Scran & sIPs

Your definitive guide to intellectual property for the

Food & Drink industry in Scotland

Issue 10 - Summer 2023

Contents

A message from the editors

Q&A with Scottish EDGE

Q&A with Bare Bones

Robot Chef

Using designs to protect typefaces for trade marks

Circular wind turbine economy - from blades to gummy bears

Q&A with Levercliff

Marvellous Mushrooms!

Country in focus: Jamaica

Rumtastic!

Marks & Spencer lights up Aldi design infringement

Alcohol-free and low alcohol drinks are here to stay

Meet the team

A message from the editors

Welcome to the tenth instalment of Scran & sIPs® - the Summer ’23 edition of the quarterly publication from Marks & Clerk that focuses on intellectual property for the Scottish Food & Drink industry.

In this edition, we speak to Scottish EDGE about their inaugural food and drink award that will be granted to one of Scotland’s most up-and-coming, innovative, high-growth potential, entrepreneurial food and drink businesses during Round 23. Ed Carter talks about a robot chef that utilises machine learning to recognise recipes; Paul Chapman talks about alcohol-free and low alcohol drinks; Clodargh Sherrard gives us an insight into Levercliff; Mike Shaw explains why protecting typefaces through design registrations could be beneficial for food and drink companies; Aimee Cawley provides some comments on marvellous mushrooms; Gregory Carty-Hornsby talks about design infringement; and Pamela Bryer and Rebecca Boyd introduce themselves in our Meet the Team segment.

Jason Chester and Julie Canet

Q&A with Scottish Edge (cont'd)

What support do you give to your winners?

As well as funding, we give our winners access to a support package from experts including lawyers, accountants, insurers and IP experts. We also provide Relationship Management, business information and signposting and access to peer-to-peer support through networks and events.

Do you have a particular piece of advice for food & drink winners?

My number one is talk to your customers. That’s the only way of finding out who likes your product and why, and how to reach them through your marketing.

Can you tell us a bit about your own journey to being CEO of Scottish EDGE?

I’ve been working in business support for more years than I care to admit. My last job before EDGE was running a loan fund for the Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust which gave young people aged 18-30 access to loans of up to £25,000 to grow their early-stage businesses helping the likes of BrewDog, Safehinge and Seric Systems among others. I also pitched the idea of Young EDGE to the government and was involved in judging Scottish EDGE when it was based at Scottish Enterprise. I joined EDGE as CEO in the autumn of 2014 to take EDGE out of the public sector and set it up as a private-sector led social enterprise.

And finally… as an expert on all things food and drink in Scotland, are there any particular consumer trends we should be looking out for this summer?!

Spice mixes, ready to drink cocktails in cans and pouches, mushroom products (despite The Last of Us), and vertical farm grown microgreens!

Using designs to protect typefaces for trade marks (cont'd)

Mars Wrigley provide an interesting example of how registered designs can be used to supplement trade marks in relation to typefaces. Mars Incorporated is the proprietor of several registered designs protecting the typefaces used for their confectionery products, as shown below:

Through these registrations, Mars Incorporated enjoy the right to control use of the typefaces by third parties, irrespective of whether they use wholly different brands. In turn, Mars are able to use these typefaces in marketing campaigns to reinforce the brand identity of each product, as illustrated by the carbon neutral campaign referred to above.

Whilst the maximum duration of a registered design is limited to 25 years, within that 25 year period the registered design owner will enjoy exclusivity in the typeface. If the typeface is used consistently in marketing and promotional activities, it may ultimately become distinctive of the brand owner, with Coca Cola and Kellogg's being well known examples of this.

Businesses who are developing new typefaces for their brands are therefore encouraged to consider securing registered design protection, alongside trade mark protection. With a team of attorneys having extensive experience in design law and registered design protection, Marks & Clerk is ideally placed to advise further in relation to securing registered design protection for such branding and product packaging.

Author

Michael Shaw

Partner

mshaw@marks-clerk.com

Circular wind turbine economy - from blades to gummy bears

Wind power has been hailed as one of the key energy sources to lead the way to the net zero goals being set around the world. Beyond the investment uncertainties, operating costs are often cited as challenges in scaling up this power source to meet increasing energy demand globally. However, another important challenge is coming into focus as first-generation turbines reach the end of their projected lifecycle. Landfill sites are starting to fill with turbine blades from early generation blades presenting an environmental hurdle to overcome.

