On this very special bonus episode of Scran where we've partnered with World Class to bring you an insight into the upcoming Scotland Served Cocktail Festival as well as the exciting international competition for bartenders that is running alongside it.

Rosalind speaks to last year's winner of World Class, Emanuele ‘Lele' Mensah and Stefanie Anderson who is the Diageo World Class Great Britain and Luxury Portfolio Scotland Ambassador. Lele tells Rosalind all about how wonderful it was to win the competition. He talks about how important it is for him to have won for the people that support him, but also for all people of colour who work in the industry. He also shares the very exciting plans for his new Shoreditch bar Asase.

Stef fills Rosalind in on how the competition came about, why it's important for Diageo and the opportunities it presents for the bar staff who get involved. She also gives some details on the competition 'challenges' they face like the theatrically entitled 'Slow train to Singleton'.

Rosalind also paid a visit to one of the bars who are taking part in the 'Scotland Served Festival' - Kirstie Oattes runs Kelvingrove Cafe in Glasgow with her husband Barry - she tellls Rosalind all about the festival and what cocktail-lovers can expect. 

You can find out more about the Scotland Served cocktail festival by visiting their Instagram page, 'ScotlandServed'. To hear more about Lele and Matt Arnold's journeys head to 'World Class Great Britain' on Instagram. Please enjoy responsibly. For the facts, visit drinkaware.co.uk.

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Celebrated chef and restaurateur Yotam Ottolenghi joins Rosalind on this episode of Scran to hear all about his new Edinburgh restaurant. Foodies have eagerly looked forward to its arrival, and Rosalind is keen to learn more about what we can expect.

Yotam tells Rosalind where his passion for cooking comes from, explains the 'Ottolenghi Way,' and shares his hopes for the new business.He also gives us insight into what we can expect from the menu and we learn how Yotam has worked with Woven on a new whisky, which will be served in the restaurant.

Not only is he a successful restaurateur, but his multiple cookbooks have been an international hit, and he tells Rosalind more about the latest one 'Simple Too.'

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We are continuing our celebration of award-winning Scottish food and drink businesses on this episode as we talk to Nick Watkins of El Perro Negro. Winner of multiple best burger awards, Nick stepped into the industry with an idea and determination - more than 10 years later El Perro Negro is still recognised as one of the best burger restaurants not only in the UK, but the world.

Nick is refreshingly candid in his views on the industry, how change needs to happen to sustain food and drink businesses and his motivation in setting up the business.

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Now into our tenth season we wanted to start the series with something a little different so over the next few episodes we'll be looking a little closer at some of Scotland's award winning food and drink businesses.And as we hold on to the last of summer for dear life what better way to kick off this celebration than to go for ice cream - specifically Equis ice cream in Rutherglen!

Rosalind wanted to find out more about the family business and the significant investment they've made in recent years. Father and daughter team David and Alex Equi took her on a tour of the factory - which at points was not for the faint hearted - we're talking about the blast freezer visit here.

Rosalind saw a modern, high spec, busy business and learnt a great deal about this award-winning producer. You'll hear parts of the tour here interspersed with Rosalind's chat with Alex and David. 

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It's that time of year again - festival time! Producer Kelly and Rosalind hit Edinburgh recently to catch some food and drink shows and we were not disappointed. 

First stop was the Malt Whisky Society on Queen St. There they enjoyed the Whisky Wanderer experience where you learn all about the different whisky regions through an imagineative and eye-opening whisky and food pairing. Rosalind chats to host Bethany Grindle, who is a true whisky fan and aficionado.

The team battled their way through the throngs of people over George the Fourth Bridge and up to Summerhall for The Speakeasy Experience. This show was an absolute hoot which included two Pickerings-gin-based cocktails. Tour-guide and performer Marina told Rosalind all about what visitors can expect from the show.

Rosalind and Kelly then headed along to the Cowgate to their final show of the day, some stand up with Alan Anderson and Whisky for Dafties. As the title indicates this show is indeed for everyone as no knowledge of whiskey is required. There is a quite a bit of booze drank throughout and you may even learn something if not about whisky, then the people in the audience - good fun all round.

You'll hear some vox-pops  they did throughout the day too chatting to people working and attending the fringe - that is, when they could find people who weren't just eating pot noodles and meal deals - that's the fringe for you!

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 The Glasgow Coffee Festival took place recently and as part of that the UK's Best Coffee Roaster was named as Glasgow-based Jonathan Martinez and Andrew Wong won the UK Brewers Cup competition.  On this episode of Scran Rosalind chats with both of them about their passion for coffee, how they got involved in the competition, about the trends in coffee and how they manage to sleep when 'coffee' is constantly on the menu.

