Weekly Wrap - Edition 21

BIG BURRITO

Restaurants and bars are closed for another week. Re-open date is set as 2nd November. Fingers crossed.

Here is a list of restaurants, bars and cafes that are - still open/operating, have At Home delivery Boxes or takeaways available (collection or delivery). Find the list HERE.

If you would like to be added, email me tartanspoon@yahoo.co.uk

Grazing by Mark Greenaway, Edinburgh - One of Edinburgh’s best dining experiences. Read my review here

International Gin Day with Aldi - which gin will you be drinking? Aldi is joining in the celebrations this International Scottish Gin Day (Saturday 24th October) by showcasing a range of popular gins from three renowned Scottish distilleries, with prices starting from just £14.99 a bottle.  If you fancy yourself as a bit of a gin connoisseur try Old Curiosity’s Eidyn Gin, distilled with natural botanicals grown in the distillery’s very own Secret Herb Garden on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Priced at just £19.99 (70cl), this spirit is perfect for shoppers looking for a premium quality gin without the price tag. Packed full of natural citrus flavours, Eidyn Gin is best served with a light tonic and a slice of lemon, or a sprig of lemon thyme. For those who like something a bit sweeter, there are three gins from Callander-based McQueen Gin that are sure to get taste buds tingling. The sell-out Forest Fruits Colour Changing Gin (£15.99), which turns from blue to pink when mixed with tonic, and the iconic Pink Gin (£15.99), are both worth a try. For a quirkier tipple, McQueen Gin’s newly launched Aldi exclusive Toradh Rhubarb and Ginger Gin (pronounced Tor-ig), best served with ginger ale and a lime wedge, is only £14.99 (70cl). Finally, customers can find a diverse range of Scottish gins crafted by renowned distillery, Eden Mill, available exclusively from Aldi stores. The popular Botanical Project collection includes a classic Scottish Dry Gin and a fiery Chilli and Ginger Gin. Also featured in the line-up are International Spirit Festival bronze winners Plum & Pink Grapefruit Gin and Passionfruit and Coconut Gin. All priced at £15.99 (70cl) a bottle, the Botanical Project range has something for every gin drinker this International Scottish Gin Day.   

Home-X, Nationwide - This week HOME-X, a new e-commerce platform from the team behind Six by Nico restaurants launched, bringing restaurant quality food & drink experiences to homes across the UK. Spearheaded by Chef Nico Simeone and Six by Nico marketing guru Michael Sim, HOME-X has been created to satiate the nation’s appetite for quality food and drink products at home. From click to ship, HOME-X will provide customers with the best restaurant experiences to enjoy in the comfort of their own homes, and initially the new platform will launch with six new food and drink brands. Customers will be able to enjoy everything from vegan tasting dishes, hand picked artisan cheeses, exceptional wines, and pre-prepared Chateaubriand. The launch of HOME-X will also mean that for the first time ever, food from the Six by Nico team will be available across the UK. Helping to revolutionise food and drink experiences enjoyed at home, HOME-X home delivery boxes include the finest pre-prepared ingredients and full cooking instructions, to make the process of cooking at home as simple, hassle-free and tasteful as possible. Each experience will be refreshed every month, with delivery included across the UK.

The first brands to launch on the platform include Home by Nico, STEM wine club, Chateau-X, The Cheese Club, and vegan offering 24 Carrot. E.Eatery will also launch next month, with at-home dining experiences created in collaboration with some of the UK’s favourite eateries. Each experience will be carefully pre-prepared and packaged at a new warehouse in Glasgow, in beautifully branded boxes, and kitted out in the very latest food shipping storage technology. Each HOME-X box will be 99% recyclable, with each kit portioned in individual cardboard containers filled with  all the elements needed to create each meal. 

Lincoln Red Beef Box, Bowhouse, Fife - Rare breed beef from a herd recently introduced to Balcaskie Estate in Fife is now available from Butchery at Bowhouse. Lincoln Red is an ancient breed of cattle that, in the face of increasing demand for fast growing more commercial breeds, is now endangered. A small herd of cattle were introduced to the organic Fife estate in 2019 and the onsite butcher, Sophie Cumber has worked closely with the farm to make this available to customers. Developing and expanding the herd is made sustainable through meat sales and Sophie’s whole-carcass approach means that there’s no waste. The boxes will be available periodically throughout the year as the pure breed Lincoln Red cattle go through the butchery and the meat is matured for six weeks in the onsite hanging room. Lincoln Red beef is renowned for its marbling and flavour, with each box containing a selection of cuts for £125.  Orders can be placed at the Butchery at Bowhouse online shop or via butchery@bowhousefife.com and delivered across the UK in sustainable Woolcool boxes for £10. Collections can be made from the Butchery at Bowhouse shop.

