Charlie and Evelyn's Table

Burgher Burger

2012-02-17T11:28:00.004Z

If you want a ticket you need to be quick. Like, these tickets sell out in under eight minutes, quick. So you can imagine how pleased I was to be invited to the first Burgher Burger event with Chef Neil Forbes, especially as our own kitchen is non existant right now.

This event also marks an new milestone for the pop up dining scene in Edinburgh which I don't really need to say, we're passionate about and, although it sounds gushing, is something we really wished for when we first established Charlie and Evelyn's Table. Now, curious diners are really embracing the concept with a great range of over 12 supper clubs and pop ups to choose from. The diners we sat with at Burgher Burger were a brilliant example of an outgoing, friendly couple, new to Edinburgh and looking for a unique way to discover the city, meet new people and have satisfied bellies! They'd so far tried seven of the pop ups on offer and were still keen for more.

Anyway, back to Burgher Burger. I'd listened and salivated while listening to Neil and Aoife, who is behind the concept, on BBC Scotland's Kitchen Cafe and was excited to get chance to join other eager diners at a venue I'd never visited and to eat a pro chef's ultimate burger menu. I felt I was someway to understanding the challenge he faced as a supper club hostess, working in a small kitchen, to produce the best food we can. I really wondered what it would be like for Neil and his team, out of his usual kitchen, with equipment that probably wasn't fully functioning, no hot pass and a new menu, a far cry from his usual restaurant, but still with the same quality standards. [If you're reading Neil, please leave us a comment and let us know how it was for you.]

We arrived to a buzzing cafe environment, the lighting was low, intimate even, the chatter was loud, the music lively and the retro tables set to be brought alive with something they'd never seen before. We were ready.

Innis and Gunn were in charge of drinks and they were seriously free flowing. The lighter beers, raspberry and Blonde at the start of the meal were my favourite but it would have been rude not to try the Original and Rum cask bottles on offer. Burger eating is thristy work after all.

Slick service was all down to the waiting staff moving quickly and getting the food on the tables and that they did.

The seafood cocktail starter was a real highlight for me. The fresh prawn and crab combination, a simple take on the classic with the added discovery of a mussel or two and some salad crunch. Delicious.

And then, the mighty burger with all the sides you might expect and more condiments than you could wish for (including jalapenos). Mmmmmm.

And finally, as if you hadn't had enough, a very gooey brownie and ice cream.

The combination of the concept, quirky venue, the carefully created atmosphere, the challenge the chef faced and quality of food and beers on offer was winning.

There is a common misconception that because we are such avid eaters and we run a supper club that we feast every night on gourmet menus and only go to "fine dining" restaurants. It's false. The truth is we like things that taste good. Comfort foods like scrambled eggs, a quality bacon sandwich, fresh cauliflower cheese, and of course burgers are all common place and highly ranked in our home but we always use the best ingredients we can get out hands on and we felt that this ethos was something Neil worked to as he put his mind to burgers. As for fine dining, we love to do that when we can but we also enjoy eating in smaller, simpler venues and discovering new ways to eat out in Edinburgh. At the rate the pop up/supper club scene is currently growing, we need to get eating to keep up.

And, if you can't wait until the next tickets are available or you missed out, keep trying but so you don't go hungry, we'd really recommend Friday Night's at Moo Cafe, it's every Friday (not quite as exciting) to satisfy your meantime need for burgers in the Burgher, until you get a ticket for the real deal that is.

Guest post: tales from an oyster lady

2012-02-14T13:11:00.002Z

Possibly the ultimate food of love, oysters can be a little daunting if you've never tried them before. So if you need an excuse to try them, or maybe even to dish them up to someone special, then we'd like to hand over to a lady who knows a lot more about them than we do. Scottish oysters are the best we've tasted, so here is a guest post by Judith Vajk, offering an insight into life as a oyster farmer, top tips and oyster facts, just in time for Valentine's Day:

"I had my first oyster in 1984 in Saint Vaast, a small seaside town in Normandy known for its oysters. I had moved to France for work and was introduced to Hugo, who worked on an oyster farm. I cannot say I enjoyed my first oyster; I do find that the first one can take you by surprise as you are unsure of exactly how it will taste. However, after a couple more I enjoyed the pure flavour of the sea that is indeed the true taste of an oyster.

[At The Caledonian Company] we farm the Pacific oyster which does not spawn in Scotland but grows happily in our clean, cold waters. The Pacific oyster is an easier oyster to grow than the native Scottish oyster. Natives are slower growing and are not so happy grown in bags – they would rather lie on the sea-bed. We grow our oysters in mesh bags, with varying sized holes depending on the size of the oyster. The bags sit on trestle tables on the sea-bed. At low-tide we drive out on a tractor and get to work, turning the bags, bringing in oysters to be graded for sale. If we did not turn the bags regularly the oysters would grow into each other and we would not be able to sell them individually.

In Scotland, we sell oysters throughout the year. Because they do not spawn here they do not become very milky in the summer months. However, they are probably at their best in the colder months – and naturally chilled! The most common question I get asked about oysters is with regards to their aphrodisiac qualities – surely, that depends on who you are eating them with! But I do know they are the highest food source of zinc – very important in the production of the male hormone, testosterone. The second question is whether to swallow or chew an oyster? I definitely advise to just give the oyster a couple of bites to release all the flavour that is contained within the oyster.

The best way to open an oyster is carefully and with a proper oyster knife! Place the oyster, cup-shape shell down, on a tea-towel; this helps keep the oyster steady. Hold the oyster firmly and taking an oyster knife, put the point into the natural space that is between the two shells at the hinge (pointed) end. With careful pressure gently work the knife between the two shells then twist the knife to ‘pop’ the shell. Bring the knife along, between the two shells, cutting the muscle from the top shell, and remove the shell. Sweep your knife along the bottom shell, releasing the oyster muscle there too.

Oysters are wonderful with a squeeze of lemon, and we do like one or two drops of Tabasco with the lemon. Chopped shallots with red wine vinegar is a delicious alternative and adds a rosy glow to the oyster.

We do supply one wholesaler, Charlie Magee, who distributes our oysters in Edinburgh to fishmongers and restaurants in the city [including supplying Tom Kitchin]. I also attend Perth Farmers’ Market on the first Saturday of the month. Though saying that, I won’t be there in March as we are going to the European Oyster Shucking Championship in Sweden to cheer our son on who is the Scottish champion.

So, how did I get into oyster farming? Well, I married the man who fed me my first oyster!"

Our Valentine's Supper

2012-02-13T22:40:00.004Z

When we were asked to visit Greenbank WAGs earlier this month, we decided to demonstrate a virtually hassle free, high impact menu which, because the individual Wellingtons can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours, makes them ideal for a dinner party or Valentine's day supper. The menu:

To start

Jewelled chicory salad, blue cheese, mint.

To follow
Venison Wellingtons, green beans, braised red cabbage.

To finish
Iced seasonal berries, warm white chocolate sauce.

The simple salad starter has made an appearance here before.

While the individual Wellingtons (more usually made with beef) have become firm favourites at Charlie and Evelyn's Table. You can see step by step photos here or follow the steps below.

Quantities are rough as it really depends on the size of the fillets you are using but, any leftovers of the mushroom duxelle work really well as crostini topping.

To serve four, you will need:

Four individual venison or beef fillets
2 bags of spinach
2 medium aubergines
350g puff pastry
1 egg (beaten)
Handful of plain flour
Sprinkling of sesame seeds
Four shallots / one white onion
Good section of mushrooms about 300g - we use a mixture of Chestnut, Portobello and Porcini
100ml double cream
Olive oil
Truffle oil
Handful fresh parsley, chopped
Good pinch of fresh thyme
Splash of brandy

Firstly, steam two bags of spinach. This acts as a layer of protection to prevent the juices of the meat leaking through the pastry so this needs to be squeezed out and dried (between layers of kitchen roll) after steaming.

Next, make the mushroom duxelles (minced mushrooms).

To do this, gently fry four shallots or one white onion in a pan with little olive oil. Then add a good selection of mushrooms really anything you can get your hands on - the more interesting the better! Once the mushrooms are cooked, season with salt and pepper and add a generous glug of truffle oil and a splash of brandy. This gives the mushroom a wonderful, intense flavour but if you don't like the taste of truffle, add a crushed garlic clove with the shallot. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir through double cream until it has a soft consistency but isn't runny.
Leave to cool.

