Football Stars Launch Maggies Monster Bike and Hike
February 29, 2012 by Thomas Haywood · Leave a Comment
Hearts football stars Ryan McGowan and David Templeton helped to launch the fundraising for the Maggies Cancer Centres “Monster Bike and Hike” last week in Holyrood Park. The event is due to take place over the Bank Holiday weekend of 5th & 6th May and starts in Fort William with a 31 mile cycle to Invermoriston followed by varying lengths of walk depending on your fitness. It is very much a fun event for friends, families and colleagues, each aiming to raise £400 per person. Full support will be given by a small army of volunteers.
Hearts Event Manager, Georgina Bushell said,
It takes a great deal of determination to take part in Monster but by all accounts it is a hugely rewarding experience both physically and mentally. It’s the kind of determination that Hearts Footballers bring to the pitch every week, and I am so pleased they are encouraging their fans to sign up for the event. We pull out all the stops to make sure that Monster is a bank holiday weekend to remember for all participants and volunteers. It is inspiring to see the teams coming over their chosen finish line and the satisfaction and joy in their faces. We would love to get over 1000 people signed up for Monster 2012 so I would encourage you to log on to our website to view last year’s event film, rope in some friends and colleagues and get signed up.”
Ryan McGowan speaking at the launch said “I think it’s a great idea and it’s something that I look forward to support. If we can get some more people out there today then that would be great – it’s a great cause.”
2012 will be the ninth year of the Maggie’s Monster Bike and Hike, with the event having raised over £4million for Maggie’s Centres to date. Over 5000 people have taken part in the event in teams of friends, families and colleagues. To find out more about Maggie’s and Monster 2012 call Maggie’s Supporter Care Team on 0300 123 1801, e-mail monster@maggiescentres.org or visit www.maggiescentres.org/monster.
Photography by: www.thomashaywood.com
Afternoon Tea at The Howard
February 29, 2012 by admin · Leave a Comment
Do you sometimes sit with a friend chatting over a cup of tea wondering why certain things happen in life? Do ever fancy having your ‘cards’ read and not sure where to look? Then The Howard’s Afternoon Tea Club is the place to go.
On Saturday, 25 March 2012, professional tarot card reader, Pam Strachan, will undertake a 10 minute reading for each guest.
Pam’s readings have been described as ‘inspiring, encouraging and reassuring’ – and always fun! She said: ‘It is important that guests understand the cards don’t always predict your future. I use the wisdom of the Tarot to give honest, intuitive readings, which can help with decision making.
‘I think this a lovely introduction for those who may not have experienced a reading before, it will give everyone something to chat about over their delicious afternoon tea!’
Pam is the special guest at The Afternoon Tea Club at The Howard on Great King Street. Tickets for the event are priced at £29.95 and include a selection of sandwiches, home made scones, assortment of cakes and pastries and a 10 minute Tarot card reading.
For further details on the Afternoon Tea Club, or to book, call 0131-557 3500 or email: reserve@thehoward.com
-ends-
The thing you need to know today
February 29, 2012 by admin · Leave a Comment
The Reporter is on holiday……so there will be limited news reporting….
Today some people are able to celebrate their real birthdays, rather than picking the day adjacent to February 29th as they are forced to in three out of four years. And of course our very own Baxterbear was born on 29 February 1928 so we wish him a very Happy Birthday!
Thinking of some further study? Heriot-Watt Univesity is hosting a postgraduate open day today. So click on their website for more information.
If you have any stories you would like to share with us then please add them as comments below or indeed email them to us. We will investigate on our return. And we have some exciting things coming up in March…Some we will tell you about soon as they are currently top secret!
But one thing we can tell you is that on March 14th we are running a Live Webchat with the Edinburgh Conservative Group on The City of Edinburgh Council. If you have questions for them then please email them to us with the words Edinburgh Conservatives Live Webchat in the subject line.
Restaurant Review – Hewat’s
February 28, 2012 by Holly Jones · Leave a Comment
Delicious food at recession-proof prices
Lovely husband and wife team, Richard and Margaret have owned and run Hewat’s for a number of years and their modern Scottish cuisine, mixed with friendly service, makes the restaurant a wonderful place to dine.
The award-winning restaurant is situated right next to The Meadows and on stepping through the door on a cold February night, we were greeted by smiling faces and splendid artwork. The artwork which adorns the walls at Hewat’s is one of the first things my business partner Celia and I noticed, the huge box canvases on the far wall would make a great ice-breaker if you went there on a first date, that’s for sure.
