Looking for the ideal gardening gift for a loved one this Christmas? Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre, is hosting a free Grow How session in its Edinburgh store to show customers the top gardening gifts and winter plants to choose for loved ones this festive season.
The interactive Grow How session will be held on Saturday 3 December in Dobbies’ Edinburgh store and is suitable for both beginners and seasoned gardeners. Dobbies’ horticultural experts will share with customers what outdoor plants are great for gifting this winter and provide tips on how to care for them. Beautiful seasonal outdoor plants like Skimmia rubella, Viburnum tinus, winter flowering Heathers and Bay trees all make wonderful gifts.
Christmas gifting inspiration continues for the second part of the session where team members will suggest gifts that you can include in a gardening hamper. Seeds and growing kits, an array of bulbs and tools like a hand trowel, hand fork, wooden labels and string are all top of Dobbies’ list. A gardening hamper is not complete without a pair of gloves and trusted secateurs – a popular tool for those looking to keep on top of garden maintenance. Dobbies’ experts will be on hand to answer any questions and demonstrate how the great value tools can be used.
Dobbies’ Horticultural Director, Marcus Eyles, said: “The festivities are in full swing at Dobbies’ Edinburgh store and we’re excited to bring you a Christmas-packed Grow How session around gifting.
“It’s a time to give back to our friends and loved ones, and what better way to do so, than to gift them a beautiful plant or create a personalised gardening hamper with great value they need to get started. Sustainable gardening is a big part of our Grow How sessions and we’ll be telling you about our brilliant range of products that are great for the garden and kind to the environment.
“Our monthly Grow How sessions are really popular with our customers in Edinburgh and we’re eager to help our customers get into the festive spirit and get creative with gifting this year.”
For more details on Dobbies’ Edinburgh Grow How sessions in December, visit:
Aldi Scotland teams up with MasterChef: The Professionals finalist David Hetherington for budget friendly St Andrew’s Day feast
Aldi Scotland is sharing its tried and tested take on a St Andrew’s Day feast that families across the country can enjoy for just £3 per person.
The discount retailer has partnered with Chef David Hetherington – who previously appeared on BBC’s iconic MasterChef: The Professionals series – to create a delicious feast for four that includes Scotch Lamb and all the trimmings.
Chef Hetherington has delved into his culinary archives and developed this year’s take on a perfect St Andrew’s dish; Grilled Nature’s Glen Scotch Lamb chops, potato and black pudding terrine and carrot purée.
The whole dish costs just £12.27, which for a family of four works out at only £3.07 per person.
Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland said: “Selecting the perfect menu for St Andrew’s Day can often stump even the best home cooks which is why we are bringing our tried and tested, delicious recipe to the table this year.
“We have worked with Chef Hetherington to profile quality Scottish produce as the natural accompaniment for any St Andrew’s Day celebrations. The Scotch Lamb, Scottish potatoes and carrots, and locally produced Macaulay black pudding slices create a truly Scottish base for this delicious meal.”
Grilled Nature’s Glen Scotch lamb chops, potato & black pudding terrine, carrot purée by Chef David Hetherington and Aldi Scotland
Serves 4
Ingredients – total £12.27/ £3.07 per person
· Nature’s Glen Scotch lamb chops £4.29
· Rosemary sprigs £0.52
· 10 x large Scottish tatties, washed & peeled £1.19
· 4 x carrots £0.24
· 500g Macaulay’s Black Pudding Slices £2.10
· 250g butter £1.99
· 4 cloves garlic £0.79
· 100ml Scottish double cream £1.15
Method:
· Rub your lamb with oil, salt and pepper.
· Place onto a plate with a sprig of rosemary and wrap with cling film. Set aside.
· Peel the carrots and dice into equal sized pieces. Pop in a pan of salted water to boil for around 15 minutes.
For the potato and black pudding terrine:
· Next, the tatties – we need these to be sliced very thinly, and for the best results we are looking for paper thin slices.
· Once your tatties are sliced, load them into a bowl, add salt and pepper next, then 200g of melted butter.
· Toss the tatties, making sure they are evenly coated in butter, salt and pepper.
· Next, you’ll need a loaf tin, lined with parchment paper.
· Start to evenly layer the potatoes into the loaf tin, getting right into the corners, keep layering until halfway up, always pushing down to compress each layer. Once you are at halfway, crumble in the black pudding, again right into the corners.
· Now continue with the tatties until the loaf tin is full to the brim, then keep going make sure it is heaving at the seams.