Solutions to this problem have been developed and are already being adopted. For example, Siemens Gamesa's RecyclableBlades were installed in the German North Sea in July 2022. According to the company's press release, these turbine blades are made of, "a combination of materials embedded in resin to form a strong, stiff structure". Furthermore, at the end of a turbine lifecycle, the resin, fiberglass, and wood, are separated, "using a mild acid solution". These materials can then go into the circular economy, creating new products like, "suitcases or flat-screen casings" without the need for new raw materials.

Another new resin could offer a tastier solution. Researchers at Michigan State University have made a composite resin for the blades by combining glass fibers with a plant-derived polymer and a synthetic one. Digesting the resin in an alkaline solution produces potassium lactate, which can be purified to make sweets and sports drinks. In fact, one of the researchers even ate a gummy bear made from the process; literally putting their money where his mouth is.

The innovation on display in both these solutions is remarkable and really highlights the potential possibilities when brilliant minds apply themselves to the challenging problems in the renewables sector.

On eating gummy bears that are derived from a wind turbine, Dorgan says “a carbon atom derived from a plant, like corn or grass, is no different from a carbon atom that came from a fossil fuel. It’s all part of the global carbon cycle, and we’ve shown that we can go from biomass in the field to durable plastic materials and back to foodstuffs.”

www.theguardian.com/...

Robot Chef

The impact of innovations in machine learning and artificial intelligence is making waves across many fields of business and technology at the moment, and now there’s an early sign that the food sector could become one of them. Researchers in Fumiya Iida’s group at Cambridge University’s Engineering Department demonstrated a robot chef that uses machine learning to recognise simple recipes by watching humans prepare them, and even to deduce new recipes that it didn’t previously know.

In the study, the robot was initially programmed with eight salad recipes, and the researchers filmed themselves preparing each one. The robot was then trained to watch one of these videos, analyse what the human does and to which vegetables, and check whether the inferred steps were similar to any of the eight known recipes. If so, the robot was programmed to use its arm to then prepare the same recipe. The recognition process was successful 93% of the time for the simple recipes used in the study; even when the robot didn’t recognise all the individual steps, it could frequently make a correct guess at which of the recipes it was seeing.

Even more impressively, the robot was able to successfully recognise when it was shown a new salad recipe that it hadn’t been programmed with, add this recipe to its cookbook and prepare it following the human example.

While this study is only an early foray into artificially intelligent robot chefs, providing more of a proof of concept rather than a production-ready model, it certainly provides an interesting hint of the impact AI may one day have on food preparation. The researchers note that they used “off-the-shelf neural networks” to train their robot, showing how this kind of technology is no longer behind closed doors in computer science research labs, but increasingly available for all sorts of applications. It’s easy to imagine that it might not be long until AI chefs can make up their own recipes, or at least innovate on existing ones, perhaps after simply watching a recipe being performed once as in this study. The idea certainly has merit -- I’m sure many of us wouldn’t mind the idea of a robot chef that handles the cooking when we just don’t feel like it.

Author

Edward Carter

Trainee Patent Attorney

ecarter@marks-clerk.com

Q&A with Clodagh Sherrard (cont'd)

Of course there is a time and a place for ‘me too’ product development, but this rarely is a path to sustainable growth, even if it can lead to short term market share gains. Our approach is based on a framework that takes into account the observable tensions in consumers lives. Most product interactions include a dissatisfaction of sorts, and it’s through the act of observation that these subtle tensions can be identified. The reality is that consumers can’t tell you want they want! Our team has developed strong expertise in using this framework to unearth those needs that have sufficient scale behind them to innovate a solution that helps eradicate some of the dissatisfaction

If an SME is failing to capture its target consumer’s attention, what research does Levercliff implement in order to ensure brand innovation?

For a broad problem such as this, there are a plethora of solutions and as such, the first piece of work we would look to undertake is an assessment of the drivers that explain the current poor performance. There are many marketing frameworks that dissect the key growth levers, but irrespective of the one that you use, in most cases the causes can be explained by investigating issues in availability (physical and mental), pricing, promotion and more fundamentally the proposition of the product i.e. the problem it aims to resolve. It sounds very daunting to be exposed with as broad a range of potential questions to try to answer, but we often find that the main driver for a performance issue is relatively easy to identify, and the bulk of our work would then be specifically tailored to address the particular challenge in more detail.

What kind of commercial skill training does Levercliff offer to food & drink businesses?

