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.
