The box of quinoa proudly announces that the United Nations has declared 2013 the Year of Quinoa (pronounced keen wah). This is intriguing, why would this grain be elevated to this status? Before cooking with it, I thought I’d find out more. It’s an adaptable crop even in places where…
The market for snack bars seems to be growing. Personally, I’m not a huge fan. Looking at the content of most snack bars put me off: they’re often closer to sweets or biscuits than what I’d think of as a snack. I’m not a snacking saint, by any means, but…
The growing demand for Union of Genius soups has prompted the plans for a commercial kitchen where they can increased the amount of soup made whilst at the same time being able to maintain the quality and the personal touch.
Since this post was written, The Living Room has closed. It’s rare that I turn up half an hour early, but for the Dining in the Dark event at The Living Room I did. It wasn’t intentional but a happy coincidence since it gave me plenty of time to sit…
Michael Neave’s Kitchen and Whisky Bar is hidden at the bottom of Old Fishmarket Close, one of the historical streets that run from the Royal Mile to the Cowgate, in a bright, modern space that was a Thai restaurant the last time I was there (a few years ago now). It…
It’s rainy out there. Rainy, dark and windy. When it gets cold outside, I want to be warm inside. Queue an increased tea consumption and comfort food. Comfort food, to me, is starchy and walks a fine line between soothingly bland and heartily savoury. Looking through The Silver Spoon, I…
Dalkeith is on the other side of the Edinburgh by-pass from me. It’s not a place I go to on a regular basis as I don’t drive and am rather city-centred. Last week, however, I, intrepid explorer that I am, went to Dalkeith to visit Itihaas, a Bangladeshi and Indian…
Malmaison sits a little apart from the other bars and restaurants on the Shore in Edinburgh. The first time I went there for a drink was in the late 90s when a friend of mine was touring Scotland taking pictures for a French travel magazine. She was staying there and was most…
You may have enjoyed Palek Paneer or Saag Paneer at an Indian Restaurant. Indeed I tasted a really delicious paneer at Mithas in Edinburgh recently. You might not have thought of making the paneer (cheese) yourself. But it is such an easy recipe. It works almost like magic! I’ve discovered that the milk…
When I grew up, I – and everyone else – ate school dinners. They weren’t great but one thing I really liked about them was the daily salad. We’re not talking attractive or glamorous salads, but “råkost”, the Swedish word for raw food. In the 70s, it was all the…
