Week Forty One: Military Precision

Wow what a week in Miss Snowden's life - it was all go go go.

I had to move out the house so visitors could say.  Pretty straight forward I hear you say - well not when you won't be back before you run an event, have some client work to manage and will be away to South America before you get back into the house.  Not only that but things had to be co-ordinated to hand over the management of The Concierge whilst I'm away, co-ordinate the changeover of the house so on and so forth.

And so it was that lists were invented to manage the lists which managed the to do lists of the lists that related to each thing that needed done!!  That is when you realise you are actually pretty skilled at focusing on the minutiae of planning for events especially when the next time you see your house will be mid December.

I won't bore you with the details but basically I am now living like a nomad with my car chockablock with everything from food stuffs to fairy lights, gazebos, clothes, paperwork and so on.  Its like having a little mobile home / office.

A few more days of living all over Glasgow and Ayrshire then I'll be jetting off to South America - more on that next week.

In the meantime the highlight of this week was most definitely organising and helping run the launch of Glam Glass Back Lane Studio.  Owner, Gill Chesnutt (with the support of her team - husband and sons) has done an amazing job of having a vision for what she wants from the studio, worked to build a great space for to work from whilst not overwhelming the family living space.  

With a dedicated creative space; in addition to making the production of her beautiful glassware so much easier; Gill is now able to offer half and full day classes for those interested in learning how to make glass products as well as hosting parties for children (and no doubt adults) - something just a little bit different from other parties and events.

Neither Gill, the family or I anticipated how successful the open weekend would be.  A combination of friends, family and customers old and new came together (despite the weather) to make it not only an enjoyable event but one of those occasions where you are humbled by the support, encouragement and generosity of all. The event exceeded all expectations (not least my estimations of how many cases of Cava we'd need - oops sorry) with all the hard work and nervous energy in the lead up to it worthwhile.

Gill has thanked many people involved in bringing the day together but I, as The Concierge,  responsible for organising the event, publicising it and making it go smoothly would like to also thank a few people.

Firstly Kirsten at clarkston.com for her help in publicising the event on the Facebook page. For those of you who live in the Southside you will no doubt know about clarkston.com but I'm not sure if you know Kirsten does it over and above her day job.  It is a great Facebook page with lots of insightful information about what is going on locally and connecting residents and local businesses / tradespeople.  Kirsten is to be commended for pulling this together as it really does make a difference.  Here's the link to clarkston.com - https://www.facebook.com/clarkston.community

Secondly I'd like to thank Gregor and Lewis for all their help in the entertaining, catering, and supplies side of things - your help was invaluable.

Check out the Glam Glass Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Glamglass2) for more information on where you can admire / purchase Gill's glasswork as well as hear more about her classes.

Check out my website at www.theconcierge.org.uk if you'd like help organising an event or any other aspect of your life and remember gift vouchers are available at a special festive rate - what a great Christmas present (I'm not biased).

In amongst the logistical nightmare called 'My Life' this week I have...

...HUNG OUT AT...The Caro Emerald concert at the SSE Hydro on Friday night.  I wasn't sure how this would go as its a big increase in size of venue for the wonderful Ms Emerald. However, testament to her talent and to the flexibility of the Hydro space it was an amazing, vibrant concert with a tonne of atmosphere.  If you haven't ever listened to Caro's music I can highly recommend it - great for doing backing singer moves to also...

...WINED ON...lots of Cava given how much I'd over ordered for this weekend - and how selfless of those who stayed back on Saturday to do their bit to aide the rectification of that miscalculation...

