Lisa Bruce

Lisa Bruce writes on Scotland’s civic, cultural and public life, with particular attention to power and the structures shaping Scotland.

Scotland, In Focus·The Dented Kettle

Oatcakes

This is a Scottish traditional recipe that has not been modified from its original version. You will need to substitute for modern ingredients as required. You will need: – 1 cup of oatmeal – 1 teaspoonful of melted fat – pinch of baking soda

Scotland, In Focus·The Dented Kettle

Authentic Scottish Haggis

This is an authentic Scottish recipe. You may wish to modify it with modern ingredients. 1. Procure a large stomach bag of a sheep, as well as its liver, lights and heart. The bag must be well washed, first in cold water, then plunged

Vintage Dundee Gingerbread

NOTE: This is a vintage Scottish recipe from the WW2 era where eggs were often replaced

Mrs. Bruce’s Lasagna

This recipe is from Mrs. Bruce of Aberdeen. Filling: – 1 pound of hamburger meat (mince)

Reform-backed Election Amendment Would Criminalise Gaelic Language

A proposal submitted at Westminster would allow election publications only in English or Welsh. Gaelic is

Featured·Infrastructure

SaxaVord Reaches Launch Point as Unst Weighs the Gains, Restrictions and Risks

After nearly a decade of planning, construction and delayed launch dates, SaxaVord Spaceport is preparing for a possible test flight from Unst.

by Lisa Bruce

17 July 2026

Community·Featured·Scottish News

More Than 100 Performers Rally Behind Aberdeen Arts Centre As Rescue Campaign Continues

More than 100 performers from across north-east Scotland will take part in two fundraising shows this autumn as Aberdeen Arts Centre continues

by Lisa Bruce

16 July 2026

Community·Featured·Scottish News

Glasgow’s Anger Did Not Begin With an Online Rumour

A 16-year-old girl was seriously sexually assaulted in Springburn Park on the evening of 26 June. Police Scotland later arrested and charged

by Lisa Bruce

13 July 2026

Economy·Featured·Scottish News

Aberdeen’s Oldest Bartender-Owned Spirits Brand Launches Vermouth

Aberdeen is not usually the first Scottish city people associate with spirits. Its modern image is more often built around granite and

by Lisa Bruce

8 July 2026

Economy·Featured·Scottish News

Waste Glass and New Homes: The Dumfries Firm Testing Scotland’s Housing Economy

Waste Glass and New Homes: The Dumfries Firm Testing Scotland’s Housing Economy A Dumfries-based construction business has secured more than £5m in

by Lisa Bruce

7 July 2026

Featured·Policy and Government·Scottish News

Foreign Influence, Scottish Democracy And Hunting For BlackCore

French authorities say a private Israeli-linked influence firm targeted John Swinney, the SNP and the Scottish Government during Scotland’s election campaign. The

by Lisa Bruce

12 June 2026

Community·Featured·Scottish News

Scottish Children Sing Their Support As National Team Returns To World Cup Stage

More than 2,000 school pupils from across Scotland have taken part in a new video performance of We’re the Land of Scots.

by Lisa Bruce

12 June 2026

Community·Featured·Scottish News

Parents Warned After Counterfeit Squishy Toys Seized In Aberdeen

Trading Standards officers in Aberdeen have warned parents and businesses after counterfeit and potentially unsafe squishy toys were seized from shops in

by Lisa Bruce

10 June 2026

Featured·Policy and Government·Scottish News

Starmer Is Opening The Back Door To Britain’s Devices In The Name Of Child Safety

The UK Government says it wants to stop children taking, sharing or viewing nude images on smartphones and tablets. But Scotland should

by Lisa Bruce

9 June 2026

Energy·Featured·Policy and Government·Scottish News

Scotland Was Warned. The Grid Bill Is Now Arriving.

