Menu for a sensational Saturday

Summer is spoiling us, not with the weather just now but we're spoiled for choice in terms of flavours. For Saturday we're serving this menu and we can't wait:

To start
Strawberry, feta, mange tout, asparagus salad, Parmesan crisps.

To follow
Pulled pork {or chicken}, wilted chicory, apple and carrot slaw, toasted brioche

To finish
Chocolate tart {or g.f. and l.f. chocolate cake}, elderflower ice cream, strawberries.

Menu for a fruity Friday

Making the most of Summer's bounty, there's fruit in every course for Friday. Guests will be tucking into this light but indulgent menu course by course.

To start
Tuna three ways: seared, carpaccio, mousse

To follow
Pulled pork, wilted chicory, apple and carrot slaw, toasted brioche

To finish
Chocolate tart {chocolate cake for our l.f. and g.f guests}, mascarpone and white chocolate ice cream, strawberries.

Menu from west to east and back again

We're so busy in the kitchen, we forgot to post our menu. This is what we're making for tomorrow's guests. Are you hungry?


To start
Rare roasted beef, garden salad, squash ribbons

To follow
Pan- fried sea bream, madras curry, samphire

To finish
Chocolate tarts, white chocolate and mascarpone ice cream, strawberries.

Menu for that Friday feeling

Summer days, Glasgow 2014, happy times and reason enough to celebrate and #eatscottish. That's what our guests will be doing on Friday. We're serving:

To start
Hot smoked salmon and spring onion tart

To follow
Venison with tomato, parsley and olive salad

To finish
Summer fruits, mascarpone and white chocolate ice cream, petite chocolate brownies.

Menus for two Scottish, Italian feasts.

Soaking up the culinary inspiration, flavours and sunshine of Tuscany last week, we present two menus which bring our findings to you. And, there are still four seats at the Table this Friday, so you still have chance to enjoy some of these dishes personally if you're not already coming! Please email today to reserve your places.

To start
Venison Carpaccio, garden flowers and herbs, Parmesan, orange

To follow
Pan-fried cod, tomato farro, green beans

To finish
Ricotta cheesecake with balsamic and basil strawberries.

And on Saturday night,

To start
Nectarine, Mozzarella, Parma ham, green leaves

To follow
Beef, salsa verde, green beans, crispy potatoes.

To finish
Ricotta cheesecake with balsamic and basil strawberries.

Menu for a sweet Summer supper

It's been a while since we hosted a supper club, so it is with a mix of eagerness and huge excitement that we post this menu and prepare to welcome a wonderful group to the Table on Friday. In some ways a chance to ease ourselves back to hosting but we're certainly not holding back in the kitchen!

Chris will be cooking:

To start

Prawn {or feta}, pea, mint risotto, Parmesan crisps.

To follow

Fillet of beef, beans, peppers {or baby corn}, crisp potatoes, tarragon hollandaise, truffle oil.

To finish

Chocolate "tart", frozen yoghurt, berries, hazelnut meringue.

Sainsbury's Magazine.

Proudly presenting our feature, home, menu, recipes and a very rare public picture of our sweet baby girl.

Menu for the first day of Christmas and friends.

It's fair to say that this supper club, the last planned in our Winter season, is one of mixed emotion. We are thrilled to be welcoming a small group of dear friends alongside loyal fans and some new ones too. And, we are excited and even a little relieved at the thought of having a weekend to ourselves to prepare for and rediscover the magic of Christmas with the help of a joyful, wide-eyed, sparkle-loving E. We can't wait to deck the halls and celebrate with our families and friends but we are sure to miss creating menus, the mad dash of preparation before guests arrive, the nervous anticipation when the buzzer sounds downstairs, sharing our home and mostly meeting new faces and making new friends. (For the record I will not miss ironing the tablecloth one bit.) So here it is Merry Christmas and our bittersweet advent menu!

To start
Apple and celeriac salad with pan-fried scallops or chicken.

To follow
Venison {or monkfish} Wellington, braised red cabbage, almond toasted brussel sprouts.

