Well, it’s not every day we have lunch with A-list stars (though if any are reading this we do a mean traybake). However, we were very lucky this week to dine with Hugh Grant in Inverness as he gave his support to the Highlanders Museum at Fort George.

We were helping out with the media around Hugh’s visit which coincided with the launch of the public fundraising campaign to aid with the museum’s re-development.

They’re looking to raise £3 million to convert the museum into a heritage centre dedicated to Scotland’s Highland regiments.

More info on the event and how you can donate at STV….

Family-owned whisky specialist Gordon & MacPhail has won the prestigious SCDI Brodies Award for International Achievement in Innovation, in recognition of its success in growing international markets.

The Elgin-based whisky wholesaler, bottler and retailer, which also owns the Benromach Distillery, was presented with the award on 19 November at a ceremony in Glasgow.

Joint Managing Director of Gordon & MacPhail, Michael Urquhart, said:

“For over a century, we’ve been building up an unrivalled collection of Single Malt Scotch Whiskies from our base in the heart of Speyside.

“Scotland’s whisky expertise is recognised all over the world, and demand for our products in international markets has never been higher: in the first eight months to the end of October 2010 we have increased export sales by 55%.

“We’re delighted to have been presented with this award which recognises the efforts of our dedicated and enthusiastic staff and the support of our customers and suppliers globally.”

Gordon & MacPhail’s latest results showed a 20 per cent increase in turnover in the face of the worst recession for more than half a century. The company last year won a prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade, following a 94 per cent increase in exports over five years.

Gavin Hewitt, Chief Executive of The Scotch Whisky Association, said:
“Scotch Whisky is a cornerstone of our economy.  With the industry as a whole playing an important role in driving economic recovery and building overseas markets, I’m delighted to see the great efforts of the team at Gordon & MacPhail recognised with this award.”

The firm employs 130 people in Elgin and Forres. It stocks around 300 different expressions of single malt whisky and cares for some of Scotland’s oldest and rarest casks in its warehouses. In 2010, Gordon & MacPhail launched the world’s oldest whisky, Mortlach 70 Years Old.

www.gordonandmacphail.com

An historic military museum hopes to raise funds for an extensive refurbishment by selling its own limited-edition whisky.

Cuidich’n Righ Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky has been created for the Highlanders museum in Fort George by Elgin-based whisky specialist Gordon & MacPhail. The proceeds from each bottle will be donated to the museum’s £3 million redevelopment project, helping it to continue its work in preserving the memory of those who have served in Scotland’s Highland Regiments.

Museum Chairman, Maj Gen Seymour Monro said:

“This is an important project which will deliver a quality museum, fit for the 21^st Century. The Museum is also a memorial to all those who have served the Regiments for the past 230 years and still do so today.

“We are delighted to have a whisky to help us to raise the much needed funds required for our project. I am very grateful to Gordon & MacPhail for supporting the project in this novel way. ”

Cuidich’n Righ is Gaelic for “Help the King” and was the motto for the Queen’s Own Highlanders (Seaforth and Camerons) and subsequently The Highlanders. According to tradition, Colin Fitzgerald, ancestor of the Mackenzies of Seaforth, saved King Alexander III from a charging stag when he shouted “Cuidich’n Righ” as he killed it with his spear.

The whisky will be on sale in Seaforth Clubs, in Gordon & MacPhail’s Elgin retail shop and online at http://www.cuidichnrigh.com/.

A trio of Scottish artists will be showing their work at the Crinan Hotel Gallery this summer (13 August – 16 September), as part of an initiative that seeks to give the public a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at artists’ workspaces.

Celebrated Scottish painter Frances Macdonald, her son Ross Macdonald Ryan, finalist of Sotherby’s Young Artist International, and Gordon Mitchell vice president of the Royal Scottish Academy, will be exhibiting paintings at the gallery’s show “Day and Night: From Crinan to Berlin”.

For those who are curious about where they get their inspiration from, Frances and Ross will be available to ‘talk art’ in their studios in the hotel throughout the exhibition.

The exhibition is part of the Art Map Argyll “Open Studio” initiative which aims to let art aficionados get closer to the people behind the pictures. Nearly 40 artists in the Argyll area are taking part – from weavers, to basketmakers, to illustrators.

For more information on “Day and Night” please visit www.crinanhotel.com

A Highland restaurant is searching for someone who will sink to great depths to create an unusual dish for their menu, as they put a plea out for a supplier of sea urchins.

Prince’s House Hotel, in Glenfinnan, near Fort William, is looking for a diver who is willing to collect the spiny creatures, which are considered a delicacy in countries such as Japan and Chile, from the waters around the West Coast.

Chef/owner Kieron Kelly explains:

“I was inspired to search out some sea urchins after my wife and I enjoyed them on holiday in the South of France. At Prince’s House, we’re always on the look-out for unusual local produce for the menu, and this is something that is freely available in Scotland but seldom served in restaurants.

“They are quite delicious and versatile and can be used in a variety of dishes – for example, you can scoop out everything but the roe, crack an egg into the shell and bake it in the oven, or you can blend the roe with butter and serve it over grilled fish. The flavour is quite delicate and distinctive.”

The hotel would like to hear from local divers who might be able to supply them with locally-harvested sea urchins, and hopes to find some in time to have them on the menu for Scottish Food Fortnight (4 – 19 September 2010). Interested parties should call 01397 722 246 or email princeshouse@glenfinnan.co.uk