No need for a subway ride. The West End is THE shopping destination this year.

Few of us will be sad to see the demise of 2020. But so far, we are making it through and as true Glaswegians, just getting on with it. If you are a small business owner that ‘blitz mentality’ has just about got you through the past 9 months. With Christmas coming, this should be a time of economic growth. So with that in mind, where should we spend our hard earned cash this Christmas? Let’s consider our own back yard, support our small business owners and shop locally.

THE SPIRITO OF CHRISTMAS

Immersing itself in a glorious halo of festive treats Spirito, Crow Road is a one stop shop for home and gift ideas. Their line of super cute Pot Candles combining Christmas and nature come in either robin, reindeer or fox and are evocatively scented with different Christmas spices. Scented candles are in abundance in this stunning gift boutique, not to mention the most adorable range of light garlands. The Starburst Chain lights and fairy lit Table Robins are an oh-so-chic alternative to the traditional Christmas tree.

There are many beautiful interior ideas here with a nod to the pared back hygge style of cosy furnishing without fuss. Spirito has an outstanding range of home goodies, everything to make your home a Snugglefest! No place to go? Thank goodness.

COME IN FROM THE COLD AT COLAB

In one of my favourite bijou spots in West Dowanhill Street, sits Colab Store. This multifaceted space houses a cosy coffee shop, event area and gift shop. At its core Colab champions design, inspired by co-owners Karen Haas and Peter Mulvenny’s love of travel, art and design.

For a truly unique Christmas gift, Colab is definitely worth the trip. Its glorious apothecary ranges should ensure your skin is in for a pamper not to mention moisturising our dried out little mitts from the copious hand washing. On which point you might consider treating your hands to the decadent Meraki hand creams, or indeed anything from this truly sumptuous skin range.

East of Earl’s Onsen Range is also a winner in the gift stakes: choose from hand balm, coordinating hand wash, bath salts, and candles. What could be better than soaking in your favourite aroma, fragrancing your home plus treating your skin all in the same heady scent? Don’t forget to check out the lush range of Nuddy shea butter soap bars too.

To lift our mood, look to brighter days ahead with Colab’s range of sunglasses. It’s an extensive collection with cool designer vibes. But if we are honest we might have to deal with a few showers before the sun appears – isn’t that an analogy for our current climate. Fear not, the super stylish Blunt umbrellas come in Metro and Classic styles. Come rain or shine plus a lovely cup of Joe to boot, Colab has just the right gift for Christmas with style.

CHRISTMAS UNDER THE STARS

A Hyndland stalwart Cassiopeia, Hyndland Road opened the door to its gift and home boutique way back in 2004. Being a mere child at that time I clearly don’t remember…ahem.

As the name suggests, Cassiopeia is all about gifts that shine and will bring a sparkle to your home. Owners Lyudmila and Mabel, whilst stocking unique gifts from further afield, love to champion local Scottish art and design. Designer Jamie Frame’s Topographic Wall Maps are a thing of beauty. Carved from birch plywood and finished with natural wood wax this gift will definitely bring a smile come Christmas morning. Cath Waters contemporary take on the Scottish landscape is beautifully captured in her range of mugs and coaster combinations. The Rupert Balmire ceramics range elevate the humble tea caddy or tumbler to a new level of design heaven.

There is also a beautiful collection of baby gifts too. The Beatrix Potter range has everything from soft toys and bibs through to purses and pencil cases. What parent of a tot couldn’t love a Beatrix Potter tooth and curl box? That may just be the cutest sentence I’ve ever written.

Whatever the age, from young to old Casseiopia is the place for that very special Christmas gift.

HOOS HOOS HOOS MERRY CHRISTMAS

Nordic style has become ever more present in our design consciousness over the past few years. Hoos Great Western Road is a hygge wonderland… with a heady sprinkling of local artisan design thrown in. Hoos is the destination store for textiles, purity of style and natural materials.