To finish
Sticky gingerbread, orange and vanilla ice cream.

Menu for wise men and women.

Despite rota imposed complications coordinating a group mainly made up of medics and their wise friends, supreme organisation has prevailed. We hope there's a star to guide our guests (though our address will be revealed in advance) and we've even cooked up an edible taste of gold, frankincense and myrhh alongside other delights.

To start
Roasted beef, squash and rocket salad.

To follow
Pan -fried scallops, Thai prawn risotto.

To finish
Marmalade tart with orange and vanilla ice cream.

Menu for a birthday boy.

On Saturday, we prepare to welcome veteran supper clubbers back to our Table. This time, they have chosen to book all of the seats for n exclusive and unique birthday celebration with friends. The birthday boy is especially laid back, he's an Aussie you see, but a look through past menus managed to tempt him towards a meaty main and a chocolatey pud. We can certainly manage that. And, as it's a special occasion, a special starter too.

To start
Venison carpaccio, mozzarella {and for those who like them} mushrooms and hazelnuts.

To follow 
{Making a reappearance} Asian braised beef, hot and sour salad.

To finish
Rum and raisin brownies and ice cream or for our wheat intolerant, dairy free guest, rum and raisin Winter fruits.

Menu for Thanksgiving

I know we don't technically celebrate Thanksgiving or benefit from a late November national holiday but most of the food blogs I read are talking about it and I do love any excuse for a gathering of friends or family and a feast. Although we won't get to eat this menu, we with serve it with grateful hearts, thanks for the support of our diners and three years of success with our wee at home supper club, from our first supper to now.

And so, the menu (don't fear there's plenty of time for turkey elsewhere)...

To start
Scallops {seabass} or apple with blue cheese {v} , celeriac puree and truffle vinaigrette.

To follow
Venison {chicken fillet} with mushroom risotto, root vegetable crisps or for our vegetarian guests, mushroom medley with mushroom risotto, root vegetable crisps.

To finish
Banoffee pie, cinnamon ice cream.

Menu for an Autumn state of mind.

I am in a very Autumn state of mind these days and I can't seem to tire of Autumn colours and flavours, this menu has pretty much all of my favourite things (and continues the slight venison obsession)...

To start
Venison carpaccio, parsnip crisps, parsnip puree.

To follow
Hake, creamed savoy cabbage, Bowers' home-cured bacon, crisp potatoes.

To finish
Pear crumble, rum and raisin ice cream, brandy snaps.

Menu to warm hearts

We always cook our food with love and make sure that it not only tastes good, but we hope that the whole "eat out in" dining experience is heart-warming. This warmth is especially important when the weather turns colder (like right now) and when welcoming a table of guests, all friends of a friend, who have never dined with us before but have been invited along perhaps excitedly, perhaps a little suspiciously (as is the case on Friday). We hope this menu makes them all feel at home:


To start
Salmon rillettes or for our vegetarian guest spinach pate, homemade honey and walnut soda bread.

To follow
Loin of venison or fillet of beef with Szechuan hotpot or for our vegetarian guest, Szechuan aubergine with rice.

To finish
Chocolate pecan pie, maple creme fraiche.

For our friends, in pictures.

We had a brilliant time cooking for, eating with and partying the night away with our friends. Thank you all and thank you E for sleeping like an angel throughout and for being such a sweetheart when you were disturbed as everyone went home for the night. Happy days (and a promise that the Asian beef recipe is coming soon). 

A busy table complete with emergency chairs and a first outing for our new candlesticks purchased here.

To start Mango, radish caprese, basil vinaigrette.

To follow Asian braised beef with hot and sour salad

 or Teriyaki salmon (as preferred).

All the way from Provence.

 To finish Spiced Autumn Pavlova. Complete with audience participation. 

Do look closely to see they're a little light on cream. Mainly because some of our more helpful friends whipped it all over themselves, the kitchen, the oven gloves, the others! I obviously had to rescue the situation (not doing much of a better job myself). La la la.

Another menu for Team GB {and a birthday girl}, in pictures.