...DINED ON...a beautiful meal at The Finnieston prior to our Caro concert.  I went with my dear friend Ev.  Over the years our love of food and wine has led to us having the perfect formula for the perfect meal - one entree between us, a mains each and a dessert between us - that way you get to try three courses without over-indulging.  Our meal was absolutely stunning; an entree of The Finniestons Own Hot Smoked Salmon with Pickled Cucumber, Miso Creme Fraiche and Sourdough Crostini; mains of Grey Sole with Brown Shrimp Butter and Hake with Salsa Verde, Roast Veg and of course chips; dessert was Date Sponge, Toffee Sauce and Homemade Ice Cream.  Oh how yum it was.  I do really love the Market Fish option at The Finnieston - you choose which market fish you'd like with which finish and two sides of your choice for a very reasonable c.£16 - stunning.  Check out their menu if you're to be convinced to visit - http://www.thefinniestonbar.com/pdf/Finnieston_Bar_Menu.pdf

So there we go - the nomad is focused this week on managing her multiple to do lists and getting ready for the trip of a lifetime - more of that next week.  Until then have a great week.

Week Forty - Class In A Glass

I start this weeks blog with a reminder about how much I love my country and particularly the city I call home - Glasgow.

Throughout the many weeks of writing this blog I have waxed lyrical about the beauty of Scotland from the West Highland Way, to Crail and St Andrews, Pitlochry, Islay so on and so forth.

I have praised Glasgow for the magnificent Commonwealth Games, for being an economic powerhouse, for being somewhere I am very very proud to call home.

Except on occasion a wee bit more class wouldn't be a bad thing - or would it?  Is it our lack of care about what people think, our disdain for the tall poppy and our "I am what I am" mentality that makes Glasgow the great place it is?

What, you may ask, am I waffling on about.

On Saturday I attended The Glasgow Wine Festival hosted and organised by The Wine Palate.  Before I go on I'd like to say the event itself was great and the organisation and quality of the wines commendable.  A success all round.

The setting itself was amazing - the Trades Hall in Glasgow which I haven't been in for a number of years and often forget how grand it is.

The wines being presented were plentiful (over 80 wines to sample), beautiful (more of that below) and a great range including some classic premier crus, unusual grape varietals and some really innovative concoctions.  All available to try.

The event was very well attended with over 400 people.  And that is where things become a bit less classy.  Four hundred Glaswegians in a room with free wine on offer.  That is only going to go one way and as the afternoon progressed we accelerated at pace to that destination.

It all started with people jostling each other out the way to get into the booze and once you had a spot near the wine there was no moving to let others in.  Then there were the exclamations of 'is that it' as a tasting sized sample was dispensed rather than half a bucket of vino.  Oh the looks of disappointment nae disbelief.

The afternoon progressed, the crowds came and went, the sampling continued with great enthusiasm, the pronunciation of the names of the wines and grapes left a lot to be desired but it was lively and full of chat.

As the temperature rose the party started to move to one of the beautiful side rooms.  Another grand affair where the pianist played some great background music.  Well that was until there was a bit of encouragement from the now tipsy Glasgow crowd looking for a wee bit more interaction.  Before we knew it the pianist was transformed into a cabaret act blaring out his best Robbie numbers amongst others.  And in true Glaswegian style everyone joined in for a good old sing song and a wee swaying dance in the chair.  Funnily enough when it was confirmed to the pianist (now singer) that he was way too loud he cranked it up even further.

If that wasn't classless enough I couldn't believe my eyes at the next event to unfold.  A group of six women entered the room, sat at a table and pulled out their sausage rolls and multi bag of Walkers crisps and Wotsits - I mean I know cheese and wine go together but there are limits.  

Then I made a fatal mistake.  I left the room to go back to the main event for another sample of wine and by the time I came back the canapés had been delivered.  Now I am used to people walking round offering canapés and on this occasion it would have been wise.  Instead the canapés had been placed on a table in the middle of the room and what ensued can only be described as a feeding frenzy at a zoo.  It was horrendous.  Forget others it was everyone for themselves, people leaving with cupped hands full of treats.  Others well aware they were having more of their fair share and trying to surreptitiously leave the room by stealth with their haul hidden behind their backs.

Thankfully it was an afternoon event - I hate to think what would have happened later in the day.