As I mentioned, Richard (owner and Chef) describes his food as modern Scottish, but with a French fee. Celia and I quickly became fans of his imaginative cuisine. For starter we went for Haggis and Black pudding risotto and Foie gras on brioche with wild mushrooms. The idea for the risotto was born out of a happy accident; one day many years ago Richard found himself without enough black pudding for the usual black pudding risotto so bulked it up with Haggis and it went down fantastically – it has been the staple starter ever since. The Foie Gras was prepared to perfection, served on Brioche just as the French would have done – a great start to a fab meal.
For Main course we feasted on Tenderloin of Wild Boar and a medley of seafood. The boar, a bit of an interesting choice, was cooked beautifully accompanied by Champ potatoes and Savoy Cabbage, with a delicious Morel Mushroom sauce (Celia did particularly love the sauce). I opted for the Fish medley on a bed of pea and crab Risotto with a Garlic Fish Narge. The fish medley comprised of delicious Tiger Prawns, Monkfish, Salmon and Seabass – an excellent selection of fish on a yummy risotto.
For pudding we decided upon the Dessert Selection – a little bit of everything. Sticky Toffee Pudding, Lemon Tart, Tiramisu Crème Brulee, Chocolate Mousse with cherries marinated in Kirsch and Poached fruits with Vanilla Ice cream. The Dessert selection is apparently, and quite rightly, a very popular choice and is perfect for those of you who have a sweet tooth who don’t mind sharing!
Unbelievably this delicious three course meal only cost £22.50 each on the Mid-week menu. The perfect recession-proof mid-week meal!
The food was exceptional, as was the service and price. Hewat’s would be the perfect place to take someone to try out some true Scottish cuisine. It is open on Mother’s Day and I couldn’t recommend it highly enough for you and your Mother!
Hewat’s 19 – 21b Causewayside, Edinburgh 0131 466 6660
The Reporter Food reviewer, Holly Jones, is a partner in The Lifestyle Company Scotland You can follow the company and their lifestyle tips on Twitter
The thing you need to know today
February 28, 2012 by admin · Leave a Comment
The Reporter is on holiday……so there will be limited news reporting today.
The council’s Policy & Strategy Committee meet this morning, and it seems from the agenda which you can read on the council’s website here, that Tourist Bed Tax is back. It was discussed previously, and vehemently objected to by capital hotel owners. But it is back, although under another name… Since it is not within the council’s remit to charge a Bed Tax, the way that they will try to get round it is to develop a Business Improvement District (BID) which would allow them to levy businesses such as hotels based perhaps on turnover or rateable value. The setting up procedure involves the businesses however, so it will have to be seen whether the hotels and other tourism based businesses in the capital agree to do so.
But if you have any stories you would like to share with us then please add them as comments below or indeed email them to us. We will investigate on our return. And we have some exciting things coming up in March…Some we will tell you about soon as they are currently top secret!
But one thing we can tell you is that on March 14th we are running a Live Webchat with the Edinburgh Conservative Group on The City of Edinburgh Council. If you have questions for them then please email them to us with the words Edinburgh Conservatives Live Webchat in the subject line.
Telford stage The Laramie Project 29 Feb – 1 March
February 27, 2012 by admin · Leave a Comment
A play about a teenager that was killed in a homophobic attack in America is the latest in a series of hard hitting productions by students at an Edinburgh college.
‘The Laramie Project’ which tells the story of Matthew Sheppard who was brutally murdered for being gay will be performed by the HNC Acting and Theatre students from Edinburgh’s Telford College Performing Arts Studio Scotland (PASS).
The play originally written by Moisés Kaufman and performed by members of the Tectonic Theatre Company is directed by lecturer John Naples-Campbell and will be performed as part of the college’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) history month.
John who teaches Acting and Theatre Performance said: “We are very excited about the upcoming performances of the Laramie project for LGBT History Month here at Telford College.
“With the recent spate of suicides amongst the young LGBT community we felt that this play was a perfect choice to help demonstrate the difficult situations they can experience.
“Matthew’s story is one of deep sadness but also great hope. His legacy is continuing to make a huge impact across the world. Although this was a difficult premise for our students they have handled the subjects at hand with compassion and maturity.”
Matthew, a young gay man died after he was beaten and tied up for six days on the outskirts of Laramie, Wyoming. A month after his murder members of the Tectonic Theatre travelled to Laramie and conducted interviews with the people of the town.