The Cowboy Dream Blankets by Icelandic designer Anna Thorunn are made from 100% New Zealand wool and are inspired by her memories of the beauty and majesty of her homeland. Normann Copenhagen’s outrageously cute Little Bird decorative figures are a beautiful blend of smooth turned wood with only a smidgin of detail – a little beak. Coming in 6 different sizes, you can add to your collection over time.

For kiddies, the love of natural materials continues. In particular Wooden Story’s range of unsurprisingly, wooden toys as well as some knitted gems from Olesen Design and Sophie Home are very special. These are forever toys that will always be a favourite, gracing a child’s shelf throughout the years.

Minimalist, natural, stylish. Hoos has your designer Christmas all wrapped up.

LIQUORICE TREE CHRISTMAS

If you can’t get a special Christmas gift in this great store, Santa’s workshop hasn’t made it. Liquorice Tree has an expansive range of gifts all year round, but at Christmas it ups the ante. The downstairs Christmas shop has become a destination venue for Christmas decor. The range of Scottish Christmas Decorations are simply adorable. Who could ignore a Bagpiping Santa bauble? Personally I’m always a sucker for a Harris Tweed Highland Cow.

Jewellery, scarfs, gloves… words to bring a flutter to any West End girl’s heart. The One Hundred Stars range of city map scarfs are aux tres chic, whilst Pia Rossini gloves may just be the cosiest hand coverings this side of the Clyde. Where to begin on jewellery? Designer, costume or just for fun, watches, necklaces, the whole shebang. The Shrieking Violet range of pendants with real flowers are simply lovely, whilst the Elie Beaumont classic watch face is, if you’ll pardon the pun, timeless.

With the Joma range also stocking children’s jewellery, these are a lovely stocking filler each with a thoughtful little message. Gifts too numerous to mention – that’s literally Liquorice Tree.

AE FOND KISS UNDER THE MISTLETOE

Ready for the festive season with oodles of Christmas stock – see FB video – this pocket size gem on Queen Margaret Drive is such a part of the West End fabric. With an in-house design studio where commissioned artwork and cards can be tailor-made for you, Ae Fond Kiss really does provide a personalised customer service. Small in size but big in product range, the boutique has an extensive collection of jewellery, gifts and home decor delights. With purchases always beautifully packed, size doesn’t always matter.

DECEMBER AT DECADENT RIOT

New kid on Park Road Decadent Riot sits quietly and unassuming in its new home. But once inside it’s punchy, loud and refreshing. Looking for a fun, ballsy gift for a younger relative – or a tragic old hipster like myself trying to relive their Glasgow Uni days? This is the place. I love, love, love the Cassette Coin Purses, fantastically funny badges and eighties music memorabilia.

With fun jewellery, bags, hilarious cards and some seriously funky home decor, this little spot of muso-heaven is a must visit for a super cool gift to impress.

So many possibilities within walking distance, it’s easy to see why shopping locally makes so much sense and not just because of the fantastic products on offer.

I think what many of us realised this year, especially during the spring lockdown, was just how strong the West End is. Never have we been more proud and invested in our local community than we are now. We are reliant on each other to get through this. So let’s continue to invest our time and resources in our families, friends, neighbours and the myriad of small businesses that are fighting to survive around us.

Merry Christmas!

Nearly everyone’s mental health has had a knock at some point during the pandemic. Even the most positive of us have had our moments, particularly with changing restrictions and lockdowns.

The more cooped-up inside we are, the more our mental health suffers. This much we know.

It’s not surprising then that during these Covid-19 times, many more Glaswegians are pounding the streets and canal paths with their trainers than ever before. And I have to admit, I am one of them.

It seems ironic that a public health crisis has provided the perfect opportunity for runners in Glasgow to up their game. But this is exactly what we are seeing. Take a look down the Kelvin Walkway any day of the week, and you would be hard pushed not to notice the determined look of runners of all ages and levels of fitness, come rain or shine.