Ondine At Home, Edinburgh - A true Seafood Feast from the comfort of your home. Read my review here

Aldi, Scotland - their Christmas range is in store now with some amazing food and drink products including many Scottish food and drink ranges.

Cote at Home, Nationwide - Another great home delivery service with prepared meals or something from the Boucherie.Read my review here

The Caledonian Waldorf Astoria, Edinburgh - Pink Afternoon Tea available all this month in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month. £70 for Traditional Afternoon Tea for 2 people and £95 for Champagne Afternoon Tea for two.

Nuet Aquavit - an exceptional Norwegian alternative to gin. Buy yours from Nuet online with free worldwide delivery for a limited time.

TARTANSPOON WEEKLY WRAP - NEWS FOR YOU TO DIGEST

Victor Hugo Deli, Edinburgh - An Edinburgh institution delivering the best Pastrami Sandwiches this side of the pond. Read my review here

Register Club, Cheval The Edinburgh Grand - Stunning place to while the afternoon away sipping champagne and eating nice things. You can still book for when the reopen or purchase gift vouchers. Read my review here

Harvey Nichols, online - fantastic Christmas hampers available to order now. Our 2020 Christmas hampers brochure is available to view online and you can see the full range of hampers in that PDF. I’m really excited to say that this is the first year we will be offering beauty hampers for both men and women (you can see these at the back of the brochure). As always, there are some fantastic options in our food and beverage range, with something to suit every taste and budget, including alcohol-only hampers as well as alcohol-free options, with prices ranging from £40-£1800.

Paleo Cookbook - sitting at Number 3 on the Amazon Low Carb Wishlist. If you would like to purchase a copy of this great cookbook, follow this link

Tracy.Bakes, Edinburgh - for the most gorgeous flower cake bouquets. Beautifully decorated and tasty.

J.Gow Rum, Orkney - The UK’s first ever three-year-old cask strength rum, distilled on an uninhabited island in Orkney was released earlier this month. Hidden Depths Volume 1 from J. Gow Rum is the distillery’s first limited-edition cask rum, with only 250 bottles available. The distillery is based on Lamb Holm, which is connected to the Orkney mainland by the Churchill Barriers. Measuring in at just 0.15 square miles, it’s possibly the smallest rum-producing island the world.

Kilduff Pumpkins, East Lothian - been pumpkin picking and carved your pumpkins? dont throw away the pumpkin flesh - instead turn it onto some amazing like this Kilduff Pumpkin Pie or this Pumpkin, Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup. There are lots of recipes on their website worth having a look at.

We Made Drinks, nationwide - Lemonade, Raspberry & Lemon, Limeade and Blackcurrant & Lime. All four flavours are made with real fruit and contain absolutely no refined sugar and no artificial nonsense! You can buy them online from We Made Drinks direct. I love love the lemonade!

Ardbeg Wee Beastie this Halloween - Ardbeg is offering whisky lovers the chance to win a ‘monster night in’ this Halloween, as they dispatch a crew of mummies, mutants, and sea creatures to deliver complimentary cocktails and mixology sessions to doorsteps across the UK. The Distillery’s monster delivery service will give fans in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Islay the chance to receive a Monster Night In pack, with all the ingredients for a tongue-tingling Halloween movie night, including a delicious Ardbeg Wee Beastie smoky cocktail. Competition winners can expect a bang on the door sometime between 29 and 31 October, as bike-riding, box-wielding monsters take to the streets to personally present them with their prize. 

A handful of winners will also be selected to win a “Knocktail Experience”: not only will they receive a special stash of Halloween treats including a bottle of Ardbeg Wee Beastie and Amazon Fire Stick, but they’ll also get a visit from their own personal monster mixologist – who’ll concoct a cocktail, right on their doorstep. Visit ardbeg.com to enter. Entries open on 19th October and will close on 26th October. Monster deliveries will be made on 29 October (London), 30 October (Manchester), and 31 October (Edinburgh and Islay). Social distancing will, of course, be maintained at all times.

 That’s it for this week folks.

Adele x