised as Scotland’s best baker” said Managing Director Gordon McGhee. “The company is one of the leading wholesale bakers in Scotland and we are proud to be a long established family concern, we take our business very seriously."
Scots chef searches for treasured recipes
Scottish chef and food enthusiast, Shirley Spear has joined VisitScotland to launch a nationwide appeal to find Scotland’s most treasured tastes.
Shirley said: “It’s such a pleasure to be involved in this delightful project. I’ve long been an ambassador of family cooking. Some of my most cherished memories are of spending time with my Mum, baking jam tarts and fairy cakes, followed years later with teaching my own children how to cook simple, basic things at home and making the most of seasonal ingredients such as gooseberries and rhubarb from the garden and turning them into delicious treats. And now I hope to pass on stories about where our all our delicious ingredients come from to my gorgeous grandchildren."
Entries can be submitted until the 3 July 2015. Full terms and conditions are available on the VisitScotland website.
For more information or to submit your Treasured Taste, please visit: www.visitscotland.org/Treasured-Taste.aspx (Source: Visit Scotland)
Butchershop Bar and Grill launches 'cuts on the bone' range
On their quest to source and serve the best steak in the world, award-winning Glasgow steakhouse The Butchershop Bar & Grill has launched a new premium range of colossal sharing Scotch steaks called Cuts On The Bone for their customers.
Ranging in size from 700g to 2kg, these awe-inspiring cuts are hung on the bone in their own ‘Butchershop’ dry-aging room in an exclusive partnership with Cairnhill Farm in Girvan, where their fourth-generation master butcher hangs the grass-fed Scottish beef for 45 days, allowing each cut the correct amount of time to reach the optimum buttery melt-in-your-mouth flavour level.
For more information visit www.butchershopglasgow.
Mara Seaweed runner up for prestigious food award
Mara Seawood are proud to announce that they were Runner Up for UK’s Best Food Producer in this year’s highly competitive BBC’s Food & Farming Awards.
Fiona Houston, CEO of Mara, said: “It is a huge honour for us to be Runner Up for the UK’s most prestigious food award; coming from the BBC and Britain’s top experts in the food industry this is a huge stamp of approval of all our efforts so far at Mara.”
Mara’s Dulse seaweed flakes are now available in M&S stores nationwide.
The Glenlivet Visitor Centre picks up Taste Our Best award
The Old Maltings Coffee Shop at The Glenlivet Visitor Centre, recently attained the Taste Our Best award for the locally-sourced and fresh food and drink it includes on its menu. It is one of only seven distilleries in Scotland to have attained this recognition.
Caroline Mitchell, Manager of The Glenlivet Visitor Centre, said: “We are delighted to have received this award, which recognises our commitment to supporting local suppliers. The team at The Glenlivet visitor centre is dedicated to ensuring all our guests have the best possible experience, and leave with a fantastic impression of the area, as well as of our world-famous Scotch whisky." (Source: Glenlivet)
Annandale Distillery
Visitors can now visit the wonderful Annandale distillery and gain a deeper insight in to its fascinating past and the whisky-making process by taking a tour, classic tours (priced £8.50) run on the hour 10am – 4pm daily, 7 days a week. Visitors can be among the first to taste the New Make Malt Spirit, now available for sale in striking black Tam o’ Shanter-inspired miniature and 20cL bottles.
The distillery has also now put some of its casks up for sale.
2015 production - Unpeated: £2100 Peated: £2300 (Source: Annandale distillery)
SMWS mark Islay festival with special bottling
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society will be celebrating their debut visit to The Islay Whisky Festival (Fèis íle in Gaelic) with a Garden Party at Islay House on Friday 22nd May 2015.
To mark the Society’s first visit to the Islay Whisky Festival, they are releasing a limited edition, commemorative bottling on the day.
Dark, smouldering flamenco gypsy (cask number 3.243) is a complex combination of the spiciness of a refill ex-sherry butt with lingering notes of smoke and peat, typical of the Islay region. This exclusive 17-year-old single cask bottling will be launched at the Garden Party at 1pm, with both members and non-members able to buy.
Price: £80 members, £120 non-members
Peated refill ex-sherry butt
Aged 17 years
Only 594 bottles
ABV 57.1%
The Garden Party will see lashings of Society single cask drams served alongside expertly created whisky ice-creams in the stunning surroundings of Islay House. With breath-taking views over Loch Indaal, rolling lawns and beautiful gardens, the Garden Party is the perfect setting to enjoy some of the world’s finest single cask whisky.
Upcoming events:
Gordon Castle Highland Games and Country Fair, Fochabers
(Sun, 17 May 2015)
A great day out for food lovers, taking part at part of the Year of Food and Drink, with a huge array of local produce to try and attractions for all the family.
The Whisky Stramash, Edinburgh
(Sat and Sun, 23-24th May)
The Whisky Stramash returns for its fourth year in the Scottish Capital this month and if you haven’t been before it is well worth checking out.
The popular two-day experiential event – celebrating Scotland’s national drink – has a host of impressive brands lined up to showcase and sample their whiskies in weird and wonderful ways during the Saturday and Sunday sessions.
Ticket price: £26
Wigtown and Bladnoch Food Festival, Wigtown
(Sat and Sun, 23-24 May 2015)
An annual celebration of local/seasonal produce with cooking demonstrations and talks from the producers themselves.
Distillery of the week:
The classic Speyside distillery that offers some of the best sherry-matured whisky around.
Recipe of the week:
Fred Berkmiller recipe: Barra snails, albaragus with Jus de Boeuf
Fred Berkmiller offers a great recipe showcasing the wonderful flavour of James Mackie's West of Scotland grown asparagus - albaragus.
