Valentine's Day - where to take your date

Some seductive suggestions for what to do on or around February 14th

3 Feb 2012

Experience a May-December relationship ... or at least, vicariously experience someone else’s. Among the several films the Glasgow Film Theatre are screening to get you into the Valentines spirit on 14 Feb (including Brief Encounter and French…

New Edinburgh restaurant The Mulroy brings touch of country-house class

Chef Damien Rolain's menu favours locally-sourced, seasonal dishes

3 Feb 2012

Not far from Spean Bridge, the Battle of Mulroy between the MacDonalds and the Mackintoshes took place in 1688. With fresh tête-à-tête daffodils on the tables blooming harmoniously with muted yellow walls, an Edinburgh restaurant bearing the name of the…

Neighbourhood Watch: Hyndland, Glasgow

Tips for hot spots in the plushest part of the West End

3 Feb 2012

What’s it like? That nice bit between the ‘proper’ West End and Anniesland, with lots of cute coffee shops, restaurants and lovely flats. Think ornate doorways, stained glass and well-pruned window baskets, going for much more than your average…

Best of 2011: Scottish food producers

The brewers, smokehouses, bakers and cheesemakers on the rise

20 Jan 2012

2011 wasn’t a fun year for small business but food and drink in Scotland continued to make advances with impressive new products, new producers, new markets, growing food festivals, and an increased awareness of the value and importance of local food…

Whole Foods Market opens in Glasgow

A trolley-tour round Glasgow's popular new ethical food outlet

13 Jan 2012

You have to hand it to the Americans – they certainly know how to create an impressive supermarket. The opening of Whole Foods Market in Giffnock has had foodies, healthy eaters and ethical shoppers from Glasgow (not to mention resentful Edinburghers…

The best restaurants in Edinburgh and Glasgow for cheap eating in January

Dining out options that won't break the bank

9 Jan 2012

EDINBURGH The Mosque Kitchen Now relocated from its former al fresco spot outside Edinburgh’s mosque, the café-style Mosque Kitchen still serves a fine range of halal meat and vegetable curries in no-fuss polystyrene dishes for under £5 including…

Neighbourhood Watch: Broughton Street, Edinburgh

A guide to Edinburgh's hip gay hub

9 Jan 2012

What’s it like? A street full of bars, restaurants and delightful eateries nestled underneath old tenement flats. Ideal for stuffing your face full of food and hitting a pub with friends just a stone’s throw from the centre of the city. Where’s it…

Four List readers share their New Year's resolutions

An insight into getting started in trapeze, cookery, ballet or capoeira

6 Jan 2012

'The feeling of achievement is amazing' Name Denise Deutsch Age 30 Profession Fabric buyer, Mandors Skill Trapeze and Aerial Arts I fell into the idea of aerial arts as a hobby after unexpectedly getting a ticket to see Leona Lewis perform in…

Curry institution Khushi's re-opens in new location in Edinburgh

6 Jan 2012

When Khushi’s was engulfed in fire just before Christmas 2008, you might have been forgiven for speculating if it had flown just a bit too close to the sun. In a few years the restaurant had shifted from being an old-fashioned curry café on Drummond…

The top books for a healthy start to 2012

Dieting and exercise books from Tracy Griffen, Mike Dow, John Briffa and more

5 Jan 2012

It’s that time of year when the season’s jollities come back to haunt you. Stepping on the scales or glancing in the mirror can be a pretty scary prospect. Fortunately, you’re never short of advice in written form come January. Edinburgh-based personal…

Paul Gunning's Purslane celebrates the small things in life

Starters and desserts a success, although mains need some work

19 Dec 2011

Below street level on narrow, quirky St Stephen Street in Stockbridge in Edinburgh is a tiny restaurant. Until recently it had been home to Redwood, in which Californian chef Annette Sprague charmed diners for a couple of years but near-enough exhausted…

Neighbourhood Watch: Great Western Road, Glasgow

Including The Captain's Rest, The Belle and Lupe Pintos

19 Dec 2011

What’s it like? One big road full of pubs, cafés and little shops. Flats are mostly old tenements above the bars, restaurants and stores which go up most of the road. Where’s it, like? In the West End, a stone’s throw from Woodlands and Byres Road.