In June 1995 Sainsbury’s announced their intention to move into Northern Ireland, and not long after they did, Levercliff in conjunction with Sainsbury’s developed the first Supplier Development Programme, designed to assist local NI suppliers upskill their Commercial abilities in order to understand how to trade and ideally thrive supplying into a large multiple retailer. The rest they say is history! Almost 30 years later we still undertake commercial development programmes, most recently with Scotland Food and Drink. Levercliff are the delivery partners of SF&D’s acclaimed Academy Programme, working with companies such as Mrs. Tilly’s, Scottish Salmon, Bruce Farms and many others. While individual businesses often manage upskilling and training requirements with in-house programmes or on-the-job coaching, we do find some clients wanting to work with us more as business mentors or coaches, which tends to focus on senior management positions. This is how our relationship with Keoghs for example has evolved.

Q&A with Clodagh Sherrard (cont'd)

As inflation continues to challenge us, what steps can businesses’ take to avoid scrimping on quality whilst trying to ensure product affordability?

This is a difficult question to provide specific guidance on as much depends on the category the business is in. Changes that are relative to the overriding category trend are ones that are easier to manage, as consumers are often left with fewer choices but to change their existing patterns of behaviour. The nature of the category and how much of an essential item we are talking about also has an impact in price elasticity. But with all these caveats in mind, we do find that consumers have become more tolerant of portion size changes in the current economic climate, so this would be one option for brands that results in no change to intrinsic product quality. There may even be options where better overall value can be offered with a revision of things like product packaging, shelf-life and even cooking method changes. Iceland have recently been in the press due to launching a whole range of air fryer ready products! Key thing to review is whether you are communicating to consumers the holistic value your product offers them. Finally, there may be some lessons brands can take from Private Label, who can afford to create value tiers in their offerings, ranging from cut-priced essentials to premium quality.

Health and wellness is increasingly at the core of society and is arguably shaped by the rise and fall of different well-being trends seen in the media. In terms of the Scottish food and drink scene, what advice would you give to businesses’ that are aiming to predict, and monetise off the ever-changing consumer health and wellness habits?

Health is clearly a growing topic for consumers in food drink and this is true for all parts of the UK. We see little significant differences between Sottish and English consumers in terms of health and instead the main differentiator is consumer life stage. Age in particular has a significant impact on how consumers approach health in food & drink. Some of this is to do with age-related health concerns, but we do also find that younger consumers are much more interested in new and novel approaches to health, and would certainly be the prime prospect for any products that offer brain and mental agility-related benefits. Food & Drink companies need to understand what constitutes a viable long-term need versus just a short-term fad when they consider developing solutions for health.

Ireland has a thriving Food & Drink industry and it is well established in export around the world. As you are Irish born and bred, what inspiration can other businesses take from Ireland’s food and drink scene, in the hope that their own nation will become associated with their very own food and drink products?

Smaller countries have to punch well above their weight to ensure success on the global stage, particularly in a competitive and somewhat localised food and drink sector. This means that companies must recognise that they need to be outward looking to drive growth, and help from industry bodies acts as a great enabler for constructive collaboration. Ireland has benefitted from significant investment by the Irish Government who, early on, identified the importance of the sector and agriculture to the economy. Investment in insight by Bord Bia (The Irish Food Board) on behalf of the Irish food & drink sector, through its Thinking House, has helped Irish companies not only to respond to domestic opportunities but also to tap into global food trends. Increasingly, we are seeing insight such as this being made available to Scottish companies through SF&D’s Knowledge Bank.

Marvellous Mushrooms!

The more I learn about mushrooms, the more I am amazed as to what these marvellous structures are capable of.

For a few years now, easily compostable packaging material such as Mushroom® Packaging, which uses MycoComposite™ biomaterial, has been available to create sustainable alternatives to plastic foams, such as expanded polystyrene (EPS), polyethylene (PE), and extruded polystyrene (XPS) foams. Mycelium (the root-like structure of fungi) is combined with agricultural waste products, such as hemp, cork, sawdust and corn husks, to grow the desired 'green' packaging products.

More recently, I learnt about the power of mushrooms in creating a bio-based leather alternative: Mylo™. Such is the beauty of the material that it has been used by designer Stella McCartney in her range of Frayme bags.

And now, I discover that these magical little things are being used to grow lightweight and relatively eco-friendly construction materials, cleverly using 'knitted moulds'.

It seems the possibilities are potentially endless in terms of technical developments in the underlying technology as well as its applications (and accompanying brand strategy).

The drive towards protecting innovation and brands using Intellectual Property (IP) rights, and on the flip-side ensuring any commercial activity under consideration is free from third party IP rights, must also keep pace to ensure we all continue to benefit from the magic in the mycelium.