The physical benefits of running are clear – inches off the waistline and improvement of the overall function of your heart – but we are just waking up to how helpful running is for boosting your mental health.

And the research tells us so: academics at the University of Arizona compared the MRI scans of runners’ brains to non-runners and concluded that running affects the structure and function of the brain, similar to taking on a complex task like playing a musical instrument.

Scientific evidence from the University of Oxford shows that the post-run high is brought about by a substance called ‘cannabinoids’ being present in the body which is also present within marijuana. It can present that high and calming influence over you. Which is partly why running is good at combating depression.

Beyond the hard science and closer to home, there is a group of inspiring runners in Glasgow who are seeing real results with their members when it comes to beating the Covid blues.

Glasgow FrontRunners (GFR) is one of the city’s biggest running teams. It is part of a global network of running teams that are LGBT inclusive. People from all walks of life run with the team – you don’t have to identify as LGBT to join.

It is well known that LGBT people’s mental health suffers disproportionately compared to other groups in society. GFR has arguably provided a lifeline for many during the pandemic who have seen an improvement to their mental health through running and also the social aspects of the club.

Jo Jeffreys former President of GFR comments, ‘When lockdown happened it was clear that many of our members were distressed about not being able to meet up each week to run together. For many of them, it’s the highlight of their week. We had to think innovatively as a committee about how we could keep the club going and at the same time, paying attention to guidelines and restrictions.

‘At the height of lockdown, when we weren’t meeting at all, we set up a Facebook group for members to share selfies on their own individual runs. This was hugely popular as it helped everyone remain connected. It grew arms and legs and we then decided to take it one step further and set up a “don’t break the chain” running calendar to see how many hours in the day we could have GFR runners on the streets of Glasgow. We did this a number of times as it was so popular.

‘A number of our runners managed to complete their own marathons through sheer grit and determination, which has helped keep the club ethos going during the pandemic.

‘Our members repeatedly tell us how GFR is more than just a running club, it’s a social network and community group. Some of our members have been feeling socially isolated and have suffered from depression and if running itself and being part of the club can alleviate that, then it can only be a good thing.’

Cameron has been a member of GFR for the last two years. He comments, ‘I have suffered from periods of anxiety and depression all of my adult life. I have tried medication and meditation, but nothing seemed to work. I took up running in my own time and saw some benefits to my mental health immediately. My mood was lifted, and I also began to sleep better.

‘Once I felt more confident as a runner, I decided to join GFR. Now I am a more serious runner, I have seen huge improvements to my physical health and at the same time I have seen the improvements mentally. There is also a real added benefit to running with the group and it’s a very sociable and supportive bunch. Members meet up outside the group, where we can, and during the pandemic we have organised a number of social events online including quizzes and our AGM.’

Aye Run is another innovative running initiative coming out of Glasgow. It’s the brainchild of local all-round running enthusiast, Sean Reid. Combining his love of running with history and culture, Sean organises running tours of Glasgow which appeal to natives and tourists alike.

His runs take in everything from George Square, the Cathedral, the Necropolis and Glasgow Green – but also some ‘off-the-beaten-track’ sights looking at architecture and statues and some of Glasgow’s ‘hidden’ street art.

What better way to stimulate and improve both your physical and mental health by running and learning something about your home city at the same time?

Sean comments, ‘I have always been passionate about the history of the city, its stories, buildings and murals that pop up all over the place. I wanted to do something different with my runs that brought both elements together and allowed me to share my knowledge of Glasgow and its culture with other people. Our runs are at a relaxed pace and really are for everyone.

‘Our post-lockdown tours have attracted more locals than previously. For me, it’s really rewarding helping people from Glasgow discover their own city, seeing them astonished when they find out the hidden history of a place they’ve walked past a hundred times without a second glance.’

For more details visit:

glasgowfrontrunners.org

ayerun.com

With reports of house prices soaring following the lifting of lockdown restrictions earlier this year, it has been an extraordinary time for home buyers and sellers. Loraine Patrick speaks to three West End property professionals to find out what the picture has been like in our area.