They always say that one of the great things about the people of Glasgow is that they can laugh at themselves.  Sometimes, and Saturday was one of those occasions, you just had to stand back and laugh at the situation and the behaviours.  It was a typical Glasgow twist on what could, in other cities, have gone too much the other way - a wine snob fest.  

All I could think about throughout was that People [DO] Make Glasgow - and long may it continue that we do it our way with little regard for the proper way.

Whilst cringing but admiring Glasgow at its best and thoroughly enjoying The Glasgow Wine Festival hosted by The Wine Palate, I...

...HUNG OUT AT...whichever table of wines was quietest at any point in time...

...WINED ON...many lovely and some unusual wines.  The particular standouts were:

Sparkling: Mooiplaas Duel Brut NV, Stellenbosch, South Africa - dry, fresh and refined          with a definite hint of toastiness

Quaffable White: Los Haroldos Torrontes 2013; Mendoza, Argentina - light, quite fruity and easy to drink

Classic White: Domaine Laroche Chablis 1er Cru 'les Vaillons Vielles Vignes' 2009; Chablis, Burgundy - complex with intense fruit flavours of pear and spice with a long finish.  The vines that make this wine are over 33 years old

Something Different White (and overall winner of whites by far): Cazes 'Le Canon du Marchal' Organic Muscat-Viognier 2013 (Biodynamic); Rouisillon - medium bodied tropical fruit flavoured wine with a refreshing but long finish.  This is basically Yum in a glass

Something Different Rose: Cleebronn Pinot Meunier Blanc de Noir 2013; Wurttemburg, Germany - a faint pink with lively palate and creaminess.  Beautiful and elegant

Quaffable Red: Route du Van Dolcetto-Shiraz 2012; King Valley, Australia - bursting with berries, juicy, smooth and very moreish

Classic Red 1: Bodegas Felix Callejo Vina Pillar Tempranillo Roble Ribera del Duero 2010 (also referred to as 'that one'); Ribera del Duero, Spain - full red with cinnamon, cherry, cedar and blackberry and a slight hint of liquorice.  A very smooth full wine

Classic Red 2: Fontodi Chianti Classico 2009 (Organic); Tuscany, Italy - full bodied Chianti with spiced strawberry, dark cherries and blackberries

Something Different Red: Hochar Pere et Fils Red, Chateau Musar 2009; Bekaa Valley, Lebanon - this was a really good wine with plums, prunes, dates, figs and sweet spices.  Something special

Dessert in a Glass: unfortunately the one dessert wine had run out by the time I got to it so instead I had to 'make do' with the luscious, velvety, pungent (in a good way) Valdespino Pedro Ximenez El Candado NV; Andalucia, Spain - full of dried fruit, figs and chocolate.  A perfect end to a great presentation of wines...

All the wines mentioned above are available through The Wine Palate website at www.winepalate.co.uk

...DINED ON...nothing cos it had all disappeared in a flash.  Just as well we'd had a wee pasta lunch at Carluccios ahead of our tasting experience.

Three Wine Men - be warned.  When you next come to this fine city be prepared (with lots of wine for big measures and even more canapés which should be handed around.  Oh yes and a suitable sing a long band).

Until next time...

Week Thirty Nine - Heaven Revisited

In week twenty one I declared Islay as heaven on earth.  Well I have been very fortunate this week to revisit heaven under the guise of The Concierge.

One of the commissions I have taken on was to organise an escorted four day tour of Islay taking in all eight of the distilleries and the sights and sounds of Islay if time allowed.  No mean feat when they are operating almost in winter hours.  However we did it.

I have never been to Islay in autumn.  Whilst the weather was still great on the trip it is amazing how the scenery changes from the summer - still plenty of green grass and blue seas and skies but there is an extra sense of the place being slightly barren as the majority of the landscape has turned a russet / brown colour and the trees are going the same way.  

I have only become a regular visitor to Islay in the last four or five years but it is a place I have fallen in love with and relished being able to show my guests around.  That said the distilleries (other than Bruichladdich) were a new experience for me.  Part the reason guiding a tour round them is so easy to be the sober driver of is because I really cannot find an affinity with whisky.  The aroma, the palate....I just can't do it.  

