The Scottish Vegan Cookbook by Jackie Jones

Chestnut and chocolate tart. Oh yes, baby!

I was excited about The Scottish Vegan Cookbook and sad that I had to miss the launch at Stockbridge Library. So I got the book, selected a number of recipes to cook and had at it. This is what I made and what I thought. Last updated by Caroline von…

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Surf & Turf Holyrood – Scottish seafood and beef in happy harmony

200 grams of rare to medium sirloin. Isn't that pretty?

Every season brings change: this summer, Paul Tamborini left the Macdonald Hotel Holyrood and set off on new adventures. The new restaurant is Surf & Turf, a second outing for a concept that’s worked well for the Macdonald Hotels in St Andrews. I went to investigate. Last updated by Caroline…

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Date for your diary – Chef’s Diaries: Scotland – The 6th Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival

Chef's Diaries: Scotland

No foodie will want to miss the screening of Chef’s Diaries: Scotland on Saturday, 5th October 2019, which sees the renowned and ‘ever-hip’ Roca brothers (Joan, Jordi and Josef), travel around Scotland discovering the cuisine of this country. Last updated by Kerry Teakle at September 12, 2019.

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Sonder – elegant small plate dining in Newington

Cod in the foreground, mackerel in the background.

‘I go by here on the bus almost every day,’ said the friend I was meeting at Sonder, ‘I’ve always thought it looks nice.’ And it does. Bright and fresh in medium wood, white and sage green, it’s an inviting and cheerful space. The kitchen is open which gives the restaurant…

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Cook’s notes – courgettes, the last of the summer veggies

While we wait for the squashes to ripen, let's enjoy courgettes.

Courgettes are a wonderful seasonal fruit: yes, a fruit, not a vegetable, but usually found on the vegetable shelves.   Summer varieties continue into thicker-skinned relatives such as pumpkins and squashes in the autumn. Last updated by Maureen Clark at September 3, 2019.

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Afternoon Tea with Sabrina Ghayour: Step into Sabrina’s Kitchen

New Queen of Eastern cooking, Sabrina Ghayour has Edinburgh Book Festival crowd salivating with talk of her new book Bazaar

A full Spiegeltent joined cookery writer Ghillie Basan for a Middle Eastern-inspired Afternoon Tea with Sabrina Ghayour who was at the Edinburgh Book Festival last week to discuss her latest book, Bazaar. Last updated by Kerry Teakle at August 26, 2019.

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Pain facile – easy and satisfying bread

Pain facile - all you need is flour, water and time.

YouTube isn’t usually where I go for cooking inspiration. But I was dipping a toe, getting hypnotised by Japanese cheesecake videos and, suddenly, saw the title for this bread recipe: Pain facile: homemade 3 MIN NO-KNEAD bread (Dutch-oven Baked) video. I clicked and a love story followed. Last updated by…

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Mug cake – what’s that all about then?

Vanilla and raspberry - simple and satisfying.

I was in the baking section of my local super market and did  double-take when I saw the instant mug cake. If there’s a powder version, it must have really made the main stream. It was a rainy, dull day. I decided to do some research and see if there was…

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Old Curiosity Gin tour at The Real Mary King’s Close – history meets gin

Old Curiosity gins use interesting botanicals for curious people (some of which may want to visit Mary King's Close to learn some history too).

When I arrived in Edinburgh, Mary King’s Close was difficult to get into: you needed to get special admission from the council and they tended to only give that to groups. That is no longer the case. This year, you can not only get into this fascinating historical part of…

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