Did lockdown get you thinking of moving to a new house? Want space for a home office, a garden or a move out of mum and dads? You are not alone.

The 10-week pandemic enforced hibernation earlier this year followed by advice to work from home saw a pent-up desire for change on the home front. Existing homeowners looked to trade up for green space and a home office, renters who after a few months back at mum and dads desperately wanted their own space, and there has been a rise in searches for second homes in rural locations, places to retreat to in times of short notice lockdown.

More specifically in the West End of Glasgow where there’s long been high demand for all types of housing stock, sales immediately after lockdown saw multiple parties bidding, dramatic closing dates and some surprisingly high prices. Cameron Ewer, Head of Residential Sales in Scotland for property agency Savills puts the initial rise into context.

‘In the three months since lockdown lifted prices have risen about three per cent. There have been cases where properties have gone for much more than that but on balance across all house types the increase is around three per cent.’

Cameron goes on to explain what sets the West End apart right now ‘is not just that it’s locally acclaimed, we have seen a 70 per cent increase in buyers looking up here from London. Property here is more affordable in comparison to other parts of the UK and that includes Edinburgh, and our ability to offer space and access to the countryside all within an hour of the West End of the city is unique. Not everyone is going for the full escape to the country – it’s about getting close to that without necessarily stepping away from a city life. It’s about a balanced city life and that is something Glasgow and specifically the West End has to offer.’

Property in the area traditionally sells quickly but right now West End houses and flats are coming on and off the market at speed. Alison Gourley is an expert in property law at Solicitors and Estate Agents Mitchells Roberton. She is acutely aware of how fast lawyers need to react, getting written offers out and being ready to respond with the right advice. ‘We are getting phone calls on a Monday morning about a property going to market,’ says Alison. ‘It would be launched on Wednesday, have viewings on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and go to closing date the following week. The whole process is often even shorter than that.’

‘We have been snowed under with business,’ she continues, ‘there still seems to be a strong desire for people to get on with their lives and make the changes they had planned for. The housing market is one of the biggest drivers of any economy and it looks from our perspective like there’s still a lot of activity going on. There is a big push for people to get into their next house.’

Add to this a stamp duty holiday on properties up to the value of £250,000 in Scotland – which covers much of the West End’s tenement stock – and you have all the ingredients for an extraordinary period for the market.

However, the pandemic may have motivated people to change home but there is caution from lenders. Aaron Reilly is a Mortgage and Insurance Consultant with brokers Scott Weir Mortgages. He says the pandemic may have caused people to re-evaluate their lives but that’s come at a time lenders have a reduced appetite because they are factoring in an increase in unemployment and a downturn in property values.

Aaron goes on to explain ‘the very high demand for mortgages comes just as lenders have less capacity because most of their staff are working from home. Furthermore, entry point mortgages or mortgages with low deposits have all but disappeared.’ Aaron describes how the lending market has changed since June. ‘Mortgages with 5 and 10 per cent deposits have been removed and the entry point has been a 15 per cent deposit. There are three or four lenders offering restricted access to 10 per cent deposit mortgages, but they are available only to existing homeowners and only offered for a day at a time to manage demand.’

So, with lenders trying to manage the flow of applications and factoring in risk it’s important for borrowers to shop around for the best mortgage product available. Aaron continues, ‘the rates on even favourable mortgages – those with 15 or 25 per cent deposits – are increasing on a daily basis.’ He advises using a broker if you want to or need to move. ‘The difference in appetite between one lender and another is huge and there’s a lot to navigate in terms of how lenders are viewing staff who have been furloughed, self-employed, used a bounce back loan or the income support scheme.

‘We are often able to help in cases where mortgages have initially been refused. Our knowledge and experience of the lenders’ criteria mean there are lots of cases where we have been able to go back to the same lender and get the mortgage for our client. Brokers are impartial and are going to do what’s best for you.’