That said I did accompany my guests on a couple of tastings and tours and the process of making the whisky is just as fascinating as that of wine for me.  If you ever find yourself on Islay and even if you don't like whisky I would recommend doing one of the tours just to get an understanding of what goes on - it is truly fascinating.  Bunnahabhain is probably a good one for that as you get to see a slightly different perspective of the process and stills than in others.

You would think that visiting all the distilleries on the island would become a bit repetitive with the exception of the taste of the whisky however my guests all got something slightly different from each visit which I had made sure was a mix of tours, premium tastings, plain old visits etc.  Each distillery has its own unique story to tell and the surrounds are generally stunning (both internal and external).

Given it takes a good half hour to get anywhere on Islay (courtesy of some interesting single track roads) there wasn't a lot of time to take in the other sights and sounds of Islay. We did squeeze in a walk along a very quiet but beautiful Machir Bay, seal watching at Portnahaven, a visit to the Kildalton Cross and a meander round Port Ellen where we witnessed a fisherman bringing in fresh scallops from Lagavulin ready to be housed in creels until they are needed.  Fascinating colours.

So other than shaking from alcohol withdrawal on the way back to Glasgow, my guests have told me the trip was a great experience.  A good balance of different experiences at the distilleries with some interesting side trips along the way.  They enjoyed everything about Islay; the landscape, the weather, the beaches, the historic sites, the local cuisine, and of course the whisky.

A great experience all round.  So remember, should you want to visit Islay and get the best out of it - whether that does or does not include the distilleries, then The Concierge is happy to put an itinerary together for you to make sure you get out of your trip what you are looking for.  We can also provide fully escorted tours so you can all sit back and enjoy the distillery experience without the need to appoint a sober driver.  

More trips will be offered in due course and if you'd like The Concierge to research and book any trip for you then please just get in touch.  

Whilst on Islay we...

...HUNG OUT AT....mainly the distilleries of Islay (of which there were some firm favourites with my guests as far as the whisky experience went) and Port Charlotte Hotel which was filled with visitors from around the world, an open fire and local musicians - everything you expect of a Scottish island pub.  We also visited The Lochside Hotel in Bowmore for a wee dram on the way home one day.  They have an amazing array of just about every whisky available on Islay presented in the most impressive bar...

...WINED ON...I cooked dinner on the first night and worked with Pieter at Cross Stobs Bottle Shop to make sure I had the perfect accompaniments to go with that meal.  We started with a beautifully refreshing yet fruity and slightly sweet sparkling from McLaren Vale and Coonawarra called Syn followed by a crisp, peachy cava Sumarroca Reserva.  To accompany my starter of Baked Figs, Walnuts, Cambazola and Camembert Pieter took a bit of a gamble which more than paid off - Bonarda - a slightly sparkling (frizante) ruby red wine that was full of autumn fruits - blackberries, dark cherries.  A perfect match.  With our Tom Kitchin lamb with french vegetables we had Ondarre Rioja Reserva which had hints of spice and vanilla on top of full fruits of blackberry.  And to top it all off (if that wasn't enough), to go with our stewed plums with orange and cinnamon, chantilly cream and palmiers we had a dessert wine called Elysium Black Muscat which was very deep in colour and luscious on the palate.  And then we were stuffed!!  All the wines are available from Cross Stobs Bottle Shop website or by visiting the shop in Barrhead - worth a wee trip to check out their array of less well known wines.  Pieter is always happy to oblige with help in choosing the best wine for you...

...DINED ON...the answer should be nothing after all that but it wasn't.  Islay is renowned for its local seafood, beef and game and we tried it all this weekend.  The two standout meals were the seafood platter at the Lochindaal Hotel in Port Charlotte which is renowned and should be part of any visit.  Due to a slight muck up there was not enough lobster for our platter so where else but on Islay does the owner run down to the pier to bring out the biggest lobster I have ever seen - you don't get fresher than that.  On Sunday night we had dinner at The Bridgend Hotel which was as stunning as ever.  Starters of grouse with blackberry jus and goats curd cheesecake went down very well followed by stunningly succulent venison and local steak.  Simply presented meals bursting with the most amazing flavour.