Thinly slice aubergine and fry on a griddle pan until lightly charred.

Sear the meat until it is just brown - do not cook at this stage - this is done in the oven later.

Assemble the Wellingtons step by step.

1. Dust a board with flour, roll out the puff pastry to 0.5 cm thick, straight from the fridge.

2. Lay the aubergine on the pastry

3. Add a layer of the mushroom duxelles.

4. Place the spinach on top of the duxelles.

5. Top with fillet.

6. Add another layer of spinach.

7. Fold and seal the pastry using a beaten egg and either your fingers or a fork to make a small pattern.

8. Trim off the excess pastry so you're left with a neat pillow shape.

If necessary the Wellingtons can now be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

Before cooking brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Cook for 18-20 mins (medium rare) in an oven at about 190 degrees. The pastry should be golden brown and the meat pink on the middle.

Leave to rest for five minutes, cut in half and serve. Serve with braised red cabbage and green beans, or vegetables of your choice.

Finally, a simple pudding, similar to a rather famous version of the dish served at The Ivy.

You will need:
4 portions (size really depends on how fruity you want it) seasonal frozen berries - either fresh which you can freeze or ready frozen berries
500ml double cream
200g Green and Black's white chocolate with vanilla

Lift the berries from the freezer around ten minutes before serving so that they loose their chill.

Warm the cream over a low heat in a saucepan. Finely grate the chocolate (to help it to melt). When the cream is hot but not boiling, stir through the chocolate. You will see the chocolate shavings, melt, almost separate, keep stirring and a smooth consistency will return. Pour the warm sauce over the berries and enjoy.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sainsbury's Magazine

2012-02-03T11:45:00.004Z

I can't seem to find a link to this online so I thought I'd share it here. Spring is on the way.

2011, part two.

2012-01-15T09:50:00.001Z

July

Vegetables chopped, jars filled, preparations completed. A special picnic. Somehow, a beautiful and creative wedding. A three month old baby is shaded from the sunshine, kicking her legs freely while her exhausted parents lie watching. And cake club, with rainbow cake.

August

A family gather for a dear lady's final birthday and soon after they gather again to say goodbye. A special 90 year old gown is worn. A Christening day reminds us that there is new life to be celebrated. Festival canapes are served. A seaside adventure.

September

The best shortbread we've tasted, canapes for ladies, an unlikely but pleasing flavour combination and, away from the blog, a baby girl takes her seat (high chair) at Charlie and Evelyn's Table for the first time.

October

Adventures. Hungarian breakfasts, a very hot marathon, goulash. A family return home and head far north. Sunshine, peace, past memories recalled and new ones made. Amazing sights, delicious seafood. Guests return to the Table.

November

A busy, dusty house with lots of skilled workers, each with their own job. We want to run away. Trying to keep our vision in mind as windows, fireplaces, doors, floors and walls are transformed. Work in progress. Cleaning. Meals were simple and quick.

December

A busy house. An early Christmas present - appearing in Woman and Home Magazine (sorry, I forgot to say). Work delayed, snow, then at last, the dining room completed. The Christmas table laid. Friends and family are warmly welcomed. Fresh holly, candle light, love, laughter, feasting.

This year we will be back to more regular blog posts and more regular suppers too. The next part of our renovations is the kitchen. Wish us luck. We can't wait to see you when it's done.

2011, part one

2012-01-10T21:30:00.024Z

Hello. Anybody still reading?

We hope you all had a wonderful, gluttonous Christmas and a bright start to the New Year.

Admittedly, we're a little late in bidding farewell to 2011 and hello to 2012. But while we recover from the festivities and get over a nasty sickness bug, we'll leave you to view our year in pictures.

January

A home and many shelves packed into boxes, a precious table carefully moved, a 60th birthday and a supper to celebrate Scotland.

February

A flurry of suppers here, here and here, birthday merriment, the last supper and a baby growing fast.

March

Our favourite time of year, time to try another supper club, preparing, soaking up Spring.

April

A feast, a butchery workshop we never got to blog about, delicious roast lamb providing energy, a precious baby girl arrives, amazement, awe, love. Cakes for visitors, delicate wild garlic, new light, a new home, a Royal Wedding and baby's first picnic.

May

Hearts stinging with grief, baking in memory and for cake club. A special birthday remembered.

June

A not so summery solstice, baking for new friends, cordial making, new adventures in cheese, busy wedding preparations, busy with baby, a hen do remembered, a visit to Great Granny's tree, collecting eggs.

Viva Vivo salad!

2011-11-30T22:22:00.002Z

It takes something really tempting for me to order a salad and actually enjoy it. I was first tempted by the combination of chicory, Gorgonzola, pomegranate and mint, simply and boldly served at Caffe Vivo last summer.

It's an atmospheric, bright place to have lunch or make the most of the all day express menu and you can get anything from a cappuccino to a hearty supper.

The salad is actually so simple, it doesn't warrant a recipe. It's great as a lunch dish or a light starter to allow space for a comforting Wintery main course and pudding. Here's a how to:

Lift the soft blue cheese from the fridge (the flavour improves if it's served at room temperature). If you're sticking to the Italian roots of this dish use Dolcelatte or Gorgonzola or if you're keen for a treat, try Cornish Blue from the award winning The Cheese Shed; it's a young blue cheese that competes well with imported cheeses and is much lighter than a British Stilton.

Wash and arrange the chicory as a base (we used a mixture of regular and red leaves).

Free the jewels of pomegranate from the fruit, set aside.

Arrange the blue cheese rustically on the leaves.

Scatter the pomegranate.

Dress with delicious olive oil (Arbequina is amazing and available here) and fresh mint.

Buon appetito!

For safe travels: in pictures

2011-10-22T00:24:00.008+01:00

It was a strange feeling setting the Table again, revisiting our mental supper club to do list, checking everything twice convinced something would be forgotton. The menu planning, shopping, rush of the preparations, the anticipation of guests arriving. A curious mixture of nerves and delights.

Then, the doorbell rings, old roles are resumed like putting on a pair of well worn shoes, dinner is served, friends gather to tell stories and say farewell for now. The baby sleeps, wakes briefly aware there are strangers in her home and sleeps soundly again.

Now, it is over and we're left with these pictures to tell the story, house quiet, table cleared but washing up piled high, washing machine whirring, eager to do it again.

And so to bed.

To welcome: Dunsyre blue cheese mousse, buttery oat biscuits.

To amuse: Curried parsnip soup, apple crisps.

To start: Squash, rocket, Dunsyre blue, rosemary.

To follow: Venison Wellingtons, caramelised red cabbage, green beans.

Here's how a wheat free Wellington looks.

To finish: Baked chocolate pudding, toasted hazelnuts, vanilla ice cream.

Menu for safe travels

2011-10-17T14:44:00.007+01:00

We're back, kind of!

As we've been missing hosting our supper club lots, the perfect opportunity to have a little practice for friends and send some of them to the other side of the world with bellies full of some fine home grown ingredients has arisen. We thought you'd like to see.

The menu has been selected from some of the most successful and decadent ever brought to the Table. Now we need to get to grips with shopping lists, transforming our home and all of the hosting/cooking things that were second nature earlier this year!

To start

Squash, rocket, Dunsyre blue, pear, rosemary.

To follow

Wellingtons, caramelised red cabbage, green beans.

To finish

Baked chocolate pudding, toasted hazelnuts, vanilla ice cream.

Shortbread for the weekend

2011-09-24T08:29:00.004+01:00

Holly makes the best shortbread and I asked her to share her secrets and her recipe here. You can check out other wonderful things she makes and her quest to feather her nest over on her blog. In fact, make some shortbread, grab a tea, coffee, whisky or wine and click here.

Weighing.

Dough.

Ready to bake.

Ready to eat.

I have tried many different shortbread recipes in the past, but this one is by far the tastiest. It is adapted from a recipe by Anta who serve up big mugs of tea and generous portions of cakes and biscuits at their Highland showroom in Fearn...definitely worth a visit if you're ever on the north-east coast!

Since I began using this recipe it has been baked in heart shapes to celebrate weddings and engagements, in holly leaf shapes to be given as Christmas presents, and in sweet little rounds just to be enjoyed at home.

To make 25-30 small biscuits, you will need:

8oz butter - I use salted
3 and a half oz caster sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)
3 and a half oz corn flour
8oz plain flour
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 150C. Grease and line a baking tray or two.
Mix together the butter and sugar.
Mix in the corn flour.
Mix in the plain flour and pinch of salt.