So, after an extraordinary year in the property market what is the outlook for 2021? Our experts agree that people are now motivated to change home and the market in the West End will remain particularly buoyant.

Cameron fully expects these unprecedented levels of demand to continue. ‘The imbalance of supply and demand is driving prices forward. There will be more attention to pricing however and growth will perhaps level off, but the volume of transactions will remain because moves are happening because of lifestyle not financial choices.’

A view echoed by Aaron who believes that the outlook is sound. ‘I don’t think there will be a shock to property prices in the West End but I do think the market will settle and there will be a slight correction. People who buy here or trade up tend to be in occupations unaffected by the pandemic such as medical professionals, academics or teachers and their outlook is pretty secure.’

Alison agrees, ‘these prices, the really high figures – I can’t see them going backwards. Buying in the West End is like buying a good quality car and I think that is something the West End has always had. You look at Edinburgh and see flats going for £600,000 – that is exactly where we could be heading.’

savills.co.uk

mitchells-roberton.co.uk

scottweir.co.uk

When we meet Azzy Williams, the central character of Graeme Armstrong’s debut novel, he is just fourteen years old, and yet to become one of the most prominent members of gang, The Young Team.

In that window to his adolescence, Armstrong shows us the hurtling inevitability of gang culture that awaits not just Azzy, but all the boys in The Young Team, the overlooked youths of North Lanarkshire. Having swapped stealing beers from home for haggling with an ‘eld alky’ to buy them alcohol from the off licence, Azzy and his pals charge into the weekend, inflated with attitude, dizzy on adrenaline and Buckfast, and looking for trouble – guaranteed to be found in their ‘enemies,’ the rival gang, Too Boiz.

The Young Team, Too Boiz… they’re all young boys living in poor postcodes, in a hurry to grow up and it’s the street they turn to for their training. As Azzy tells us ‘They don’t teach yi how tae survive oot oan the streets in school…furget PSE, social education…Yi learn fae yir pals, n the army ae big cousins, brurs n elder wans who feel it their duty tae lead and mislead yi tae the form ae truth that the streets offer.’ An armour of designer labels – Fred Perry, Lacoste and the ultimate aspirational garment, the Berghaus Mera Peak – go some way towards giving the illusion of self-assurance.

Over the next few years, Azzy is drawn into a life of violence, drug abuse and the suffocating pull of gang culture loyalty. Regular altercations with Too Boiz create an escalating cycle of retaliation that steers the story towards grave territory. In public Azzy acts recklessly, while privately beginning to imagine a different path. Teachers see his potential, as does Monica, a former girlfriend – and he sometimes sees it too: ‘A momentarily hate maself n the way A talk n aw the time A’ve wasted.’ A post-festival anxiety attack in his childhood bedroom, and later in a car packed with his weed smoking pals are vivid and affecting in their bleakness. They’re also quietly hopeful moments that reveal Azzy’s inner turmoil taking siege, his growing resistance towards conformity.

While The Young Team is fictional, Armstrong’s own observations of gang culture – having lived it and left it behind – make this a compulsive read. You can feel passion and fight from him on every page to show us the insecurities and anxieties crackling away under the exterior of these young men; the heavy burden of masculinity and all they misunderstand it to be; and the complexity of existing in a perpetual cycle of debts, from the financial to the moral.

Adjusting to Azzy’s street vernacular is initially challenging. When you do, his witty, beautiful observations on life and his compassion for all – from his enemies through to his mother – are poetic, his voice lingering in your mind long after you’ve read his story.

When did you decide to write The Young Team?

I began writing this novel in January 2013 in my first tough days of stopping using drugs for the last time. On Christmas Eve 2012, I went to church instead of out with the young team with my mum for the Watchnight service and went cold turkey the following day. I had tried and failed several times before, but this time was like a Christmas epiphany. That was my moment of transformation. The Young Team was a constant companion and a reason to fight and strive and just to keep going through these hard times. Seven years later… it would be a Times Bestseller. My faith stayed with me as well. It has become an important part of my life.