So the wonders of Islay have been revisited and will be time and time again - one of those places that has a lot to do but the joy and relaxation in coming back time and time again is doing the same things each time.

Until next week....

Week Thirty Eight - Let Glasgow Flourish & Go Pop

On the first Thursday of every month I attend a networking and speaker event at The Corinthian run by Dunning Creative Sparks.  Sometimes the topics are more relevant than others and this week was one of those real standouts.

From the minute the speaker; Stuart Patrick, Chief Executive of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce; started his talk I was captivated and found myself for the first time ever more or less writing down what he was saying word for word.

Stuart was keen that we spread the word of what he was saying so hopefully he will not mind me regurgitating the key points of what he said here.  Don't ask me to point to the sources of the statistics he quoted (they were on the slide) but take it as a spirited provocation aimed at refocusing our perspective of our great city and clarifying what is next for Glasgow after this amazing year. 

Glasgow is a global economic powerhouse was the provocation that was Stuart's starting position and he made it his job to justify that by virtue of ten key points.

By way of context he pointed to the fact that for many years we have been living with an attitude that Glasgow was and is going through a post industrial regeneration.  This is indeed true but by virtue of the points he made his view is that it is time to throw off the shackles of a city trying to find itself and accept that we are a city that has not only found its place in the world but is very clear on its identity and is the envy of many.

So what are these ten points:

1.  We are big - we rank number twenty eight of the forty largest cities in Europe.  Within the UK we are the fourth largest behind London (which should almost be discounted as a country in its own right!!), Birmingham and Manchester.  By comparison Edinburgh is the fifteenth largest UK city.  We are bigger than Lyon, Turin, Amsterdam and Dusseldorf and nearly as big as Brussels.  This makes us a huge player particularly in an environment where large businesses are refocusing their investment into cities rather than urban developments and also makes us a magnet for attracting talent which is a major driver of inward investment.

2.  We are skilled - we are the second most skilled large city in the UK and we are pretty bright.  We retain more of our talent than Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool (i.e. people stay here after they've finished their higher education here).  We're only beaten by London.  That said one of the step changes we make to be even more skilled and bright is to develop in the field of vocational education.  25% of those in the working population have no qualifications and many of them are out of work.  Already the new super colleges are making inroads into this and if we can change this dramatically then it would revolutionise the extent of inward investment we receive.  We need to match aspirations of this part of the community to education.

3.  We have a reputation for strong leadership - we are very apt at bringing all stakeholders across our communities (civic, academic, business and political) together for the common weil regardless of their differences to make sure that we work together to deliver challenging projects (e.g. the Commonwealth Games) or to tender for investment.  We are the only city in Scotland to have secured a First City Deal which has secured us government funding to the tune of £1.13bn to improve our infrastructure.  By working across their boundaries these groups have now secured the development of the rail link from the city to the airport, the completion of the Clyde Waterfront development and to redevelop Greenock's waterfront to significantly improve cruise liner facilities to name but a few.  This is an attribute which is hard to achieve, hard to prove but when you have it it is a huge benefit to you.

4.  We have a diverse economy with six key industries in which we excel - low carbon; financial and business services; life sciences; engineering, design and manufacturing; higher and further education; tourism.  The creative industries and the food and drink industry could also have been clear contenders as we excel in those too.

The remainder of Stuart's points of proof relate to how we take that diverse economy and excel even further - we don't need to look for another Commonwealth Games to bolster our economy; in fact the chances of getting one are very slim as they really don't come along that often.

So in terms of what we have to do next - focus on those six industries using the talent we have at our disposal.

5.  Low Carbon Industry - we are the renewables capital of Scotland, have a developing new area of the city where many of the associated companies are basing themselves and focused on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our city to act as a low carbon demonstrator and city of good practices which we can sell to the wider world.  Not only that but we have secured the oil industry annual conference from Aberdeen for the next ten years.

