A significant cash contribution has been made to boost the sport of curling in south-west Scotland. Sportscotland this week announced investment of more than £200,000 to improve facilities at Lockerbie Ice Rink and SNP Sports Minister Stewart Maxwell said that “ it would hopefully encourage more people to become physically active and, in doing so, become healthier.” Lockerbie is the home rink of current European curling champions David Murdoch and Euan Byers and the cash injection is a reminder that Scotland gave ‘The Roaring Game’ to the world. Curling started in Scotland in the 16th century, at least, and the earliest stone dating back to 1511 is held in Stirling at the Smith Institute. The outdoor game was obviously well established by the 17th century as Dr Alex Penecuik ( 1652 - 1722 ) wrote - ' To curle on ice, does greatly please' and our National Bard, Robert Burns, as a farmer probably played the game, and certainly wrote knowledgeably about in his poem ' Tam Samson's Elegy'. And the poet James Hogg, ‘The Ettrick Shepherd’ wrote of ‘The Roaring Game’ –

Of a’ the games that e’er I saw,
   Man, callant, laddie, birkie, wean,
The dearest, far aboon them a’,
   Was aye the witching channel stane.             [curling stone]

Oh! For the channel-stane!
The fell good name the channel-stane!
There’s no a game that e’er I saw,
Can match auld Scotland’s channel-stane.

(The Channel Stane)

Since the first indoor game took place in Glasgow in 1907 the outdoor game is now very infrequently played apart from 'The Bonspiel' or 'Grand Match' traditionally played on the Lake of Monteith in Perthshire. But this only takes place in extremely severe winters as the ice, for safety reasons, has to be 10 inches thick. The Bonspiel has only been held 33 times in the last 150 years. The last Bonspiel on 7 February 1979 attracted upwards of 10,000 players and supporters for the traditional contest between teams from the North and South of Scotland.

Scotland not only invented the game, wrote the rules, gave the game to the world but also makes the best curling stones. The Gold Olympic success should greatly increase interest in the game which in turn should benefit the Scottish manufacturer of curling stones. Nearly all the curling stones in the world are made from Scottish granite from Ailsa Craig - also known as Paddy's Milestone - the famous rocky outcrop off the Ayrshire coast.

Curling began as a social event, with plenty drams to keep out the cold, and it is still a social sport -  the European Champions David Murdoch and Euan Byers both play for fun not money. But indoors, or outdoors, the game is still played in the cold! Our recipe this week - ‘Auld Reekie’ Cock-a-Leekie Soup - is the splendid answer to the chill of the Curling Rink.  This variation of Cock-a-Leekie has the added bonus of having our National Drink as an ingredient – a food and a drink which will stick to your ribs!