What was your writing process?

I wrote consecutively, start to finish. The Young Team was written as a bildungsroman trilogy. Each novel represented the succinct age periods, 14, 18 and finally 21. This was seen as a commercial decision but really it wasn’t. The novels were very long – the total words would have been around 250K – a Lord of the Rings length saga. I combined these into a single novel and began to cut them back across the five years of working independently and seeking representation. Finding a literary agent was the hardest part of the process. Once I was signed, I continued to edit and refine. After several months work, it was sent out to publishers and was acquired quickly by Picador at Pan Macmillan. The dialect required particular effort in its crafting to make sure it was a realistic linguistic portrait that was both authentic and legible to the outside world. The language of the novel is incredibly important to me in terms of representing my community.

How cathartic was it to write?

It was not as cathartic as people might think. I was aware that I was creating something. It wasn’t like it was a sudden release. I’ve actually written a memoir style of events and that was much more cathartic because that was more of an outpouring. But The Young Team took craft; it was hard work.

How do you think gang culture affects the shape of self-esteem in such formative years?

Young men survive in these communities by safety in numbers and I think self-esteem is a big word that young men wouldn’t consciously use or think about. I heard a good quote once that in your teenage years you want to be the same as everyone and then in your twenties you want to be different and I think that’s true.

Poor mental health is a theme affecting many of your characters yet most are not even conscious of their suffering in order to take steps to get support. Do you feel like any progress is being made here?

The themes of mental health and masculinity are intertwined here. In the novel, we see panic and anxiety, complex trauma response and suicide hidden behind the hard shells of characters, without any mention of professional intervention. This was absolutely my experience. There is a definite reticence to seek professional help in communities like this because of stigma and quite frankly the outcome of seeking help. Often, if someone presented at a GP with mental health complaints, as some did, they were offered a course of anti-depressants when, potentially, they would have better suited talking therapies, abstinence from substance abuse/alcohol and focus on diet and exercise. The holistic factors of overall wellbeing were never considered. Lifestyle is fundamental to mental health. Poverty is a massive driver of poor mental health. Unless in direct crisis, access to talking services typically takes months. Young men self-medicate with alcohol and street Valium – a direct factor in our surge in drug fatalities in Scotland – the so called ‘blue-death’. I know countless young men who have committed suicide – the latest one of my own young team in the summer. It’s an epidemic, but without access to treatment – it continues. If we break our leg, we receive prompt treatment and physio – but if we’re struggling with panic disorder or depression – the treatment is patchy at best and we’re ignored with lethal potential. Why?

At one point Azzy says of another lad ‘I felt heartfelt sorrow that we’ve put that…mark on his face and doomed him forever to think like this.’ You invite understanding and compassion for all the young men, even those in the rival gang.

I think that’s mandatory. It’s too easy to make this a story of ‘we’re the good guys and they’re the bad guys,’ whereas the reality of territorial and recreational violence is that there wasn’t good and bad guys; they were just guys. When you look at it from the vantage point of being beyond it you realise that. Facial injuries become such a brand on a young man. Someone with a face injury is a victim of violence but people assume – often wrongly – that they’re a perpetrator of violence, in gangs or organised crimes. It becomes a real challenge for these young men to get a job or even just move on.

Azzy acknowledges his ‘maw’, who is constantly worried about her son’s safety, as the ‘true unsung hero ae this story.’ Bearing in mind your own journey, how did your mother feel when The Young Team was published?

