More Edinburgh Food

Now that I have completed all my Edinburgh posts on the places we visited and the recipes while on holiday in Scotland, I will finish up with some miscellaneous foodie photos.

Above is a photo of a festive window display at the House of Fraser on the West End of Princes Street. As I have said before, I love the Christmas displays in Edinburgh.

When I lived in Scotland I had a weakness for Mueller's fruit corners. E then introduced me to the crunch corners. They are pots of yoghurts with little corners of a separate fruit puree or chocolate covered cereal that can be mixed in. It's a gimmick but a fun one and they do taste good. I was delighted to be reunited with them at 3 for 99p in Sainsbury's supermarket, though I never found the gooseberry ones I was partial to. They are great with Alpen swiss cereal for breakfast.

This is a window display on the whisky shop in Victoria Street. I am not a whisky drinker but when I see displays like this I wish I could enjoy a wee dram of a good malt whisky.

Only recently have I discovered imported American Lara Bars in Melbourne. They are a healthier alternative to a chocolate bar with dates, nuts and other flavours. So I was quite excited to find a similar sort of bar in the UK. Delicious!

Debenhams Department Store has a cafe with a view on the fourth floor. It was called Style Cafe which E thought a silly name because it didn't say what sort of style. I had a Treacle Toffee Muffins with bits of toffee and apple through it. This was a soft muffin with lots of flavour that I loved.

It was a bit of a challenge travelling with a baby but Sylvia behaved well. When we were out she ate and slept in her stroller. This apple and pear pudding was one of her favourites. I often fed it to her at lunchtimes because I knew she wouldn't make a fuss about eating it. But I am glad to be home and giving her fresh food again.

Not technically Edinburgh food. This is the lunch table when we visited E's friends, John and Morag and girls who live in nearby Roslin. They had remembered I was vegetarian and had a lovely spread of soup, bread and cheese. We brought along some mince tarts because 'tis the season to indulge in such delights.

Another window display. This was typical of a tartan tat shop with oodles of tartan (of course), fudge and shortbread. You know you are in Scotland when you see such a shop.

When I visited Henderson's on Hanover Street with Yarrow and Mindy, I bought nut and cranberry burgers and some salads to take home for dinner. A very satisfying meal. I added some brussels sprouts.

In my last few days I looked for a nut roast in Marks and Spencers Food Hall. They gladly obliged. There is not much you can't find there wrapped in plastic and cardboard with oven and microwave instructions. While I prefer a home made nut roast I wish I could buy one in Melbourne if I didn't feel like making my own.

The M&S nut roast was very nice with whisky sauce and cranberry sauce. I roasted the vegetables leftover from our Christmas dinner. I cut the potato and parsnips as chips so they would cook quicker because, as usual, I was late with dinner. I had been determined to make a proper dinner on our last night because I know I would be eating rubbish on the plane.

Not food but I can't resist one more photo of Edinburgh Castle. I was quite excited that my camera was far more effective at taking photos at night than my previous cameras. This is a view from Princes Street. By the time we left, the work on the tram tracks along Princes Street were finished but there were no signs of trams.

At the airport we were running late so I used the last of our British pounds and pence to buy snacks for the plane because on the way over I didn't have enough to eat. I have a particular dislike of prepackaged sandwiches but I was desperate. We did appreciate the spiced pear and stilton sandwiches when we stopped at Dubai briefly. Though if I had had time, I would have loved to have tried the Ben and Jerry's ice cream vending machine at Glasgow Airport.

At the end of the trip we felt we had done so much and yet we still had a long wishlist of things not done. At the top of our list of regrets was not being able to catch up with as many people as we had hoped to. We never had a proper browse in John Lewis, Next and Jenners stores, which we had enjoyed visiting when we lived in Edinburgh. We didn't get to look around the West End, near where we had lived, to see the changes. There were museums, galleries and other sights we didn't see such as the Museum of Childhood and the Royal Museum of Scotland (which is closed til 2011).

