I am sitting with Mark Greenaway in his Edinburgh Restaurant and we’re talking sous vide (a current obsession of mine). I’m yet to try cooking vegetables in the water bath. Mark is describing carrots slowly cooked in butter with a star anise for 2 hours, then blended (minus the star…
We love discovering local producers and were very pleased to discover Chocolala at the recent FEAST event at Jewel and Esk College. Having very happily munched my way through some of their lovely fresh tasty chocolates, I thought I’d get in touch with Jim Hogg to find out more about…
‘Tis the season of birthdays. To celebrate two friends’ 40ths in style we went to Ducks Restaurant in Aberlady the other week. Duck’s owner Malcolm Duck, used to have a restaurant in Edinburgh and is now the proud proprietor of a restaurant, a bistro and a hotel in Aberlady, in East…
If you live or indeed have visited Edinburgh, chances are you’ll have eaten bread or cakes from Breadwinner without realising it – they supply more than 100 cafes and restaurants throughout the city! I am so heartened that so many establishments from burger bars to tea emporiums seek out the…
I had a golden syrup pudding from Burtree Puddings the other day. It was too good. The pack I’d bought – 360gr – was for three greedy servings or four normal ones. After a light dinner of soba noodles with garlic I found it made four servings. Four servings shared…
What’s special about your favourite restaurant? The food and service are very important of course, but if you’re lucky it is also that special welcome you get if you’re a regular diner. Perhaps it’s not so easy in a big city, but just 15 minutes away from the centre, you can find just such a welcome.
Do you groan when Valentine’s Day comes around or are you a secret romantic at heart? I am a firm believer that it is the little touches that make all the difference. Endear yourself to your significant other with a little foody touch – especially one guaranteed to make them smile. With a little planning this is easily achieved.
Several friends have mentioned their love of seaweed recently – one vegetarian loves it for its delicious taste of the sea without compromising his principles! I love eating samphire, and am keen to try cooking with seaweed. So I thought I’d start by getting in touch with Iain McKellar of Just Seaweed to find out more about this overlooked ingredient.
For us home cooks though, some ingredients are just plain difficult to replace and up until fairly recently, I would have suggested olive oil was one of them. Rapeseed – a true alternative to olive oil.
QUICK BITES… QUICK BITES
Ruthven’s is something of an Edinburgh institution dating back to 1983 a perfect place for afternoon tea.
