News

Autumn open date for The Kinneuchar Inn

Renowned chef, James Ferguson and partner Alethea Palmer are set to open The Kinneuchar Inn in Fife this autumn.

 

James, who has worked alongside the likes of Angela Hartnett at The Connaught in London will bring his unique cookery to Scotland for the first time. The pub in the East Neuk village of Kilconquhar has been closed for two years whilst undergoing refurbishment and will reopen at the end of September with Alethea managing front of house.

The Kinneuchar Inn will retain the traditional pub area, which has long been at the centre of village life, with a separate dining area for 32 covers, a private events space, and a cosy nook for drinks and bar snacks.  With open fires, furniture carefully crafted from local wood and its own growing area, the inn will provide a relaxed setting for locals and visitors alike.

 

 

 

 

The menu will focus wholeheartedly on the integrity of the ingredients without over-complicating the plate. With most dishes changing daily, everything on offer will feature foods both wild and farmed that have been sourced directly from the nearby Balcaskie estate and producers nearby: from locally caught fish and shellfish, native breed meats and game, and organically grown or foraged vegetables and fruit. With a new purpose-built butchery, James and the team will work closely with local farmers to source whole carcasses, which he can butcher on site.

The restaurant will open for lunches (Thursday to Saturday) and dinners (Wednesday to Saturday) and a long, relaxed Sunday lunch.  The pub will be open from Tuesday evening through to Sunday and will serve a range of local, British and European beers alongside a carefully selected wine list.

James has been a driving force in the East London food scene for the last decade and is much admired by food industry insiders. He is known for his particular take on modern British cooking with an eye on diverse global influences: Scandinavian pickles, Middle Eastern spice, Southern European seasonality. An executive chef with 20 years of experience in the industry, he has worked at The Connaught, as launch head chef at and mastermind behind Beagle in Hoxton, and headed the kitchen at Rochelle Canteen with Margot Henderson. Originally from Halifax with Scottish/Greek heritage, James grew up helping in the kitchen of his parents’ acclaimed Yorkshire restaurant. James initially trained as a classical pianist before going back to his true first love, cooking.

 

For the last eight years Alethea Palmer has been General Manager at Arnold & Henderson, one of the most talked about restaurants and catering companies in London. She oversaw the running of Rochelle Canteen in Arnold Circus and has also designed and executed carefully tailored events across the world – from major art openings to celebrity weddings, as well as intimate high profile private dinners.

 

The Kinneuchar Inn, 9-11 Main Street, Kilconquhar, Fife, Scotland KY91LF

www.kinneucharinn.com

Twelve Triangles, run by Rachel Morgan and Emily Cuddeford, will open its fourth bakery shop in the Dalry area of Edinburgh on 16^th September 2019. Located on 50 Dalry Road, the 500sq ft, 15 cover shop will be open from 8am to 5pm Monday to Sunday, and will serve a selection of their signature sourdough loaves, sweet pastries, doughnuts, sandwiches and coffee.

Working entirely with cold prove, slow fermentation sourdoughs, the Twelve Triangles breads and pastries work on a three to four-day cycle with everything made and hand-shaped by the team of in-house bakers. No additives or improvers are used in their doughs. Sourdough breads on offer will include white and wholemeal varieties, as well as more unusual loaves like charcoal, Miche, sunflower and rosemary seed and a porridge loaf.

The new site will offer a space to sit with a coffee and a pastry to meet and work, as well as a less formal comfy area at the back of the shop for people who want somewhere to unwind and relax. The style will remain in keeping with the other three shops. There will also be a shelved wall section for takeaway selling Twelve Triangles bakery products, coffee and also their retail range including the bakery’s varying flavours of caramel, which have developed something of a cult following.

Rachel and Emily will also be expanding the range at the Dalry location with a selection of freshly made salad pots, bircher muesli and sandwiches. The fourth shop will offer an expanded sweet treat range too – perfect for afternoon tea and coffee visits. This will include a selection of tarts and loaf cakes to which guests can add Twelve Triangles’ signature cultured cream or jam or even their peanut butter cream cheese.

Rachel and Emily comment on the Dalry opening:

“We can’t wait to open our fourth shop in this vibrant area of Edinburgh, welcoming new customers as well as existing ones. This is becoming a really exciting part of the city for food-lovers and we hope Twelve Triangles will fit in well. We will continue to offer our customers the highest-quality products we possibly can as ultimately, it’s them we are making our goods for. We also have exciting plans in the pipeline to add a workshop space to the Dalry site in early spring next year, so watch this space…”

 

Twelve Triangles make all their products including their jams, custards, fillings and ricotta daily in their Edinburgh bakery, using local, seasonal and organic ingredients wherever possible.  The shops stock a changing roster of caramel sauces too: from malted beer caramel to whey caramel. Aside from their amazing loaves, are a seasonal range of pastries which at any time might include the likes of blackcurrant and pistachio croissants, raspberry bakewell bars, a vast range of doughnuts and cinnamon buns. They also offer a vegan range including vegan morning buns with lemon and cardamom sugar.

