It’s good to laugh and this year marks the 65th anniversary of one of the most memorable April Fools Day pranks. We know from records that April Fools Day has been around many hundreds of years. The exact origins remain a mystery, though connection to the onset of spring heralding merriment and general confusion of […]

The end of February marks the anniversary of one of the most famous battles in the history of the US and a cultural and culinary legacy that continues to inspire people across the globe. It’s believed 179 people were killed defending the fortress known as the Alamo in a siege that began on 23rd February […]

If you actually need an excuse for a good curry then rest easy, because international hot and spicy food day falls on January 16th. If you prefer a fiery chili or if Chinese food gets your juices flowing then that’s equally acceptable and a great way to blast out those winter chills. Pepper, chili, turmeric, […]

The end of November is the traditional start of Winter north of the border and the first of three landmark days in Scottish culture – St Andrews Day, Hogmanay and Burns Night. As with many patron saints, St Andrew’s association with Scotland – a land he never visited – is shrouded in folklore, poetic licence […]

Do you remember harvest festivals when you were at school? No doubt many of you recall bringing in tinned goods that had sat at the back of your parents’ cupboards for decades (obviously there were no best before dates back then!). Harvesting has, of course, been around for a long, long time! Once mankind stopped […]

As the nights become darker and winter closes in there’s a natural inclination to gather round fires, share food and tell tales of the strange and spooky. The oldest of winter festivals still celebrated today is Halloween the roots of which can be found in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain which marked the end […]

Imagine as a child if you failed to do the washing up and then tried to give the excuse that the dirty dishes were in fact part of an important historical record. I suspect most parents would give short shrift to such notions  however it’s thanks to such foresight/laziness that we know the origins of […]

Lindt, Hershey, Frys, Nestle, Cadbury all famous types of chocolate and they all have something else in common. But first, as we celebrate International Chocolate Day, let us peel back the layers of time and explore the rich history of this food of the Gods. It was said the Aztec deity Quetzalcoatl was cast out […]

Could it actually happen? Dare we dream? Is the unlikely about to become likely? After all, we have waited so long haven’t we? No, we are not talking about ‘Freedom Day’ on 19th July but the little matter of a European Championship final in a few days time. And what a final it’s going to […]