My mixer is not very good, and there is a lot of flour, so I have to use my hands towards the end to bring the mixture together. But once you have a soft, but not sticky, dough, flour a work surface and roll out to a depth of about 2cm.

Cut into any shapes you like and use a fork to prick holes in the tops.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Transfer to a cooling rack, and while still warm sprinkle with caster sugar (the heat will make the sugar stick to the tops and in the holes you made with the fork).

Enjoy with tea, coffee, whisky, sweet wine, the list is endless - this shortbread goes with everything!

*Step by step photos by Holly except for the ready to eat shot which is mine!

Canapes for ladies

2011-09-23T16:15:00.002+01:00

When ladies gather, this time to mark a retirement, it's an occasion worthy of some delectable bites.

Hot smoked salmon mousse on homemade buttery oat biscuits.

Prawn, cucumber ribbon and mint spoons.

Pea and Pecorino toasts.

Brioche toasts, chicken liver pate and nectarine pickle.

Party pieces - Scottish fruit skewers with chocolate coated blueberries.

Rosemary spiced nuts

2011-09-10T16:13:00.001+01:00

We love nibbling on nuts but plain nuts can be a bit predictable so, for E's Christening, we thought we'd try something a little sweet and spicy. They taste delicious and we're already planning on making them throughout Autumn (it's arrived here) and as Christmas gifts too (yes, I did just say that), they go very well with a cheese board.

You will need:

150g pecans

150g almonds

150g walnuts

1 tablespoon butter, melted

3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon sea salt flakes

What to do:

Heat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Put the nuts in a large bowl.

Melt the butter, pour over the nuts and mix so that they are coated.

Spread the nuts onto a baking tray or two.

Bake until golden (probably around six minutes but keep an eye on them every couple of minutes and turn/shake them to prevent burning).

Combine the rosemary, dark brown sugar, cayenne pepper and salt flakes in a large bowl, add the toasted nuts and mix well.

Serves ten for nibbles only but as these are incredibly moreish and keep well in an airtight container, it's safe to make double quantities. Enjoy and if you're a fan you should also try this recipe for chai spiced almonds, another perfect cold weather snack.

Simple supper

2011-09-08T09:06:00.001+01:00

I was looking for a very quick Tuesday tea featuring some delicious home grown rhubarb. A brief leaf through Nigel Slater's pages and I decided on a roasted rhubarb and pan fried mackerel combination, served with cous cous to allow the stronger flavours voice across the palate. There's no recipe, it was very simple but it worked (and was probably quicker than a more usual Tuesday pasta dish).

Being filleted in wonderful Armstrongs.

Simply picked, washed and chopped.

Ta da!

The happiest of birthdays

2011-09-07T07:27:00.001+01:00

To celebrate my birthday, I was whisked away to North Berwick harbour for the yummiest feast at The Lobster Shack . If you can drive there don't delay or plan a visit from further afield, it's open until 2nd October (12-6pm) and the combination of the freshest shellfish, excellent cooking and presentation, the wine list (including champagne), views and the casual atmosphere can't fail to impress.

From nature...

...to plate (of sorts).

The harbour.

The shack.

And finally, to finish of the trip, a stroll on the beach and an ice cream. E's tiny toes experienced sand and icey sea for the first time. Happy birthday to me.

Festival canapes

2011-09-06T08:32:00.002+01:00

Back when The Festival was in full swing, we found a corner of calm among the glistening, bright shelves of sweet smelling bottles to present some Scottish canapes and escape the hustle and bustle in favour of some pampering. We met some lovely ladies too.

Dunsyre blue cheese mousse on homemade buttery oat biscuits.

Scottish berry skewers with milk chocolate drizzle.

Northern shores hot smoked salmon, mousse on home made buttery oat biscuits.

Vegetarian "wellingtons" by Chris

2011-09-01T14:07:00.001+01:00

What's hiding in these pale parcels you may ask?*

A sweet, herby mixture of aubergine and puy lentils.

Adapted by Chris from Yotam Ottolenghi with the idea of creating a vegetarian wellington as an alternative to these.

Makes two main course sized parcels or four starter sized.

You will need:

2 medium aubergines

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

200g Puy lentils

3 carrots

2 celery sticks

1 bay leaf

3 thyme sprigs

1 onion

Olive oil

12 cherry tomatoes (halved)

1 tsp brown sugar

Chopped parsley

Puff pastry

Grill the aubergines and turn them frequently to prevent them burning. After about 45 minutes they should be ready.

Remove their skins, and scoop out flesh into a colander. Leave to drain, transfer to a bowl and mix in some of the red wine vinegar. Allow to cool.

Cook the Puy lentils with one of the carrots and one stick of celery, the onion and bay - keep in large chunks as these will be removed.

Cook for 20 mins or according to instructions then drain and remove onion, celery, carrot and bay. Mix through olive oil and vinegar.

Cut the remaining veg into 1cm cubes and mix with tomatoes, oil, sugar and salt.

Mix this cubed veg with the aubergines and lentils in a bowl, it should be moist but not too runny otherwise it will soak through the pastry.

Using puff pastry (homemade or bought) spoon the filling onto the pastry and make into parcels using an egg wash to seal and glaze.

Bake in the oven for 25 mins at 180c until the pasty pastry turns crisp and golden.

Serve with a crisp green salad and crème fraiche or a wedding style picnic should you feel the need.

*Sorry, I only managed a before shot.

A Christening day

2011-08-23T09:45:00.001+01:00

With the pain of loss heavy in our hearts, we gathered with our family and close friends to celebrate the joint baptism of our baby and our new nephew, her cousin. We may have hired a venue but we wanted to provide the light lunch for guests ourselves, of course. So it was another late night and early start in our kitchen.

My late Nana's 90 year old Christening gown.

We chose a menu which included highlights from the wedding picnic with a couple of additions:

Rosemary spiced nuts (recipe coming soon).

Grissini with Parma ham.

Chicken liver pate or hummus.

Selection of three cheeses.

Horseradish cured salmon.

Armstrong’s home smoked trout with shaved fennel.

Bower’s rare roasted beef.

Baguette by Herbies of Stockbridge.

Courgette and lemon salad.

Potato salad.

Mango and spinach salad.

Roasted cherry tomato and feta salad.

Charlie and Evelyn’s House Chutney selection: courgette, cucumber pickle or onion jam.

Christening cake, cupcakes and strawberries.

With the exception of some delicious left over beef, there was very little remaining once the guests departed. Clear plates were the only evidence we needed that the food had been enjoyed.

Bunting (first made for a wonderful wedding) on loan from a good friend in Jersey who couldn't make it but was with us in spirit.

Sunny handmade pinwheels for the children (tested but not waterproof)!

Delicate lace hydrangea.

A jar of rosemary spiced nuts on the table.

A selection.

My plate (carefully arranged for the photo) and a menu.

Mini E cupcakes.

Sleepy Eva's Christening cake.

Lavender cupcakes with Christening wraps.

Honey, rosemary, lemon and lavender

2011-08-22T15:35:00.001+01:00

This cake has become my cake of 2011, second only to this one. I made it on holiday for summery afternoon tea and then for cake club and then for my late Nana's 90th celebrations and again and again at home. It's sweet, dark, fresh and comforting. I mostly followed Tessa Kirros's recipe from her book Apples for Jam.

It goes a little something like this:

150g butter

116g dark or light brown sugar

175g runny honey

200g plain flour

2 heaped teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary leaves

2 free range eggs, beaten

Lavender flowers and chopped rosemary to decorate (Tessa uses rosemary flowers which are also purple, so you could use them if you have some. I prefer the fragrant lavender).

250g icing sugar

100g soft (but not melted) butter

Zest from two lemons, juice from one half (about three tablespoons)

Grease your cake tin (ideally 22cm) and pre heat oven to 180'C.

Melt butter, sugar and honey with 1 tablespoon of water in a saucepan over a gentle heat. Allow sugar to dissolve. Cool this mixture for 10-15 minutes.

Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a mixing bowl, add rosemary, honey mixture and eggs. Beat until silky smooth.

Pour into your tin and bake for 30-40 minutes. Test with a skewer which should be dry after spearing the centre of the cake. Leave to cool in the tin.

Next sift the icing sugar into another mixing bowl, add butter, lemon zest and gradually the juice and stir until smooth. Spread liberally onto the cake. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary and lavender flowers to finish.