6.  Financial and business services sector - Glasgow experienced the most significant growth outside of London in this sector from 2000 to 2008 i.e. before the whole thing crashed.  We rank 75th in the world leading financial service sector cities which is significant given Edinburgh (which we'd all acknowledge as being the financial services capital of Scotland) is also in the 70's.  This growth and its impending post crash return has led to many physical changes taking place in the city landscape.  For the first time in a very long time commercial property developers are investing in speculative city centre office development - a suggestion they think the economy will continue to flourish.

7.  Life Sciences - the Glasgow Bio Corridor (from Newhouse to Irvine) houses 36% of the Scottish life sciences businesses - something we always attribute to Dundee.  We have a specific strength in the field of medical device development.  The growth in this area is supported with 22,000 students studying in this field with an annual graduation rate of 5,000 per annum.  The opening of the South Glasgow Hospital next year (the largest critical care hospital in the UK and one of the largest in Western Europe) is attracting companies, academics and clinical research facilities to our city.  Numerous clinical research projects are due to be housed out of Glasgow - bizarrely our reputation for ill health is critical in attracting these research programmes so there is a mixed message.

8.  Engineering, Design and Manufacturing - we want engineering back at the heart of Glasgow - currently we have 800 businesses employing 22,000 people in Glasgow and we are still the biggest contributors of Gross Value Add to the Scottish economy.  We have 9,000 students in this field and a new city centre Technology Innovation Centre opening next year which will bring together all parties (academia, research, business etc).  Strathclyde University has set itself a highly ambitious agenda on the world stage and has been awarded the contract to run the strategy for the National Physical Laboratory on behalf of the UK. 

9.  Higher and Further Education - we have the largest student population in Scotland (130,000 students).  Our universities and colleges are reinventing themselves and Glasgow Caledonian University is acknowledged as a great example of how to turn a polytechnic into a modern university distinctive for its inclusivity and its expansion to having campuses in London and New York.  The challenge for this sector is that mentioned earlier - especially for the 'super colleges' - to determine how to match the aspirations of that 25% of the workforce who have no qualifications with courses that can aide their development and our ability to attract inward investment.  We also have a couple of jewels in our crown - the Royal Conservatoire and the Glasgow School of Art which in the coming months will pull on our strength of working together to rebuild itself.  Not only is the education aspect important but education is a business in its own right - the development of great quality student accommodation has contributed to our economy significantly in the last few years.

10.  Tourism - business tourism is one of our strengths - outside of London we attract the most conferences in the UK and even then we only come slightly second to London which is a huge achievement.  Leisure tourism is the one we need to crack to make a step change to our success.  The Commonwealth Games have been huge in this - not least as the most entrenched views of what Glasgow is and what you'll experience when you get here are in the South East of England.  Forced to come here if they wanted to enjoy the Games (and they did come) then perceptions of what Glasgow is has notably changed and our challenge now is to capitalise on that and secure these visitors from England in revisiting our city.  An increase of 300/400K visitors to Glasgow per annum would represent success in this field.  We are continuing to see great investment in this area with the Burrell Collection due to receive £40m of investment, Kelvinhall being redeveloped, the success of the SSE Hydro which is now the third busiest concert venue in the world, the associated regeneration of Finnieston which now houses two Bib Gourmand establishments (Ox and Finch and The Gannet) - and lest we forget a couple of years ago you wouldn't have gone out your way to visit Finnieston.  We are a UNESCO city of music with 130 music events per week to choose from.  We are in the top ten sporting cities and have the European Swimming Championships, World Gymnastic Championships and the football coming this way.  Hotels are reporting the highest occupancy rates ever and Glasgow airport has seen increasing footfall month on month for the last 18 months.  Buchanan Galleries is about to go through another £300m investment and Queen Street station is being redeveloped.

