After three glorious years of Scran Salon events, I’m bringing things to a close. When I set up the event, I was pretty clear on the type of thing I was seeking to deliver. I think that was achieved and the events have been really successful. They’ve been the easiest thing in the world to…
Crowdfunding can be a pretty tricky thing to get right. For every runaway success, like the Edinburgh Food Studio or Union of Genius, there are many more that don’t quite build inexorable momentum in quite the same way. As with most things in life, the trick is to learn lessons, lick any wounds, and come…
Via the wonderful world of social media, I was really sad to hear what had happened to one of our popular street food traders, the other day. At the weekend just past, the Mighty Mexican, a family run street food truck serving a variety of burritos to Mexican food fans, got caught in a cross-wind…
In a most uncharacteristic piece of forward planning, we already have our August salon plans arranged and they are highly exciting! We’re delighted to be taking the show on the road to the Biscuit Factory, just off Bonnington Road, where we’ll be introducing you to the joys of Dram & Smoke, on what for Paul…
We wrote about the Scotland’s FoodScape event originally back when it was first announced in December 2015. Since then, regular saloneer Charlotte Maberly, along with her merry band of folks from the QMU MSc in Gastronomy, have been working to put together a fantastic programme for the event, which came to fruition the other week.…
Edinburgh has an ever-growing crop of food markets, with the Castle Terrace Farmers’ Market, The Pitt, the regular Leith, Stockbridge and Grassmarket markets. From the same stable as the last three comes a new contender, Fountainbridge Street Food Fridays. Making use of the space used for the Canal Festival, at the Lochrin Basin end of…
I wrote briefly about the Edinburgh Food Social’s Crowdfunder in the round-up March’s salon event, but thought it best to write a little more expansively about it as it’s a project very worthy of your attention, as it enters the final few days of their funding drive. The brainchild of Eleanor and Will from the…
I’ve been remiss in not writing before now about a new sister Salon, the Creative Salon, which launched in Edinburgh in January. At the helm is Carolyne Latham of Puppet Anima fame. I’ve known Carolyne for a good wee while having met at our “mother” event, the Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Lit Salon. Carolyne…
The organisers of The Pitt – Scott from Rost and Hal from Barnacles & Bones – were along at the December salon to tell us all about their launch event, which took place in the middle of that month. I didn’t make it along as I was detained on important matters of state in Stockbridge…
The Queen Margaret University masters course in Gastronomy and Italy’s University of Gastronomic Sciences have come together to host a food symposium, which will explore the significance of food in Scotland, over two days in late April 2016. Regular saloneer Charlotte Maberly, who is the co-creator both of this project and the MSc course, is…
After an absolutely frenetic week at the salt mines, I was delighted to have the prospect of an innovative dining experience at the end of it. A collaboration between police box favourite Barnacles & Bones and Ruaraidh Menzies’ Ror’s Kitchen, it promised four courses of seasonal treats in a mystery location. Ror had told us…
Regular attendees at the Edinburgh Farmers’ Market on Castle Terrace will be familiar with the outstanding work of Hammond Charcuterie. Having been in operation for two years, Rachel Hammond’s Borders-based business is now looking to take things to the next level with new, expanded premises from which to deliver butchery workshops and up production levels…
It was joyful to be back in Dundee at the Literary Festival and almost inconceivable to think it had been a year since the last one. We crammed in a good few food reviews over the weekend, including stops at Tony’s Diner, the DCA, Medina and Pacamara, but there was much fun to be had…
What seems like about a million years ago, I was involved in some very early discussions about a festival, City Link, which would bring the cities of Edinburgh and Copenhagen together to celebrate cultural and democratic renewal across a weekend. I was asked for some suggestions for venues and people to bring together a communal…
A huge congratulations to all involved with the exciting new Edinburgh Food Studio, which has now achieved its Kickstarter goal. With the target amount of £10k now raised, the opportunity exists to support this project to achieve a thumping great total over the 18 days that still remain on the Kickstarter call. It was clear…
