In Glasgow, dessert no longer means DFMB*

A dessert-only menu sounds like a sugar-addict’s dream. And when I heard the concept - more common in Europe than the UK - was making its Scottish debut in Glasgow, alarm bells rang. After all, the city surely has the sweetest tooth of the entire nation, not to mention diet-related health issues like obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. Was someone having a laugh?

Pastry chef Helen Vass’s first-ever pop-up, sweetly entitled Dulce, curbed my qualms. Her three-course afternoon menu, with an amuse bouche and macarons to top and tail it, was presented to 30 guests around the kitchen table of the stunning Studio93 in the city's West End.. It contained olive oil, sea salt, mascarpone, sourdough, seasonal fruits and 67.4% cacao by Caillebaut. Sweetness was checked with saltiness; fat content reduced with whipping, rather than double, cream. Helen's mastery of technique was evident. All dishes were her own creations.

A mango sphere, made in front of us and served on a spoon, kicked off proceedings. There followed her signature, pretty-as-a-picture raspberry, marscarpone and pistachio entremet complete with pipette of Chambord (created for the GBBOcreme final), then a chocolate cremeux quenelle paired with an olive oil ice-cream and sourdough toast; and to finish an individual oblong of olive oil cake with white choc cremeux, caramelised muesli, mandarin foam and mandarin granita.

Helen Vass's raspberry, marcapone and pistachio entremet, with Chambord pipette

Is Glasgow ready for me? Helen Vass at Kember & Jones, Glasgow - with sample entremet!

None of us felt bloated or sugared-out; rather, we were exhilarated. And rather proud that the citizens of Glasgow had willingly supported Helen's bold move: at £45 a head it had sold out within days of going online.

The Milngavie-born freelance pastry chef at Number 16 restaurant in Glasgow - who trained at City of Glagow College, worked in Barcelona for seven years, has done stages with some of the most highly respected pastry chefs there and in France, and still pays her own way to attend training courses at high-end pastry schools in Barcelona - tells me she too had reservations about mounting such a venture in Glasgow. Though for a different reason than mine.

She was worried that people wouldn't pay that much, and that there wasn't a market in Glasgow for high-end (Michelin star?) patisserie like hers.

I'm pleased she took the plunge, and thrilled to have been in at the beginning of what I believe will be a massive success both for Helen for Glasgow - and beyond.

* Deep Fried Mars Bar - a wilful slur if ever I heard one. Scots don't eat them; tourists do.

Tom Kitchin on his Scottish suppliers: "This is their moment too"

Dead impressed with #KitchinAtHarrods, the (sold-out) first London pop-up by chef Tom Kitchin in the Conservatory at The Georgian restaurant on the fourth floor at Harrods. I don't just mean the actual food, delicious as it was. I mean the fact that he made a point of involving all his Scottish suppliers in the logistically complex week-long venture. They included Campbells Orkney scallops, Welch Fishmongers turbot, Knockraich Farm yogurt pannacotta, as well as his forager (Bute Seaweed) and others.

Tom announced: "This is their moment too," to his London diners, most of whom had never tasted Scottish produce before. Bravo, chef.

(Tom's take-away range, based on the menu at Scran and Scallie, is on sale at Harrods Food Hall and online unatil Christmas.)

Tom with chocolatier William Curley, who created special chocolates for #KitchinAtHarrods pop-up. Check the Timorous Beasties wallpaper, recreating The Kitchin

Pret a Manger to help the Glasgow homeless at Christmas

Whatever your feelings about another coffee shop chain opening in another local high street, Pret a Manger's new branch in Byres Road in Glasgow's West End is doing its bit to help others. The company has just announced it's looking for a homeless charity to partner with.

I hereby nominate Emmaus Glasgow.

Suggestions can be made to Pret’s Foundation Trust Manager via Juanita.cracchiolo@pret.com

Whatever your feelings about another coffee shop chain opening in another local high street, Pret a Manger's new branch in Byres Road in Glasgow's West End is doing its bit to help others. The company has just announced it's looking for a homeless charity to partner with.

I hereby nominate Emmaus Glasgow.

Suggestions can be made to Pret’s Foundation Trust Manager via Juanita.cracchiolo@pret.com

Low-calorie Scottish gin? It's all in the botanicals ...

Interesting news of a new low-cal Scottish gin. It's a juniper-distilled spirit called Minus 33 and while lower in alcohol it's higher in botanicals – including coriander seed, angelica, liquorice and orris roots, lavender, elderflower and orange and lemon peel.

In fact it's not really a gin. At just 33 per cent ABV, the spirit is under the 37.5 per cent threshold required to be called a gin. It can be sipped neat.

It's been created by Sam Trett, founder of LoCa Lab Distilling of Edinburgh, a company set up to explore innovative new approaches to drinks. The packaging - including a bag of hibiscus petals, included with every online order - is by Good of Glasgow.