So that was Stuart's justification for why he considers us to now be an economic powerhouse.  As for the question of 'what next?' well two things which roll of the tongue but are no doubt difficult to achieve and certainly a long term challenge - improve the vocational skills of that 25% of the workforce and exploit those six industries at which we excel.

It was a great talk - really making you lift your head to think about your city on a world stage and also enlightening about what is going on or planned for our development.  These sorts of insights always fascinate me.

Whilst marvelling at the economic powerhouse that I call home I...

...POPPED UP at Glasgow GinFest and Section 33.  The Glasgow GinFest was run by the Gin Factory in the Barra's Art and Design Centre and brought a range of twenty seven different gins to try including some more unusual versions (see GINNED ON below).  

Section 33 is a company which caters at street food events, weddings etc and has taken on the challenge over the next few months of hosting six pop up restaurant events in six iconic locations throughout Glasgow with profits going to the food banks.  The first of these events was in the Southside and, despite having been launched a month or so ago, we only found out on Thursday where the venue was - The Govanhill Baths - yes we actually had our dinner last night in the swimming pool (shallow end if you were wondering).  I'm going to cover the Govanhill Baths in next weeks blog as we were given a rare treat on the way out last night - more to follow...

...GINNED ON...my favourites at the ginfest were Rock Rose (for the bottle as much as anything ) described as berry sweetness with juniper undertones, zesty yet full of berry sweetness, long and smooth and best served with orange; Jensen's Old Tom - huge root hit, ample musk and spice, sweetness on the nose yet a dry palate, best served with rosemary; and my favourite of the night was Warner Edwards Victoria's Rhubarb - smooth and earthy with an exquisite fruity balance of sweet and sour.  It was yum and really did taste of rhubarb...

..DINED ON...one of everything on the menu in the picture below at Section 33 - no I'm not that much of a glutton - we all shared!!  It was all beautiful tasty slow cooked food.  Stand outs were the Venison Mole Empanadas and the Basil and Olive Oil cake with Strawberry Ice Cream.

What an amazing couple of events - testament to how brilliant, energetic and edgy my city is - can't wait for the next Section 33 event.

And before I go - a big Happy 40th Birthday to my cousin Claire in New Zealand - hope you enjoyed your wonderful surprise of all of our ugly mugs popping up on your screen on Saturday morning - what a treat (haha).

Until next time - have a good week.

Week Thirty Seven - Showing your best side

Well it was all about The Ryder Cup last week and deservedly so.

After a spectacular year of showcasing Scotland (and its not over yet) we pulled it out the bag again last week.  Not only was the golf course and the scenery everything an international audience would expect of a quintessential Scottish view but the weather also came out to play.  A stunning weekend all round.

My week of Ryder Cup celebrations started with the Ryder Cup Gala Concert at The Hydro in Glasgow.  What a great event -  not quite what I thought it was going to be.  With the participation of many big name acts like Texas, Amy McDonald, Jake Bugg, Eddi Reader, Twin Atlantic etc as well as the National Opera, National Orchestra of Scotland and Scottish Ballet, I had believed that the event would be a bigger collaboration on each piece with all involved.  As it was each band continued to do their own set albeit with the backing of the Orchestra which must have been quite an experience for them and sounded spectacular for us.

The stand out performance (despite the fact I will always love Texas and go and see them live whenever I can) had to be Midge Ure backed by the National Orchestra of Scotland performing Vienna.  Unbelievable, booming, huge, impressive.

What was also interesting was how even this event is put on for the cameras.  During the referendum there was doubt created about what we see on the BBC News after the Nick Robinson incident whereby we were shown something different from reality.  At this event certain guests were asked to move seats at 'half time'.  The reason?  Well the great, the good and the famous had been at dinner during the first half (a shame for them as they missed some amazing acts) so to make the venue look full certain guests were asked to sit in different seats to make the place look busier for the cameras.

It does make you realise how much the media is manipulated to manipulate us.

Speaking of which I also had the delightful experience at the weekend of having a photo-shoot with Ian Docherty of Revolver Photography.  

