Dundee in Vogue as the new ‘heartland of the hip’

IT was traditionally known as the home of jute, jam and journalism but Dundee is now a little more sophisticated, it would seem.

For fashion bible Vogue has lavished praise on the city’s ‘sex appeal’ as the ‘buzzing’ heartland of the young and hip.

And the latest issue of the magazine goes as far to say the city on the Tay is ‘one of Scotland’s most exciting places to be’.

Writer Todd Plummer even suggests the humble Dundee ‘peh’ has been usurped by ‘Perthshire rabbit with leeks’.

He writes: ‘Located on a sweeping bank where the River Tay flows into the North Sea, Dundee is a curious little town that balances its post-industrial history with a buzzing design scene.

‘The city originally thrived as a centre of jute processing, whaling, shipbuilding and marmalade production – industries which have, needless to say, since waned.

‘Today, as gentrification begins to price young people and artistic types out of Edinburgh and Glasgow, Dundee has become an emerging hub for Scottish creativity.’

Vogue says the £80million V&A Dundee, scheduled to open in September as part of a £1billion waterfront regeneration, threatens to blow other Scottish cities away in the culture stakes.

The Vogue review of a working-class city full of mills and printers paints a picture of modern elegance and sophistication, with boutique shopping and dining.

In a final blow to the pie-eating punter generally associated with Dundee, diners are encouraged to try out the city’s newest restaurant, Brassica.

Mr Plummer adds: ‘This new hotspot has no shortage of sex appeal, and a globallyinflected Scottish menu sourced within a 50-mile radius. Get the homemade merguez sausage and duck gizzard cassoulet.’