From these interviews came the play The Laramie Project. Poignant, moving, and theatrically enticing, it is one of the most celebrated plays of the last decade.
John added: “At PASS we always try to make our performances relevant to today’s issues and hope that by tackling a play which relates to LGBT experiences we help people understand the difficulties and adversities that people can face because of their sexual orientation.
“We are proud to be involved in LGBT History month at Telford and hope the audience will enjoy our performances.”
The students have also received support from Matthew’s mother Judy Sheppard and close friends for the upcoming performance.
Judy said: “This play is not about being gay. It is about being hurt for being different, or perceived to be different, whatever the difference that may be. I want to thank Edinburgh’s Telford College for their courage to mount a production that raises so many emotional and personal issues.”
The Laramie Project will be taking place at Edinburgh’s Telford PASS theatre on 29th February and 1st of March. Tickets are £5 for concessions and £8 for adults. Tickets are available from the PASS website www.pass.ed-coll.ac.uk.
Edinburgh’s Telford College, provides a wide range of career related programmes to help learners progress into work or University education. Currently the college has around 17,000 students and 600 members of staff.
More information about the college can be found at www.ed-coll.ac.uk
Fastest Pizza maker in the East
February 27, 2012 by admin · Leave a Comment
Store managers and team members from Domino’s stores across Scotland gathered for Scotland’s Fastest Pizza Maker competition earlier this month.
The competition was fast and furious with speed and accuracy being the name of the game as each competitor had to make three large pizzas in as quick a time as possible.
Gordon Penman of the Edinburgh Southside store was determined to take the title this year, after coming a close second in the competition for the last four consecutive years. Gordon’s passion for pizza making won out as he was delighted when he finally came first and smashed his record by making three large pizzas in a fantastic time of one minute and 10.22 seconds.
This year’s runner-up, doing the west coast proud, was Johnny Edmond of the Glasgow City store, who achieved a time of one minute 35.31 seconds. Both Gordon and Johnny will now go on to battle it out at the UK and Ireland final, which takes place on 29 February at Domino’s training centre in Milton Keynes.
Gordon Penman said:- “I am so pleased to have finally won! I have been so determined each year and although second place is good, there is no feeling like coming first. I still can’t believe I am actually Scotland’s Fastest Pizza Maker. I wasn’t nervous this time round – I was just extremely focused – so I think that did the trick. I’m really looking forward to the next round in Milton Keynes at the end of the month. It’s a major date in the Domino’s calendar and one that everyone looks forward to as it is such a great day. The competition will be fierce but I intend to work really hard and earn my place. I would be so proud to go further and represent Domino’s UK & Ireland in the World final in America.”
The determined Domino’s team members came together from all over Scotland to do the nation proud; Dundee, Kirkcaldy, Edinburgh South, Livingston, Battlefield, Glasgow Alexandra Parade, Glasgow Baillieston, Glasgow Giffnock, Glasgow Crow Road and Glasgow Darnley.
The competition was judged by franchise consultant, Jason Prescott and regional operations manager for southern England, Simon Hudson. The competitors were judged on speed, accuracy and the quality of the pizza produced.
Each contestant will face rival expert pizza makers from across the UK and Ireland as they battle it out for the title of Fastest Pizza Maker on 29 February in Milton Keynes. The winner from this final will go stateside to represent the UK and Ireland in the World final which takes place in Las Vegas on May 14.
Granny Greens invites you to try them out
By Anneleen Lindsay
Over the past few years, crafting has come out of the closet and become a lot more sociable. The resurgence and popularity of craft fairs and artisan shops demonstrates people’s desire to buy hand-made goods, but it has also inspired many people to have a go at traditional crafts themselves – often putting their own spin on projects to design something a bit more 21st century. Crafters are yarn-bombing monuments, cross-stitching campaign banners and making subversive and humourous statements through their creations. But for many, the quieter revolution forming around craft is the chance to be creative in a community.
Many have spent years getting on with their projects in their own time, in their own homes, but craft has a history of communal collaboration.
Granny Green’s Big Night Out is an Edinburgh-based open craft community that has been meeting every Monday since late summer 2010. Every week, numerous crafters of different persuasions (cross-stitchers, knitters, crochet queens (and kings) and jewellery-makers amongst others) gather for chat, mutual learning and an opportunity to craft in the company of like-minded people who are similarly up for broadening their creative horizons.