Scotland’s electricity story is often told as a story of abundance. Wind in the North Sea. Hydro in the glens. Islands surrounded

by Lisa Bruce

9 June 2026

Community·Featured·Scottish News

Coalsnaughton Crisis Puts Scotland’s Coalfield Housing Legacy Under Scrutiny

Nearly 100 homes have been evacuated in Coalsnaughton while ground movement is investigated. The cause has not yet been confirmed, but the

by Lisa Bruce

4 June 2026

Economy·Featured·Scottish News

Royal Bank Opens IP Lending Door for Scotland’s Creative and Tech Firms

Royal Bank of Scotland has launched a new lending product allowing high growth Scottish businesses to borrow against intellectual property. The test

by Lisa Bruce

3 June 2026

EDITOR'S WATCH COMMENTARY

Modern Scot Responds: The Green Economy Headline Scotland Should Audit, Not Swallow

A Guardian article reports that the UK net zero economy is worth more than £100 billion a year and supports more than

by Lisa Bruce

2 June 2026

Featured·Heritage·Scottish News

Jean Fletcher Watson’s Quiet Gift Returns to View at Edinburgh’s City Art Centre

A free exhibition at the City Art Centre traces the legacy of Jean Fletcher Watson, whose donations helped shape Edinburgh’s collection of

by Lisa Bruce

1 June 2026

The Dented Kettle

A Simple Cullen Skink Recipe

Cullen skink takes its name from a town on the Moray coast and from an older Scots word for soup. Made with

by Lisa Bruce

29 May 2026

Environment·Scottish News

The Rare Rainforest on Scotland’s Western Edge

Scotland’s temperate rainforest survives in fragments along the wet western edge of the country, from Argyll and Lochaber to Wester Ross, Skye

by Lisa Bruce

29 May 2026

Featured·Infrastructure·Scottish News

From Ferries to Tunnels: Shetland Faces a 60-Year Choice

Shetland councillors will decide in June which long-term transport options should be taken forward for eight island communities, after new work placed

by Lisa Bruce

29 May 2026

Featured·Scottish News·Transport

Aberdeen’s E-Bikes Return With More Than 5,000 Early Trips

Aberdeen’s new Voi e-bike scheme has recorded more than 5,000 journeys since launching in the city, with early use averaging 7.4 trips

by Lisa Bruce

29 May 2026

Economy·Featured·Scottish News

First Homes Fund Will Help Some Buyers. It Will Not Fix Scotland’s Housing Shortage

Scotland’s new First Homes Fund is due to open by the end of June, offering first time buyers up to £10,000 toward

by Lisa Bruce

28 May 2026

Featured·Policy and Government·Scottish News

What Was the Smith Commission, and Why Does It Matter Again?

Download the Smith Commission Report The Smith Commission was created after the 2014 No vote. It recommended more powers for Holyrood. It

by Lisa Bruce

27 May 2026

Featured·Policy and Government·Scottish News

Scottish Parliament Backs Call for Second Independence Referendum Powers

MSPs have voted to call on the UK Government to transfer the legal power needed for a second Scottish independence referendum. The

by Lisa Bruce

26 May 2026

Featured·Policy and Government·Scottish News

Scotland’s Constitutional Question is Back Before Holyrood

The First Minister’s first major programme debate of the new Parliament will ask MSPs to support a call for Westminster to devolve

by Lisa Bruce

22 May 2026

Featured·Infrastructure·Scottish News

Scotland, As the Data Finds It

A national portrait of Scotland through land, homes, people, services and power. A thousand years from now, if historians look back, they

by Lisa Bruce

21 May 2026

Featured·Policy and Government·Scottish News

John Swinney Returns as First Minister With Promise of Cooperation and Constitutional Purpose