As you can see, this cake also works as a layer cake if you make double quantities of everything, divide the cake into two tins and sandwich and top with icing!

A wedding picnic

2011-08-16T07:45:00.000+01:00

It still hasn't sunken in. We did a wedding. Yes, we did.

It took many hours of preparation (including three dedicated to peeling quail's eggs), it lasted seven hours and took us over two weeks to recover! Words don't often fail but for now, the photos can tell the story.

The aim, the menu.

The first layer.

Scottish blue cheese mousse.

In the kitchen.

Prawn, cucumber, mint and feta skewers.

Quail's eggs.

Perfect baguettes.

Courgette chutney.

In a pickle.

Wedding day cucumber pickle.

Teaspoons (for the chutneys).

A Fortnum (the collective noun for hampers of course).

The second layer.

New potatoes.

Courgette and lemon salad.

Stacks of salad.

Green beans and Parmesan.

The second layer of the hamper.

Spinach leaves with mango.

All set for the feast.

The hall.

Wild, homegrown flowers.

Sweet smelling.

Top table.

A hamper...

...or two...

or 33!

Pretty table setting.

All ready.

The dashing couple.

Main course.

Horseradish marinated salmon.

Monkfish and smoked bacon skewers.

There's more.

Bunting.

The children's party.

Jelly cups.

My kind of clubbing

2011-08-15T08:31:00.002+01:00

These days, the closest I get to clubbing is Edinburgh Cake Ladies and I couldn't be happier. This post is more than a little overdue but it's been a busy few months, so excuse us.

Imagine being surrounded by more cake than you could eat. Here I present the evening in pictures. I had a mini cake club member with me (mesmerised by cake) so wasn't as thorough as I'd hoped in noting down cake names and creators (sorry).

If you'd like to identify your cake from this cake identity parade, please do so and I can credit/link to you or better still please share the recipe/baking tips! Leave us a comment or email.

The biggest carrot cake I've ever seen, thanks to Harbour Hussy.

The creator of this cake is just thirteen years old. WOW, Helen, your future is cake.

Berry nice Summer fruit drizzle by Chiara

Wickedly hot double ginger spectacular by Becca, who makes amazing cakes and furniture.

Ms Red Velvet, find out more about her here.

Aoife's amazing E- number laden rainbow.

My first plate of cake... and E's milk!

Pretty sure this tower of goodness was created by Lea.

The End.

The next cakey gathering here in Edinburgh is on October 13th or check out CCC for nationwide cake club get togethers.

Scones for Paula

2011-08-03T16:24:00.004+01:00

My granny was a proficient baker who thankfully passed on more than just her recipes, she also imparted some of her baking wisdom learned with trays of experience. Here's how she and now I make scones*, she'd be so glad her tips were being shared. Paula, I hope these are a baking success, if not I'll happily make you an emergency batch!

Makes 8-10

225g self raising flour

pinch salt

pinch baking powder (for added rising power)

50g margarine

25g caster sugar

75g sultanas (dried apricots, dates, cranberries also work well and, you can pre soak the fruit in apple juice so it's extra moist)

1 medium egg, beaten with sufficient milk to make 150ml

Pre heat oven to 220 degrees C and grease a baking tray.

Mix flour, salt, baking powder and rub in margarine, then stir in sugar and fruit.

Add the egg and milk, little by little, and combine until the mixture is a light, doughy texture. If it's too sticky, add more flour; if it's too dry add more milk/egg. Keep a little egg wash back to brush the tops.

Sprinkle flour on to your worktop and gently knead the dough. It should be soft not overworked. Roll out to about a 3cm thickness (for good deep scones) and cut into rounds.

Re roll and cut the trimmings.

Brush the tops with egg wash and bake for about ten minutes.

Serve warm, best shared with friends. If you manage not to eat them all, any remaining can be frozen.

And, if you want to get technical about it, Felicity Cloake has done a great experiment with different recipes/rising agents here, so you don't have to.

*Recipe adapted from Bero Flour Home Recipes 40th edition.

Sausages for a not so summery solstice

2011-06-20T20:38:00.000+01:00

The weather here is far more like November than June, the heating and the lights are on and I'm in the mood for comfort eating. Something like sausages and mash except...I'm not a big fan. While onion gravy definitely helps, my preference for a hearty, sausage based meal is one with big, fresh flavours which Italian cooks use simply and there's no way I'd be heading out to the shops in weather as horrid as this, so what can I do with what I have in the cupboards/freezer?

The starting point is George Bower's excellent pork sausages, store cupboard tinned tomatoes (I would have used homegrown if we had a greenhouse) and rosemary from the soggy garden. And, as I seem to be somewhat addicted to it, Bower's smoked streaky bacon.

As a replacement or alternative to mash, I also found several odd tins of beans lurking in the cupboard- this time canellini, red kidney and borlotti but I've also tried it with black eyed, so really whatever you have in the way of beans (maybe not baked). You can of course use dried as long as you soak them first.

I first made this on a similarly rainy evening and this seemed a fitting day to post.

Here's my how to:

Serves 6.

You will need:

10 pork sausages, pricked

5 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, chopped roughly (optional)

2 tins of plum tomatoes

1 (400g) tin borlotti beans, drained

1 (410g) tin red kidney beans, drained

1 (410g)tin canellini beans, drained

300ml vegetable or chicken stock

5 sprigs of fresh rosemary

2 carrots (shredded savoy cabbage also works well if you have some lying around), chopped in chunks

2 sticks of celery, chopped roughly

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon of dried chilli, finely chopped

Lashings of Italian olive oil

Gently fry the sauasges alone in a frying pan (this gives them a good chance for proper browning before adding them to the stew).

In the casserole pan, heat the garlic, chilli and a glug of oil.

Add the bacon, give it a few miniutes.

Add the celery and carrots, allow them to cook until softening.

Add the beans and tomatoes along with the stock and heat to simmering. Simmer for ten minutes then add the sausages and rosemary and allow the stew to thicken on a low heat.

This should take ten - 25 minutes or enough time to clear up and set the table or settle a good baby to sleep and write a quick blog post.

You don't need to be too precise with timings at the last stage as long as you keep an eye on it, the stew won't spoil, it'll just be thicker if you leave it a little longer.

When you're ready, serve up with some garlic bread and a large glass of red.

Tis the season for elderflower cordial

2011-06-11T14:03:00.004+01:00

For the last week or so in Edinburgh, creamy white elderflowers are bursting into bloom in gardens, woodlands and wastelands alike. If you're feeling resourceful, not too bothered by bugs and fancy some easy foraging, go pick some and boil up this delicious sweet, summery cordial.

We followed Pam Corbin's recipe (originally from River Cottage) in her book Preserves.

Makes about 2 litres.

You will need:

About 25 elderflower heads (best when just blooming)

Finely grated zest of 3 unwaxed lemons and 1 orange, plus their juice

1kg sugar (more or less to taste)

1 heaped tsp citric acid (readily and cheaply available from pharmacies)

What to do:

Vigorously shake the elderflowers, outside, to get rid of most of the bugs (resist rinsing).

Place the heads in a bowl with the zest.

Boil 1.5 litres of water and pour over the flowers and zest.

Cover and leave overnight to infuse.

Strain the liquid through muslin (or a pair of tights if you don't have any) into a saucepan.

Add the sugar, fruit juices and citric acid (this is optional, it adds a slight bitterness and helps the cordial to last longer).

Heat gently to dissolve the sugar, then simmer for a couple of minutes.

Use a funnel to pour the hot syrup into sterilised bottles and seal.

Will keep for a couple of weeks as is.

Chris's top tips

Gather the flowers when dry.
Don't get too carried away (or there'll be no berries later in the year).
This is really easy and inexpensive to make.
Suitable for freezing.
Don't be too fastidious about the bugs, any that don't escape with shaking, will be boiled up and strained out! You really won't notice...
Don’t be put off by colour when soaking the elderflowers – once drained it looks better and tastes great!
Try serving with fruit salad, dilluted with water (still or sparkling) or even cava or champagne.
Apparently, you can also make delicious ice cubes, granita or ice lollies (if the sunshine ever returns). Here's hoping...

Please share your tips or serving suggestions too.

The one with no running water and some belly dancers

2011-06-07T08:41:00.003+01:00

After food, and maybe babies, wedding are definitely my most favourite thing to daydream about.