As for eating, there are many places to eat in Edinburgh that I didn't get to visit, some that I have been to before and others I would like to try:

• Kalpnas - Indian vegetarian restaurant
• Black Bo's Vegetarian Restaurant
• The Sheeps Heid Inn - oldest pub in Edinburgh
• L'Artichaut - French vegetarian restaurant
• The Tower Restaurant - fine dining and great views of the castle
• The Cafe Royal - for its wonderful decor
• The Baked Potato Shop - for great vegetarian haggis on baked potato
• The Fruitmarket Gallery Cafe - for old times sake and good food
• Henderson's Bistro - an Edinburgh vegetarian institution
• St Giles Cathedral Cafe - a new cafe in a favourite old building
  
• More old pubs generally!

But mustn't grumble. We had a wonderful visit. We ate well, saw many fascinating places and, best of all, just loved being able to spend time with E's family. I hope it wont be too long til we are there again.

Royal Botantic Garden Edinburgh

On a grey cold day, we headed to the Royal Botanic Gardens for our last outing in Edinburgh. It was the last of E's wishlist of places to see. He had spent quite some time here in his youth and wanted to show me just how different it is to Melbourne's Botanic Gardens. Established in 1670, it is much smaller and more European. Visiting in winter, we missed the colourful bloom of flowers but were treated to the spooky tangle of naked branches on old trees.

One advantage of winter was the there was less foliage for the squirrels to hide amongst. E loves the furry wee rascals and we spotted many scampering throug the trees.

Winter also gives a better view of the grand old grey stone houses with backyards bordering onto the gardens. These houses give the gardens a particularly Scottish feel.

Our plan was to eat lunch upon arriving. E was interested to check out the cafe at the new John Hope Gateway. It is a shiny modern centre with a great gift shop but E decided the cafe was too pretentious.

Instead he led us us to the old Terrace Cafe which blends seamlessly into the garden landscape. It had a fine outdoor view of the old town (as you can see in the photo at the top) but it was too cold and we went inside to sit beside the Christmas Tree.

It is less fancy, less heated and less expensive. Food is ordered at the counter, cafeteria-style. E enjoyed his hearty beef stew with dumplings. I chose the pumpkin soup and a cheese scone on the side. The soup was very simple and refreshing. I liked the little container of self-serve chives. My cheese scone was ok but I had nicer ones elsewhere on the trip.

We shared a millionaire shortbread to finish lunch but it was rather sweet and not as nice as the one at North Berwick. E thought it was great.

After lunch we headed off to wander about. We walked through the dormant Queen Mother's Garden. I liked the shell and pine cone patterns inside a little hut.

We walked past large hedges. I was particularly taken with the holly hedges, something I have never seen before. The idea of holly in season at Christmas seems very romantic compared to the plastic type we find in Australia.

Then we headed off to the Glasshouses, which are a feature of the gardens. I love the grand building and imagine before travel was so easy that it was a real thrill for the people of Edinburgh to visit exotic warm climate plants here. No doubt it is still fascinating for many people.

E pointed out the lily pond where many bands took promotional photos. He had even posed for a photo or two there as a young musician. There were no lilies at this time of year and E was most displeased to go below to the viewing window and find the water too murky to see anything. It wasn't like this when I used to come here, he harrumphed.

I loved the fernery. The lacy tree ferns made me feel a pang for my childhood walks around the Otways back in Australia.

I also liked the arid desert display which was so unlike any vegetation that you would see in Edinburgh.

It took us a while to walk through the different glasshouses and I was glad to leave because walking in and out of the warm glasshouses into the cold outdoors can't be good for the health. But they were interesting viewing.

By that time it was about 3.30pm and the gardens were to be 'cleared' at 3.45pm on the day we visited because they were not open in the dark: it got dark at about 4pm. So we headed for the gate and gathered at the bus stop with others who had spent an afternoon at the Botanics.

