Born Rajinder Tony Singh Kusbia in Leith, Edinburgh, Tony is fourth-generation Scottish Sikh, who learned all his cooking skills at his mother’s knee. Tony is well known for imaginative fusion of Scottish and Asian flavours.
Born Rajinder Tony Singh Kusbia in Leith, Edinburgh, Tony is fourth-generation Scottish Sikh, who learned all his cooking skills at his mother’s knee. Tony is well known for imaginative fusion of Scottish and Asian flavours.
After showing early promise in Home Economics at school, Tony went on to train classically as a chef and later secured prestigious roles working at the Balmoral Hotel, Skibo Castle, Gravetye Manor and on board The Royal Scotsman and the Royal Yacht Britannia. After years of experience working in destination dining spots in London and Scotland, Tony went solo to launch his own award-winning restaurants – and it was here that his inimitable cookery style really came into its own, with crowds (and cameras!) flocking to see Tony’s contemporary twist on traditional dishes for themselves. A previous winner of Scottish Chef of the Year, Tony strives to promote innovative use of Scottish produce, but always with an unexpected flourish.
Chef Tony Singh has cooked for Queens, Maharajas, Presidents and the ordinary citizens of Edinburgh.
Known for his quick-fire wit and cheeky personality, Tony is a firm favourite on our television screens, starring in BBC2 programmes, A Cook Abroad: Tony Singh’s India, and The Incredible Spice Men, with Cyrus Todiwala. Alongside this, Tony makes regular appearances on cookery shows including The Great British Menu, Saturday Kitchen and Ready Steady Cook, as well as guest spots on Pointless, Celebrity Eggheads, Celebrity Mastermind and many others.
Tony is a member of significant industry peer appointed associations, a Master Chef of Britain, and the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, the Craft Guild of Chefs and the Scottish Chefs Association.
I love how he is so Scottish, he has a genuine love for haggis saying in an interview once;
“Haggis is a fantastic product, it shows the trading links and culinary skill of Scottish cuisine. It uses the cheaper cuts. It’s highly spiced with white pepper, so it shows we’ve always used spice in our cooking here. And it has the right amount of fat.
“You can stick haggis with most things and it tastes good.” he added.
Singh has supported and worked closely with the charities Sick Kids Edinburgh, McMillian Cancer Research, the Scottish Blood Transfusion Service, Food Train, Scottish Air Ambulance, Water Aid, St. Columbus Hospice, and the Back Up Trust. In 2015 he was a presenter on RBS – Finding Scotland’s Real Heroes, where he visited and spoke about the eventual winners of the Carer of the Year award: East Kilbride & District Dementia Carers Group.
Tony’s latest venture is in Edinburgh’s new St James’s Quarter at Bonnie & Wild’s Scottish Marketplace a celebration of Scotland’s world-class food and drink. Tony and his team will be offering regional specials throughout the year, as well as their selection of delicious dosas, vegan butter chicken and tantalising fur fur at Radge Chaat.
Happy 82nd birthday Lena Martell, born May 15th 1940 in Possilpark, Glasgow.
Born Helen Thomson, she began singing at the age of 11 with her eldest brother’s band. After his untimely death, Martell decided to pursue a career in music as a tribute.
Her rising popularity among the easy listening elite allowed for the release of Lena’s Music Album in 1979. The record spawned a number one hit, One Day at a Time, written by Kris Kristofferson and Marijohn Wilkin, it helped launch Lena’s career. Producer and bandleader George Elrick and Martell continued to release records throughout the 1980s, she recorded more than 30 albums, some of which went silver, gold and platinum, including By Request, Beautiful Sunday , Love Songs, and Feelings, before her retirement in the early ‘90s, for a decade Lena also had her own Saturday night BBC TV show with over 12 million viewers. Lena worked with Liza Minnelli and understudied for Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl on Broadway.
She has been through a lot in the years since her hey day, She almost lost her voice with cancerous nodes, has had a double mastectomy, had two nervous breakdowns and the death of her mum after caring for her through the ravages of Alzheimer’s, she has also had surgery to replace a valve in her heart, and in March 2008 underwent a triple heart bypass operation- Lena is really one of life’s survivors.
In 2004, her comeback CD My Homeland outsold Kylie Minogue and Britney Spears in Scottish record shops and went gold.
In 2012 she celebrated 50 years in show business with a tour that kicked off in Glasgow. Sean Connery quoted at the Edinburgh Festival in 2004; “The best singer not to record a Bond soundtrack was Lena Martell”
I’ve chosen a wee medley of Scottish songs Lena sang on her My Homeland album.
Happy Birthday to ex Pop Singer turned TV personality Michelle McManus who hits 42 today.
Born in the Queen Mother’s Maternity Hospital in Glasgow, on May 8th 1980, Michelle was brought up in Baillieston with her four wee sisters, she auditioned for Pop Idol in 2003 and brought criticism from judge Pete Waterman due to her image and he “fuller figure”, fellow judge Simon Cowell to a shine to Michelle and championed her cause, she beat Mark Rhodes in the final with 58 percent of the vote.
After signing to Sony BMG, her debut single, All This Time, spent three weeks at number one, while her first album, The meaning of love reached number three. However, after her second single, the title track “The Meaning of Love,” stalled at number 16, she was dropped by her label, and a year later she parted company with management company 19 Entertainment.
In 2007, she set up her own record label, McManii Records, and released the track Just for You. Michelle has since released a book entitled You Are What You Eat, performed in a production of The Vagina Monologues, and co-hosted the Scottish TV show The Hour. Michelle has also appeared on The Edinburgh Festival Fringe as well as working on numerous Scottish TV shows and guesting as a DJ.
McManus paid tribute and sang two songs at Martyn Hett’s funeral on 30 June 2017. Martyn was one of the 22 victims of the Manchester Bombing on 22 May 2017.
Michelle recorded a cover version of Paul MccArtney’s, We all Stand Together in aid of a collection of a dozen charity choirs. McManus married Jeff Nimmo on 23rd September 2017.
The couple tied the knot at St Mary and St Finnan Church at Glenfinnan on the edge of Loch Shiel.
In January 2020 the couple shared pictures of their first baby, a boy they named Harry. Michelle thanked NHS staff for their “care and attention” following a “challenging pregnancy.
In February this year Michelle announced on twitter the birth of her second son saying; "….completing our family and our world.“ he is called Nicholas Peter. She waved goodbye to January, adding: "I don’t know how any other month this year could possibly top you as you’re the month we welcomed the newest addition to our family.”
The Pop Idol star recently returned to the music industry as a singer in the band The Flaming Blackhearts. Michelle has also been on BBC Radio 4 with Clive Anderson on the podcast Loose Ends.
