RESTAURANT REVIEW: KORA, EDINBURGH

Richard Bath visits Tom Kitchin’s Kora restaurant in Edinburgh. IN A NUTSHELL: Kora is Tom Kitchin’s new 65-cover remodelled restaurant in the increasingly fashionable south Edinburgh district of Bruntsfield. His hugely talented old mucker Dominic Jack is the chef-director (aka executive chef) while James Chapman, who has worked with the Michelin-starred Kitchin for eight years,…

Read More

Secret Garden Distillery bought by Admiral founder

THE founder of insurer Admiral Group has bought the Secret Garden Distillery on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Kate Armstrong was one of the founders of Admiral and was the founding managing director of price comparison website Confused.com Her daughters, Isobel and Imogen, will run the distillery and focus on brand and product development. Head distiller…

Read More

Baxters hampers help small businesses

LEGENDARY Moray food producer Baxters is launching its first luxury Christmas hampers, with a focus on small Scottish brands. Products that have made their way into the hampers include Wild Hearth Bakery sourdough whisky stollen bread, a Clootie McToot clootie dumpling kit, and Kinalba cashmere socks. Kinloch Anderson has supplied tartan crackers, while the Highland…

Read More

World’s smallest martini bar joins Glasgow Cocktail Week

THE world’s smallest martini bar is rolling into the Dear Green Place to mark the start of Glasgow Cocktail Week. Hidden inside a former boulangerie van, the bar can only seat two people. Dubbed “The Grey Goose Camionnette”, the van has already toured Europe this summer and will make its Glasgow debut when the city’s…

Read More

Little Chartroom welcomes guest chefs

THE Little Chartroom restaurant in Leith is welcoming a string of guest chefs to its kitchen. Roberta Hall-McCarron will be joined at her pass on 2 October by Tom Booton, head chef of The Grill at The Dorchester Hotel in London. Booton is the youngest head chef in The Dorchester’s history. The other chefs who…

Read More

Native Hebridean smoked salmon makes splash at awards

A NATIVE Hebridean smoked salmon scooped the top prize at last night’s Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Awards in Edinburgh. Bakkafrost Scotland’s salmon took home the “product of the year” trophy. Lazy Day Bakery won the new free-from award for its chocolate cake bars, while Girvan-based butcher We Hae Meat won the sustainability award. Other…

Read More

Foraging Fortnight begins on Saturday

SCOTLAND’S Foraging Fortnight begins on Saturday, with events taking place throughout the country. Talks, workshops, and walks have been organised as part of the Orkney International Science Festival, which also begins on Saturday. The Scottish Wild Food Festival is also taking place at Tir na nOg, near Drymen, on 17 and 18 September. The Foraging…

Read More

Restaurant news round-up: Ralph & Finns, Gleneagles, and more

Peter Ranscombe serves up another slice of recent restaurant news. CHEF Kevin O’Neill has taken over at modern bar and brasserie Ralph & Finns in Glasgow. His autumn menu features Shetland hake from fishmonger Bernand Corrigan and Isle of Barra scallops, crustaceans, and oysters delivered by Andy Bell’s Fish People. Specialist butcher C & C…

Read More

Baern and Aeble team up for cider dinner

BAKERY Baern and cider shop Aeble have teamed up to run a dinner at Bowhouse in the East Neuk of Fife. Founded by Hazel Powell and Giacomo Pearce, Baern uses a wood-fired oven for its sourdough, and sources ingredients from fellow businesses at the Bowhouse farmers’ market, including flour from Scotland The Bread, meats from…

Read More

Restoring Cairngorms forests – one burger at a time

VENISON from red deer shot in the Cairngorms is being sold to fund tree planting. Deer are culled in the Cairngorms National Park to stop them from eating the growing tips off tree saplings. The venison has gone on sale in the shop at the RSPB’s Loch Garten nature reserve. Previously, Lynbreck Croft – which…

Read More