 

Twelve Triangles Dalry

50 Dalry road, EH11 2BA

twelvetriangles.com/

instagram.com/twelvetriangles/

From woodland walks and wild food feasts to wellness workshops and foraged cocktails, the programme for the first ever Foraging Fortnight, was launched today.

 

This brand new festival brings together over a hundred events across five diverse regions of Scotland: from the rolling hills of Lanarkshire, the golden beaches and fields of Fife; the mountains and coast of Moray; to the woodlands and lochs of the Forth Valley and Loch Lomond area; and the diverse islands of Orkney.

The LEADER funded project will take place from 31^st August – 15^th September, allowing people to explore Scotland’s natural places and increase their knowledge of wild food and medicinal plants.

Events include:

• The Scottish Wild Food Festival: taking place on 14^th September on Cardross Estate in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. This brand-new event will include a series of hands-on foraging, mindful workshops, folklore walks throughout the estate and the chance to try freshly prepared food and drink made of wild ingredients. The event will also include spectacular one-table feasts from Buck & Birch’s Rupert Waites and Marysia Paszkowska of Monachyle Mhor.
• Living Off the Land: Eva Gunnare, a food and culture connoisseur from Swedish Lapland will be running a series of events across all five regions sharing her insights into foraging in the Arctic Circle, blending traditional recipes with modern creations.
• Forage to Make Hedgerow Jelly: A free event at Fife’s Cambo Estate showing participants how to forage for ingredients to make your own hedgerow jelly.
• Clyde Valley Apple Walk: an exploration of Clyde Valley’s heritage apple trees with a historical walk through Kirkfieldbank Community Orchard where the past is brought to and nature, conservation and food production go hand in hand.
• Explore the Edible Seashore: the opportunity to explore marine life and discover the edible seaweeds that grow locally in Moray along with a demonstration to show how coastal ingredients can be cooked.
• Old Ways and New Journeys: this Orkney event contains fascinating insights from instructor Zeki Basan, who grew up in a remote part of the Cairngorms. A glacier guide in Iceland and a wilderness instructor in Scotland, he describes the skills of survival used in the past in Scotland and by indigenous people today.

The festival programme has been designed to encourage people of all ages to participate safely and responsibly in different foraging activities, while discovering some of the most breath-taking parts of Scotland. Offering a range of free and paid-for tickets, each region has tailored the two-week festival to showcase its surroundings and unique local flora. Participants will be able to forage for medicinal plants, learn how to cook with wild ingredients or attend one of the many feasts of foraged food.

Catharine Idle, Programme Coordinator for LEADER in Fife, said:

“This is the first time an event like this has taken place in Scotland and I’m delighted by the strength, diversity and ambition of the programme.  From mindful workshops and wild food feasts to talks from internationally renowned wilderness experts, Foraging Fortnight truly celebrates Scotland’s rural areas and shows the wealth of opportunities for everyone to get involved in foraging.”

The festival aims to leave a legacy of increased public awareness and expertise of sustainable foraging along with a greater understanding of the health and wellbeing benefits of foraging in natural environments. The festival will be repeated in May 2020 in four of the regions and in September 2020 in Orkney.

Foraging Fortnight events will encourage adherence to Scotland’s Outdoor Access Code and organisers have put together foraging guidelines to ensure that those taking part are doing so in a safe and responsible way.

The full programme will be announced on www.foragingfortnight.co.uk .

Foraging Fortnight is part of Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight, which runs from 31^st August to 15^th September.

 

@foragingfortnight

@foragingfortnight

@foragingF

 

A new festival focusing on locally gathered wild food is to take place at Cardross Estate in Stirlingshire this September.

The beguiling Cardross Estate stretches over 4,500 acres of park, wood and farmland and the festival will be the first of its kind to be hosted in the grounds, offering a venue with a rich variety of foraging habitats. Perched above the River Forth with spectacular views in every direction, Cardross Estate is within easy reach of three of Scotland’s major cities – Stirling, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Douglas Johnston, Chair of Forth Valley and Lomond LEADER says:

“The Scottish Wild Food Festival is a ground-breaking project that encourages people to learn more about foraging and understand its benefits. This area is rich in wild food, making it a perfect location for the festival with an abundance of ingredients for people to explore. I’m delighted to launch the first festival of its kind in Scotland at Cardross Estate”.