And, yes, I am rather partial to a mushroom risotto too!

Using the knitted moulds as a flexible framework or ‘formwork’, the scientists created a composite called ‘mycocrete’ which is stronger and more versatile in terms of shape and form, allowing the scientists to grow lightweight and relatively eco-friendly construction materials.

eandt.theiet.org/...

Country in focus - Jamaica (cont'd)

This means that it is possible for applicants to file first applications in Jamaica without the details of the marks being made available to the wider public. This allows applicants to obtain a valid first filing priority date under the Paris Convention while maintaining their new brand secret.

During the examination process, the Jamaican Examiner will carry out a search of conflicting earlier marks which may be cited as barriers to registration. If an objection is raised, the applicant will be given the opportunity to make representations or to amend the application.

For rejected applications, it is possible to file an appeal via the Jamaican court system.

Acceptance, publication, and oppositions

If the application is accepted, it will be published for opposition purposes. Third parties may file an opposition within two months of the publication of the mark, stating the grounds of opposition.

If the opposition is deemed admissible, the applicant will be given two months to respond, unless the parties jointly agree to a two-month cooling-off period. The cooling-off period can be further extended via joint request up to a maximum of six months.

Final opposition decisions may also be appealed to the Jamaican courts.

Use requirements and revocation

It is required that trade marks be put to bona fide commercial use in Jamaica. If a trade mark has not been suspended for a period of five years prior to the filing of the revocation action, and the proprietor is not able to put forward proper reasons for non-use, the trade mark registration may be revoked.

If there has been a continuous period of five years of non-use but the proprietor of the mark has resumed use prior to the filing of a revocation action, this may serve as a defence.

In addition to non-use revocation, Jamaican trade mark law also allows for revocation in instances where the trade mark has become generic (common name) or misleading.

It is also possible to seek the invalidity of a trade mark where it can be demonstrated that, at the time of filing, either a) it was disqualified from registration under absolute grounds, or b) a conflicting and still valid earlier right existed and that its owner did not consent to the registration. In the latter case, if the owner of the earlier mark has not taken action after becoming aware of the later trade mark and the later trade mark has since been used for a continuous period of three years, acquiescence may be raised as a defence. Acquiescence will not apply, however, if the later trade mark was filed in bad faith.

Assignment and licensing of trade marks, security interests

Assignments and trade mark licences may be filed with the registry. Suitable documentary evidence must be submitted with each application, i.e. a certified copy of the deed of assignment or a confirmatory assignment, or evidence of a licence agreement.

It is important to note that if an assignment or licence is not recorded within six months of the date of the transaction, the new owner or licensee will not be entitled to damages or an account of profits in respect of any infringement of the registered trade mark which occurs after the effective date of the assignment/licence and before the transaction is recorded.

Security interests can also be recorded at the registry. If appropriate representations are made and the application is accepted, the details of the grantee and basic details of the security interest will be entered in the register.

M&S vs Aldi (cont'd)

Unsurprisingly, and having had some well documented disputes with Aldi in the past, M&S brought proceedings against Aldi for infringement of its registered designs for the 2020 Snow Globe.

In reaching the Court’s decision, the Judge (HH Judge Hacon) construed the scope of protection provided by each of M&S’s design registrations. All four registrations were filed with descriptions stating that the claimed bottles were illuminated, and the Court accepted that such descriptions can in principle be used to construct the scope of protection of the designs. However, interestingly, despite apparently taking the descriptions into consideration, the Court found that only the third and fourth registrations should be considered to claim the illumination, and that the first and second registrations should effectively be considered non-illuminated. Nevertheless, in the end such a distinction did not matter. The Court found that the similarities between M&S’ registrations and Aldi’s Infusionist products were more striking than their differences, and concluded that all four M&S registrations were infringed by the Aldi products complained of.

However, it is notable that the case does not fully consider the effect of the 2019 version of the Snow Globe as prior art against the 2020 registrations. Given that the scope of protection construed by the Court in relation to the first and second registrations excluded the feature of illumination, it is difficult to understand why the Court felt that these two registrations produced a different overall impression from that of the 2019 version of the Snow Globe, particularly where the only differences appear to lie in the specific nature of the applied artwork. It appears that there is a case to be made that at least the first and second registrations may not be valid, and are therefore not infringed.

However, this situation could have been avoided entirely if M&S had registered its designs before launching the 2019 Snow Globe, or within 12 months of the launch date, since in such circumstances the 2019 Snow Globe would not be citable prior art.

