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Judy Murray serves up Local Legends for Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight

Tennis ace Judy Murray kickstarted this year’s Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight celebrations with an Instagram cook-a-long from Dunblane’s Cromlix Hotel. Now in its 11th year, the Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight took place from Saturday 5 to Sunday 20 September. The annual celebration aims to shine a spotlight on the suppliers, products and people who contribute to Scotland’s £15 billion food and drink industry. This year’s Fortnight focuses on the Local Legends who have kept our stomachs and fridges full throughout the Coronavirus lockdown and beyond, and who continue to make Scotland’s larder the envy of the world. Due to ongoing restrictions related to Coronavirus, many of this year’s Fortnight events took place online, Mother of Wimbledon Champions Andy and Jamie Murray, Judy will hosted an Instagram cook-a-long on Sunday morning from the kitchen of the Cromlix Hotel in Dunblane where Scottish sourced ingredients are a central focus of the menu. Judy’s cook-a-long was the first in a series alongside other interactive content with well-known chefs, restaurants, celebrities and social media influencers. Judy Murray said:, “In Scotland, we’re so lucky to be blessed with such brilliant ingredients and a vibrant industry full of talented and hard-working people. I’m was thrilled to get behind the Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight campaign to celebrate the people and products that make Scotland’s produce the best in the world. “With the help of the amazing chefs at Cromlix, I made a deliciously decadent Cranachan for my Instagram cook-a-long on Sunday morning..” James Withers, Chief Executive at Scotland Food & Drink, commented, “Scotland’s food and drink industry has been hard-hit during the Coronavirus pandemic. That’s why it’s more important than ever that we, as consumers, support Scottish producers and buy Scottish products.” Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said:, “In recent years, the food and drink sector has been one of our strongest economic success stories, particularly for our rural economy. And throughout the COVID-19 pandemic it has stepped up to ensure we all have access good food, often in very challenging circumstances. In these difficult times, we have also seen remarkable resilience, creativity and innovation from the sector.

“As we look to the future, it is vital that we continue to support recovery and growth. Working together with industry, we will launch a joint recovery plan to stimulate demand for Scottish products and support businesses to capitalise on new opportunities.” “This year’s Fortnight is another a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the world-class food and drink produced right here in Scotland and toast the people

THE BALMORAL NAMED AS FIRST HOTEL IN SCOTLAND TO RECEIVE FIVE STAR ACCOLADE IN FORBES TRAVEL GUIDE’S 2021 STAR AWARDS

The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh, has been named as the first hotel in Scotland to receive a Five-Star award from the world-renowned Forbes Travel Guide. Forbes Travel Guide, the expert in genuine FiveStar service and only global rating system for luxury hotels, spas and restaurants today revealed some 2021 winners early to provide getaway inspiration as travel picks up post-quarantine. The Balmoral joins the world’s finest hotels, flying the flag for Scotland on the Five-Star award list for the first time. The Balmoral’s General Manager, Richard Cooke, said, “Receiving this amazing accolade is an honour for my team and I. Forbes Travel Guide is undoubtedly one of the most sought-after hospitality awards in the world and an independent measurement of success. Every day we strive to evolve and improve by working together to create memorable experiences for our guests. We have been working towards this goal since Forbes Travel Guide arrived in Scotland and to be the first hotel in the country to be awarded Five Stars is truly humbling.” The Balmoral adds the Forbes Travel Guide FiveStar award to a list of accolades received in the past year including an AA 5 Red Star award; one Michelin star and 4 AA Rosettes for the hotel’s finedining restaurant, Number One, and a Conde Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice award naming the hotel as the Top Hotel in the UK outside of London. “We extend huge congratulations to the entire team at The Balmoral, a Rocco Forte Hotel, for achieving the first ever Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star rating in Scotland,” said Filip Boyen, CEO of Forbes Travel Guide.

CASTLEFORGE MOVES INTO HOTEL INVESTMENT WITH APPOINTMENT OF MATT LEDERER

Property investment firm Castleforge Partners announced its entrance into the hospitality sector last month with the major new hire of Matt Lederer from Marriott International. Lederer joins Castleforge as the company’s Hotels Acquisitions Director, broadening the firm’s portfolio from investment in residential and office property to hotels. With Castleforge looking to invest in the hospitality sector in the next year, Lederer will form a key part of Castleforge’s decision making team on hotel acquisition across the UK and Europe. Lederer joins from Marriott International, the world’s biggest hotel operator, where he was UK Development Director responsible for the growth of the company’s select service brands including Moxy, Residence Inn, and Courtyard by Marriott. With 14 years of industry experience, including stints at commercial real estate firm JLL, Lederer brings with him an excellent hotel PERTH FISHMONGER NETS CRIEFF HYDRO HOTELS Perth based George Campbell & Sons, a specialist family run seafood wholesaler has announced it has signed a contract with Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels to supply their portfolio of hotels across Scotland.

Iain Campbell, Managing Director of George Campbell and Sons said; “It is a proud milestone for us to work alongside another longstanding family business. Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels and George Campbell & Sons have a combined 300 year history of working in hospitality and foodservice in Scotland. This is a great opportunity for us to send a positive message to other businesses in the hospitality industry about how we can all work together to achieve a positive outcome moving forward.” Stephen Leckie, Chairman and CEO of Crieff Hydro Family of Hotels, said: “In all our restaurants across our portfolio, we’re proud to serve locally sourced seasonal ingredients from trusted suppliers. We’re delighted to announce our partnership with George Campbell & Sons, not only are they a fantastic seafood wholesaler but they are also a fellow proud Scottish family business.” The contract makes George Campbell & Sons the sole seafood supplier to the seven properties within the group, Peebles Hydro and Park Hotel in the Scottish Borders, Crieff Hydro and Murraypark hotel in Perthshire and the Isles of Glencoe, Kingshouse Hotel in Glencoe Valley and the Ballachulish Hotel overlooking Loch Linnhe. real estate network which he will draw on at Castleforge to evaluate the market and finalise deals. Matt Lederer, Hotels Acquisitions Director at Castleforge Partners comments, “The company takes a long-term strategic view, and they can see that the hotel industry will rebound from its current setback. The appetite for leisure travel, in particular, is already growing again and fast. Working together with Castleforge’s diligent research team, I look forward to some really exciting projects across the UK and Europe as we begin to invest significantly in the sector.” Brandon Hollihan, Founding Partner of Castleforge Partners said,“We are thrilled to have Matt join us. We are focusing on a sector we believe will become increasingly attractive, guided by an expert in the field who shares our values. Matt is the perfect person to help our firm execute this strategy and grow our

expertise.”