Bunchrew House Hotel
by Lea Harris on September 24th 2009
From the window seat in our large bedroom at Bunchrew House, I’m watching as the long shadows cast by the setting sun capture and elongate the bales of straw across the Beauly Firth to the Black Isle and Ben Wyvis. Swifts flit across my eyeline as I watch the shore waders probe in the retreating water that oscillates from pale slate to shimmering opal. The plaintive sounds of the birds and the gentle lapping of the tide are all I can hear.
Two for the price of one
by Lea Harris on July 9th 2009
As always it seems to creep up and, when we least expect it, Spring arrives with glorious days of sunshine and warmth. The appearance of the first asparagus, rude shoots to be dipped in a creamy, buttery and oh so naughty hollandaise. Not far behind come the king of spuds, Jersey Royals, a knob of unsalted butter left to melt over the small tubers; a grinding of black pepper and rock salt is the only adornment for these beauties. And of course the love it or hate it - rhubarb. In my opinion, you can't beat a good rhubarb crumble with custard. It's also a good sign when Craig’s are back at Edinburgh Farmers' Market with Scottish grown tomatoes and strawberries - both heralding the imminence of summer.
Say cheese
by Lea Harris on July 2nd 2009
Did you know you can now get mozzarella, ricotta and Scamorza affumicata (smoked mozzarella) from Edinburgh’s Farmers’ Market? A young Italian couple, Adriana and Gabriele are making these fabulous cheeses at Yester Mains Farm out at Gifford. And let me tell you, they are fantastic! The ricotta, in my opinion, is the best outside Italy; the smoked cheese is great to nibble on with a glass of red wine and the mozzarella is soft, stringy and glorious with fresh ripe tomatoes for a light refreshing lunch. Tony Crolla of La Favorita, uses it in his restaurant. For take home, you can buy it from Ian Mellis if you can’t get to the market. Adriana and Gabriele are only at the farmers’ market on the 3rd and 4th Saturdays.
Happy (albeit it belated) Birthday
by Lea Harris on July 2nd 2009
I can’t believe it’s a year since Earthy first opened their doors. Celebrations were held at the beginning of May with an outdoor party. The sun shone, but that bitter east wind was an unwelcome guest, fortunately it didn't spoil the afternoon. Heather from Whitmuir Organics, did a sterling job throwing beef burgers and minute steaks onto the barbie, while Dirk did a roaring trade in grilled veggies including that wonderful asparagus with rolls and focaccia supplied by James. Over the summer Earthy are organising farm tours, wine tastings and something that I will definitely be going on is the foraging days.
21212 – Eh? Two starters, one soup, two mains, one cheese course, two desserts.
by Lea Harris on July 2nd 2009
The dust has settled over the rather ambiguous name of Paul Kitching’s restaurant with rooms, but the coloured billiard balls on the logo are still causing a bit of confusion. For those in the know, it represents the five main food colours (hence no blue) and the font reflects his fondness for Dr Who. Paul’s still settling in and I must admit that there isn’t anywhere in Edinburgh that produces such ambitious dishes, delivering them like miniature works of art - which is where Paul’s inspiration comes from. The guest rooms are just as beautiful and individual; even the numbering uses the digits from the restaurant’s name – so 1, 2, 12, 21 rather than the conventional.