Moreover, whilst the case in the end did not turn on the presence of illumination sources, M&S’ reliance on the descriptions for establishing the existence of illumination clearly failed with respect to the first and second registrations. This situation might have been avoided if M&S had secured additional registered design protection comprising representations showing the bottle in both illuminated and non-illuminated states, thereby expressly claiming internal lighting as an element of the design. M&S could have complimented this by using a written disclaimer to make clear that the scope of protection claimed did not extend to non-illuminated bottles.

Finally, it is notable that M&S’ representations are based on colour photographs. Whilst the decision did not turn on any elements of colour, had Aldi taken a more cautious approach it may have been possible to avoid infringement by using different coloured artwork, flakes and illumination to that claimed by M&S. Likewise, M&S could have mitigated against this risk by including black and white representations, in which colour is disclaimed. Alternatively, M&S could have included a written disclaimer, disclaiming the colours shown in the representations.

The above notwithstanding, the decision should provide welcome reassurance for designers seeking to use registered designs to protect their products. Product design is, like many creative processes, based upon a series of incremental developments, such as in the case of the Snow Globe. However, this decision shows that it is not necessary to create a brand-new product category to obtain enforceable protection, and that protection can successfully be obtained for providing a creative new look and feel to an old product. Nevertheless, the decision also shows the value of obtaining expert advice at an early stage to avoid your own prior disclosures, and the downsides of relying on description elements to address inadequacies in the available representations.

Author

Greg Carty-Hornsby

Senior Associate

gcarty@marks-clerk.com

Alcohol-free and low alcohol drinks are here to stay

I have previously written about my love of whole grain beer-making and how BrewDog is happy for home brewers, such as myself, to copy their recipes (Scran and sIPs Issue 8). Now I certainly would not want you to think that all I dream about is making and drinking beer - I only do that 50% of the time! More seriously, I am actually someone who drinks many alcohol-free and low alcohol beers, as I like the taste of beer and the alcohol-free (actually up to 0.5% alcohol) and low alcohol versions taste pretty good. I would go as far to say that some are now exceptional. I drink these both at home and when out socially, especially when driving, as I recognise the importance of limiting one’s weekly alcohol consumption and the health benefits associated with this.

I am not alone when it comes to such a transition, or hybrid drinking approach, as sales of alcohol-free beer in the UK have more than tripled in the last 5 years (Financial Times, 6 June 2022). However, in spite of my scientific background, I must admit that I did not really know how alcohol-free/low alcohol beers were made. As it happens, there are two principal ways for controlling or reducing the alcohol content of drinks, such as beer, lager, ale or cider. The first is by way of adapting the brewing process, by employing non-fermenting ingredients, which acts to stop the amount of alcohol from reaching significant levels. The second way is to remove the alcohol after making the beer in a conventional manner. This is generally achieved by heating the drink until the alcohol evaporates, as this occurs much faster than the water, which is present in the drink; or passing the drink through a special filter, by a process known as reverse osmosis, to remove the alcohol, but leaving other ingredients behind.

A quick patent search using a publicly available database returned over 380 hits when searching for the term “alcohol-free beer”, so there has certainly been a great deal of innovation surrounding the making of alcohol free beer, and interested parties are looking to protect their inventions. Interestingly, the idea of alcohol-free beer is not a new one, as I found a patent dating from 1898, which relates to the removal of alcohol from beer to make it less intoxicating (GB189819859).

Drinks producers in Scotland have actively taken up the baton to produce low/alcohol-free beverages. Exemplary brewers include the aforementioned BrewDog, who make Nanny State and Punk AF beers; Tennent’s, who make Tennent’s Zero; Jump/Ship brewing who make Yardarm Lager; and Harviestoun Brewery who make Wheesht (although I am not sure if this is still available). The trade names of beers are often amusing, as you can see from some of the above. I heard someone suggest that “T-total” would have been a good name for Tennent’s alcohol-free beer and I certainly feel that would have caught the eye. Perhaps my trade mark colleagues will follow up this article with a piece on branding and the importance of protecting your beer trade marks.

As well as the expansion of alcohol-free beers, there has been an explosion of alcohol-free distilled spirits and there are a number of Scottish producers.