Seeing the huge variety and individuality other people display as they celebrate a marriage is a wonderful source of inspiration.

It's also a pleasure to work with brides, grooms and in this instance bridesmaids to be to create a personal and apt feast for a gathering of sophicticated and fun hens. We do hen dos, don't you know.

Here the food needed to reflect the bride to be's food passion, she runs a bakery you see (no pressure). We knew in advance that a seated dinner for the hens was not going to be possible due to space but a help yourself buffet wasn't what the chief hen had in mind either. We also needed to accomodate hens travelling from far and wide and arriving at various times throughout the evening. Although we didn't know it in advance, we'd also be working with no running water (arrghh) and serving under and over veiled dancers!

We started with a canape and cocktail hour. Each hen got to keep their cosmo glass as a momento!

And moved on to starter, an anti pasti plank which included Manchego cheese and quince jelly, aged Parmesan with chestnut honey, bread sticks with rosemary hummus and Dolcelatte mousse, rosemary flatbread, roasted Mediterranean vegetables, lemon courgettes.

This was followed by bowl food, a duo of risottos - Squash, sage, Dolcelatte risotto and

Prosecco, asparagus risotto, parmesan crisps, simple green salads and homemade ciabatta.

And finished with affagoto (in line with the Italian theme)...

...and then, with full bellies, some dancing!

Rocky buns in memory

2011-05-23T15:10:00.002+01:00

Tomorrow, I will gather with my family to pay tribute to a wonderful, dear lady, my sweet, gracious, loving and greatly loved Granny. I will miss her so much and her amazing home baking.

I’m going to follow her often used recipe and take comfort from the sticky, sweet, imperfect dough.

Children, grandchildren, neighbours, colleagues, friends and even a friendly pheasant came tapping at her window for these tasty cakes. She also believed every home should have a Bero book, so if you don’t have one, invest in some flour and send away! Simple pleasures.

Makes 10 ish.

You will need:

225g Self raising flour

pinch salt

100g margarine (my Granny used Stork)

75g dried fruit

25g mixed peel (not essential, you can add glace cherries or dried apricot as a variation)

50g caster sugar

1 medium egg

milk to mix

Heat oven to 200’C and grease two baking trays (my Granny gave us ours as an engagement gift).

Mix the flour and salt, rub in the margarine.

Stir in the dried fruit, mixed peel and sugar.

Mix to a stiff dough with the egg and milk.

Place in rough heaps on the baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes.

For best results, eat warm with tea served in a china cup.

Be comforted.

Let them eat cake

2011-05-17T22:52:00.011+01:00

After seeing and eating such an epic amount of cake with my lovely cake buddy (we managed amazing cheesecake, lemon layer, tower of sin and apple and cinnamon) and meeting so many passionate bakers, it seems right that this blog post should be written while munching leftovers for breakfast.

Lynn, the bakelady welcomes us all.

Staring, drooling, waiting patiently...

Last night's Clandestine Cake Club was delicious and delightful. Brought together by Lynn and hosted by the lovely Alana at Fredericks. The real stars of the show however were the cakes, all baked to the theme of Homespun Harmony which ignited imaginations and resulted in classic and new creations. Be prepared, these photos will make you want cake, now. My memory is a haze of sugar so the titles are largely guessed, apologies if I get it wrong.

Lemon and raspberry roulade made by Edinburgh Foody.

Lemon Polenta cake with Limoncello syrup by Edinburgh Eats. See her post on the event here, and get the recipes too.

Classic Victoria Sponge by Stephanie of Sunday Brunch Club fame, following a Delia recipe.

I snapped this beauty and when I went back to check what it was, it was gone... can anyone identify?

Tower of sin by Great British Bake Off contestant, Bakers Bunny, lurking in calorific glory in the shadows!

A pink treat, white chocolate and raspberry by Ideas Spotting.

The cake line up.

Apple and olive oil cake (not sure who made it) in the background and unidentifed in the fore...

Tucking in at last.

Apple and Cinnamon Cake made by Lynn, the recipe is here, happy baking!

What it says on the tub.

The final piece of my rough and ready raspberry and white chocolate cake.

A pimped up, grand version of the raspberry and white chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream.

The end. Well, not quite.

Here is the take away plate which I duly shared with C and still had some for breakfast. Rather than simply stuffing my face, I tried to take a bit more time over the flavours back home. Next time, I'll take notes at the event too!

Clockwise from white sponge - Angel cake with rhubarb and strawberry compote, Apple and olive oil cake, cinnamon and apple cake with cinnamon cream frosting, sour cream and blueberry cake, Dundee marmalade cake, lemon polenta cake with limoncello syrup and candied orange.

Here are our tasting notes:

Angel cake - as light as angel's wings, delicious texture (not unlike milk roll), easy to eat in vast quantities, intensely fruity compote. In all, rather like a deconstructed summer pudding. Great alternative to more traditional cake.

Apple and olive oil cake - a hybrid cake - somewhere between a sponge and a fruit cake, bold juicy flavours, perfect with tea.

Cinnamon and apple cake - made to an original recipe by Lynn (above). This is a dense cake as you might expect from an adopted muffin recipe, apparently easy to vary by replacing the apple with choc chips, finished with a super smooth frosting so tasty you could devour by the spoonful.

Sour cream and blueberry - a delicious, moist cake, with a zingy blueberry filling which contrasted well with the sugary icing.

Dundee marmalade - a real classic, looked inviting and tasted moreish. Job well done.

Lemon polenta - the polenta gives an intriguing texture to this sticky, sweet sensation. One of the most inventive flavour combinations and Katey even made her own limoncello - now that's homespun harmony if ever we saw it.

Desperate to get my hands on some more recipes so please share with Lynn, with me, with all! And please leave your comments, how many slices of cake did you manage? Did you have a favourite? Which one did you make? I'm curious.

30

2011-05-06T09:55:00.001+01:00

Delving into our archives, we thought we'd share a very special celebration with you, a wonderful gathering in a fabulous setting to mark a friend's thirtieth birthday.

This was a rare event for us as it combined creating the canapes and enjoying them as guests (without the pressure of creating dinner as well). After we dished up the tasty morsels below, we simply enjoyed the party and the fireworks! Lucky us.

Hot smoked salmon mousse, lemon zest, homemade buttery oat biscuits.

Stilton gougeres.

The beautiful dining room.

And the "unbelievable" fireworks (almost enough to send me into labour!)

Sparkling sparklers (still as much fun as you remember).

Finally, plenty of bacon for breakfast (apologies for the blurry i phone shot) and a short walk in the fresh country air (to the pub for rugby watching). Happy days.

Sunshine Granola

2011-04-28T13:23:00.009+01:00

A wonderful combination of blue skies, blossom, avoiding a parking ticket, getting the keys to our new home, wedding excitement and, our baby girl being taken for a long walk by a doting Aunt and Uncle has left me in a stupidly giddy mood and with time to blog without interruption.

I've been meaning to share this tasty recipe for a while and, given my mood it will be known as Sunshine Granola.

It makes around ten servings, delicious with yogurt (and easier to eat one handed than milk which has a tendency to dribble and drip everywhere). This recipe is an adaptation of one first discovered here.

You will need:

4 tbsp sunflower oil

4 tbsp set honey

250g light or dark brown sugar

400g porridge oats

400g seeds and bashed up nuts, you can vary the mix depending on what you have available (sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts and cashews all work well)

A generous sprinkle of cinnamon and grating of nutmeg.

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Mix together the oats and seeds, add the oil, honey and sugar.

Stir well until combined and seeds/nuts are well coated.

Spread thickly onto an oiled tray (or two).

Toast in the oven for 20 minutes, mixing it up every five to ten minutes to ensure nothing burns.

It will be soft when you take it from the oven and will harden as it cools.

Once cooled, break into small pieces and store rustically in a Kilner jar/Tupperware...

...this leads me to a shameless, self indulgent sedge way. Sunshine granola would be the ideal breakfast to serve camping/outdoors and for that, you simply must stop off at Sarah Raven's fabulous shop, first spotted here. We're already big fans of her cook books and now, I want her home stuff too, all of it - especially this picnic crate:

and this camping table...

...happily set for breakfast and prettified with a selection of vases and flowers as styled here.

May the happy, sunny vibes last the whole weekend through!

Going the extra (Royal) Mile

2011-04-27T09:45:00.000+01:00

I speak with my marketing hat on when I say that the Royal Wedding is the kind of event that has PRs everywhere clutching at any vague link, literally spewing out tenuous royal news releases and hoping to keep clients happy and for some (any) coverage however unlikely.