Ian has a stunning portfolio of work - well he did until the weekend!! Its funny how nervous you can be about getting your photo taken and having yourself on show like that.  So it is more with hindsight that I say I enjoyed it.  Outfit changes, more make up than I've worn in a long time (not that you'd know it from the photos), posing, smiling naturally, trying not to squint in the sun.  Ian was very patient, knew exactly what I was after and had some good ideas of how to use my house and garden to get those shots.  It was Ian himself who kept the experience relaxed and good fun rather than a painful process which it can be for those of us who don't like having our pictures taken.

The Concierge website has been updated with one of the shots he took (www.theconcierge.org.uk), the rest are for another venture yet to be revealed and my favourite one is below for you all to tell me how amazing I look.

So now I can never again complain about nor pass judgement on manipulation of media - after all Ian and a spot of phot-shop have done an amazing job on me!!

You should take the time to look at his wider portfolio which is pretty dramatic and can be found at www.revolver.photography.  Or if you're 'down with the kids' then Ian often posts photographs to Instagram on revolvrphoto.

Whilst being manipulated by the media I...

...HUNG OUT AT...various locations with friends old and acquaintances new.  The great thing about setting up a new business in a completely different field is that you get out there and meet amazing people you would never otherwise have stumbled across.  One of my introductions this week was to Brenda Anderson who runs Tasting Scotland, a business specialising in bringing the best of Scottish food and drink to your plate and glass through a range of luxury escorted and self drive tours of Scotland.  Brenda was great to spend time with and hear 'lessons learned' from.  That is another thing I love about setting up your own business - likeminded people are all too keen to help in any way they can.  Tasting Scotland's range of tours can be found at www.tastingscotland.com.  I also had a good catch up with Lisa at Dear Green Coffee (www.deargreencoffee.com) - a lady and a business who are definitely on the up.  I always enjoy catching up with Lisa - we've had similar experiences (Aus, wine, WSET, great coffee) and with her energy and drive, I always leave feeling re-energised about what I'm doing.  And one of these days Lisa - I will own a La Marzocca!!...

...WINED ON...I'm loving trying wines from our 'discount supermarket' friends at the moment.  This time it was Lidl's Cepa Lebrel Joven 2013.  On a first tasting I didn't find it at all remarkable with no finish whatsoever.  This is unusual for me so I consulted the biodynamic calendar and sure enough it was a root day - never good for wine tasting.  I was never a believer in biodynamics until I started to notice the days I do and don't taste wine well and always take the time to check up on what type of day it is.  Needless to say Sunday was a fruit day (ideal for wine tasting) and so on a second try I can say that the Rioja was full of great aromas of blackberries, black cherries, vanilla.  And on the palette well it tasted as it smelled with the addition of some blackberry leaves and a hint of chocolate (which explains why I enjoyed the remnants of it with some Lindt chocolate!!).  At £4.99 a bottle in a world where the price of wine seems to be slowly but not subtly creeping up then this is great value for a wee quaff on a weekend in the house...

...DINED ON...well I finally ate in the Alston rather than just drink in it.  We had a beautiful meal from the early dining menu they have.  At £12 for two courses or £15 for three it was really great value.  Two of us had entrees (chicken liver pate with red onion marmalade; crayfish salad) which were both really tasty and exceptional sized portions.  We both followed this up with steak frites with garlic butter (the steak was cooked to perfection and the simplicity of the presentation and the food itself was refreshing).  The third in our party had chicken breast with ham and leek sauce which we were assured was full of flavour.  Then there was the deconstructed pear crumble.  The deconstructed nature did not go down that well at first but as soon as the spoon sunk in and the dessert hit her lips there was not a chance of either of us who were poised with spoons ready for a taste getting a look in.  All of this was washed down with a beautiful (though quite pricey) Pino Noir from Burgundy.  Lovely and like everyone else I know who has been, we will be back time and time again as the food, drink and service are all exceptional.

So until next time - have a good one.  G