This year has been another incredibly busy one for The Courier Food and Drink team.
We’ve covered everything from new venue openings to restaurant reviews, not to mention challenging the food, drink and hospitality industry as well as supporting them.
There’s been stories about new chains making their way to some of the cities across Tayside and Fife as well as stories of resilience from budding entrepreneurs fighting to make their mark on the local food and drink scene.
Below we share 10 of the top stories, you, our readers, have enjoyed most over the past 12 months.
Appetite for Angus Grill and Larder
Opening in January this year, the interest around Angus Grill and Larder was huge.
You loved the first look we shared when Scottish football star John Souttar also paid a visit.
Located just off of the A90 near Brechin, Angus, the venue has been a popular pit stop for drivers travelling up and down the road.
CAM Ventures, which was set up by Will Macpherson and Campbell Archibald are the duo who invested in Angus Grill and Larder. Ensuring local produce was at the heart of the business was really important, and there is a map on one of the internal walls showcasing where the products on sale, and on the menu, are sourced from.
There’s also a dog park and a children’s play area, meaning it is a destination for families and those with pets to stop off, stretch their legs and enjoy a bite to eat.
We’ve even popped along for a restaurant review, too.
Bertie Mooney’s opening
We got an exclusive first look of Dundee bar Bertie Mooney’s ahead of its opening in February this year.
Located on Commercial Street, it was formerly known as Nicolls bar and restaurant and was rebranded by owner Jimmy Marr following a six-figure transformation.
What made this opening a little different was the fact this venue boasts three copper Tennent’s beer tanks which store up to 880 pints of the lager. It is the only venue in Tayside to boast these tanks.
Dundee’s first gaming bar
There aren’t many 20-year-olds out there who can say they own, let alone run a bar, but that’s exactly what Connor Reilly achieved in February this year.
Opening The Barcade Bar and Grill on Polepark Road, the young entrepreneur saw an advert online for the opportunity to run a bar with no experience and free rent and jumped at the chance.
He’s spent £15K renovating the place and investing in games like PlayStations and Xbox consoles.
Restaurants featured in Michelin Guide
In February the Michelin guide reveals its guide of venues who have retained, lost and even gained a mention in their stellar list of must-visit restaurants across the UK.
And every year we update our listicles telling you which in Tayside and Fife have had the pleasure of getting a mention.
You all seem to love a bit of Michelin dining and knowing who from Courier Country has been featured.
Serendipity Cafe opens in Arbroath
It was great to see new venue Serendipity Cafe open in Arboroath earlier this year in May.
Local entrepreneur Cassie Robertson who is a former school teaching assistant swapped her classroom blackboard for her dream of owning a café, and has welcomed guests to her premises ever since.
She recruited her family to help her out, so when you visit, you’ll likely be met by Cassie herself or even her daughter Melissa Robertson (22) or son-in-law Connor Grewar (31).
Is it becoming too expensive to dine out in Pitlochry?
In August, after noticing locals were getting frustrated with prices in Pitlochry venues, we stepped in to find out what was going on in the town.
Attracting lots of tourists year in year out, locals were pushing for venues to offer a locals loyalty card.
Mariam caught up with locals and business owners to get to the bottom of the issue.
You can read the full story here.
FIKA Dundee
While we were all sad to see FIKA Dundee close earlier this year, in August we reported that a young entrepreneur had brought the venue back.
Reopening it that month, Albany Keith is the new owner the venue on Perth Road and has been serving up coffees and cakes ever since.
Albany Keith, 26, started her traybakes and chocolate business Sinfully Sweet in March 2020 just as the pandemic began and due to its success, decided to take on the cafe space and give it a new lease of life.
Dean Banks opens The Forager
Arbroath born chef Dean Banks is at it again. Opening another venue, he’s turned his attention to the are of Clackmannanshire for his new pub concept, The Forager.
Describing the venue as “the perfect pub” Dean has spent the past 18 months searching for somewhere to launch the concept.
Serving up traditional grub, but in his unique style, the venue has already got off to a flying start, welcoming plenty of locals and tourists alike to the venture.
Champion butcher Alan Pirie to retire
It was a sad say when Alan Pirie, champion Angus butcher of J Pirie and Son announced his retirement, with hundreds of messages flooding in on social media.
I caught up with the 72-year-old to find out how much things had change since he first stepped into his father’s shop 57 years ago.
From launching unique products to winning top accolades, Alan has achieved a lot in the nearly six decades he has worked as a butcher.
Find out all about his career and enjoy some old black and white pictures in the article here.
Dundee’s WinterFest taste test
Last but not least is our taste test of Dundee’s WinterFest food offering.
During her first week of working on The Courier Food and Drink team I took Maria Gran down to WinterFest at Slessor Gardens to film her first taste test.
Between us we sampled a fair amount of the offering available, with Maria sticking to the veggie options and I reviewing the meatier ones.
There’s definitely a few stand outs for us both, so be sure to watch our taste test review here for the lowdown.
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