InterContinental Edinburgh - The George, Printing Press Bar & Kitchen - Review

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Review post in collaboration with InterContinental Edinburgh The George

InterContinental Edinburgh The George Hotel combines luxury, history, modern comforts and great Scottish food and drink. Located in the heart of Edinburgh's New Town encompassing The Printing Press Bar & Kitchen and Burr & Co. coffee shop. The staff are the real jewel in the crown of The George delivering outstanding hospitality from the moment you step through the doors.

Edinburgh is choc-a-block with gorgeous buildings and InterContinental The George Hotel is no exception. At its heart are five listed Georgian townhouses, originally built in 1775 as homes for Edinburgh’s most prosperous citizens, but since 1881 have been welcoming hotel guests. As such it was a real treat to follow in the footsteps of so many visitors to Edinburgh over the years and stay in one of the sumptuous suites at the front of the hotel overlooking the fluttering flags and the hussle and bussle of George Street. 

SKIPPY® Peanut Butter Breakfast Muffins

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Post in collaboration with SKIPPY® Peanut Butter

Celebrate Peanut Butter Lover's Day on 1st March with SKIPPY® Peanut Butter Breakfast Muffins. Packed full of protein they are the perfect way to start your day. Bite sized, super quick and easy to make and great fun for kids to help with in the kitchen.  Ideal for a grab-and-go breakfast, mid-morning snack or afternoon treat.

1st March 2020 is officially a day for Peanut Butter Lovers, a full 24 hours to celebrate one of the world’s most popular spreads. As a huge fan of peanut butter this is one themed day I can most definitely get behind. For the ultimate ‘peanutty’ enjoyment, America’s original SKIPPY® Peanut Butter has a heritage which spans more than 80 years, is enjoyed by millions stateside and is now on UK supermarket shelves. 

Are you team smooth or team crunchy? I'm crunchy all the way! 

SKIPPY® Peanut Butter offers both with Extra Smooth ground especially fine so it melts in the mouth or Extra Crunchy which contains large peanut pieces in a deliciously creamy mix.

All you need to know about Aberdeen Restaurant Week February 2020

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Post in collaboration with Aberdeen Inspired

I'm delighted to again be partnering with Aberdeen Inspired as an official ambassador for the February 2020 Aberdeen Restaurant Week. I think that it's a fantastic initiative for the city and it has been great to see both restaurants and diners taking the opportunity to embrace it wholeheartedly during the two weeks that it ran in both 2018 and 2019. February see's its fifth incarnation which takes place from Monday 24 February until Sunday 1 March 2020. 

What is Aberdeen Restaurant Week? 

The idea of Restaurant Week was born in New York City in 1992 and has since spread throughout the world arriving in Aberdeen in 2018. It's a week long event where restaurants offer unique fixed price menus, so customers can try many different types of food that may normally be out of their price range or comfort zone.

When does it take place? 

Monday 24th February until Sunday 1st March 2020.

Christmas in New York

Christmas in New York is when the best NYC attractions become even better with the addition of twinkling lights, ice skating, giant nutcrackers, the Rockettes, window displays, spectacular trees and holiday markets. It's the most wonderful time of the year and it stretches from Thanksgiving through until January.

Christmas in New York. It's the thing that dreams - and movies are made of! Alas it was not to be as my daughter refused to even consider Christmas away for home so we had to settle for a compromise. New Year in New York. Suffice to say we had an absolutely amazing time. A wee sprinkling of snow would have been the icing on the cake but unfortunately the weather didn't oblige. Lots of my followers on social media came on holiday with us and followed our New York adventures on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. (I've saved all my IG stories as NYC Highlights) This post is pretty much a diary of where we went and what we did plus some top tips picked up along the way. Its by no means a comprehensive NYC guide as on any trip to the city that never sleeps you are only ever going to scrape the surface. I'd totally recommend that you join both the NYCtheplacetobe and NYC - the page that never sleeps Facebook groups as they were a huge help to us when planning and on the ground. 

Valentine Rocky Road

A quick, easy and fun Valentine themed traybake that's ideal for kids to help make. The classic Rocky Road takes on a romantic twist with the addition of Love Hearts, Rolos, Lips and Jammie Dodgers. This no bake Chocolate Tiffin is sure to be loved by anyone with a sweet tooth. 

Love is in the air! 14th February is looming so I've got a romantic recipe to share. If I was being a proper food blogger I really should have made and blogged this Valentine Recipe weeks ago but as per usual it's totally last minute. But why restrict your love to just one day of the year? This will taste good at anytime! My Christmas Gingerbread Man Rocky Road was a huge success as is the perennial favourite of Scotland in a Traybake aka Tunnock's Teacake Rocky Road. What could I add to the chocolate, biscuit and marshmallow comb to signify true love?

Haggis Neeps and Tatties Dauphinoise

Creamy dauphinoise potatoes with a touch of Burns. Layers of Scotland's holy trinity - haggis, neeps and tatties - combine to make a dish worthy of The Bard himself. Great with either traditional or vegetarian haggis. Serve with a dram and celebrate Burns Night in style. Gie her a haggis!

Tis the season for Haggis. Truth be told it's never out of season in this household but it always springs to prominence around Burns Night. (25th January for the uninitiated). I made Haggis Neeps and Tatties Dauphinoise for Burns Night last year but never got around to blogging the recipe. Time to rectify that oversight. The result definitely needs to be added to my Top 10 Haggis Recipes for Burns Night. 

Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care, 

And dish them out their bill o' fare, 

Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware 

That jaups in luggies; 

But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer 

Gie her a haggis!

