Festival to showcase country's best and oldest fishing boats
Sailing ships from a time gone by, the 32nd Portsoy Traditional Boat festival is set to showcase some of the country's best and oldest fishing boats.
It's one of Scotland's largest maritime festivals and gets underway in the Aberdeenshire village this weekend.
One of the oldest vessels in attendance is the fishing boat the Isabella Fortuna.
It's skipper Malcom Bremner said: 'She was built in Arbroath in 1890 and at that time she was the largest fishing vessel in the East coast of Scotland. STV News Isabella Fortuna: One of the oldest vessels in attendance.
''I'm interested in looking after old boats but also more importantly passing on traditional skills like engineering, woodwork, carpentry, even rope work, sails.
'It's all traditional industries that used to be the normal over 135 years ago.''
More than two dozen are due to arrive across the weekend for visitors to see… some more than a hundred years old.
And as time marches on – keeping traditional skills going and the historic boats afloat is becoming a challenge.
David Urquhart is the festival's Chairman: ''It is very important, because there is less boats coming to the festival. I've been doing this for over 30 years and some of the skippers then were 80 years old back then and sadly they're no longer with us.
''But it's important to see the boats as they come in like 'Isabella' and get the youngsters down onto 'Isabella' to see what fishing was like 50/60 years ago.'
But there are those working to preserve skills from times gone by.
Traditional wood workers have come from Norway to pass on their skills and to bring new ones back from Scotland.
Tove Hjellnes, Norwegian Coastal Federation explained: ''We are neighbours, we are part of the same history, same tradition. Especially the boats are the same, the same way you build boats in Scotland and in Norway or Scandinavia.
''Since we are living on the coast along the water, we should know how to make boats and how to repair boats and to use boats because it connects us as people, I think.''
And what would a festival be without music? A live soundtrack will accompany the weekend which kicks off with the Scottish Folk Band Manran.
Aidan Moodie, Mànran Guitarist: 'You've got Marcus and me from Orkney, everybody from the west coast and Ryan from Ireland. We try and showcase a lot of the different Celtic music cultures in what we do, even though now a days we've got a bit of pop and rock in it. It's great to be here. We're hoping to sail away in a dinghy boat by tonight.'
As time marches on, organisers say the festival is becoming even more important in keeping Scotland's maritime heritage alive.
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STV News
a day ago
- STV News
Festival to showcase country's best and oldest fishing boats
Sailing ships from a time gone by, the 32nd Portsoy Traditional Boat festival is set to showcase some of the country's best and oldest fishing boats. It's one of Scotland's largest maritime festivals and gets underway in the Aberdeenshire village this weekend. One of the oldest vessels in attendance is the fishing boat the Isabella Fortuna. It's skipper Malcom Bremner said: 'She was built in Arbroath in 1890 and at that time she was the largest fishing vessel in the East coast of Scotland. STV News Isabella Fortuna: One of the oldest vessels in attendance. ''I'm interested in looking after old boats but also more importantly passing on traditional skills like engineering, woodwork, carpentry, even rope work, sails. 'It's all traditional industries that used to be the normal over 135 years ago.'' More than two dozen are due to arrive across the weekend for visitors to see… some more than a hundred years old. And as time marches on – keeping traditional skills going and the historic boats afloat is becoming a challenge. David Urquhart is the festival's Chairman: ''It is very important, because there is less boats coming to the festival. I've been doing this for over 30 years and some of the skippers then were 80 years old back then and sadly they're no longer with us. ''But it's important to see the boats as they come in like 'Isabella' and get the youngsters down onto 'Isabella' to see what fishing was like 50/60 years ago.' But there are those working to preserve skills from times gone by. Traditional wood workers have come from Norway to pass on their skills and to bring new ones back from Scotland. Tove Hjellnes, Norwegian Coastal Federation explained: ''We are neighbours, we are part of the same history, same tradition. Especially the boats are the same, the same way you build boats in Scotland and in Norway or Scandinavia. ''Since we are living on the coast along the water, we should know how to make boats and how to repair boats and to use boats because it connects us as people, I think.'' And what would a festival be without music? A live soundtrack will accompany the weekend which kicks off with the Scottish Folk Band Manran. Aidan Moodie, Mànran Guitarist: 'You've got Marcus and me from Orkney, everybody from the west coast and Ryan from Ireland. We try and showcase a lot of the different Celtic music cultures in what we do, even though now a days we've got a bit of pop and rock in it. It's great to be here. We're hoping to sail away in a dinghy boat by tonight.' As time marches on, organisers say the festival is becoming even more important in keeping Scotland's maritime heritage alive. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
STV News
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The Guardian
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Empanadas and stuffed piquillos: José Pizarro's recipes for green peppers
Peppers are more than just staples of the Spanish kitchen, they are one of our culinary foundations. As with tomatoes, when Columbus returned from the Americas in the late 15th century, he presented peppers as a gift to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, and they very quickly became a key part of our cooking traditions. The pepper's most iconic contribution to Spanish cuisine is surely pimentón de la Vera, or smoked paprika, which is an essential seasoning in a lot of Spanish cooking, adding exquisite depth to stews, rice dishes, seafood and, of course, chorizo. But we also celebrate fresh peppers in all their guises. Padrón peppers are, of course, a classic tapa, while pimientos rellenos (stuffed peppers) are filled every which way, from seafood and minced meat to creamy bechamel. From the royal court to home kitchens, peppers have taken root in our culinary culture. 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Prep 15 min Cook 2 hr 40 min+ Makes 8 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped 2 celery stalks, trimmed and finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 200g cooking chorizo, skinned and finely chopped 500g pork mince 1 star anise Finely grated zest of 1 lemon 200ml white wine 400g tin tomatoes 2 tbsp tomato puree 350ml chicken stock Flaky sea salt and black pepper 8 large green bell peppers Heat the oil in a large saute pan, then gently fry the onion and celery for 10 minutes, until really soft. Add the garlic and chorizo and cook for a further five minutes, until the chorizo releases all its oils. Add the pork mince, turn up the heat and brown all over, breaking up the mince with a spoon so it doesn't clump. Stir in the star anise, lemon zest and white wine, leave to bubble for a few minutes, then tip in the tomatoes, tomato puree and stock. 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Bake for 20–25 minutes, until golden brown, then serve warm or at room temperature. These recipes are edited extracts from The Spanish Pantry: 12 Ingredients, 100 Simple Recipes, by José Pizarro, published this week by Quadrille at £28. To order a copy for £25.20, go the