The full line up of The Scottish Wild Food Festival will be announced on the Foraging Fortnight website www.foragingfortnight.co.uk

Tickets are priced at £8 per adult with free entry for children. Tickets are available for the morning session between 10am – 2pm and the afternoon session 2pm – 6pm.  Some events and workshops within the festival are individually priced, all event and workshop purchases include free entry to the festival.

The Scottish Wild Food Festival is one of the key events of Foraging Fortnight, a LEADER funded project that draws together events across Forth Valley and Loch Lomond, Fife, Lanarkshire, Orkney and Moray.  Foraging Fortnight runs from 31st August to 15th September. The festival is also part of Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight, which runs 31^st August – 15^th September.  The Scottish Wild Food Festival will be repeated in May 2020 with dates yet to be announced.

 

     

Foraging Fortnight, a brand-new festival taking place across five diverse regions of Scotland this autumn, has been announced.

From coastal exploration to herbal wellness, wild food feasts to fireside evenings and topical talks, Foraging Fortnight will allow people to explore Scotland’s natural places and increase their knowledge of wild food and medicinal plants through a series of events.

The LEADER funded project will take place from 31^st August – 15^th September across five of Scotland’s distinct regions:  From the rolling hills of Lanarkshire, the golden beaches and fields of Fife; the mountains and coast of Moray; to the woodlands and lochs of the Forth Valley and Loch Lomond area; and the diverse islands of Orkney.

The festival programme has been designed to encourage people of all ages to participate safely and responsibly in different foraging activities, while discovering some of the most breath-taking parts of Scotland. Offering a range of free and paid-for tickets, each region has tailored the two-week festival to showcase its surroundings and unique local flora. Participants will be able to forage for medicinal plants, learn how to cook with wild ingredients or attend one of the many feasts of foraged food.

Events already confirmed in the growing line up include The Scottish Wild Food Festival taking place on 14^th September on Cardross Estate in the Forth Valley and Loch Lomond area. This brand-new event will include a series of hands-on workshops, bread-making courses, folklore walks throughout the estate and the chance to try freshly prepared food and drink made of wild ingredients. The event will also include spectacular one-table feasts from Buck & Birch’s Rupert Waites and Marysia Paszkowska of Monachyle Mhor.

Further north, a significant part of the acclaimed Orkney International Science Festival will be dedicated to the theme with foraging walks, food workshops and a look at the health and nutrition benefits of seaweed with an evening of Neolithic inspired foraged food.  The festival welcomes Eva Gunnare from Swedish Lapland who will be giving talks and tastings on summer foraging for Arctic herbs and Zeki Basan from the Cairngorms, who will be hosting a series of workshops from tanning fish skins to bush craft outings.

Wendy Barrie, Scottish Food Guide said:

“Scotland is an ideal place for foraging; from woodland fungi and flowers to seashore areas.  The five regions taking part in Foraging Fortnight will showcase the true diversity of habitats and we hope that the events will provide opportunities for visitors and local communities alike to discover some really special places.  Foraging is an activity that’s outstanding for mental and physical fitness and something that is truly accessible to everyone.”

Fiona Richmond, Head of Regional Food at Scotland Food & Drink, added:

“It’s great to see this exciting new initiative take place during this year’s Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight, which celebrates Scotland’s reputation as a Land of Food and Drink and the role it plays in driving a vibrant tourism sector. Foraging Fortnight will encourage curious foodies to get out and about and discover some of the fantastic wild produce that grows along the coasts and in the woodlands of Scotland, offering everyone the opportunity to explore, learn and be inspired by our iconic scenery and diverse local larder.”

The festival aims to leave a legacy of increased public awareness and expertise of sustainable foraging along with a greater understanding of the health and wellbeing benefits of foraging in natural environments. The festival will be repeated in May 2020 in four of the regions and in September 2020 in Orkney.

Foraging Fortnight events will encourage adherence to Scotland’s Outdoor Access Code and organisers have put together foraging guidelines to ensure that those taking part are doing so in a safe and responsible way.

The full programme will be announced on www.foragingfortnight.co.uk

Foraging Fortnight is part of Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight, which runs from 31^st August to 15^th September.

     

Edinburgh based food producer, Mara Seaweed is delighted to announce its inclusion in Tesco’s 2019 Incubator programme. It is just one of six UK food and drink brands, and the only one from Scotland, to be chosen to partner with the supermarket giant, which looks to help young, innovative suppliers grow and reach their potential.