The Hot 100 2011: 100-50

The definitive list of Scottish creative talent

16 Dec 2011

100: Gordon Ferris. Kilmarnock crime author makes good. The already packed Scottish crime writing field has finally found a bit of elbow room for another burgeoning talent. Joining the likes of Rankin, Brookmyre, McDermid and co is this Ayrshire-born…

Taste test: Christmas cake

The best Christmas cake evaluated, including Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Morrison’s

15 Dec 2011

Waitrose Richly Fruited Xmas Cake. £16.99 ●●●● Nicely decorated and complete with an edible icing snowflake, this cake has a balanced and suitably delicious compliment of cake, icing and marzipan and is packed with fruit. Broughton Deli…

The Scottish vineyard making its own wine

Pioneering Scottish viticulturist Christopher Trotter on course for grape harvest

13 Dec 2011

In the spring of 2011, Christopher Trotter planted a 2.4-hectare vineyard on his Upper Largo estate on the southern coast of Fife. Facing his first winter as a pioneering Scottish viticulturist, Trotter, who's Fife’s official ‘Food Ambassador’, isn’t at…

Taste test: Cranberry sauce

The best cranberry sauces from Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s and more

13 Dec 2011

Hopetoun / Mrs. Bridges Cranberry Sauce with Port ●● This sauce from Mrs Bridges is so sweet and sugary, it’s a bit like eating your roast turkey with a side-order of jam. It does contain whole cranberries, but it just wasn’t saucy enough for our taste…

Taste test: Truffles

The best truffles from Waitrose, Peckham’s, Thorntons and more

13 Dec 2011

Seriously Chocolatey Truffles, Waitrose ●●● We like the creamy texture of these truffles from Waitrose, but sadly the taste doesn’t quite live up to the name. The flavour fails to pack a punch, though they are quite boozy – perhaps even a little too…

Taste test: Mince pies

The best mince pies evaluated from Peckhams, Tesco, Marks And Spencer and more

13 Dec 2011

Peckhams Mince Pies ●●●● Fluffy pastry and a top-notch mincemeat filling make this a tasty treat from one of Scotland’s best deli staples. Sure, the pastry may seem heavy to some, but it is Christmas, so why not indulge yourself? Tesco Mince Pies…

Taste test: Champagne

The best champagne evaluated, from Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Moet And Chandon, Tattinger and Waitrose

13 Dec 2011

Sainsbury’s Blanc De Blancs Champagne ●●● This is a light, if slightly forgettable offering from Sainsbury’s, but as a reasonably priced bottle of fizz, it’s decent enough bang for your buck. Morrisons Champagne Brut ●● There’s something a tad…

Historic Scotland has Christmas all wrapped up

Edinburgh and Stirling castles set to host festive events this winter

1 Dec 2011

Looking to get into that Christmas spirit good and early but seeking some festive inspiration? Sometimes we forget about the very best things on our doorstep – maybe it’s because we associate them more with tourists than as places to visit ourselves but…

Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle: Alternative Christmas dining options

Two iconic venues now taking bookings for your Christmas meal

23 Nov 2011

Stuck for somewhere decent to have your Christmas lunch? Need a venue that’ll please a range of tastes but won’t be another run-of-the-mill pub grub standby in the city centre? Have you considered going for something a bit more... iconic?

Bar Crawls: Edinburgh - No Sleep Till Leith

From central Edinburgh and Leith the best way possible – by the bars

18 Nov 2011

Determining the point at which Leith Walk starts has baffled philosophers, locals and postal workers for decades. Haddington Place and Leith Street have (understandably) become subsumed within this long, iconic thoroughfare that joins Edinburgh with…

Bar Crawls: Glasgow - The Subcrawl

A truncated version of Glasgow’s infamous subway circuit

18 Nov 2011

The Subcrawl – a circular navigation of pubs nearest the 15 stops of Glasgow’s underground – is an institution not strictly for all. Many stations on the route of the city’s beloved Clockwork Orange, particularly south of the Clyde, emerge in locations…

Bar Crawls: Glasgow - The Sauchiehall Street Saunter

Making the most of Glasgow city centre drinking

18 Nov 2011

Both ‘pub crawl’ and ‘Sauchiehall Street’ can evoke images of large groups of revellers staggering from one ropey watering hole to the next, the night hurtling towards a climax of kebab sauce and lost cloakroom tickets. Well this route aims to redress…

Bar crawls: Edinburgh - The Prudent Student

A cheap and cheerful crawl from Marchmont to Grassmarket

18 Nov 2011

I have a confession to make. I’ve never really been much of a bar crawl sort of gal. The idea of systematic drinking (vb. to lash, I suppose) with a bunch of overgrown rugby boys, with their girlfriend’s underwear on as outer wear, has never really…