25+ Quirky Scottish Recipes

Celebrate St Andrew's Day, Burns Night, Hogmanay or any other Scottish occasion with the collection of recipes with a distinctly Scottish twist. Scotch Beef, Irn Bru, Tunnock's Teacakes, Haggis, Scottish Salmon, Tattie Scones, Whisky, Shortbread, Arbroath Smokies, Scottish Gin and more feature in this roundup of more than 25 quirky Scottish Recipes. 

As Scotland's Patron Saint, poor old St Andrew doesn't always seem to get the attention he deserves. Celebrated on 30th November, St Andrew's Day is often overshadowed by the Burns Night celebrations of 25th January. However in recent years, particularly since 2006 when the Scottish Parliament designated St Andrew's Day as an official bank holiday, there has been somewhat of a resurgence in celebrations surrounding the date. In honour of the event I've pulled together a roundup of over 25 of my recipes with a particularly Scottish slant. 

Ultimate Visitor Guide to the New Aberdeen Art Gallery

The ultimate practical guide for those wishing to visit the new Aberdeen Art Gallery. After a four year wait and a £34.6 million transformation it has been re-imagined, re-born and is ready to be re-discovered. Reassuringly familiar yet distinctly different. Open to all from Monday 4th November 2019. FREE entry, open 7 days. Full onsite facilities with accessible for all toilets, cafes and gift shop.

Re-imagined, re-born and ready to be re-discovered... 

Aberdeen Art Gallery is once again open to the general public. Within this post I'm going to give you the ultimate practical guide to visiting Aberdeen Art Gallery. I'll answer the where, what, why, when, how and provide you with the information you'll need to make your visit as smooth and enjoyable as possible. I'm going to focus on the practicalities rather than the exhibits themselves. They are undoubtedly stunning and quite frankly speak for themselves. Suffice to say the redevelopment project has transformed the Art Gallery, Cowdray Hall and the Remembrance Hall into a major cultural attraction in the heart of the granite city. 

Spooky Halloween Fudge

With only two ingredients (plus spooky toppings) and no tricky temperatures or boiling hot sugar required, this microwave Halloween Fudge is quick and easy to make. The ideal sweet treat for trick and treaters this Halloween and great fun to make with the kids.

I couldn't let Halloween go past without posting a version of two ingredient fudge. It's previous incarnations for Christmas, Valentines and Easter have all been really popular so it was time for a spooky variation. With only two ingredients, no tricky temperatures or boiling hot sugar required, microwave fudge is quick and easy to make. Once you’ve mastered it you can adapt the toppings to suit the occasion and personal preference. You can make it with white, milk or dark chocolate. I use supermarket own brand which works just fine. More expensive chocolate may be even better, I just haven’t tried it! You can also make it in a bowl over boiling water if you don’t have a microwave.

Scottish salmon from Orkney waters

Post in collaboration with Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation

Salmon is Scotland's biggest food export with it's quality revered throughout the world. Those involved in it's harvest are indeed proud to farm Scottish salmon and are passionate about the aquaculture industry. A trip to the Orkney Islands encompassed a visit to a Scottish salmon farm, coffee roastery and gin distillery alongside ample opportunity to sample the abundant Orcadian food and drink offering in local hotels and resturants where Scottish salmon is always proudly on the menu.

Almost a year to the day from when I boarded a Loganair flight in Aberdeen to embark on a Peedie Taste of Orkney I was back at the airport for a second trip to the same location. Thanks to Holiday Extras for organising Northern Lights Executive Lounge access and my short stay airport parking. Having these in place in advance makes for a smooth start to any trip be it work or pleasure. For me this visit was to be a combination of both with the best that Orkney and Scottish Salmon had to offer. The itinerary included taking to the water for a visit to a salmon farm and in addition to the usual admin and emails before any press trip I was asked to provide both my wellie boot and survival suit size. What on earth was I letting myself in for?! In the old adage of a picture painting a thousand words... see below!

Scottish Pumpkin Patches 2019

A comprehensive roundup of the best places to pick pumpkins in Scotland this Halloween 2019. Fun for all the family at locations in Aberdeenshire, Fife, Angus, Perthshire, the Lothians, Inverness-shire and Stirling. Keep with tradition and choose a neep, get lost in a maze, meet farm animals, dig tatties, clamber on bales and lots more. Grab your wellies and warm clothes this Autumn and experience a Scottish Pumpkin Patch.

Halloween has changed a lot since I was wee. Then it was all about homemade costumes, neeps, apple dooking, guising and not a mention of trick or treating and pumpkins. You had to do a proper turn to get your sweetie. A joke would have had the door slammed on your face. However in recent years I too have turned to the dark side and officially become obsessed with all things pumpkin, fall, autumnal, thanksgiving and pumpkin spice!

I do still however bow down before anyone who attempts to carve a neep. Those bad boys are seriously hard work. Simplistic carving is the order of the day and it takes time and dedication to create a neepie lantern. Saying that, the smell of a stubby candle burning the inside of a neep is a childhood memory I would rather forget. 

Are you #TeamTurnip or #TeamPumpkin 

12 Marvellous Mince Meals - Beef, Pork, Lamb

A dozen marvellous mince meals perfect for weeknights. Ring the changes with minced beef, lamb or pork. Quick, easy and affordable to make these mince recipes are sure to become family favourites. Curry, meatballs, burgers, meatloaf, chilli, pasta, pies and more. Packed full of global flavours from Thailand, India, Greece, Mexico and Scotland. 

It's most definitely Autumn. The equinox has passed, there's a chill in the air, the leaves are turning and it's time for comfort food. At my community cookery class this week we made mince, tatties and doughballs - surely the ultimate comfort food. Mince is such a versatile ingredient whether it be beef, pork or lamb. To give you some inspiration for weeknight meals now that the nights are drawing in I've pulled together a dozen of my marvellous mince recipes. Many of them will be interchangeable with regards to the meat in question so feel free to mix up your mince.