Established in 2017, Tesco’s Incubator programme is designed to give a helping hand to a carefully selected group of small entrepreneurial brands that have the potential to offer something different and exciting to customers.  Over the past two years, 28 suppliers have participated in the programme, with brands such as Brewdog, Fevertree and Graze going on to become household names.

 

Mara’s seaweed flakes – ‘healthy salt’ – has been recognised by Tesco as offering something different and exciting: a way of reducing sodium salt intake with a mineral-rich nutritious ‘healthy salt’ that tastes delicious. Mara will be launching in November in Tesco stores nationwide, in the Herbs & Spice category.

 

 

Once selected, each brand on the Incubator completes a comprehensive yearlong programme that includes advice and guidance on marketing products effectively, responding to Tesco customer insight, as well as tips and mentorship from Tesco’s experienced Product team.

 

Award winning Mara Seaweed was established in 2013 by Fiona Houston and Xa Milne and has now grown to be a ground-breaking sea-to-shelf culinary seaweed brand, with the aim of “nourishing body and soul” with sustainable, local, seaweed.

 

The business has come a long way since Xa and Fiona met in 2003 and discovered a shared love of seaweed foraging which led to the cookbook ‘Seaweed and eat it’. In 2013 Mara began to sustainably wild harvest under Crown Estate license in Scotland, and Mara (Gaelic for sea) Seaweed was born. Since then, Mara has grown to a team employing 8 people, working hard to develop the supply chain and establish the UK’s first sea-to-shelf production facility in Edinburgh, enabling nationwide distribution and export to the US and beyond. From the harvesting to sourcing and processing, Mara Seaweed aims to share the health benefits and essential nutrients of seaweed and promote is as a part of an everyday diet.

 

 

 

Fiona Houston says: “To have been accepted onto the Incubator programme is a game-changer for Mara. It will allow us to learn from industry leaders and develop our brand and long-term partnership with the UK’s biggest retailer. It has been an unbelievably hard six years, and could not have achieved without the support of the team at Mara who share the same passion for the brand as I do.”

 

Abi Cosgrave, Partnership Manager at Tesco added: “It is great to have an innovative Scottish brand participating in this years’ programme. Mara Seaweed won us over with their ethos and unique approach to healthy eating.  With two-thirds of customers looking for supermarkets to support them to live healthier lives, it’s never been more important for Tesco to offer products that reflect the latest health and wellness trends. Mara are at the forefront of this and we look forward to working with them in the future.”

 

Mara can be bought online at: www.maraseaweed.com

 

The Little Chartroom, Edinburgh made its debut at the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards placing number 79, ahead of some of the UKs top one and two Michelin starred restaurants. Having recently won Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Restaurant Awards, the 18 cover restaurant has gone from strength to strength having only opened in June 2018. Other Scottish restaurants to make the list are Ondine, Timberyard, The Kitchin and Restaurant Andrew Fairlie.

Shaun McCarron, co-owner of The Little Chartroom: ‘’We are over the moon to have made it into the Top 100 at the National Restaurant Awards the same week we mark the restaurant’s first birthday so it’s a double celebration for us. The awards were quite surreal as we were surrounded by so many chefs and front of house names that we have looked up to so for many years so, to be recognised alongside them was very humbling, but also an amazing feeling. We are really proud of what we have created at The Little Chartroom and so grateful to the team around us who have helped get us here today. second year!’’

The Little Chartroom is the first restaurant from chef Roberta Hall-McCarron and her husband Shaun McCarron which opened in June 2018. Shaun and Roberta met when they both worked at Dominic Jack and Tom Kitchin’s Castle Terrace, her as head chef and him as restaurant manager.

Their restaurant, on Edinburgh’s Leith Walk has only 18 covers and is run almost single-handedly by the couple both in the kitchen and front of house, assisted by two chefs.

Since opening The Little Chartroom they have received a 10/10 review from critic Joanna Blythman as well as glowing reviews from The Sunday Times’ Marina O’Loughlin and Grace Dent of The Guardian. Roberta was named Chef of the Year at the Young British Foodies Awards last year. So far this year the restaurant has been named one of the UK’s Top 100 at the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards, won an Edinburgh Restaurant Award for Best Newcomer and an Eating & Drinking Award from The List Magazine. Watch out for Roberta at London’s Meatopia in August this year, where she will be flying the flag for Edinburgh with her dish of Ox tongue and beef haggis oat taco, spicy romesco and smoked bone marrow.

www.thelittlechartroom.com

Combining global flavours with the whiskies and natural larder of Scotland, Ghillie Basan’s new book Spirit & Spice takes readers on a culinary journey around the world and back again – to Ghillie’s home in the Highlands of Scotland.