Terrace Cafe
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, EH3 5LR
Telephone: 0131 552 0606
Website: http://www.rbge.org.uk/the-gardens/edinburgh/visitor-information

Cranana Cake

While staying in Edinburgh, it was a challenge to use as much of the food we were given and bought (though we still offloaded some onto E's sister, HH, before we left). I had some cranberries left after the nut roast and bananas that needed to be used. It occurred to me that they would be interesting together in a cake. I found just the recipe on Chocolate and Zucchini.

The hardest part of making the cake was finding time and energy. But the ingredients beckoned, especially once I had purchased some sugar, flour and pecans to complete the cakes. I finally got it in the oven at midnight one night. I didn't have enough cranberries but had some apples so I reduced the sugar and added apples. Having little opportunity to bake with fresh cranberries I was pleased with how good they tasted - not too bitter at all. I wished I had more of them to use. I also doubled the recipe so that I could use up more of most ingredients.

The other challenge was working in an unfamiliar kitchen. Most things I needed were there - cake tins, wire racks, mixing bowl, baking paper. But there was no food processor. It is only after I re-read Clotilde's recipe to reproduce here that I realised that she had mixed the mixture with the fruit in the food processor so hers would have been more chopped than mine. I guess I should have followed my gut instinct and chopped the cranberries. I also failed to find a skewer to check the cake was cooked but the next best thing was the long prongs of this lovely carving fork.

The finished cake was delicious when fresh out of the oven. Soft and fruity and filling the house with cinnamon scents. The next day I wondered if I really should have added the last 100g flour and omitted the water. It was quite dense but I have made cakes with apple before that are a bit soggy so I erred on the dry side. It tasted good still but I wondered if some butter would be good on a slice. Two cakes was far too much for us over the few days left. I took one to HH and I had some of the other one in the airport on the way home. Homemade cake has never tasted so good as it did when surrounded by soulless, plastic-wrapped food in transit.

And as I only have a couple more Edinburgh posts, I will add a few gratuitous pictures of festive Scotland. It is not the same here, with 39 C forecast for tomorrow. I love the little closes off the Royal Mile in Edinburgh and the name of this one seemed just right to decorate for Christmas.

The Ness Clothing Company shop has such lovely tartan goods but I really want a pair of those gumboots.

There are at least three Christmas shops in Edinburgh with lots of great Scottish Christmas decorations. I am a sucker for all the tartan tat but I managed to resist buying E one of the tartan santa hats.

Cranana Cake
Adapted from Wilson's Farm, Lexington, MA via Chocolate and Zucchini

110g butter, softened
300g demerera sugar
4 eggs
4 small bananas, chopped
90g cranberries
350g apples, cored and chopped (or 200g chopped apple or 3 apples)
100g pecans, chopped
500g self raising flour
¼ tsp salt
1½ tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line 2 x 20cm cake tins. Cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix in fruit (or if you follow Clotilde’s instructions, you would have chopped the fruit well because she gave it a whizz in the food processor but I didn’t). Add remaining ingredients and mix. Pour into prepared cake tins and bake about 55 minutes (I did 45 minutes at 180 C in a fan forced oven) or until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out cleanly. Sit 5-10 minutes and turn onto a wire rack to cool. Delicious warm and would be good with a lick of butter.

On the Stereo:
The People’s Friend A Christmas Ceilidh with the Francis Hogarty Band and Friends

The Witchery - Scottish Fine Dining

In the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town, high up Royal Mile just before you reach the Castle Esplanade, is a very fine old restaurant called the Witchery. E and I had a sumptuous meal here for our first wedding anniversary. I have long hoped that I might return there some day.

Last week (though it seems much longer ago) E and I booked a table for two at the Witchery. I originally discussed the possibility of bringing Sylvia but it just didn't seem the right sort of place to take a baby. She had lots of fun with her aunt HH and cousin Florence instead. So we had our first baby-free meal out for about 10 months.

Apparently Edinburgh was the capital of witch-burning in Europe in the 16th Century. Much of this took place on Castlehill up by the Castle. Hence the name of the restaurant. E thought it looked a bit like something out of ye olde villages in Midsomer Murders but it would not have been out of place in the Witchfinder General.

