Matches made in heaven
Gillian Bell of Caledonian Connoisseur is pioneering whisky and food pairings with our very own Dave Broom. Dominic Roskrow spoke to her
If ever a person was suited to the term âgoing with the flowâ itâs Scottish on-line food and whisky retailer Gillian Bell.
Her career path over the last two years is either the result of a series of happy coincidences or the product of some intuitive business acumen, depending on your point of view.
But no matter how she arrived at the position of running her own business, she has ended up intriniscally linked to the world of whisky and is now making a leading contribution to the promotion of whisky with food.
Gillian is the managing director of Caledonian Connoisseur, an internet driven business promoting and selling the finest Scottish produce across Britain. The idea is that customers can order from a range of food and drink by a set time, perhaps early in the week. The food is then sourced, caught, hunted or killed, stored in chillers and then delivered chilled to its destination in time for the weekend, enabling customers to serve the finest and freshest Scottish food anywhere on the mainland.
Itâs a simple enough idea in theory, but a hard one to pull off in practice. And the fact that Caledonian Connoisseur is seven months old and thriving is a tribute not just to Gillian and her partnersâ hard work and dedication, but to her talent for spotting an opportunity and taking it.
So how did a young backpacker on a working holiday in New Zealand end up co-hosting food and whisky pairing masterclasses with Dave Broom at this yearâs Whisky Live events in Glas.....
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By Dominic Roskrow
Section : Whisky and Food
Page number : 38
