Press release -
Murrays serve up tasty memories
With Wimbledon due to start today (29 June), Scottish sport star Andy Murray will be hungry for another grand-slam victory, but the Dunblane-born tennis ace recently revealed that it’s a special family recipe he craves when he is ravenous for a taste of Scotland.
As part of VisitScotland’s Treasured Tastes recipe appeal, the 28-year-old - who got married in his hometown earlier this year - disclosed that his gran’s Shepherd’s Pie is one of his favourite home comforts. The dish was a teatime treat for the sporting hero and his older brother Jamie when they visited her house in Dunblane.
Andy revealed “It's what I always ask her to cook when I'm coming home. She used to make it for me and Jamie when we went to her house in Dunblane for tea after school. It's a sort of posh mince n tatties. She uses lamb mince with onions through it and then she puts sliced potatoes across the top. And adds her own special sauces to make it taste good. Then she sticks it in the oven to crisp the potatoes. When I was small I used to tell my gran she was "the greatest cooker ever".
Andy’s elder brother and Britain’s no 1 tennis doubles’ player, Jamie Murray is also a fan of gran’s cooking, but favours the sweet over the savoury – often using it to feed his tennis team mates.
Jamie said:“My gran’s shortbread is legendary. She's been baking it for as long as I can remember. When it's in the oven, it has the best smell ever. She actually doesn't use a timer; she just knows when to take it out by her sense of smell. She always used to bring it to our tennis competitions and it has become a big part of our Davis Cup team preparations in recent years. Everyone loves it. It's full of butter and sugar but it tastes ridiculous. She gives the recipe to anyone who asks but nobody can make it taste like hers. Andy and I reckon she leaves an ingredient out but she swears she doesn't. It's the best shortbread in the world!”
From clootie dumpling and Edinburgh fog to “fake” scotch broth and vegetarian haggis, Scots across the country has been sharing their treasured tastes as the nationwide appeal, draws to a close (3 July).
The campaign, which was launched by the national tourism organisation, with support from Scottish chef and food enthusiast, Shirley Spear, aims to uncover the country’s favourite family recipes and the cherished memories associated with them.
As a lasting legacy of the Year of Food and Drink 2015, a special number of the delicious memories will be compiled into a unique one-off recipe book entitled - You’ll have had yer tea? - Treasured Tastes of Scotland.The book, due to be published later in year, will take readers on a culinary journey from the shores of Shetland all the way down to the rolling hills of the Scottish Borders.
As well as showcasing traditional food and drink, the book will help shine a light on the personal stories behind family recipes, inspiring readers to revive some great home-cooking as well as encouraging them to come and sample Scotland’s wonderful natural larder.
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said:
“We are delighted that two of the world’s greatest tennis stars have divulged the Scottish food that keeps them going during long sessions on court!
“It has been such a privilege to take a walk down memory lane with the many Scots who have already submitted their recipes. Eating a favourite food can instantly take you back to a certain moment in your life and that’s exactly what we want to do with this appeal - highlight delicious food memories and encourage new culinary adventures.
“The recipe book idea is a way for us to inspire people across Scotland to discover more about the food and drink offering that is on their doorstep and be proud of the traditional tastes created in their hometowns or family holiday destinations”.
“So whether its showcasing seafood or demonstrating the delights of dairy, there is only a short time left to make sure your treasured tastes and foodie memories are included in the pages of ‘You’ll have had yer tea?’”
The deadline for submission closes on 3 July. Recipes must be submitted along with a treasured story about the location or circumstances behind the memory and the food. Entries can be sent by post, or online on the dedicated webpage www.visitscotland.org/Treasured-Taste.aspx
All entries will be placed in a prize draw to win a one-night B&B stay for two at The Three Chimneys and The House Over-By in Skye. This unique prize includes dinner at the Kitchen Table at the award-winning restaurant – a not-to-be-missed experience which sees diners become immersed in the whole tableau of the kitchen, watching the chefs at work during a busy night’s service.
Full terms and conditions are available on the VisitScotland website.
For more information or to submit your Treasured Taste, please visit:
www.visitscotland.org/Treasured-Taste.aspx
For further information contact:
Louise Purves
Corporate Press Officer
Tel: 0131 472 2052
Louise.purves@visitscotland.com
Out of hours media enquiries: 07699 766986
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- year of food and drink
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by seven overarching strategies:
- Marketing: we will market Scotland and its outstanding assets to visitors from all parts of the world, including the promotion of Scotland to people living in Scotland to visit different parts of the country
- Events: we will support the national events strategy and its delivery, and sustain, develop and promote Scotland’s international profile as one of the world’s foremost events destinations
- Internationalisation and International Engagement: we will utilise all our platforms to enable Scottish-based tourism businesses to better understand international opportunities and market to a global audience and we will work within One Scotland Partnerships to optimise the potential of Scotland’s Diaspora and our strategic partners at regional, European and global levels
- Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice
- Quality and Sustainability: we will provide support and advice to businesses, with the goal of improving the quality and sustainability of the tourism sector in Scotland. We will provide quality assurance to visitors through our Quality Schemes
- Inclusive Tourism: we will strive to make tourism in Scotland inclusive and available to all
- Working in Partnership: we will listen to and work with the industry, partners and communities to shape our offering and support
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- According to a recent Deloitte study, the tourism economy supports 270,000 jobs in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the tourism economy contributes £11 billion annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland.
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
Year of Food and Drink 2015
- 2015 is the Year of Food and Drink, a celebration of Scotland’s natural larder and the role that food and drink plays in shaping our economic success.
- Scotland generates over £2.5m per day through food and drink tourism.
- A series of themed months will create an appetite for key areas of Scotland’s food and drink industries – from seafood and whisky to berries and high-quality meat
- For more information, visit www.visitscotland.com/tastescotland