We had already been past the front with the festive garlands on our visit to the Castle. But going inside is like retreating into the gloom. However, we arrived at the door only to be told we had been given a table in the Secret Garden. When I demurred, I was told we could have a table in the Witchery proper if we preferred. We had a quick look at the Secret Garden which is elegant but light and airy: not at all what we were after.

It was a table in the dark, wood panelled gloom of the historic building that we had booked and it was there we ate. The website says that the panels are original. They are beautifully carved and give the impression of a tudor banqueting hall. The tables are all candle lit. Tankards of holly on the starched linen table cloths add to the atmosphere.

We had decided to order from the festive menu, which was a bargain at £30 per head for lunch. As a vegetarian, I didn't have much choice but enjoyed the menu's copious notes on the interesting history of witches and the building (dating from 1595).

However the best reading was the wine list. It is a literary masterpiece at 95 pages of entertaining prose about each wine. There are chapters for each country, or region in the case of France. I read some choice descriptions aloud to E and astounded him with the price of a bottle of wine going up above £3,000. I presume those who can afford such expensive wine can also afford to stay in the decadent hotel rooms at the Witchery which Danni Minogue describes as a "lust den". E chose a cheap glass of German reisling but was so overwhelmed by the wine list he asked for help and was given friendly advice.

The service is impeccable: friendly and attentive but discreet. Once we had ordered, the waiter came with a basket to offer us a variety of breads. I chose the leek bread and E had tomato bread so we were able to taste each others. You could really taste the leeks in the bread. We were also offered more bread with our main dish too. Note the monogrammed plate.

For starters I ordered butter bean and chestnut velouté, with truffle cream. It was quite a thin soup: remarkably tasty but light enough not to fill me up before the rest of the meal.

E ordered the roast Arran beets, goats cheese and micro sprouts. It was far prettier than mine with different coloured beetroot wedges and he was most impressed with it.

We both agreed that the mains were the low point of the meal. All the food was lovely but my roast pumpkin, ricotta and parmesan tart with a green salad failed to enthuse me. I loved the pastry, which was a buttery and crisp shortcrust that is superior to those you might find in the high street bakery and I really liked the roasted pumpkin seeds on top. But I was not so keen on the pumpkin being served as cooked chunks below a creamy ricotta filling. I would prefer a filling which merges together more. So it was good but not great.

E likewise was not overwhelmed by his cinnamon spiced Loch Duart salmon, sweet potato, brussel sprouts and hollandaise sauce. I did like the philosophy of the Witchery in sourcing good quality local ingredients, which meant even their average dish tasted good.

It was the desserts where the Witchery excelled. For our festive meal, E couldn't go past the traditional plum pudding with honey ice cream. I was tempted and actually got to polish off his leftovers. This was an excellent dense pudding that was full of moist plump fruit. The honey ice cream was an unusual pairing but just so right. You will also see that despite being a traditional dessert it was presented with panache.

The only thing I can remember about the meal we had some years ago for our first wedding anniversary is that the chocolate tart was superb. When I ordered the Valrhona chocolate tart with white chocolate and mint sorbet, I wondered if this was the same one. I am not quite sure it was but it too will remain in my memory long after this meal has passed. This was one of the best chocolate tarts I have ever had. It will be too rich for some but the accompanying sorbet helped to lighten the taste. I barely noticed the pastry because I was so taken with the intense creamy chocolate filling. It was so thick it took some muscle to plough the spoon in and it stuck to the spoon after blissful after blissful mouthful. How can I not love a restaurant that does such wonders with chocolate!

We finally had a cuppa to finish the meal. E had a latte and I had a peppermint tea. Tablet was served with tea and coffee. This is like Scottish fudge for those who don't know it: toothachingly sweet and sandy in texture. The Witchery's tablet was excellent: intensely sweet but soft and caramelly. So different and superior to the hard pale stuff you can buy in a plastic packet from a corner store.

