Posted Mon, Apr 7th 2008, 13:23
TOP rabbis have been flown in from America by a Scots herring company - to make sure their fish is 100 per cent kosher.
The Orkney Herring Company landed a deal to send 54,000 pots of the fish to the States every month.
But to meet strict Jewish religious laws, its preparation must be scrutinised by a leading rabbi - who makes sure it has not touched non-kosher fish such as sharks and eels.
Managing director Ken Sutherland said: "The first two rabbis flew in from New York, the third was from Germany and next week we'll be welcoming one from Glasgow
"It's for the whole Jewish-American market, so we have to cater for the more orthodox branches too. That means we'll be getting visits every few weeks, instead of just at Passover."
Herring is popular in Jewish cuisine, eaten with crackers on Friday evenings or for the Sabbath dinner on Saturdays.
The Stromness-based firm were set up in 1987 and produce sweet-cured herring from a secret family recipe which is hidden in a safe at a secret location.
They have produced herring for the UK market for more than 15 years and have once-a-year checks from a local rabbi.
Posted Mon, Apr 7th 2008, 13:18
Orkney-born Raymond Besant has won first prize in a worldwide wildlife film festival, with a documentary charting the life of an Atlantic seabird, the albatross family Fulmar.
Ray worked for three years on his film, The Flying Dustman, which examines the challenges that pollution and climate change are posing for the Fulmar.
Filmed in Aberdeenshire, Orkney, St Kilda and the island of Texel - off the Dutch coast - the documentary won the amateur section of the International Wildlife Film Festival in the USA, and picked up a merit award for scientific content.
As an amateur filmmaker - this is his first film - Raymond said it was difficult to judge how well he was doing. “You’ve only got yourself as a reference. You don’t know if you are really doing the right thing.”
He will attend the awards ceremony in Missoula, Montana, next month.
Posted Sun, Apr 6th 2008, 01:18
Orkney Skyline Concern have gone online. Visit them to register.
Posted Mon, Mar 31st 2008, 13:02
KIRKWALL Airport now has 40 extra car parking spaces.
Kirkwall Airport manager David Blackman said that he was delighted the first stage of the development is now complete, taking just four weeks of construction.
He added that the next stage, creating an additional 18 or 19 spaces, should be finished in another couple of weeks, depending on the weather.
The car park extension is expected to make a massive difference to the parking situation at the airport, which in the past has seen travellers complaining that spaces were in such short supply that they had to park on grass areas so they would not miss their flights.
Posted Mon, Mar 31st 2008, 11:58
Historic Scotland’s annual free weekend will take place on April 12 and 13 – allowing visitors access to some of Orkney’s best-known historic sites completely free of charge.
Over the weekend, admission charges will be dropped at the Bishop’s and Earl’s Palaces, the Broch of Gurness, Hackness Battery, Maeshowe and Skara Brae.
Visitors will have the opportunity to sign-up for annual membership for Historic Scotland over the weekend, with a special offer of three months free.
