Lindsay Middleton

As a student, the start of a new university year is always exciting. All those new people and opportunities… oh, and the studying. The first term is especially thrilling for the new wave of freshers, who quickly fill the unions with their youthful faces, leaving the older students feeling, perhaps, not so fresh. If you're part of the latter group, here are a few things to do (before settling down to work) that will make you feel as fresh as a first year – hopefully with a little more grace and a little less vomiting in the shared toilet of your new halls...   The Pub During freshers' week the unions are a no-go, full to bursting with cheesy pop and teenagers drunk on magic pints. Instead head to Coopers on Great Western Road or The Old School House on Woodlands Road. These unfussy Belhaven pubs are both very near Glasgow University Gilmore Hill campus, and both offer a student discount during term time. The impressive range of craft beer draughts and weekday deals means it’s an affordable place to get a ‘pint of fun' that doesn’t have WKD as an ingredient.   The Day Out  <img id="0c1607fa-fe0c-aeea-bda5-f5b63e224b04" data-caption="Airspace " data-credit="https://www.facebook.com/AirspaceUK/photos/pb.1502798156621462.-2207520000.1441564677./1676092355958707/?type=3&theater" data-width-class="" type="image/jpeg" total="68358" loaded="68358" image_id="102852757" src="http://media.timeout.com/images/102852757/image.jpg" class="photo lazy

This September, Glasgow’s top chefs and food producers from the West of Scotland are coming together and saying 'fork this!' for Let’s Eat Glasgow. Staged by the recently-launched Real Food, Real Folk Co-operative, Let’s Eat Glasgow is Scotland’s first restaurant and street market festival, and a celebration of the fantastic food on offer here. A selection of Glasgow’s top restaurants, including Crabshakk, Stravaigin, and The Ubiquitous Chip to name but a few*, are coming together to present a menu bursting with flavours and showcasing a field to fork ethos. There will be food available to sample at the event, seasonal produce available to buy, cooking and butchery demonstrations, live music and entertainment and even livestock. The event, which takes places at SWG3, is free to attend as long as you sample one of the dishes which cost between £5 and £10. If you're a serious foodie, or just fancy learning a bit more about what's best to put on your plate and how to cook it, make sure to go along. The event promises to be an impressive collective of those in the know, who all want to share their knowledge and spread the Real Food, Real Folk ethos. Let's Eat Glasgow, September 5-6, SWG3. Advance food tickets on sale soon. See Time Out's guide to Glasgow's best restaurants. *In addition to Crabshakk, Stravaigin and The Ubiquitous Chip, the Real Food, Real Folk Co-operative also includes Cail Bruich, Cottonrake Bakery, The Gannet, Guy’s, Mother India and Ox and Finch.

For Glasgow's students, a parental visit brings a certain pressure to think of suitable things to do. You don’t just want to take them to your local, anywhere too loud or over-crammed with young folk, that your slightly deaf dad will probably ask rude questions about, all too loudly. You want to show them the best of your city, despite the fact that you probably haven’t been to that museum before and spend your weekends in bed or with your head in the toilet. So, here are three activity and meal combinations to impress your folks with when they come to stay. For the plant-loving parents The Botanical Gardens in the West End is the perfect place to take your parents if you get the feeling they would rather be in the garden anyway. Take a stroll through the iconic Kibble Palace, warm up and look at the beautiful plants in the tropical hot houses, have a cream tea in the tearoom, and even buy some peanuts and feed the friendly squirrels. Just make sure to wash your hands before you have your scone.  <img id="f2637f80-823d-ba2a-5553-a1d3953a7ef3" data-caption="Kibble Palace" data-credit="Lindsay Middleton" data-width-class="50" type="image/jpeg" total="975009" loaded="975009" src="http://media.timeout.com/images/102504945/image.jpg" class="photo lazy inline"> Kibble PalaceLindsay Middleton Pair with: Dinner at Brel, on Ashton Lane. Great food, good beer and a lovely civilised, yet lively atmosphere. <img id="4