Having my own blog, I don't need to wish for coverage, I can simply jump on the band wagon and write whatever I wish! And so, I give you my little round up of those creative souls who I believe have gone the extra Royal Mile.

For those who knew me in my past life, as someone who worked on an account that mainly produced millions of plastic vending cups (really), I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this:

And, who can resist the Queen of iced biscuits? Not the iced gem but Biscuiteers latest creations, sweet:

For the more traditional memorabilia, there's always the classic and official tea towel available here:

or a more modern take on the tradtional here:

Then for the younger audience, Early Learning Centre, I applaud thee. Our baby may be a little small for this right now but it's hard to resist. Everyone should have a toy corgi, no?

Other choice pics from around the web include:

this charming and witty blog
the brilliant talent of St Andrew's acapella group The Other Guys and their official Royal Wedding video here (if you like this, you must also check out Out of the Blue).

Also, for an alternative Royal Wedding Entrance similar to Jill and Kevin's trend setting approach T- Mobile's Royal Wedding here or below, complete with East 17 sound track and look a likes...

Finally, if it all gets too much, a Royal Wedding sick bag, even if you're not a royalist, enjoy the day off and have a bit of fun:

Easter Feasting

2011-04-26T11:25:00.001+01:00

We don't need much of an excuse to gather friends and family to feast in our household. Easter provided a good focus for our culinary attentions and a new challenge: to cook while balancing a baby in one arm or with such efficiency that the entire feast could take place during sleep time or, as was reality, cook while baby was sleeping and end up feeding her at the table and eating one handed. Who can blame her? She wanted an Easter feast of her own. (And, I admit, I had help chopping the lamb and shelling the langoustine...)

Charlie and Evelyn's informal Easter table.

Tender lamb chump from George Bower's.

Served with a rich red currant jus, sweet potatoes, spring onions and mint.

Double decker strawberry meringue.

And, for Easter Saturday, a shellfish/seafood platter complete with oysters, langoustine, crevettes, smoked mackerel, hot smoked salmon, smoked salmon, dressed crab and lobster. Simply served with Herbie's baguette, mayonnaise, lemon juice and washed down with a clean South African chenin blanc.

You can't quite make it out in the photos above, but this is the look we were going for:

Buy this fishy table runner here.

The menu for Sunday started with chocolate but also featured potato cakes with seafood, pork with braised chicory, green beans with lentils and lots of cheese. Clearly there were too many calories for photos, sorry.

Where the wild things are

2011-04-18T16:03:00.002+01:00

Inspired by long walks with our new pram and our new copy of Mark Hix British Seasonal Food we decided to go foraging and see what we could do with wild garlic. It's currently in abundance along the banks of the River Almond and Water of Leith and is a free, tasty, seasonal ingredient.

Top tip - avoid picking from the path side where dogs may well have marked their territory or more! Venture to a higher, less convenient spot for the freshest picks.

Anyway, where was I? Wild garlic smells delicious as you walk passed it and tastes delicious too. It's got a mild flavour and can be used in sauces, soups, salads and risottos. You can use the bulb, stem and leaves. Our first experiment was with a wild garlic and parmesan risotto.

Here's what we (Chris) did:

Serves four.

You will need:

1 white onion

1 leek

1 stick of celery

Olive oil

320g risotto rice (at least)

50g butter

1 glass white wine

3 large handfuls of wild garlic

1 pint chicken stock (this depends on the rice so use more if needed)

Salt, pepper and parmesan (to taste).

Thinly slice one white onion and fry in unsalted butter or olive oil for a couple of minutes.

Add one thinly sliced leek and stick of celery.

Add up to six of the bulbs of wild garlic (the amount is really up to you and depends on the size of the bulbs you forage) again thinly sliced.

After five minutes or so, add risotto rice (about 80g per person or whatever you usually eat) until the rice is nicely coated in the cooking juices - add a touch more butter if the rice is sticking.

As soon as you feel that the rice has absorbed the liquid in the pan, add a glass of white wine.

Once the rice has absorbed the alcohol, begin to add ladles of stock (homemade if possible). Stir constantly.

Keep repeating until the rice is al dente. Season gradually.

At this point add the garlic leaves - a good few handfuls, roughly chopped. This part of the plant doesn't take long to cook. Before serving stir through butter and shavings of parmesan - retaining some to decorate.

Pan fried chicken or a white fish would both work well with this but for a truly simple (and frugal) supper, serve with good bread and green salad. You could also make parmesan crisps to accompany this.

We're also planning on trying wild garlic bread and pesto. Watch this space...

Martyn's quick white chocolate and raspberry cake

2011-04-14T13:00:00.001+01:00

This cake is quick for new mums or chalet hosts or anyone in a hurry. Seriously, it takes about 15 minutes and can be mixed coursely, all ingredients in together.

First mastered and served by a jovial, hungover or possibly still drunk chalet host in 2006 (Val d'Isere), more recently made by Chris and served to baby hungry visitors by a sleep deprived and very new Mum, me. Hopefully this has demonstrated the required level of skill, time, effort and precision. If you try it you'll see it is possible to produce something tasty and easily, without scales.

You will need:

125g raspberry yogurt (the cheap stuff works well supermarket's own brand, one pot. I like Tesco's)

125g (1 pot)caster sugar

375g (3 pots) self raising flour

125g (1 pot) sunflower oil

Four medium eggs

200g (1 bar) white chocolate

A handful of raspberries (optional)

Empty yogurt into a mixing bowl.

Fill pot with sugar, empty into bowl.

Fill pot with self raising flour, empty into bowl. Repeat three times.

Fill pot with sunflower oil, empty into bowl.

Crack four eggs into bowl.

Add white chocolate chunks.

Mix ingredients together until blended to cake like consistency.

Place in tin.

Bake at 220 degrees C for 30-45 minutes, until cake is golden and has a slight wobble in the centre. Please note, this is a moist cake thanks to the oil so a skewer through the centre will never be totally dry. The top may crack too but there are worse things!

Add a sprinkle of fresh raspberries/coulis/jam if you have any and a dusting of icing sugar.

Slice generously and enjoy.

Good enough to eat

2011-04-06T18:40:00.003+01:00

It's a girl and we are absolutely thrilled and blessed. She smells of peaches! Please bear with us, this parenting thing is very new... we'll be back soon...

FAQs

2011-04-02T15:13:00.009+01:00

If you're curious, here are our most asked questions (and answers). Please leave any others as comments and we'll reply.

Why did you start Charlie and Evelyn’s Table?

We were intrigued by the pop up movement and read an article about The Salad Club (August 2009). We tried to find an Edinburgh based supper club to dine at and, when we realised there wasn’t one, we thought we’d create our own (January 2010). It started as a new year’s resolution to help us to have monthly dinner parties and indulge our love of cooking and entertaining. It soon spiralled and extended beyond our families and friends.

Who are Charlie and Evelyn and why do you have their table?

Charlie and Evelyn were Chris’s grandparents and we inherited their dining table.

What is the concept?

In three words: eat out, in.

Usually, diners come to us. The Table seats eight people and you can book as a group or individual places.

Where is the supper club?

We’re based in central Edinburgh, we only reveal our full address to confirmed diners.

What’s the best way to make a reservation?

Drop us an email to join our mailing list and you’ll receive our latest news and alerts to new dates as soon as they are released. We ask that all reservations are made and confirmed by email for our own sanity!

What’s your cancellation policy?

We believe that the concept is based on trust so there’s no strict policy. We wouldn’t charge our friends if they were ill or couldn’t make it for some valid reason.

To date we’ve only had one very rude guest not show up on the night without letting us know so ideally, we’d ask for 24 hours notice so that we have chance to fill the space/s.

Alternatively, other last minute cancellations have covered the cost of the cancelled place/s.

Do you cater for vegetarians and dietary requirements?

Yes, absolutely.

In advance of creating each menu we ask for dietary requirements and strong food dislikes as the menu is fixed. If we are serving a guest with an allergy, we tend to avoid that ingredient/food group all together. If it’s a food preference, we either come up with an alternative for that diner or avoid the ingredient.

What’s the most common food dislike you've come across?

Here’s the top five:

Shellfish/seafood

Mushrooms

Coriander

Eggs

Offal

And, top five most bizarre:

Cream

Melon

Caffeine

Cooked vegetables

Raisins

Where do you source your food?

