Graham Ogilvy

As a small boy I once joined a group of classmates to peer at a grainy black and white photo brought in by one of the boys whose uncle had fought in the Malayan ‘Emergency’. The subject of our ghoulish fascination was an image of smiling Scottish soldiers displaying the severed heads of

What’s all this then? A waiter, traditionally clad in black waistcoat and bow tie, elegantly slices away at a side of the finest Scottish smoked salmon on his trolley crafted for the task. The mellifluous notes of grand piano tinkle across the grand dining room. On the walls crimson clad heroe

Once again Perth-based independent publisher Tippermuir Books has punched above its weight – this time to produce a volume celebrating the centenary of Hugh MacDiarmid's controversial epic poem A Drunk Man Looks At the Thistle.

To Stirling for a books and blethers lunch with our ace reviewer and legal historian Robert Shiels to celebrate over 200 reviews in Scottish Legal News. Our choice is Brea, a self-styled ‘Scottish restaurant’, the name is derived from the little-known Scots word for a slope and it is ind

Last month, 120 years to the day after Alfred Dreyfus was finally exonerated by a French court, a statue was unveiled outside the court that cleared him and President Macron announced that July 12 will be an annual national day of commemoration of Dreyfus and the injustice that was inflicted upon hi

Our boatman on the River Douro is astonished to learn that I first visited the valley, as a guest of Cockburns, 40 years ago. On reflection, I’m a little amazed myself. The old signs celebrating the Scottish heritage of the Port business are still there. The steep, terraced hillsides are peppe

In April 1882 Kenneth Macdonald (see below), an Inverness solicitor, wrote to the lord advocate requesting a jury trial for his clients and took the highly unusual step of releasing his letter to the public. The letter in which Macdonald drew parallels with the treatment of his clients, Skye crofte

Until last year, I never took an interest in my Ogilvy ancestors, and I wish I had left it that way. Farmers at the head of Glenisla for hundreds of years, they were tenants and kinsmen of the Earl of Airlie. In contrast to my English relations (war heroes and concentration camp survivors), they see

The strange thing about St Andrews is that decent mid-range bistro/brasserie restaurants have always been thin on the ground. Today's lunch companion John Barnett, a contemporary who forged a successful career as an international banker armed with a law degree from Dundee University, is now resident

We’re pushing the boat out today. Kurt the Kiwi, an esteemed former colleague and now a senior man at the New Zealand Herald, is paying a flying visit. It’s 15 years since he left Scotland for home and the occasion calls for a special lunch at Edinburgh’s L’Escargot Bleu. We&

To Edinburgh for lunch with our ace reviewer and resident legal historian. La Bruschetta is the venue of choice. Right opposite Haymarket station, it is so convenient. On the hottest day of the year, the restaurant is pleasingly cool and what a joy – white linen tablecloths, gleaming silver an

Is Sunday lunch still a thing? Only just, I discover when we search for a decent restaurant to offer a Sunday roast with all the trimmings. They are few and far between and we finally settle on 18, the rooftop bar and restaurant of Rusack’s Hotel in St Andrews. As the name suggests, it boasts

To Inverness and McBain’s, a small family owned restaurant by the river, is our choice after a morning marvelling at the bronze age Clava Cairns and tramping through the steady drizzle of Culloden moor. My ancestors served in Lord Ogilvy’s regiment at Culloden and I once discovered an ac

To Dublin – a city fairly swarming with highly-paid lawyers, their salaries supercharged by big UK and US law firms locating to Ireland in search of a foothold in the European Union. New buildings are springing up on the banks of the Liffey like shamrocks after a summer shower. Our cheerful ta

Edinburgh’s Café Marlayne is full up so we’re in the capital’s branch of The Ivy. I personally loathe and detest chains which elevate mediocrity and present it as a culinary triumph. They suck the life blood out of our communities and I will always favour an independent vali