Last night we hosted a supper for friends and a very modest birthday girl (so modest in fact that we didn't even know it was her birthday until her friends mentioned it, just in time for a candle lit brownie)! True to recent form, E decided the party was one she'd much prefer to join than sleep through, finally high fiving and waving goodbye to guests as they departed! Today, one guest remarked that she was "still thinking about it {the food} today" and that made us very happy. And now, we're writing this with the Paralympics Closing Ceremony in the background, feeling rather proud. Here it is, our second menu for Team GB and a birthday girl.

 Herbs for marinating.

 Soda bread for baking.

 Pear chutney bubbling.

 Brownies cooking.

Sweet garden roses.

Delicate lace hydrangea.

 To amuse Hot smoked salmon mousse and Tandoori stuffed mushrooms.

To welcome Sweetcorn soup, truffled popcorn.

To start Pork rillettes, pear chutney, homemade honey and walnut soda bread.

or pear, walnut and blue cheese salad (v).

 To follow Lamb or mint and feta cakes (v) with chilli, pistachio and rose petal sauce, cous cous.

To finish Celebration brownies, strawberry shots and strawberry and black pepper ice cream.

Another menu for Team GB.

Not long ago, supper clubbers joined us to cheer Mo Farah to glory and to celebrate the success of Team GB at London 2012.  Having sobbed and cheered my way through lots of Paralympic coverage, we're ready to do it again. Our menu has a slightly international feel, journeying to France with the starter,  the Middle East with the main and uniting the best of British berries and indulgent USA for the pudding.

To start
Pork rillettes, pear chutney, homemade honey and walnut soda bread or
pear, walnut and blue cheese salad (v).

To follow
Lamb or mint and feta cakes (v) with chilli, pistachio and rose petal sauce, cous cous.

To finish
Celebration brownies, strawberry shots and strawberry and black pepper ice cream.

Menu for the changing season.

The coolness of the breeze is hardly a sign of Autumn in Edinburgh but the deep blue skies, golden light and changing leaves are more positive proof that a change is beginning and with September, the glut of berries passes and there's a move to apples, pears, plums and a return for beetroot and other things to look forward to. All of these ingredients are coming to future menus I reckon, but for Saturday and the first of September, here's what we decided:

To start

Duck rillettes, plums, Chris's soda bread.

To follow

Beef Stroganoff, buttered pappardelle.

To finish

Baked apple crumbles.

Menu with a touch of Provencal inspiration.

Hot on the heels of Friday's menu, here is Saturday's. All twelve seats at Charlie and Evelyn's Table were reserved by one lady (thanks Nicola) so we are looking forward to a gathering of friends who already know each other rather than a group of guests making new friends. By special request, the menu features a shellfish starter and a beef fillet main with a surprise fruity pudding inspired by a dish we ate recently at Le Bistrot d'Eygalieres - we'll try and transport you there!

To start

Langoustine {or avocado} and mango salad.

To follow

Beef fillet, truffle oil, green beans, hollandaise, sautéed potatoes and for our vegetarian guest mushroom, asparagus and green bean risotto, truffle oil and hollandaise.

To finish

Strawberry soup, petite meringues.

Menu for a sweet and sour Friday

C and I have spent most of this week apart, spread across the UK, he working in Cardiff and I extending my birthday celebrations in Durham. Now that we're both back in Scotland, we have at last agreed the menus in person. We're all set for a weekend of supper clubbing ahead.

Friday's menu will offer:

To start

Seared tuna with mango salsa

and for our vegetarian guest, avocado with mango salsa.

To follow

Asian braised beef with a hot and sour salad

and, Asian braised vegetables, noodles and a hot and sour salad.

To finish

Peach melba.

Menu for Team GB

A wee nod to Olympic mania, for this menu we're using champion ingredients, delicate sea trout, crunchy fennel, premium venison and super sweet melon and strawberries. Just like the athletes, we're going for gold!

To start
Sea trout, shaved fennel.

To follow
Poppy seed venison, wild mushroom risotto, watercress, jus.

To finish
Melon soup, strawberries.