John Swinney accepted the Scottish Parliament’s nomination as First Minister today with a speech that sought to combine personal humility, post election

by Lisa Bruce

19 May 2026

Energy·Featured·Scottish News

The North Sea Is Scotland’s Constitutional Test

The question is no longer whether the North Sea can return to the past. The question is whether Scotland enters the next

by Lisa Bruce

14 May 2026

Scotland, In Focus·Scottish History Ledger

Stuart Beattie Of Rosslyn Chapel

First published in 2005 Most people who say they want to change the world mean it in the broadest possible sense. Stuart

by Lisa Bruce

14 May 2026

Community·Scottish News

Highland Pupils Bring Gaelic Stories To Life On Screen

Schools, young filmmakers and Gaelic media students from across the Highlands have been shortlisted for FilmG 18, Scotland’s Gaelic short film competition,

by Lisa Bruce

12 May 2026

Economy·Featured·Scottish News

Scottish Musicians Appear Among Co Owners As Subvert Launches New Music Marketplace

Scottish artists are listed among the members of Subvert, a newly launched cooperative music marketplace owned by artists, labels, supporters and workers

by Lisa Bruce

12 May 2026

Community·Featured·Scottish News

Ayrshire Based King’s Foundation Turns To Quantum Technology In New Urban Planning Programme

The King’s Foundation has joined FormationQ in a three year programme intended to help fast growing Commonwealth towns plan more sustainably, extending

by Lisa Bruce

11 May 2026

Energy·Scottish News

Clean Heating Without Backup Leaves the Highlands Exposed

Scotland’s move to clean heating and electrification is intended to reduce emissions and modernise the energy system. But in the Highlands and

by Lisa Bruce

9 May 2026

Featured·Policy and Government·Scottish News

Scotland Returns the SNP, But Not the Old Political Map

The 2026 Holyrood election has returned the SNP as Scotland’s largest party, but not with the comfort of command. Beneath the headline

by Lisa Bruce

9 May 2026

The Dented Kettle

Scotland, Remember The Dandelions

There was once a time when Scots knew exactly what a dandelion was for. Not symbolically, or poetically. Scots once understood the

by Lisa Bruce

8 May 2026

Featured·Infrastructure·Scottish News

Scotland’s Energy Landscape Is Quietly Becoming Part of the Global AI Economy

For generations, Scotland’s energy story was associated with coalfields, hydroelectric dams and later the offshore oil and gas industry of the North

by Lisa Bruce

7 May 2026

Scotland Image Gallery·Scotland, In Focus

Port Erroll – Cruden Bay

There are places along the Scottish coast where several different versions of the country seem to exist at once. Port Erroll is

by Lisa Bruce

6 May 2026

Environment

Scotland’s Rarest Fern Returns To Glen Affric After A Victorian Obsession Nearly Erased It

Forestry and Land Scotland and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh have planted 250 oblong woodsia ferns on a Highland scree slope. The

by Lisa Bruce

4 May 2026

Featured·Heritage·Scottish News

Harrison Ford, Glenmorangie and the Quiet Confidence of Tain

A new Glenmorangie created with Harrison Ford has brought international attention to one of Scotland’s most graceful Highland whiskies. Yet the lasting

by Lisa Bruce

4 May 2026

Scotland, In Focus·The Dented Kettle

Skirret, or Crummock, the Sweet Root Scotland Forgot

Before the potato became ordinary, and before sugar became cheap, there was skirret. In Scotland it was known as crummock, a word

by Lisa Bruce

29 April 2026

Scotland, In Focus·The Dented Kettle

Forgotten Scottish Gardens: The Older Table

Alongside the structured discipline of the Scottish working garden, there existed in Scotland a quieter and older tradition of cultivation, one that

by Lisa Bruce

11 April 2026

Scotland, In Focus·The Dented Kettle

The Working Gardens of Scotland

There is a particular dignity in the working gardens of Scotland, one that has nothing to do with ornament and everything to

by Lisa Bruce

11 April 2026

Scotland, In Focus·The Dented Kettle

Mrs. Bruce’s Mountain Quinoa

There comes a moment when one realises that food is no longer a matter of preference but of performance. The body, when

by Lisa Bruce

20 February 2026

Scottish Sites We Love

Tie The Knot Scotland

There are few industries in Scotland that combine heritage, hospitality, design, fashion, tourism and local business quite as naturally as the wedding

by Lisa Bruce

4 October 2025

Serving Scotland from the shores of the North Sea.

Lisa Bruce