· Cover with tin foil and pop in the oven at 160°C for 1h15m or until a knife slides through the potatoes.
· This point is crucial, find something that fits on top of your loaf tin, maybe a chopping board, can of beans or another loaf tin. Weigh down the cooked terrine. Be careful as hot butter might squeeze out as you push in.
· Ideally leave the terrine in the fridge overnight allowing it to firm up.
· Tip out of the loaf tin and slice into 1.5 cm slices, it should be nice and compact, with a ribbon of black pudding through the middle.
For the carrots:
· Now, the carrots. After cooking for 15-20 minutes they should be nice and soft.
· Strain the water off and pop it in the food processor, blend until smooth and add in the cream, season to taste.
· Let this chill and pop it in the fridge.
For the Scotch Lamb:
· If you have a griddle pan now is the time to use it, if not a normal pan will do, heat the pan until it’s very hot!
· Place the lamb cutlets in the pan, always placing away from you to avoid any oil splashback.
· We want to go for about 1-2 mins each side, then throw in the garlic cloves and the rest of the rosemary.
· Now, turn down the heat.
· In goes the last remaining butter.
· Allow the butter to froth all up and baste the lamb in it.
Serving:
· Pan fry your potato terrine slices until golden brown on both sides.
· Warm the carrot purée.
· Remove the lamb chops from the foaming butter and straight on to a warm plate.
· Add a swoosh or blob or a splat of purée and the crispy terrine alongside succulent lamb.
Enjoy!
To find out more about your local Aldi Store, please visit www.aldi.co.uk
The CMA has concluded its independent study into the music streaming market
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published its final report and found that consumers have benefited from digitisation and competition between music streaming services.
Prices for consumers have fallen by more than 20% in real terms between 2009 and 2021 – with many services also offering music streaming for free with ads.
The study found that there were around 39 million monthly listeners in the UK, streaming 138 billion times a year.
The CMA also heard concerns from creators – artists and songwriters – about how much they earn from streaming. With an increasing number of artists, tracks and streams, the money from streaming is shared more widely – with those that have the highest number of streams earning the most. The CMA found that over 60% of streams were of music recorded by only the top 0.4% of artists.
The CMA found that the concerns raised by artists are not being driven by the level of concentration of the recording market. Analysis found that neither record labels nor streaming services are likely to be making significant excess profits that could be shared with creators.
Consequently, the issues concerning creators would not be addressed by measures intended to improve competition, but instead would need other policy measures in order to be addressed.
Digitisation has led to a major increase in the amount of music people have access to and to large increases in the number of artists releasing music (up from 200,000 in 2014 to 400,000 in 2020) partly by opening up new direct routes to listeners.
This has also meant that there is greater competition to reach listeners and for the associated streaming revenues. The study found that an artist could expect to earn around £12,000 from 12 million streams in the UK in 2021, but less than 1% of artists achieve that level of streams.
Some parts of the streaming market have improved for some creators in recent years, with the CMA finding a greater choice of deals with record labels available. Whilst individual deals can vary considerably, the report highlighted on average royalty rates in major deals with artists have increased steadily from 19.7% in 2012 to 23.3% in 2021. For songwriters, the share of revenues going to publishing rights has increased significantly from 8% in 2008 to 15% in 2021.
While the CMA understands the concerns from creators about the level of income many receive, the analysis in the study suggests it is unlikely that an intervention by the CMA would release additional money into the system to pay creators more.
The study does however highlight that the issues raised by creators could be further considered by government and policymakers as part of their ongoing work following the DCMS Select Committee’s inquiry into the economics of music streaming.
Sarah Cardell, Interim CEO of the CMA, said: “Streaming has transformed how music fans access vast catalogues of music, providing a valuable platform for artists to reach new listeners quickly, and at a price for consumers that has declined in real terms over the years.
“However, we heard from many artists and songwriters across the UK about how they struggle to make a decent living from these services. These are understandable concerns, but our findings show that these are not the result of ineffective competition – and intervention by the CMA would not release more money into the system that would help artists or songwriters.
“While this report marks the end of the CMA’s market study, which addresses the concerns previously posed about competition, we also hope the detailed and evidence-based picture we have been able to build of this relatively new sector will provide a basis that can be used by policymakers to consider whether additional action is needed to help creators.”
The public and organisations are being asked to give their views on improving access to information about public services.
The Access to Information Rights in Scotland consultation aims to gather views and evidence on what information rights should look like.
