Life & style

The quest for the best cup of coffee in Glasgow and Edinburgh

Delivering the verdict on quality coffee dispensers in Scotland

8 Oct 2010

Coffee drinking has become a serious business, with roasters, baristas and drinkers all equally concerned at the quality of the product. Shiny espresso makers with their levers and dials and steamy bits are a familiar sight, but they remain intriguingly…

Edinburgh's Port of Siam restaurant makes most of Newhaven harbourside location

Restaurant review

8 Oct 2010

For nautical nourishment in Edinburgh you traditionally embark for Leith: it is the city port, after all. But even those bars and restaurants with any proximity to water really only have the Water of Leith on view, with its serene swans and the odd…

Tights for Sore Eyes make hand-printed hosiery

McWilliams sisters launch Scottish tights enterprise

8 Oct 2010

For anyone who has stifled a yawn as they pulled on their winter opaques, or left John Lewis’s hoisery department bored and empty handed, help is here. The hoisery cavalry, in the shape of cousins Nikki and Danni McWilliams, are charging into the…

Looking back on 25 years of commentary on Scottish culture

25 years of The List

23 Sep 2010

A lot has happened in 25 years of Scottish culture. Niki Boyle gives a blow-by-blow account of the major events

How a bumper programme at the Traverse Theatre in 1985 changed Scottish culture

25 years of The List

23 Sep 2010

1985 was a landmark year for The Traverse theatre. Peter Arnott, Chris Hannan and Jo Clifford recall working there to Mark Fisher

The landmark chefs and restaurants from the last 25 years of Scottish food culture

25 years of The List

23 Sep 2010

If there’s one thing that no city can do without it’s good food. Carine Seitz and Jay Thundercliffe showcase the chefs and restaurants who have made their mark over the last 25 years

The List celebrates 25 years in the business by interviewing itself

First word: The List

23 Sep 2010

First record you ever bought ‘Dancing in the Street’ by David Bowie and Mick Jagger. Number One from 7 Sept–5 Oct 1985. First film you saw that really moved you Schindler’s List … and latterly The Bucket List. First movie you ever went on a…

Travel Tips

If camping is your bag, be prepared

23 Sep 2010

Scotland has a large number of campsites to choose from, with varying degrees of facilities, so there should be something for everyone. For more information, check out www.lovecamping.co.uk. Before you head off, make sure your rucksack’s big enough…

Five things you can do once you are 25

25 years of The List

23 Sep 2010

The final few age-limited hurdles surmounted. Have a drink in Delhi, hire a car abroad, volunteer for the UN, join the Pony Club or join the Indian Merchant Navy. Live life large!

Leith Agency

Honcho Gerry Farrell on Irn Bru

22 Sep 2010

The creative director of the Leith Agency on making a marketing success out of IRN-BRU

Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival

22 Sep 2010

While the majority of attention this year is on the festival’s Scottish indie allstars album The Fruit Tree Project, it’s worth remembering that there are almost 200 other events happening up and down the country this month, all aimed at tackling the…

Scotland's best artisan bakers

Featuring The Steamie Bakehouse, Different Breid and more

17 Sep 2010

Everyone loves to have a small, charming bakery just around the corner, yet in Britain 95 per cent of the bread sold is made in factories. John Cooke spoke to Scottish artisan bakers who have started their businesses from scratch in the last few years.

A guide to sustainable Scottish seafood

17 Sep 2010

Fish and shellfish rank among our most lauded produce, but there are issues of sustainability and kitchen confidence. With Seafood Scotland and chef Kevin MacGillivray, we offer a guide to recognising, understanding and cooking it.

Foraging for wild produce

Top chefs are looking to Scotland's natural plant life for inspiration

17 Sep 2010

Eating local, for some, means foraging for the wild foods that grow right on our own doorstep, writes Andrea Pearson.

The Orkney crab industry

17 Sep 2010

Lobster and langoustine may get the glamour roles in Scotland’s stellar shellfish line-up, but crab is starting to nip at their heels, as Donald Reid found out in Orkney.

Scotland celebrates a thriving brewing industry

Caledonian, Brewdog and more are holding their own on the world stage

17 Sep 2010

High-quality water, historic recipes and a growing number of microbreweries means that Scotland is producing beers to rival those produced on the Continent, writes David Pollock.

The Scots' culinary heritage

17 Sep 2010

The Scots’ relationship with home-grown food is changing, and efforts to preserve our culinary traditions are gathering momentum. Catherine Brown offers a historical perspective.

Milk and its place in Scottish culinary culture

17 Sep 2010

Milk – and what it can be turned into – are integral not only to the Scottish diet, but also to our culinary heritage, writes Carine Seitz.

Scottish Highlands offers best free-range meat

So why aren't we eating it?

17 Sep 2010

Scotland’s hills, upland moors and Highland glens offer great scenery, but in addition to that they’re the source of some excellent food. Gordon Davidson finds out more from the people championing the ultimate free-range food industry.

Scottish regional food finds its identity

Food networks across the country raise the profile of Scottish food

17 Sep 2010

Local and regional food groups - cooperative associations of smaller-scale food growers, producers, distributors, shops and restaurants - are gaining a higher profile around Scotland, as Jackie Hunter found out.

Local Scottish artisan chocolatiers

Cocoa Black, The Chocolate Tree, Oban Chocolate Co and more

17 Sep 2010

Cocoa beans may not grow in Scotland, but the last decade has seen small, artisan chocolate makers spring up across the country. In this survey we take a particular look at examples of local influences in the ranges on offer.

The best Scottish cheeses

17 Sep 2010

It’s perfectly possible to fill your cheese board with Scottish artisan cheeses. The Larder has teamed up with Pierre Leger of respected cheese retailer and wholesaler Clarks Speciality Foods to assemble some of the country’s prime cuts.

Scottish independent ice cream production

Enterprising dairies keep the Scottish-Italian tradition alive

17 Sep 2010

The availability of quality produce from diversifying dairy farms has fuelled a taste for ice-cream from our independent makers, writes Cate Devine.

The growing popularity of rapeseed oil

17 Sep 2010

Cold-pressed rapeseed oil is one of the more fashionable new products to appear on the local food scene in recent years. Donald Reid found out more about Scotland’s other national oil.

A guide to Scotland's potato varieties

Including Highland Burgundy and Mr Little’s Yetholm Gypsy

17 Sep 2010

Scottish heritage potatoes are no longer an underground movement, explains Cate Devine.