Scran Laudable

Back in May Rosalind took a trip to Speyside to witness some of the celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of The Macallan. As part of these celebrations they undertook an extraordinary collaboration with Cirque du Soleil. It would appear that more and more often these days whisky brands are going to extreme lengths to market and promote their products. Macallan has certainly become a part of the high end of the market so Rosalind set out to learn more about the celebrations and whether the industry is being changed by this drive to create luxury lifestyle products and more and more elaborate collaborations.

First up she spoke to Ruth Wylie who is Global Experiential Lead at Macallan who tells her about the celebrations which are afoot and the importance that nature plays for the distillery. She also chatted to Marie-Hélène Delage, Creative Director at Cirque Du Soleil about how they developed their show with Macallan.

Finally, Rosalind wanted to speak to a whisky expert about recent changes in the whisky market and how this is affecting sales and availability of certain brands. Mark Littler, Whisky Broker and Market Analyst, talked to Rosalind about the significant changes that have taken place since 2015 and how collaborations like this one are becoming more the norm for those interested in investing in whisky. It's a fascinating listen and a subject matter no doubt we'll be returning to again and again.
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First up Rosalind speaks to Louise Elder, Director of the Royal Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland and Chief Steward of Scotland's Larder. Louise has been involved in the show for many years and talks about how it represents so many different things to so many different people.
Su Cox also joins Rosalind on this episode. Su who comes from some serious foodie lineage and is the Communications and New Business Development Director at Bakkafrost Scotland & Scottish Hebridean Salmon. Su has been involved with the Royal Highland Show in different ways over the years from simply attending to education and now as a producer and sponsor. She tells Rosalind about why the event as a gathering of rural communities is so important.
Rosalind's final guest is Aylett Roan, Director and Chief Steward of Scottish Championships at the Royal Highland Show. She also runs Roan's Dairy in Dumfries and Galloway. Aylett tells Rosalind about how she ended up in dairy farming despite the challenges it presented at agricultural college and talks about what it's like to judge food competitions and the Scottish Championships at the RHS which awards best cheese, dairy, butter, ice cream, honey and new for this year, milk and cream. And she has some great tips on buying vanilla ice cream!
The Royal Highland Show runs from Thursday 20th to Sunday 23rd June 2024. You can find more information about it and buy tickets here. You may see Rosalind there with her microphone if you make it along!
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On this episode Rosalind chat to Rodney Wages, chef-patron of Avery, who is gearing up to fully open the doors to his restaurant in Stockbridge. 
Kansas native Wages moved to California as a young chef to work in the kitchen at The French Laundry. He honed his culinary skills in other popular San Francisco restaurants and in 2016, he launched his pop-up RTB, which would later evolve into the Michelin star-winning Avery Restaurant.
In 2022 he visited Edinburgh and, after falling in love with the city, decided to close the doors to Avery Restaurant San Francisco and move here with his family. He has taken over the Stockbridge Restaurant and, after a period of preview dinners, will soon open Avery in Edinburgh. 
Thanks for listening.
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You may have noticed a growing popularity for day time clubbing events in recent months. It would appear nightlife is changing, with a shift towards the day time for socialising and dancing. On this episode we learn more about this new trend, where it came from and what impact it is having on the local industry.
First up Rosalind speaks to Line of Duty actress Vicky McClure and partner the writer/producer Jonny Owen about their day-time clubbing experience Day Fever. Vicky's mantra is 'music is medicine' and the couple tell Rosalind how this is translating into packed dance floors at 4pm up and down the country.
Meryl Gilbert, the Arts and Business Director of SWG3 in Glasgow, also joins Rosalind to talk about the changes she has seen in the industry. She tells her that the rise of day time events is something that's been happening in New York and elsewhere for quite a while and it's not necessarily all about ageing clubbers wanting to be home to let the babysitter go!
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Welcome to this special partner episode of Scran where we are teaming up with St James Quarter in Edinburgh to preview the forthcoming Edinburgh Seafood Festival which runs for the May Bank Holiday weekend from Saturday 4th to Monday 6th
May.
Many of the diverse eating and drinking destinations in St James Quarter are embracing this year’s Edinburgh Seafood Festival by creating exclusive dishes and menus that guests can enjoy over the weekend including Ka Pao and Duck and Waffle.
The festival will showcase a selection of the highest quality, locally sourced seafood in the heart of the city and we wanted to learn more about some of the restaurants who will be at the forefront of the weekend's activities.
First up Rosalind spoke to Sandy Browning, Executive Chef at Ka Pao. Sandy's love of cooking has taken him to far flung parts of the world, he tells Rosalind all about his culinary journey and how you go about combining great Scottish produce with Southeast Asian flavours. He also gives us a sneak preview of what he'll be demonstrating on the Seafood Stage at the festival.
Rosalind also went along to Duck and Waffle where she met Sommelier Roberto Bravo who shared his passion for wine with her delving into top seafood and wine pairings and how the characteristics of wines can be comparable to those of people. Roberto's singular enthusiasm is infectious as you will see....
If you want to find out more about Edinburgh Seafood Festival, download the St James Quarter app to discover the full schedule of events. You'll also find more information about the return of the Secret Seafood Supper Clubs - where guests are invited to join leading Chefs for a private dinner cooked in front of them. Tickets for these intimate events are limited so make sure to check that out soon. Thanks to our partners on this episode St James Quarter.
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On today's episode we're coming at food and drink from a slightly different angle. Word of Mouth (WOM) is an exhibition of new artworks and writing exploring our relationship to food, cooking and kitchens. With work spanning across print, writing, textile, collage, and paint, Word of Mouth encourages us to consider how much food and cooking inform and sustain us in our everyday lives.
Word of Mouth is currently running at the Scottish Storytelling Centre on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. Rosalind went along to check it out and talk to curator Maisie Wills about how it all came about. They look at some of the works in detail and give you a flavour for what you can expect from the exhibition.
You can find out more about Word of Mouth on The Scottish Storyelling Centre website. It is free and unticketed and runs from now until the 20th of April, daily from 10-6pm.
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