At the end of the meal I was full as a state school and oh so satisfied. It was such a pleasure to enjoy a delicious meal in such gorgeously grand and historic surroundings. Not for everyday meals but this is definitely the place for a special occasion.

We emerging from the gloom back onto the Royal Mile to go and pick up Sylvia. A big thanks to HH for babysitting and a huge thanks to E's parents who thoughtfully gave us some money to spend for Christmas. This was a wonderful Christmas present.

The Witchery by the Castle
Castlehill, The Royal Mile
Edinburgh, EH1 2NF
Telephone: 0131 225 5613
Web: http://www.thewitchery.com/

Christmas Nut Roast in Scotland

When we were planning this trip to Edinburgh, this time of year appealed because it meant that we were not only able to see the wonderful Christmas lights, but also we could have an early Christmas with E's family. When I was young we saw our grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins for Christmas dinner on the days following Christmas and I always enjoyed the festivities stretching out over a few days. This year we will be having two Christmas dinners and I have no complaints. More nut roasts all round!


Our first Christmas dinner was held on our last weekend in Edinburgh, hosted by E's sister, HH. You will not be surprised to hear that I volunteered to bring a nut roast. Here was my chance to try the nut roast recipe in BBC Good Food Vegetarian Christmas special to make to justify the purchase of cooking magazines. I was excited that it had chestnuts and fresh cranberries, both ingredients that are hard to find in Australia. I have read so many bloggers writing about vacuum packed chestnuts that I had to buy some (Merchant Gourmet brand) while I had the chance, even if the first check out chick I asked in Sainsburies did not have a clue and waved vaguely in the direction of the fresh chestnuts.


Now as an enthusiastic advocate of nut roasts (as evidenced by a link to my site from the Wikipedia nut roast page!) I would love to tell you this one is easy to whip up but I will not lie to you. (This is my easy nut roast.) I meant to make it the night before but I found myself tired at the end of another long day in Edinburgh and did not have the energy.


The Parsnip, Cranberry and Chestnut Roast that I made necessitated finely chopping chestnuts and walnuts (in the absence of grinding in a food processor), grating breadcrumbs (ditto), chopping sage, chopping and frying onions, cooking and mashing parsnips, and making a cranberry sauce before assembling the nut roast. I chose not to do the fiddly work of cutting slices of honeyed parsnip to top the loaf and I decided I preferred the parsnip mashed rather than cut in chunks in the loaf.


Fortunately I did summon up enough energy to start some of the preparation the night before. But many tasks faced me the next morning and I was glad that HH had decided to start dinner at 2pm.


I managed to get the nut roast together with E's help with stirring the cranberries while I fed Sylvia. Unfortunately it meant I wasn't sure if it was too thick and added some water which in retrospect I think thinned it out too much and made it less visible in the nut roast slices. Then E had enough time to nip out to buy the Daily Mail for the free Christmas CD. I also roasted some potatoes and pumpkin while I was doing the nut roast. If I do say so myself, this is something I do rather well, having learnt it from my mother.


When the nut roast was done (after 45 minutes I decided it was close enough for jazz as E's father had arrived in the car to take us over to HH's place), we had the presents packed, Sylvia dressed in her Christmas outfit and were ready to go. Almost ready! First we had to wrap the nut roast and vegies in towels to keep them warm. If I had had time I had planned to decorate the nut roast with fresh cranberries and extra sage leaves but this was just wishful thinking in the end.

When we arrived at HH's place, she had the table set beautifully and everything under control. The turkey was warming and the carrots and sprouts were on the stovetop. We opened a bottle of champagne that had been given to us at Sylvia's christening. A glass of bubbly was just the thing as we waited for E's parents to arrive.


Now being able to celebrate Christmas together is always special in a family where members live on opposite sides of the earth but this one is extra special. It is the first Christmas for wee cousins, Sylvia and Florence. The UK shops have a great selection of children's Christmas clothes. Sylvia wore a santa's little helper overall and Florence wore a reindeer outfit.