This includes whether additional third sector bodies and private businesses should be brought within the scope of existing freedom of information (FOI) legislation, if they carry out work for the public sector or receive public funds, as well as what information should be published proactively by Government and public services.
The consultation also looks at whether guidance on the use of different technology platforms should be introduced.
Minister for Parliamentary Business George Adam said: “Scotland has the most robust FOI laws in the UK.We want to build on this further by engaging with people and organisations on the development of information rights.
“We want to understand how existing legislation affects the work of civil society groups and public bodies.
“The responses to the consultation will inform our work to improve FOI rules and deliver on the Scottish Government’s commitment to openness and transparency.
“I would urge those with experience of FOI, whether as requesters, public authorities or as partners of public authorities to respond to the consultation and let us know your concerns and experiences.”
Edinburgh’s 20-Minute Neighbourhoods strategy is progressing a programme of engagement across local town centres and high streets in the city, with a new focus on Gorgie Dalry.
In partnership with local communities and businesses across Edinburgh, the City of Edinburgh Council is working to develop a network of healthier, greener and thriving neighbourhoods where everyone can access key services and amenities by a short walk, wheel, cycle or trip on public transport.
A key part of delivering this 20-Minute Neighbourhoods strategy is improving local town centres and high streets which provide many of the essential facilities and services that people need easy access to.
The Council’s City Mobility Plan identifies a need for Edinburgh’s town centres to be more liveable places with reduced car dependency, improved active travel connections and quality public spaces for everyone.
The initial engagement to prepare a plan for Gorgie Dalry town centre has been designed to roll out alongside planned road renewal projects to minimise potential disruption. It will start by focussing on Dalry and local schools, before looking at Gorgie in more detail in the future.
Local residents in Gorgie Dalry are now being invited to share their thoughts on how the area around Dalry Road could be improved. Participants have the option of sharing their views either online or in person at a series of local events.
An online survey is available until 15 January, 2023, where residents can feed back on specific parts of Dalry and the area around Tynecastle High School. They can also share their views on how they currently experience the area, what they think is good and what could be better.
The 20-Minute Neighbourhoods team will also be available to speak with local people at the corner of Dalry Road and Easter Dalry Road on the afternoons of Thursday, 1 and Saturday, 3 December. Further engagement with Dalry Primary School and Tynecastle High School students, businesses and community groups is planned over the coming weeks.
Work is well underway on progressing the town centre and high street strategy elsewhere across the city, including in Leith, Craigmillar, Muirhouse and Queensferry.
Plans for future improvements to Portobello, Corstorphine, Stockbridge and Bruntsfield and Morningside town centres, will be progressed to take account of the Our Future Streets framework and associated action plans once they have been agreed.
Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said:“20-minute neighbourhoods are a new way of thinking for Edinburgh and our local town centres and high streets are at the very heart of many people’s local lives, so they are a natural starting point for this exciting strategy.
“It is clear that these spaces could be much better at serving the daily needs of residents, businesses and other organisations, particularly by being easier for everyone to move around. They should also have identity and purpose, supporting local employment opportunities and providing an inclusive economy.
“Each neighbourhood in the city is different, with its own unique set of requirements. That’s why it’s so important that local communities participate in this process to help us understand everyone’s needs and make sure their views shape the neighbourhood approach.
“I hope we hear from as many people as possible on how their town centre could be better for them. This is a fantastic opportunity for local people to help set a new direction for these areas so that they are more welcoming and benefit the health, wellbeing and pockets of people across the city.
“Ultimately, this strategy is aiming to deliver more sustainable, inclusive places, improve access to quality services and empower local communities across Edinburgh.“
Neglected: Drylaw Shopping Centre
The 20-Minute Neighbourhood strategy was launched in June 2021. Its vision is to enable a net zero Edinburgh where everyone can live well locally.
The city needs this level of ambition to achieve a significant shift away from longer journeys to active travel and meet its net zero carbon target. It will help to create more social, inclusive and accessible places. This will also support physical and mental wellbeing and help to end poverty in Edinburgh.
Multimillion pound loan scheme for social landlords relaunches
Social landlords will be able to access loans to build more affordable housing as a multimillion pound investment programme reopens to applications.
Under the Charitable Bond programme, registered housing associations can access the loans with up to £80 million available in the current financial year. The interest paid will be reinvested as grants into the social rented sector, further boosting the supply of affordable housing.
Since 2014, more than £260 million in loans have been made to housing associations across every corner of Scotland through the programme, generating almost £50 million in grants.