We hope you don’t need us to tell you that seasonal, local food tastes best. It’s not always possible or practical but we do buy all meat and game from George Bower’s and our fish, seafood and shellfish from G. Armstrongs. We also believe that life is too short for some things (unless it’s a very special occasion) and we regularly buy Patisserie Madeline’s macarons to serve to guests with coffee.

Have you ever had any unusual guests come for dinner?

The whole set up is pretty unusual and we’ve unexpectedly had a huge range of people dine with us. Guests from near and far, young and old and with a variety of backgrounds and professions.

That’s one of the things that makes hosting so special when you pop your head out of the kitchen and see a group of people who would never usually meet, let alone dine together, chatting happily.

How do you get rid of guests if they outstay their welcome?

Truly, the welcome is warm so it’s hard to outstay it. We like to let things come to a natural close and most guests tend to leave by midnight. The record for our latest staying guests is 2.10am but by that point we’d joined them for a glass of wine!

What’s your biggest kitchen disaster?

Probably attempting too complicated menus when we started – meaning kitchen chaos and mountains of washing up. Other than that, arriving at a kitchen (where we were due to serve a four course meal) that only had a microwave and no oven or simply serving ice cream in the extreme heat of our little kitchen.

What’s your favourite place to eat out?

This is not a good question, maybe we’ll try and share a broader selection of favourites on the blog soon but if you insist:

Rachel – newly discovered Gucchi, seafood Indian in Leith – hoping it might hurry this baby along!

Chris - Simple. Six oysters, homemade bread and a glass of white rioja at Loch Leven Seafood café just outside Fort William.

Which recipe books do you use most often?

It varies, lots, so we’ll try and update this answer.

For now (April 2011) some of our most used include:

Sarah Raven’s Garden Cookbook and Mark Hix British Seasonal Food for in season treats.

On a plate and The Flavour Thesaurus for inspiration.

How to Eat Nigella Lawson for comfort and speed.

What do diners say about you?

Whenever we need an ego boost, it’s nice to re read some of the comments from our guest book including:

“The last time I felt this at home, I was at home.”

“Delicious food, gorgeous surrounding. Made so welcome, utterly charmed. Thank you so…”

“Lovely relaxed atmosphere, great food and a novel experience to have dinner in someone’s home.”

“I hope he/she is a good baby so I can come back soon!”

“Fabulous food and an unbeatable experience.”

OK enough.

If you’ve dined with us in the past and would like to share your thoughts with others, please add a couple of lines under our reviews tab on Facebook.

Are there any other pop up restaurants in Edinburgh/Scotland?

Yes. Here's our list. Fairly definitive, we think!

Try Queen of Tarts for afternoon tea, we loved it. Email thequeensedinburgh@gmail.com

Kitchen Porter for Edinburgh based suppers or masterclasses (read our review here). Email kitchenports@yahoo.co.uk

AND, JUST ADDED APRIL 21st 2011 Delicious looking, My Home Supperclub - expect a very warm welcome, great food and a charming homely experience.

or Honey Wild Supper Club in the Scottish Borders. Emailhoneywildandmannadew@gmail.com

UPDATE NOVEMBER 2011. The supper club scene is thriving, horray!

Crescent Dining fine dining since August 2011.

Table for ten an exciting collaboration, started in October 2011. Great food, great chatter.

Chai Lounge Edinburgh's first Indian supper club, established October 2011.

Inside Out Chef home cooking with a sharing vibe, established August 2011.

Avant watch this space for a potential new club.

NEW FOR 2012 - updated January 2012

Burgher Burger All about burgers, monthly, by established chefs, popping up at greasy spoons in Edinburgh. Sign up to find out more. (First event February 2012).

A quarterly supper club by the sea, Portobello, coming soon (March 2012).

Pop up afternoon tea by very talented, award winning pastry chef, Ross.

February 2012 - update

Tealicious, a secret pop up afternoon tea club by amazing cake ladies by The Shore in Leith (now running).

A new pop up restaurant coming soon to a place near the Abbey in Dunfermline ( also March 2012)

The Albert Roux Feast Dinner

2011-04-02T11:23:00.010+01:00

OK, so we didn't actually speak to him but we listened to what he had to say and had dinner "in his company" which was enough to leave us satisfied. I even failed to get a picture but, for the record, he is much shorter than I imagined.

Anyway, last night, we attended a fabulous dinner which marked the start of a student-led food festival Feast 2011. In writing alone, the festival impresses with the support of big name chefs and suppliers and in practice, it began with some enticing and delicious canapes slickly presented and served by students. These were cooked by Raymond Wong (Junior Sous Chef) and Greig Livingston (Commis Chef who began working at the Sheraton aged only 15) who both currently work at the Sheraton.

Chicken liver parfait lolly pop glazed in blood orange.

Pickled red cabbage gazpacho (this looked lovely and tasted good just oddly like pureed coleslaw).

We also nibbled delicious Shetland salmon tartar, smoked, dill marinated and fresh salmon with creme fraiche rosemary crispbread and sensational smoked venison with green lentils and coriander, crisp bread and avruga caviar. Perfectly complemented with Organic Duval-Leroy.

We moved through "the UK's greenest university campus" to our table for more eating.

The menu was:

Tortellini of Borders Roe deer, cauliflower cream, sauce grand veneur cooked by Lynsey McCallum (who traded Front of House for chef's whites in 2009 and is currently Commis Chef at Restaurant Martin Wishart).

This was paired with Cotes du Rhone Les Rabassieres, 2009.

Fillet of North Sea Hake (supplied by our favourite fishmonger Armstrong's), served on a salt cod brandade with crisp potato cooked by Roberta Hall (Sous Chef Castle Terrace).

Paired with Sauvignon de Touraine "Fleur de Printemps", Domaine de la Rochette, 2009. (we were lucky enough to sit next to the sponsor who enlightened us, shared his tasting notes and explained how this wine comes to be less aggressive than the usual Sauvignon - can't wait to get our hands on more of this).

This was followed by fillet of Buccleuch Beef Wellington served with celeriac puree and a red wine sauce cooked by David Miller (Sous chef at The Kitchen). See how our Wellingtons compare here or check out our step by step guide here.

Paired with Chateau du Taste, Cote du Bourg, Bordeaux, 2009.

Finally, a very excellent dessert of Valrhona Macae Chocolate Cremeux, salted caramel, milk sorbet cooked by Graeme Cheevers (Pastry Chef at Restaurant Martin Wishart at Loch Lomond).

Paired with Capercaillie late harvest Gewurtztraminer, Hunter Valley, 2008 ( interestingly, our expert suggested that had he been matching for this course he would perhaps have chosen a light port or red to complement the rich chocolate, pairing this wine with juicy yellow fruits or spicy rhubarb instead).

And then, coffee, tablet and a dram of cask strength Highland Park, Single Malt Scotch Whisky 4.149. Thanks to another diner at the table, we also learned a new way to identify the fruity tones of the whisky, placing a tiny drop into your palm (and rubbing it in just like a very expensive alcohol hand rub) before cupping the hands and inhaling! I've never smelt apricots in a whisky before...

(L-R) Albert Roux, OBE; young chefs Graeme Cheveers and Lyndsey McCallum from Restaurant Martin Wishart; and Martin Wishart.

Having enjoyed all of this it was over to an introduction by Martin Wishart and then Albert Roux for the after dinner key note. He fondly recalled his first visit to Scotland 55 years ago with his family packed into a Morris Miner and several cases of wine on the roof rack (having heard Scotland was dry on Sundays). He travelled north enjoying the hearty Scottish breakfasts in B and B's and eventually reached the "gastronomic desert" of Skye. He camped there and ate well, urging us to recognise that all you need to eat well is good ingredients which Skye has in great bounty. He shared his thoughts on the need for Front of House to be recognised in the UK as a profession, not a lowly job and offered his advice that, those in Scottish hospitality would do well to be more like the South Africans who recognise the potential of tourism and when visitors arrive, smile, broadly and wish unfamiliar faces a genuine and warm "welcome to our country". Having experienced unfriendly, sour faced awkwardness as opposed to a welcome many times over in Scotland, these are wise words indeed: "You have been blessed by the gift of food and beauty. I hope you realise that." Oh, we do.