Soon we were all seated around the table with full plates. The nut roast went down well. In fact, I had expected that I would have quite a bit leftover but there was only a small slice left at the end of the dinner, and HH asked me for the recipe. It was quite a soft nut roast - I wondered if the watery cranberry sauce and the mashed parsnips made it softer than it might have been otherwise. Or maybe it was not cooked for long enough. But I enjoyed the cranberry filling and the actual roast was very tasty, seasoned enough to overcome the sweetness of chestnuts.


While my family traditions always include roast potatoes and pumpkin, E's family have different ones. Brussels sprouts are on the menu but E and his father are renowned for their complaints about them. Chipolatas usually make the plans for Christmas dinner but are often forgotten. HH didn't see the chipolatas in the fridge til later that night. Trifle is a traditional dessert. HH had earlier told me she didn't like fruit in trifle so I was neither surprised nor disappointed to see she had found a chocolate trifle for dessert. But not until the crackers were pulled. In my family the crackers are pulled before eating. However, there always needs to be a pause between courses and it made sense that this is when the crackers came out with a bang. Everyone wore silly hats and groaned as E's nephews had lots of fun reading the jokes.

After the trifle, we opened the Christmas presents. The kids had a wonderful time with presents aplenty and it was great to see the looks on their faces instead of sending presents in the mail. We then relaxed with a cuppa and a mince tart. HH's brother-in-law and family came across from their nearby house for a chat and it was lovely to meet them.


Christmas is not complete without a tree. It was a bit early for the tree to be up in the house so instead I will share with you a photo of a special Christmas tree in Charlotte Square. It is the Tree of Memories that is put up by the St Columba Hospice to remember those who cannot be with us at Christmas. Jacqueline and Lisa have asked for a festive photo for this month's No Croutons Required so I will send them this photo of the tree, if only for the novelty of being able to send a Christmas lights photo this year.


It was a wonderful meal and a great family get together with lots of photos, good food and fun. For us Aussies it was a treat to enjoy a rich festive meal in the cold of midwinter. We will remember our Scottish dinner fondly on Christmas day.

Parsnip, cranberry and chestnut roast
Adapted from BBC Good Food Vegetarian Christmas 2009
Serves at least 4-6

2 tbsp butter
3 onions, chopped
15g sage leaves, finely sliced
200g cooked chestnuts (I used vacuum packed), finely chopped
100g walnuts, crushed with a fork and finely chopped
100g fresh bread (I used about 4 slices of a pumpkin and sesame seed loaf), grated into breadcrumbs
1 tsp salt
½ tsp mace
1 egg
300g parsnips, peeled and chopped

For the cranberry sauce:

500g fresh cranberries
150g castor sugar
2 dessertspoons of honey, or to taste

Make the cranberry sauce first. Place cranberries, sugar and honey in a large saucepan and mix over a high heat, constantly stirring. The sugar will melt and the cranberries will pop. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, frequently stirring, until it is sticky (It shouldn't be too saucy at this stage or it will bleed into nut roast). The recipe said to cook but I found it was cool enough by the time the nut roast is ready to put in the loaf tin.

Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease and line a 2 lb loaf tin (about 22 x 15 cm).

Melt the butter in a frypan and fry onions for about 10-15 minutes over medium heat until very soft and golden brown.

While the onions are frying, cook parsnips in a medium saucepan of boiling water for about 10 minutes or until soft. Mash with a fork or potato masher.

When onions are cooked, add sage and cook an additional minute. Tip into large mixing bowl. Add chestnuts, walnuts, breadcrumbs, salt, mace, egg and parsnips. Stir to combine.

Smooth about one third of nut roast mixture into prepared loaf tin. Spread about one third of cranberry sauce over the top and then cover with the remaining nut roast. Bake for about 1 hour (I did a little less because I ran out of time). Splash a little more water into leftover cranberry puree to make a sauce. Serve nut roast with remaining cranberry sauce.

On the Stereo:
Three Tenors Christmas (freebie from the Daily Mail)