THEY don't need to be convinced about just how good Scottish food is in France.

The nation that invented the words "chef", "gourmand" and "cordon blue" laps up nearly £300m worth of our fruit, vegetables, meat and fish every year.

That is twice as much as any other country.

Now a Glasgow chef is off to Marseille, our Mediterranean twin, to promote what this city can put on their plate.

John Quigley, a former private chef for Tina Turner, Bryan Adams and Guns 'n Roses, now owns the city's Red Onion restaurant.

His trade delegation – which also includes Campbell's Fine Meats as well as non-food businesses – comes just at the right time.

Glasgow has always had a lot more in common with the gritty but stylish port of Marseille than with many of its other twins.

Again our links with Marseille have provided a wonderful opportunity to showcase our produce and our business.

Sometimes we Scots don't appreciate just what a fantastic natural larder we have, with fine farms just on the city's doorstep.

And many Glasgow firms, such as Campbell's, can serve up such delights.

Let's hope Mr Quigley and his fellow ambassadors for this city can rekindle the Auld Alliance – and drum up a bit of business too.