Upmarket breakfast food for robins

Robin and designer cereal

I was camping at Roybridge – near Spean Bridge – near Fort William in the heart of the Autumnal oranged-Scottish Highlands. To make up for sleeping in a pod I brought Primrose’s Kitchen raw beetroot and ginger muesli to ease the pain on a sling mattress in a wooden pod. 

I was not the only one to find this designer muesli delicious – this robin was sorely tempted by the lure of: gluten-free oats, raw beetroot, raw agave, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, raw virgin coconut oil, almonds, linseeds, coconut pieces, ground ginger, shelled hemp seed and psyllium husks.

This muesli is made in Dorset by Primrose’s Kitchen and I bought it from Real Foods – £5.95  for 400g and a Great Taste winner. Intrigued I googled Primrose’s Kitchen: 

Primrose’s Kitchen: Having had a youth of chronic fatigue, M.E and poor digestion, Primrose Matheson set out on a mission to understand her body and what was needed to maintain it in perfect health. This led her into Naturopathic and Complementary health studies and a degree in Homeopathy the knowledge of which she has used to design natural and wholesome food. She started with muesli as breakfast is (as a nation) our favourite meal of the day due to its quick assembly and had a desire to make it into a healthy food for any occasion, not just first thing in the morning.

By including ingredients you might associate more with lunch or dinner such as beetroot and carrot she wanted create a versatile health food that tasted great and could be eaten as a healthy snack whatever time of the day. Ideally for a more balanced diet we should be eating as much or more fruit and vegetables than we do grains. 

From this it seemed logical that if she was going to add a healthy ingredient like vegetables why not add other nutritious ingredients not found in breakfast muesli that support good health.

And how was it? Really good especially soaked in orange juice and topped with Greek yoghurt. You could mix it yourself but for a weekend camping trip this was a treat and a bonus – if it attracts wildlife! 

 

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Ice cream by the sea

Ice cream on the sea

I took the train from Edinburgh to North Berwick on Sunday and within an hour, had walked along the beach and got myself to @gelateriaalanda by the Lodge Grounds for an ice cream. Frequent winners at the Royal Highland Show, Alandas make their ice cream from milk from East Lothian cows.

 

 

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Walking tour with fab hot choc and top view

Just had the best hot chocolate and the best view: I am always telling guests on my New Town food safari how the New Town was designed to be a massive improvement from the Old Town with its narrow closes and high buildings and use examples of London Street’s incredibly wide street – you could easily turn a horse and carriage – whereas in the Old Town we could be talking a nine-point turn! 

Today I took a free Little Fish walking tour of the Old Town  – starts 10.30 opposite St Giles http://www.littlefishtours.co.uk/  and was hugely taken with guide Ben’s humorous and interesting tour with snippets of history but not bogged down with too many dates, we started at St Giles and went down Barrie’s Close – a new one for me to the Cowgate where cows were driven to market, then up through Greyfriars, and great views from upper Victoria Street to end up in the Grassmarket. To warm up after our two-hour walk, Ben recommended Mary’s  Milk Bar for ice cream – too cold for me – and real hot chocolate – Mary of the Milk Bar has worked as a chocolatier for the last five years and she trained in Bologna, Italy. The hot choc was fantastic really rich and creamy and perfect after two hours on the cobbles. Also if you sit in the front of the shop you get the most fantastic view of the castle – my top tip of the day for hot chocolate with a view 

Littlle Fish Tours
59/5 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh, EH11BS http://www.littlefishtours.co.uk/

Mary’s  Milk Bar
19 Grassmarket
Edinburgh
EH1 2HS

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Something fishy on the safari

Just added another stop – smoked salmon from Daniel Bee fishmonger at Something Fishy 16A Broughton St, Edinburgh EH1 3RH.

Daniel dry smokes Scottish salmon from his small shop at the top of Broughton Street. Absolutely delicious just with a twist of black pepper and a slice of lemon. I like taking guests to Something Fishy as a family business which has been well established on Broughton Street for many years and a great example of a local fishmonger. 

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The Ivy will definitely flourish!

The Ivy on the Square (St Andrews Square) opens tonight – 20 September  – I went last week to an opening – lovely balmy night – and we found ourselves after several truffle rice balls and steak on a stick at the end of the evening sitting outside in  Parisian style terrace with a glass of Ivy fizz and to keep off the Scottish September chills a lovely aqua IVY embroidered blanket. 

The Ivy, West Street in London opened 100 years ago. This Edinburgh edition will be open seven days a week.  The brasserie will offer all-day dining and an extensive cocktail list and always have some unreserved seats so you can be spontaneous – if you feel a espresso martini on the Square mood come upon you. 

The Ivy on the Square’s brasserie style menu will offer something for all kinds of occasions, serving breakfast, elevenses, weekend brunch, lunch, afternoon tea, light snacks, cocktails and dinner. Dishes include the iconic shepherd’s pie and the chocolate bomb with hot salted caramel sauce. Definitely worth staying on the tram for – which is just across the Square.

The Ivy on the Square – Edinburgh
6 St. Andrew Square, 
EH2 2BD, 
Edinburgh

CALL: 0131 526 4777

 

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Edinburgh Food Studio

 

 

The Edinburgh Food Studio

on Dalkeith Road does not fail to amaze with its eight-course taster menu – here is one unusual highlight: Peach passion and beeswax – the ice cream has a haunting sense of honey – but not sweet – but a dish that demanded more and more tasting.

Do go – open three nights a week – and menu changes constantly 

 T: +44 (0) 131 258 0758

E: info@edinburghfoodstudio.co (not .com nor .co.uk)

158 Dalkeith Road, Edinburgh, EH16 5DX

 

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Fab brunch at Gardeners Cottage

Meatloaf brioche with hollandaise sauce – fantastic combo

Beetroot Bloody Mary – amazing zing on a Saturday morning for this combo of: vodka, sherry, beetroot juice, red wine vinegar, house fermented chilli and celery salt. After one of those you feel ready to take on the Pigs head – no not with an apple stuck in mouth – it is in fact a delicate disc of distilled down pig – like amazing shredded bacon – sorry not doing justice to it – you must try!

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