I have been writing about food and drink for around a decade now. I first started with my award-winning blog, Just Julia, while studying PR and Communications at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. I then created a home for local food and drink content in a weekly newspaper supplement called Society in the Evening Express, which myself and a colleague designed from scratch, dedicating more than half of the magazine to the subject. I was the first journalist to be selected for a specialist food and drink writing role in DC Thomson three years ago (March 2020), and for the past two years (since Jan 2021) I have been the food and drink editor. I now cover a patch bigger than two thirds of Scotland writing food and drink news and features while leading a team of three specialist journalists. It has been around a decade since I first started reviewing restaurants via my blog. I am now the main restaurant reviewer for The Menu magazine (both The Press and Journal and The Courier) as well as Society magazine in the Evening Express. I am on the steering group for Taste of Grampian, Scotland's largest one-day food and drink festival in Aberdeen, and I have been on various judging panels including The Menu Food and Drink Awards, Scottish Gold Tourism Awards and The Gin Cooperative Awards.
Food and drink writing (news and features) // Restaurant reviewing // Food and drink events
English
Head of Food and Drink at DC Thomson in Scotland. My work is published regularly in The Press and Journal, Evening Express, The Courier and Evening Telegraph.
Food & Drink Writer of the Year 2021 at the Scottish Press Awards // Head judge for The Menu Food and Drink Awards 2022 // Judge for the Scottish Golf Tourism Awards 2023 (hospitality specialist) // Highly Commended for Most Influential Food Blogger award in 2018 at The Scotsman Food and Drink Awards // Judge for World Championship Scotch Pie Awards (tasting) // Best Social Media Engagement award in 2018 at the TREND Magazine Awards
Please note: If anyone is looking to get involved/sponsor Taste of Grampian, The Menu Awards and any other food and drink events DC Thomson organise I would be interested in hearing from them.
Published