Over the last 18 months, the group has met in a few different cafes and eateries around the capital, but has now found a new home at the Red Squirrel pub on Lothian Road. Anyone is very welcome to come along, and there tends to be a different mix of people each week. There are regulars who have been coming along from the beginning, but there also tend to be new faces most weeks. Some people are total beginners to the world of craft; others are professionals who sell their work. Most people are interested in trying out new crafts that they have never tried (or quite mastered!), before and there are always friendly folks there with skills and advice to share.
Every week there is a drop-in vibe, with people bringing in whatever project they are currently working on, but a couple of times a month the programme is more focussed, with introductory, led but informal workshops on different crafty disciplines. This year there have already been workshops in crochet, cross-stitch and patchwork. There is also a bi-monthly book group that meets as part of Granny Greens, with books lent by the Edinburgh Libraries book group scheme.
Occasionally there is a small fee to take part in workshops, but there is no charge to come along to Granny Greens – though you may want to bring some cash to sample the Red Squirrel’s delicious food menu (and extensive ale selection!).
You can get in touch with the Granny Green’s organisers as follows:-
See grannygreens.co.uk for weekly updates and information on workshops and the termly programme.
Granny Green’s Big Night Out meets every Monday at the Red Squirrel between 6pm and 8pm. Free.
The thing you need to know today
February 27, 2012 by admin · Leave a Comment
The Reporter is on holiday……
Tonight there is a High Flats meeting, Monday 27th February 2012 at Birnies Court, from 7pm-9pm
“This is our regular meeting for anyone living in the multi-storeys and it would be great to see as many tenants as possible there. The guest speaker is Jenifer Lavery, North Rents Team Manager and she will be giving a talk on the Council’s rent increases and housing benefit entitlement for tenants. There will also be an opportunity to tell us what is happening in your respective area. Hope to see you there.”
If you have any stories you would like to share with us then please add them as comments below or indeed email them to us. We will investigate on our return. And we have some exciting things coming up in March…Some we will tell you about soon as they are currently top secret!
But one thing we can tell you is that on March 14th we are running a Live Webchat with the Edinburgh Conservative Group on The City of Edinburgh Council. If you have questions for them then please email them to us with the words Edinburgh Conservatives Live Webchat in the subject line.
Restaurant Review: Mya
February 26, 2012 by Holly Jones · Leave a Comment
A perfect mix of Thai and Indian food
Award-winning restaurant, May, brings you the taste of both Thailand and India under one roof! The food is fab here, and if you cannot make up your mind whether you fancy Thai food or an Indian a visit to Mya is a no brainer!
First and foremost, the service at Mya was excellent with lovely staff who will happily recommend some excellent dishes from either menu. The beauty is you can have a traditional starter, then a Thai main course rounded off with, Gulab Jabun, a typical Indian pudding. You can mix and match the menus to your own taste.
Celia and I asked for a selection of dishes which really showed the extremes of both menus. I started with some spicy crab spring rolls, and Celia opted for the lighter option of Tom Yum Soup. For main course we had a collection of dishes from both menus, and fried noodles with coconut rice. The coconut rice is a must, even if you think you do not like coconut this rice is so creamy and delicious – at one point I was just eating it on its own, it was so good.
The one thing that really struck me was how beautifully all the meats in the curries and main dishes were cooked. The beef in our Massaman curry was mouth-wateringly tender, and the chicken in the Thai green curry just fell apart, it was so well cooked. It is so hard to find meat cooked to such perfection in dishes like that, but Mya definitely know the secret.
Massamam curry is a favourite of mine and worked beautifully with the coconut rice. The Thai green curry had a brilliantly spicy kick to it, a surprise to us as so many restaurants, in my opinion, do not make their green curries spicy enough. We also had a yummy sweet and sour king prawn dish which I thoroughly enjoyed, and again was complemented by the rice.
Mya has a great home-made pudding menu too, so I would definitely have a look if you still have space to fit in a third course. We had a wee slice of the homemade cheesecake and the traditional Gulab Jabun. I would highly recommend trying the Gulab Jabun, an authentic Indian pudding of treacle sponge balls, served with cream – they are mouth wateringly good.
Mya is a great Thai and a great Indian – the perfect combination. So the next time you want some Thai food and your partner/friend wants Indian – head to Mya!
Mya, 92 Commercial Street, Leith, 0131 554 4000
The Edinburgh Reporter Food reviewer, Holly Jones, is a partner in The Lifestyle Company Scotland You can follow the company and their lifestyle tips on Twitter
