Time

It’s such an obvious thing that time passes, that it shouldn’t really be incomprehensible and yet it is. Our baby girls are now four and two and the anticipation and excitement we felt embarking on our London adventures is now replaced with feelings rather like a swinging pendulum. At one extreme, settled and “at home” here, adoring the sunshine, the endless list of things to see, do and be inspired by and being close to old friends and making new ones and then, in a swing, missing our Edinburgh home, longing to see our families and friends, to take deep breaths of cool, fresh air and gulps of Scottish tap water, to really watch the sunset and to be back cooking in our beautiful kitchen!

 

Then, there’s the exhaustion that comes after that intense “end of term” feeling, new skills, new knowledge, new standards, so much cooking, an ambitious portfolio of dishes, exams, planning and delivering for private clients and a new foray into teaching classes as diverse as fish masterclasses and pasta making and for me, a chance to revive my love of writing with some fantastic chefs looking to document and promote their work.

It’s still sinking in that it’s over and graduation last week only made it seem more surreal in many ways as Chris was delighted and surprised in the loveliest way by the presentation of the Laurent-Perrier Champagne award for Best Overall Graduate of the Year 2015. As if the impact Leiths has had needed any further confirmation, his name is now on the board which hangs in the Leiths hallways. I’m proud beyond words (and can’t wait to extend the celebrations with the prize, a trip to Champagne!)

And then there’s the inevitable what next? As Chris’s reputation grows, his diary is filling fast with a broad range of private cheffing appointments and catering events, he is also revelling in the continued opportunities to pass on his new skills, teaching culinary arts alongside Ursula Ferrigno, at Billingsgate Seafood School, Waitrose Cookery School and making a speedy return to Leiths to teach. We are busy, as always, but we are also immensely enjoying what remains of our chapter here in London before we return to Scotland to look for premises from which to fully realise our ambitions with our dream business.