Our favourite time of year

2011-03-21T16:13:00.010Z

Today, at last, the air smells sweet with Spring and the sky is blue. It’s almost warm here in Edinburgh and we’re pretty excited about the next couple of weeks. The change in seasons brings a wonderful change in available local produce and there’s certainly something about the limited seasons that makes them all the more delightful. And then, there’s our soon to arrive Spring baby. No wonder this is our favourite time of year.

Of course, many chefs have been naturally driven by the seasons for years, but in fairly recent times the words seasonal, local and sustainable have all made fashionable appearances on menus throughout the UK and rightly so, cooking in season, when products are at their best, seems rather obvious.

We have some of the most fabulous producers and products imaginable right here for all levels of culinary skill and palate. We planned our early 2011 menus to make the most of venison, quince, celeriac, forced rhubarb, hare and beetroot, we adore Uncle Joe’s eggs, enjoy reading tips from Tom Kitchin with his from nature to plate philosophy as he champions all things Scottish, we love visiting Stockbridge to try old favourites and be converted to new ones especially in George Bower or Armstrong’s, we have been recently impressed by Guy Grieve and his inspirational ethical seafood story and we can often be found referring to seasonal cook books. The most used in our collection being Sarah Raven’s Garden Cookbook, Gordon Ramsay’s A chef for all seasons, and The Farmers' Market Round-the-seasons Cookbook. There’s also been a recent new addition to our collection: Mark Hix’s British Seasonal Food, published by Quadrille just a couple of weeks ago.

Each clearly defined month begins with a simple, one page glimpse of key ingredients and continues with a longer list of “other ingredients not to be missed.” With every month there are some classic favourites and some nice, more unusual surprises too. Who knew when pike or pennywort was at its best?

Next, Hix helpfully talks readers through making the most of each month encouraging us to get better at shopping and cooking off the hoof and not simply fall back on the most popular ingredients and prime cuts.

The uncomplicated style is continued with the design which combines comforting, homely photography with simple original drawings and the recipes which, as you might expect, allow the ingredients to speak for themselves, scallops with purple sprouting broccoli (March) being a great example. There’s no doubting Mark’s technical ability or prowess as a restaurateur but he has made his recipes here easy to follow for those who aren’t as blessed.

The layout is straightforward (though I personally would have preferred larger text and one recipe per column or page) and again there’s a careful mix between classics such as piccalilli and cauliflower cheese (both January) and the more unusual cod’s tongues (yikes) with smoked pork belly (January) and red gurnard with sea spinach, steamed cockles and brown shrimps (February).

We’ve tried hard not to gallop ahead into future months but are already anticipating fried duck’s egg with brown shrimps and Sprue asparagus (May) and the summery delights of gooseberry and elderflower meringue pie (June)… and we’ve made a resolution to get better at foraging too. As the month's pass, this is sure to be a book we revisit time and time again.

The other side of the table...

2011-03-03T17:06:00.011Z

I t's long been our hope that more supper clubs, or at least one, would open here in Edinburgh. We have hoped this selfishly, so we can have a night off and selflessly so that more people embrace and experience the not so new concept. We've been sworn to secrecy until now but, at last, there is another couple who are brave, or mad enough to open their home to diners: chef Mark and his wife Mary Porter.

Their brand new venture Dinner at Kitchen Porter's is coincidentally timed to follow on from our last supper and just one week on, we traded Saturday night in the kitchen for a more restful Saturday as diners at one of their tables. All thanks to a large nod, wink and gracious invitation from Edinburgh Spotlight. Lucky us.

So how did we find it? Well, we were able to experience the curious combination of anticipation, excitement and nerves involved when you arrive at a strange door, in the February darkness and ring the bell, truly having no idea what or who is behind it and yet somehow expecting dinner and trusting that it will be enjoyable!

We joined other guests in the immaculate sitting room for canapes and a welcome drink (hugely reassured that you can have such a tidy room with a toddler - the giveaway stair gate and family photos didn't escape our attention on arrival). We were then very warmly and officially welcomed by Mark and Mary and gradually taken through their shiny, open plan kitchen (so organised, you'd never expect what was about to happen) to a lovely eating place (the transformed family room). Unlike our own cosy arrangement where the kitchen doors tend to remain closed and all diners eat at one Table, there were three groups of diners seated at three separate tables. I'm sure this flexible arrangement will be especially popular with those who are intrigued by the concept of eating out in some one's home but turned off by the idea of eating with strangers.

Given Mark's background as a professional chef and current role as a tutor, it's no surprise that the tables were uniformly set and had a welcoming but distinctly restaurant feel. As for the delicious food, there is only one way to describe it - slick. The presentation and service was very professional and enjoyable and what's more, by the time we headed away, all traces of the cooking and clearing had vanished and Mark and Mary were happily, deservedly reflecting on a successful evening.

We're so grateful for such a pleasant night off, delighted that we're not alone and certain that seats at monthly Kitchen Porter's will be in great demand. Our remaining hope, is that Mark and Mary have as much fun doing it as we've had.

You can find out more about what we ate here and join the mailing list for Kitchen Porter's or sign up to the demos by emailing kitchenports@yahoo.co.uk

The last supper: in pictures

2011-02-21T17:04:00.006Z

So here it is, our last supper in pictures. A warm and cosy evening, a birthday celebrated and our favourite local suppliers showcased. I just need a new excuse for my fresh flowers and macaron habit!

The Table.

A warm welcome.

Honey and soda walnut bread.

To start Crab, apple, celeriac salad, scallops.

To follow Mustard crumble rack of lamb, mash, tender stem broccoli, onion strings.

or crusted Saithe, mash, tender stem broccoli.

To finish Rhubarb tarts.

Birthday macarons.

Birthday merriment: in pictures

2011-02-19T10:32:00.005Z

Such is the food passion of last night's guests that they hunted us out online as an unusual dining experience fit for their friends and birthday celebrations. All supper club virgins, we were delighted to convert them and to see and hear how they enjoyed the experience. The Table was booked weeks ago with a very well timed email from the host and as we discovered many happy coincidences between us, we got an overriding feeling that some things truly are meant to be.

Clearly, with our last supper fast approaching, I'm justified in feeling sentimental, and it's so satisfying to meet such wonderful people and be sure that our paths will cross again!

Here's how it turned out, we dished up some of the birthday girl and boy's favourite things. Who doesn't love a risotto followed by chocolate indulgence?

The glowing Table.

To welcome Mini Tandoori stuffed mushrooms.

Crab, celeriac bruschetta.

To amuse Sweetcorn soup, truffled popcorn.

To start Salmon, courgette ceviche, homemade soda bread.

To follow Smoked mackerel, horseradish risotto, roasted vine tomatoes.

or Fillet of beef , horseradish risotto, roasted vine tomatoes.

To finish Chocolate pudding, ginger ice cream.

Birthday chocolate pudding, ginger ice cream.

Menu for the last supper

2011-02-18T07:54:00.000Z

It's no exaggeration to say Saturday's supper will be momentous. It will also be our last before we welcome a new arrival to our lives and our home. To mark the end of an era suitably, we've chosen to dish up:

To start

Crab, apple, celeriac salad, scallops.

To follow

Mustard crumble rack of lamb, mash, tender stem broccoli, onion strings.

To finish

Rhubarb tarts.

Feeling fruity: in pictures

2011-02-18T07:40:00.006Z

It was a "no problem" kind of evening at the Table, wine flowed, food was served and old and new links were discovered among diners.

To welcome Mini Tandoori stuffed mushrooms.

To amuse Beetroot, mustard, orange.

To start Crab, celeriac, apple salad with scallops.

To follow Saddle of hare, beetroot, mash.

{This was the first tried and tested recipe from Mark Hix's new book, British Seasonal Food, published by Quadrille in a couple of weeks. We used parsnip mash as an alternative to white beetroot. Watch out for a full review of the book soon.}

Just out of the oven.

To finish Marmalade souffle.

Menu for birthday merriment

2011-02-17T07:31:00.002Z

Friday's guests will gather to honor a couple and celebrate their birthdays, we'll be serving up some of their favourite foods and flavours:

To start

Salmon, courgette ceviche, homemade soda bread.

To follow

Fillet of beef {or smoked mackerel}, horseradish risotto {or mash}, roasted vine tomatoes.

To finish

Chocolate pudding, ginger ice cream.

Feeling fruity menu

2011-02-16T08:33:00.004Z

To start

Crab, celeriac, apple salad with scallops.

To follow

Saddle of hare, beetroot, mash.

To finish

Marmalade souffle.