Let’s Celebrate with Snowballs … and Tunnocks Teacakes
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 Snowballs and 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
Two-Michelin star chef Andrew Fairlie has launched a special St Andrew’s Day family 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!
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
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
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, at Lochendarm, 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
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
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.
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.
From Estate to Plate – Roxburghe Foodie Experience
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.