Alcohol-free and low alcohol drinks are here to stay (cont)

Feragaia (fer-a-guy-a), for example, is handcrafted by distilling 14 land and sea botanicals – including seaweed, bay leaf and chamomile – to produce an alcohol- and sugar-free “spirit”. Another producer is Glen Dochus who make a variety of distilled alcohol-free spirits. I am sure many others will soon follow. Whilst I have not yet tried these particular drinks, I have had other alcohol-free distilled spirits and have found some to be pleasing. However, these are often designed to be prepared with a mixer, which adds to the overall flavour profile and hence appreciation

Whilst I am more than happy to drink alcohol-free/low alcohol beer and spirits, I have shied away from drinking the wine equivalent. Why? Because their taste is sometimes questionable! However, when making this statement, I must admit to having not sampled any alcohol-free, or low alcohol wine for a very long time. When reviewing for this article, I read of the greater difficulties of simply removing alcohol from wine, as it often leads to removal of other flavour producing components at the same time. Alternatively, a high level of sugar remains in the wine and I am not that keen on medium sweet wines. Moreover, until recently, it seems that not much thought or development went into improving alcohol-free or low alcohol wines. Many wine producers simply viewed such wine as an afterthought or inconvenience. However, given the expansion of other alcohol-free or low alcohol drinks, it seems that times have changed and some producers have put a lot of effort into making these wines taste better. It seems perhaps the time has come for me to try these again and who knows, maybe I will like them.

Author

Paul Chapman

Of Counsel

pchapman@marks-clerk.com

Meet the team

What are your areas of expertise?

I have over 20 years of experience as a Patent & Design Attorney and cover a wide range of technologies including electrical, mechanical, optical and software-related inventions.

What are your career highlights to date?

I spent three years working in our Singapore office, which was a great experience all-round, although a highlight was providing designs training to the staff of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore. I have also successfully attended hearings at the European Patent Office and the US Patent and Trademark Office but, unfortunately, I have yet to find a reason to visit the UK Intellectual Property Office in Newport, South Wales!

What is your favourite dish?

I love Asian cuisine and especially the fresh flavours of Vietnamese food so Cao Lau noodles from Hoi An would probably be my favourite.

What is your signature meal to cook at home?

I generally try to avoid cooking if I can! I do, however, enjoy baking and my spiced pumpkin cake is my daughter’s absolute favourite.

What is your top tipple?

When the sun is shining I like a refreshing fruity cider but otherwise I’ll usually opt for Prosecco.

What are your favourite restaurants?

I’ve just discovered SEN Vietnamese Dining in Edinburgh and highly recommend it for its authentic dishes.

Who are your dream dinner guests?

I think Sandi Toksvig and Bill Gates would be good for an interesting and fun conversation.

What is the most adventurous food/drink you’ve ever tried?

Deep fried silk worms in Thailand.

What are your favourite hobbies?

I am a keen photographer and enjoy travelling and a good pub quiz.

Meet the Team

What are your areas of expertise?

Working within the MBD team, I support our Scottish offices in all areas of Marketing and Business Development, from research to event organisation, profile raising, content production and relationship building. I also look after the company Instagram - never a dull moment.

What are your career highlights to date?

I decided to go back to university to get my Masters after travelling for a few years, and landed the job with Marks & Clerk as I was finishing up. I feel like I've landed on my feet here: I've been given the responsibility of a number of projects really quickly and it's been very fulfilling to see how much I've grown professionally in the first year of my career.

What is your favourite dish?

I don't think I could ever choose just one… I'm a big mac 'n' cheese fan, anything buffalo chicken related. Also love a good fish taco.

What is your signature meal to cook at home?

Admittedly my partner does most of the cooking: he's a fantastic chef! But when I'm left to fend for myself I make a really good chicken teriyaki with veg fried rice.

What is your top tipple?

Day-to-day you'll find me with a coffee in my hand at any given moment: Glasgow's coffee scene is smashing it right now. On the weekends either an Aperol Spritz, or dark/spiced rum - really enjoying Dark Matter rum at the moment; made right here in Scotland.

What are your favourite restaurants?

This list could be quite extensive! A few of my top rated are: Ziques for small plates; Rafa's for Mexican food; and Crabshakk for seafood.

Who are your dream dinner guests?

I know they tell you not to meet your heroes, but I've heard enough times that Dave Grohl is a nice human so he'd be my top pick, along with Grace Beverley. Then David Attenborough and Robin Williams.

What is the most adventurous food/drink you’ve ever tried?

I had some kangaroo when I lived in Australia.

Do you have any hobbies?

If eating out counts, then that and travel! I like getting into the Scottish mountains for a hike, and I've started stand-up paddleboarding. I play badminton, and I've also gone back to gymnastics for the first time since I was about 12 - that has been a humbling experience!