The Young Team isn’t a book any parent wants their child to be able to write from lived experience. My mother witnessed that journey and descent first-hand. Seeing her son come home covered in blood after being seriously assaulted, collecting me from police stations, attending court and just daily life with someone who is substance dependent is very challenging. Without her support, I’d have left home at sixteen and dropped out of education. My fate would have been predictable. You can’t undo the past, but I hope that my journey in gaining both bachelor’s and master’s degrees, living substance and alcohol free and the writing of this novel are atonement. She is absolutely the ‘unsung hero’. I stand by these words – she never gave up on me or accepted the life I had chosen for myself.

You acknowledge Trainspotting as an influence for Azzy, and presumably for yourself. What else inspired you?

Ken Loach’s Sweet Sixteen. I recently spoke to Martin Compston which was really exciting as he was one of my boyhood idols. That was the first time we saw our lives reflected on screen and seeing the emblems like a blue Berghaus Mera Peak really spoke to us. When I started to write this, Sweet Sixteen was a film I really thought about.

What have you been working on this year?

I’ve had the summer off to focus on writing but I’m returning to work. I’ve supported myself for these last seven years by working in the motor-sales. It’s long hours and demanding but I’m convinced there’s a novel in there somewhere! My next fiction offering, Raveheart is based around rave culture – definitely more Kevin and Perry Go Large in tone than something like Beats. Following this is the true story of my experiences in gangs in memoir. The working title is To Live and Die in LA-narkshire. This is a different enterprise from The Young Team. It’s challenging and darker, I think. Real life is often more unbelievable. Long term, I would love to return to university and take my PhD in English.

The West End has recently enriched its selection of top restaurants with a Glaswegian/Italian institution: Celino’s. The family run business since 1982 – renowned for its Italian Deli in Alexandra Parade – now has a Partick branch.

When you step into Celino’s what will immediately strike you is the stunning deli counter full of delicious delicatessen from all over Italy. A shrine offering every precious kind of cured meet, olives, artisan cheeses and handmade street food and pastries from Celino’s own Italian chefs.

Inside the Trattoria, the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly thanks to the staff’s typically Mediterranean approach, warm and stress-free. It will embrace you as if you were strolling around the streets of an Italian historical city, popping in for dinner in a typical Trattoria.

Moreish Grande Antipasto (minimum for two persons) is sure to catch your eye. This selection of cold and warm dishes titillates the senses and will have you staring longingly at the server bringing the tagliere (literally, the wood chopping board). It offers a delicious taste of the finest Italian cured meats, freshly sliced from the counter, Celino’s own homemade Porchetta and a selection of artisan cheeses and vegetables.

Warm options complete the offer with fried calamari, crispy seasoned polenta and small handmade arancini and an incredible breaded buffalo mozzarella. It’s so stretchy and warm, it will melt in your mouth – all served with their home-baked bread. This option offers an incomparable combination of great taste and food quantity. Rest assured you won’t regret it.

Afterwards, we shared a ‘della casa’ (homemade) pasta dish. Caserecce with Gorgonzola, castagne e funghi (gorgonzola cheese and chestnuts in a rich, creamy mushroom sauce) was too much of a temptation to consider any lighter option.

We refreshed ourselves with a pint of the Italian lager beer Menabrea, but surely, the vast selection of regional Italian wines will push you to become a real wine connoisseur.

From a light, zesty Pinot Bianco D.O.C. from Friuli, to a full-bodied red Barolo D.O.C.G. from Piemonte you will begin your quest for the perfect wine match for the food selected.

Ending this experience, I am caught by a deep nostalgia of my time in Florence, so my dessert of choice naturally falls onto Tuscan Vinsanto and home-baked cantucci (almond biscuits people often dip into sweet Vinsanto wine). What truly special treat!

Celino’s deli and trattoria offer a choice for everyone, as its motto ‘Tutto per tutti’ proclaims. You can either indulge yourself at the counter for the best food ‘il bel paese’ has to offer, or as an option for takeaway. For a quick breakfast or lunch, or sit in, relax and enjoy the experience of an authentic Italian trattoria in the heart of the West End.

Celino’s
235 Dumbarton Road G11 6AB
0141 341 0311
celinos.com