The author of more than 40 cookbooks, Ghillie grew up in Africa and has travelled extensively throughout Turkey, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and researching the links between culinary cultures forged by trade routes, colonisation and migration.

Learning from locals in remote villages, she ground coconuts and pineapples on a stone in Kerala, stuffed pounded pork, ginger and spices into the hollows of bamboo stems in Saigon and picked argan nuts out of goat droppings to be pressed for oil in the Sous Valley.

On returning to Scotland, Ghillie moved to a deserted croft in the wind-battered hills of the Cairngorms.  Here she brought up her two children, grew vegetables, foraged for fungi and berries and cooked wild rabbits from the glen, while using the flavours, spices and techniques picked up on her travels to shine a new light on Scottish produce.

With expert insights on pickling, preserving, smoking and outdoor cooking, Spirit & Spices features beautifully presented recipes detailing Ghillie’s fascinating life story and painting an inspirational, heartfelt picture of her family life in one of Scotland’s wildest and most beautiful corners.

Taking inspiration from the notes of spice lingering in the air from nearby distilleries, she has become an expert in identifying which whiskies enhance the flavours and spices of her recipes and in Spirit & Spice she explains how to pair the perfect dram to a dish.

Recipes include “Body-warming, Midge-busting Dhal”, a spicy, nourishing lentil-based dish, perfect for camping in Scotland; “Whisky and Spice Cured Venison Fillet with Juniper Berries and Wild Thyme” and “Fresh Fish on Sticks Over the Fire”, which Ghillie makes in her garden using fresh trout from Rothiemurchus Estate.

Chapters:

• Flavour and Spice – how to concentrate and enhance flavour in spice mixes, preserves, pickles and flavoured spirits
• Breakfast in the Bush – inspirational ideas for cooking outside whether you’re camping in the glen or hiking through the mountains
• Wild Food & Foraging – making the most of Scotland’s natural larder
• Feeding Family & Friends – family favourites to savour and share
• Sweet Contentment, Sugar and Spice – treats from all over the world, from Ghillie’s kitchen to yours
• Spirit and Spice – a user’s guide to pairing food with whisky

 

Ghillie Basan said:

“Two years ago I almost lost my home – the very heart of this book – as I had given up everything to look after my mother who has dementia. To buy a bit of breathing space with the bank I sold my jewellery and any items of value and then sat on my deck with a dram to draw inspiration from my view – a view that has always reminded me of Africa but on this occasion it dawned on me that here I was in the heart of whisky country and I had never done anything with the spirit, apart from drink it!  As hospitality costs nothing and is at the root of everything I have ever done I linked up with Chivas by opening my doors to welcome international groups to experience food and whisky in a remote smugglers’ glen. By breaking down the flavours in whisky and building them up again in the food, working with flavours from different culinary cultures, the foundation for Spirit & Spice was set and has put me on the right path to save my home. From time to time, we all need a story of hope.”

With photography throughout the book by Christina Riley and Zeki Basan, Spirit & Spice will be published in hardback by Kitchen Press on 14^th May 2019 and will be available nationwide, priced at £25.

 

Kitchen Press titles are distributed by BookSource.

www.kitchenpress.co.uk

To celebrate the famous Wimbledon Grand Slam tennis tournament (1-14th July), Jannettas gelateria in Fife, St Andrews, will serve up not one, but two delicious limited-edition ices.

Opt for the refreshing Pimm’s sorbet, made with Pimms, Lemonade & Fresh Mint or dive into the indulgent Strawberries and Cream gelato made using the freshest possible local strawberries grown by the family-run Pittormie Fruit Farm. Priced at £2 for a standard cone or tub these delicious creations are available for a limited time throughout July.

Jannettas is an institution in Scotland, having been founded more than 110 years ago by Bennett Jannetta. Four generations on, and the family business is run by his great-granddaughter Nicola and her husband Owen. The gelateria in the seaside town serves ice cream to take away along with an eat-in ice cream parlour for visitors, as well as catering for events and wholesale.   

With a staggering 54 flavours of ice cream, Jannettas also serves up classic favourites including Mint Choc Chip, Vanilla and Chocolate as well as seasonal specialities using local produce – including heritage pear; a seaweed and lemon; and whisky marmalade.  The rich and creamy milkshakes and ice cream floats are also popular throughout the summer.