Housing Secretary Shona Robison said: “The Charitable Bond programme is an innovative way to offer funding to social landlords so that they can deliver as many homes as possible.
“The programme gives social landlords access to funding that they can’t receive elsewhere, and reinvests the interest paid on the loans – further increasing housing supply.
“Scotland has led the way in the delivery of affordable housing across the UK with almost 113,000 affordable homes built since 2007. This investment will help towards our current target of delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032.”
The Charitable Bond programme is delivered on behalf of the Scottish Government by Allia C&C, a social enterprise finance firm that arranges funding for housing associations and other charities.
Peter Freer, Director for Scotland at Allia C&C, said: “This programme provides a form of unsecured finance that isn’t otherwise available in the market to enable Scottish housing associations to deliver much needed affordable homes.
“We’re delighted to continue our successful eight-year partnership with the Scottish Government with an even greater target for investment across the sector over the next four years.”
Ahead of National Computer Security Day tomorrow (November 30th), Business Gateway has announced a new webinar with Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC), to empower business owners to be cyber-aware and take control of their online security.
Taking place virtually on Wednesday, 30th November at 1pm, the webinar will be hosted by Sarah Johnson, Director at Scottish growth marketing company, IndigoLeap. She will be joined by SBRC experts Mike Smith, Cyber Incident Response & Threat Intelligence Manager and Kristie Steele, Cyber Community Lead.
The hour-long session will offer insights on the security landscape in Scotland, outlining how to recognise potential threats and what to do to ensure businesses are secure. The panel will explore the most common threats currently online, the impact of being victim to an attack and top tips for monitoring digital channels.
He approached Business Gateway in spring 2022 for help with search engine optimisation (SEO), after identifying a drop in website traffic and enquiries. He received 1:1 support from an expert consultant via Business Gateway’s Digital Boost programme, where it was discovered that the Celsius website had been hacked.
Although there was no breach in data, the website, which had previously hosted approximately 40 pages, now had over 10,000 pages on the website URL, meaning Google deemed it untrustworthy reducing its visibility to potential customers.
In addition to the webinar, Business Gateway also offers cyber resilience toolkits and an online tutorial which provides the basics to cyber security, building business resilience, and signposts tips on how to avoid data breaches.
Mike Smith, Cyber Incident Response & Threat Intelligence Manager, SBRC, said:“For many small businesses across Scotland, protecting their business from cyber-attacks may not be a priority due to expertise or resource.
“However, being cyber aware is crucial for all businesses, and it is important that steps are taken to safeguard all types of data against loss.”
“We hope that this webinar provides a valuable platform to understand how cyber-attacks can occur, and why it is so important for businesses to protect their business in the current climate.”
Michael Cairns, Director at Celsius Plumbing, said: “After operating without a website for a number of years, we spent the last two years building our digital channels and could not understand why we were experiencing issues.
“We had worked with Business Gateway in the past, so it was our first port of call. Our DigitalBoost consultant, John Taylor, went above and beyond for us in identifying our issue and in helping us rectify it.
“We had placed a lot of trust in our web developers, but John helped us access our website and helped us understand the importance of Google Search Console, which we now know is vitally important to our online presence as it identifies vulnerabilities to our website.
“We are still slowly recovering our online presence; it has been a very long process and I would urge any business owner to familiarise themselves with online security to reduce their chances of becoming victims themselves.”
Business Gateway also works closely with Police Scotland’s Cybercrime Harm Prevention team, ensuring its service and advice reflect expert insights.
The following tips and strategies have been identified by Gordy Macdonald, Cybercrime Protection, Incident Support and Training Officer at Police Scotland, as a checklist for Scottish businesses this National Computer Security Day.
Five practical tips to avoid a cyber attack:
Equip your staff with knowledge on how to identify Phishing attacks. Ensure staff are able to identify suspicious emails and are empowered to deal with these situations.
Ensure your software is up to date. Allsoftware must be up-to-date, and all devices must be protected with the most up-to-date operating version from its iSP.
Apply for Cyber Essentials certification. This Government back scheme will help protect your business against a range of cyber attacks.
Install authentication methods to all systems and devices. Utilise2sv or Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) for all devices and online accounts to provide protection from unwarranted access.
Frequently Back up your Data. Ransomware is the most prolific means used by Cyber criminals, by backing up data systems can be reset and resume more easily.
To find out more on how Business Gateway can help your business, visit:
