Weekly Wrap - July No3

BIG BURRITO - I’m delighted to tell you that Whisky Forager is launching this month. Headed up by Chef Colin Hinds, founder of the award winning Seafood Restaurant, Kilted Lobster; Whisky Forager expertly pairs an exquisite five course tasting menu with specifically chosen range of whiskies. Whisky Forager officially opens on Thursday 30th July and will only seat 8-10 people with one service per evening. 5 course tasting menu with paired whiskies is £69pp. Email whiskyforager@yahoo.com to book.

SAD BURITTO - Hendersons will not reopen. This Edinburgh Vegan institution will close after nearly 60 years due to Covid and the impact it has had on revenue and footfall.

TARTANSPOON WEEKLY WRAP - NEWS FOR YOU TO DIGEST

FOOD

The Cook School, Kilmarnock - have launched online cooking classes held via Zoom. You choose the cookery class ie Thai, Italian, French etc; they send out all the ingredients, and on the night you are joined by the chef who takes you through the entire cooking process. You will prepare 2 courses across the 2 hours. So much fun, highly recommended.

The Stair Arms, Pathhead- these guys are busy not only with a great beer garden, a Cake Container Take-away but also with their Drive-Thru Afternoon Tea take-away. Sounds brilliant and I hope to be driving through soon.

Vittoria Group, Edinburgh - The Vittoria Group has set out plans to reopen its entire Edinburgh estate with a phased reopening strategy. Starting with the groups three Leith Walk restaurants locations, Taste of Italy, La Favorita and Vittoria on the Walk opened their doors on Wednesday 15th July with the Vittoria on the Bridge and the groups flagship restaurant, Bertie's Restaurant and Bar reopening on Wednesday July 22nd and stylish dining Italian restaurant, Divino Enoteca will be the final restaurant in the estate to reopen on Friday 31st July. 

Railway Inn, Edinburgh - One of very few independently owned traditional “village” pubs in Edinburgh, is welcoming back customers, both inside and outside and during lockdown Landlords Darren Love and Corinne Jones, took the time to rebrand the bar back to its initial name of The Railway Inn, after being called The Juniper Inn for a few years. The bar is fortunate to have a big welcoming beer garden, which most restaurants and pubs would love to have.

Tuk Tuk, Glasgow and Edinburgh - have launched a Make Your Own Indian Street Food Curry Kits. Inside you’ll find easy to prepare recipes, Tempered Tomato Chutney, Pakora Batter Mix, White Rice and Makhani Butter Curry Paste. The curry kits can feed up to four people and cost £19.95

Gannet and Guga, Edinburgh - this wee gourmet sandwich shop is back open and selling amazing sandwiches as always. As its Summertime, they have started selling their signature Vietnamese style summer rolls. They also cater for vegans and gluten freebies.

Meldrum House, Inverurie - how about Dome Dining under the stars??! Their stunning Viking domes have been named after the stars in the sky and have amazing views out across the estate and golf course. Named after the six-star system, CASTOR will hold up to 6 guests and the larger dome, named AURORA will hold up to 12. Diners will access the domes from a private door in the hotel, following a lit stone path onto the lawns. Carefully thought out, the atmospheric private dining domes have wooden flooring and tailor-made furniture decked out with beautiful lantern lamps. A Bluetooth music system is installed in each where you can wire in your own surround sound music choices. Available to hire for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner, the natural environment creates a real wow factor with 360 degree views to the original manor house, the highland cows, golf course and the sky above. Prices start at £20 up to £70 for the hire of the dome with food and drink costs additional.

Stac Polly, Edinburgh - has revealed their secret gin garden serving fabulous Scottish gins, wines, champagnes, Edinburgh Beer Factory Paolozzi on Draft and a wide range of Orkney Brewery beers. As well as their current menu, they are also serving up their famous cheese boards from George Mewes Cheeses; all perfect for Al Fresco Dining.

PRODUCTS

Litty Larder Cakes - are based in East Lothian and owned by baker extraordinaire, Liz. Liz crafts the most wonderful sustainable edible art and made me the most incredible Chocolate, Cherry and Charcoal Cake with cherries, low sugar homemade jam and edible petals. It was beautiful and I cant thank her enough. If you ever need a beautiful cake, do contact Liz.

Aldi Burgers - Scotch beef is world renowned, but have you ever experienced the sheer joy of a half pounder Scotch beef burger in a giant brioche bun? If not, burger lovers will be thrilled to hear that supermarket Aldi is launching an ultimate, Big Eat Scotch beef burger Specialbuy, which includes two half pound beef patties for only £1.99. Pair it with Aldi’s newly launched giant brioche buns, only 79p for a pack of two, and you have the ultimate half pounder Scotch beef burger. Or, if you’re feeling extra hungry, simply put the patties together in a bun and you’ve got a whopper of a double half pounder Scotch beef burger – flippin delicious.

Ceylon35 - they might be spices from Sri Lanka but they are brought to us by a Scots couple, Tyroshan and Ayesha from Dundee. They source their spices and ingredients from small farmers across Sri Lanka. Their peppers, mace and nutmeg are from Kandy and Turmeric from Mahiyanganaya. Udawalawa, a small village to the south is where they get their curry leaves and the moringa powder from. Nothing is rushed, everything is hand-picked to ensure quality and freshness. If you love spices and baking ingredients, take a look at their online shop, and see if true authentic ingredients brighten up your dishes.

DRINKS

Eidyn Gin - Aldi has partnered with Edinburgh-based The Old Curiosity Distillery to launch a new small-batch premium gin which will be available from all 92 Aldi stores across Scotland. The luxury spirit is set to delight aficionados across the country, who can now enjoy a deliciously pure, premium gin at the excellent price of just £19.99 (70cl, 40% ABV). Eidyn (pronounced ee-din), named after the Scottish Gaelic for Edinburgh, has been developed exclusively for Aldi by The Old Curiosity Distillery, at The Secret Herb Garden. The distillery uses a base spirit, which is then carefully blended with botanicals that are grown, picked and dried by hand, from their Secret Herb Garden, to create this outstanding natural product. The exceptional quality and purity of this gin will shine through and is best served with a light tonic, a slice of lemon and a sprig of lemon thyme. Eidyn has been lovingly blended with lemon thyme and lemon balm botanicals which produce fresh citrus notes followed by a crisp juniper finish. The stunning bottle, sure to take pride of place in any gin lover’s collection, features a striking turquoise and gold label, with the clear glass bottle etched with key herbs and botanicals featured in the liquid. 

Devils Advocate - Edinburgh bar, the Devil’s Advocate, is launching takeaway whisky flights in collaboration with Johnnie Walker. The takeaway flights are designed to help whisky novices and experts navigate the ‘four corners’ of Scotland one dram at a time – all from the comfort of their own home. The flight includes the single malts which go into making Johnnie Walker. You’ll enjoy Clynelish (Highlands), Cardhu (Speyside), Caol Ila (Islay) and Glenkinchie (Lowland) and finishing with Johnnie Walker Black Label.  

Mermaid Gin - it’s the bottle I fell in love with but it helps too that the gin is bloody delish! Hand-crafted on the Isle of Wight using ethically sourced botanicals, this Pink Gin is aromatic and refreshing, Mermaid Pink Gin infuses the flavour of fresh Island strawberries with the smooth yet complex taste of our award-winning Mermaid Gin, a blend of lemon zest, grains of paradise and fragrant rock samphire. Perfectly balanced, subtle yet vibrant, less sweet than most pink gins with no added sugar. £37.75 to buy from MasterofMalt.

Eteaket - are collaborating with Scottish Water and have created a special blend of tea called 'Keep The Heid'. Scottish Water is considered to be soft water (which means that it has less than 60mg of calcium per litre) and is widely regarded as better for brewing tea than hard water. Scotland's water in particular has less calcium and a lower mineral content which makes for a more refined cup of tea, and allows the more subtle and delicate flavours in a blend to come through. So buy this Limited Edition Tea, find your perfect spot, sit doon and have a cuppa.

MY TOP PLACES OPEN THIS WEEKEND FOR:

BREAKFAST/BRUNCH

DINNER

HOTELS

We are on the road out of lockdown and much of our hospitality trade is starting to open up. This is when they need us the most - we need to spend our money locally, continuing to support our local greengrocers, fishmongers, butchers, small independent shops both on the High Street and online, home deliveries of groceries, take-aways, fine dining etc, our wonderful farm shops and farmers, and all our local producers. Remember, we are so lucky to live in Scotland. We have one of the most incredible larders in the world right here on our doorstep.

I know its hard not to shop at the large supermarkets, but do try to purchase at least one thing from a local shop around you. If you need some help on Scottish food and drink producers, visit this fantastic guide that Scotland Food and Drink has created. www.foodanddrink.scot/support-local/

Have a great weekend folks!

Adele x