It's a fascinating chat where Rosalind learnt a lot more about coffee varietals and where the high end of the market is at. Best enjoyed with a nice cooling iced-coffee - unless you're listening back to this beyond summer time!

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On this episode of Scran Rosalind chats to David and Michael Neave - the father and son duo who have played more than an important part in the success of Amber restaurant. Amber celebrates 25 years in business this year. Located in the Scottish Whisky Experience it was one of the first visitor attractions to launch a restaurant and since then has gone from strength to strength. 
David founded the restaurant and when Michael was young he would come to visit his father at work where his fascination for cooking began. She speaks to them both about the significant family history that is tied up in their work. About how the restaurant was a forerunner of many trends we see in food and drink today and about their passion for good food.
To celebrate 25 years in business Michael developed an anniversary menu which became a project many of the longstanding team got involved in. Each dish was chosen for the memories it carries of the suppliers, the team, and the guests and all those who shaped the restaurant over 25 years.

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On this Scran on the Road special, producer Kelly and Rosalind spent two days travelling around Orkney, thanks to Orkney Marketing and ⁠Orkney.com⁠, where they encountered so many interesting people and places that they couldn't fit it all into one episode.

On the second part of the road trip, Rosalind goes to Barony mill where she meets Alister Harcus. This is a fascinating look at such an historic building still functioning as well as the day it was built. Alister shows Rosalindl around the mill, explaining the different processes and history. 

A trip to Orkney wouldn't have been complete without a visit to Highland Park. Rosalind sat down with Graham Bruce, Visits and Retail Operations Manager to hear all about the changes to the distillery in recent times. They also discuss the downturn in the industry and a change in their marketing strategy which had peaked her interest. You'll hear parts of the tour of the distillery Rosalind went on too with tour guide Darren.

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Summer in Scotland can mean one thing for a lot of people - the chance to get out and about and enjoy the fairs and agricultural shows that are taking place across the country. One such popular annual event is The Scottish Game Fair. Taking place at Scone Palace between 3 and 5 July, it celebrates Scotland's rich countryside heritage through fishing demonstrations, various animal competitions, interactive events, the Scottish Venison Cookery Theatre and much more.

Rosalind wanted to hear more about what visitors could expect, so she spoke to the cookery theatre curator Daniela Forbes, who is a chef and food stylist.Sarah Rankin also joined the podcast. Sarah is one of the chefs who is appearing at this year's event and is a MasterChef finalist and food writer.Rosalind asked them about how they got involved with the Scottish Game Fair, how they go about curating and planning the demonstrations and why venison is something we don't always reach for in preparing our regular meals. 

You can find out more about the The Scottish Game Fair and book tickets on  www.scottishfair.com

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As award season is in full swing we celebrate recent recipients of the Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Awards 2026. On this episode Rosalind speaks to two recipients;  Sarah Heward of the Real Food Cafe and Sean Kelly of the Lovat.Sarah shares her amazing back story of how her business in Tyndrum came about, the challenges she's faced over the years and how she built the success the business has become. She attributes this in no small part to her team and the wonderful network she has built  despite the challenges of working in a rural setting. She tells Rosalind what it means to her to have picked up this recent sustainability award.

Rosalind also chats to chef Sean Kelly of The Lovat in Fort Augustus, who also picked up an award. This time for Best restaurant/eating experience. Sean tells Rosalind all about his passion for cooking, the challenges of being up north but also the wonderful opportunities it presents for things like foraging. He also talks about how they encourage their staff's development through things like awards but also ensuring they are pursuing other interests outside of work and embracing wellbeing.

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One Tuesday in summer, when the sun was splitting the stones in Glasgow Rosalind boarded a plane to Orkney.  The weather in Kirkwall was much more temperate, but what Rosalind discovered was a truly fascinating world of food and drink which made her quickly forget about the sun back home.

On this Scran on the Road special, producer Kelly and Rosalind spent two days travelling around Orkney, thanks to Orkney Marketing and Orkney.com, where they encountered so many interesting people and places that they couldn't fit it all into one episode. This is part 1 which brings you first, an insight into a modern business with Colin the founder of J Gow Rum, and then a four-generations-old family business when Rosalind spoke to Stewart Crichton, MD of Stockans Oatcakes.

Colin is also Chair of Orkney Food and Drink and tells Rosalind all about his role and the challenges they need to surmount as an island business and community. He shares his passion for distilling rum and the pirate inspiration that has informed its branding and marketing.

Stewart describes the rich history of Stockan's Oatcakes and how this iconic Scottish triangular oatcake came about.  He also suggests ways to serve your oatcakes which may raise an eyebrow or two.

You'll be able to hear part 2 in the series in the coming weeks which features the one and only Highland Park and a fascinating traditional operating business, Barony Mill.

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