PhotograPhy by Michel chicoine by nathan Fong

Scottish Scene

60

destinations

un

ited k

ing

do

M

taste& travel international january–march 2015

e dinburgh in the northern highlands of the UK has been the capital city of Scotland since at least the 15th century. This beautiful city located on the

inlet known as the Firth of Forth, is a centre of banking and insurance, and also renowned for its rich culture. It’s home to the impressive National Museum of Scotland, the Scottish National Gallery, Holyrood Palace (the official Scottish residence of the Queen) and features an impressive variety of architectural styles, from solid Medieval and ornate Gothic to the symmetry of the Georgian period.

Where on earth

Scotland

FACING PAGE: Edinburgh Street. ABOVE: Highland cattle.

61

destinations

un

ited k

ing

do

M

january–march 2015 taste& travel international

The historic fortress of Edinburgh Castle dominates the city skyline. It has been a royal castle since the 12th century and a royal residence until the 16th century when power was transferred to London. Housing a few regimental museums, the castle is one of the most important strongholds in Scottish history, with its impressive 12th-century St Margaret’s Chapel, the oldest in Edinburgh, and ceremonial 16th-century Great Hall. The castle is Scotland’s most popular tourist attraction and features the annual Military Tattoo and International Festival, both known worldwide. Edinburgh is also well known for the Fringe Festival and a strong theatre and music community, showcasing the best of London’s West End, the Royal Ballet and numerous visiting orchestras throughout the year.

The city has an impressive array of hotels, including The Hotel du Vin. Located in the Old Town, the former city asylum is now one of the most stylish and comfortable boutique hotels in the city centre, with 47 stylish bedrooms and suites as well as a trademark bistro and mezzanine bar, a cigar room, whisky snug and one of Edinburgh’s best wine cellars.

The fairly new Glasshouse, now managed by Marriott, is a

marvel of design, featuring a gothic church façade attached to a glass atrium. This 5-star downtown hotel has 65 spacious, contemporary rooms, some overlooking a two-acre roof garden.

On my first visit to Scotland, I was a bit leery after hearing about the lack of decent food in the country of haggis (a sheep’s stomach with a stuffing of oats and offal)… which I like by the way! But during my short stay, I was thoroughly impressed with the culinary scene, not to mention enjoying great Scotch whisky! Most of the city’s fine dining restaurants focus on local ingredients, including excellent beef, wild fish and sublime dairy products and cheese.

Named Best New Restaurant for 2014, Twenty Princes Street is housed in an historic Georgian building and specializes in serving wonderful Lothian beef, local mussels and seafood in a comfortable, clubby interior. In Leith, minutes away from the city centre, The Vintage is an intimate and popular eatery with an ever-changing daily menu of contemporary fare. Lamb’s heart tartare is brilliantly garnished with Middle Eastern sumac flatbread. Stuffed pigs trotter and housemade charcuterie are great for sharing

PHOTOS THIS PAGE FROM LEFT ? FACING PAGE ?

62

destinations

un

ited k

ing

do

M

taste& travel international january–march 2015

…Walking edinburgh is the best way to explore…

plates. For the less adventurous, there’s the local favourite of haddock and triple-fried French fries with the ubiquitous malt vinegar and tartare sauce.

Edinburgh has its fair share of Michelin-starred chefs, including Tom Kitchin and Dominic Jack. They’ve joined heads and opened the informal Scran & Scallie, modernizing some forgotten Scottish classics. Roasted ox tongue and bone marrow comes adorned with a parsley salad infused with shallots. There’s lots of playfulness on the menu. Their take on ham, egg and chips is whimsical, pairing a glorious meaty ham shank with a perfect molten egg.

For a traditional afternoon tea, there’s the eclectic and sumptuous Prestonfield House Hotel, set on a luscious acreage of lawns, gardens and pavilion tents. Built in 1667 as the grand baroque home of Edinburgh’s Lord Provost, this luxurious 5-star hotel has 23 elegant rooms and suites as well as grand dining rooms and salons. Guests are welcomed by the resident flock of peacocks displaying their brilliant plumes. Not to be missed is an afternoon repas in the opulent tea salon.

To learn about some of the city’s hidden culinary gems, try a walking tour with Eat Walk Edinburgh where you can taste everything from Scotch whisky to gelato, or a day trip with Tasting Scotland visiting some of the country’s best food purveyors, from cheese makers to incredible places like Balgove Larder with its bakery, butchery and fine casual restaurant… all local!

Walking around Edinburgh is the best way to explore, but the highlight of my trip was visiting the Leith docklands to see The Royal Yacht Britannia. Launched on April 16, 1953, she served as the Royal Family’s floating home for some 45 years before being decommissioned after her final official role sailing out of Hong Kong Harbour when the British returned their former colony to China.

I was surprised to see that the Queen had modest tastes when it came to decorating this famous yacht. Aside from the sumptuous crystal and silver-laden dining room, the main entertaining areas are comfortably furnished in plush florals. The Queen’s bedroom is relatively modest, separated from Prince Philip’s equally modest room by a door. Then there’s the suite where Charles and Diana spent their

THIS CLASSIC DESSERT is from the Tower Restaurant at the

Scottish Museum in Edinburgh. A sweet pastry crust holds a

sublime golden syrup filling, traditionally accompanied with

clotted or whipped cream.

63

destinations

un

ited k

ing

do

M

january–march 2015 taste& travel international

PASTRY

all-Purpose Flour 1 ½ cups

Unsalted Butter 6 Tbs, cubed and chilled

Icing Sugar ¼ cup

egg 1 large, lightly beaten

Cold Water 1–2 Tbs

Salt a pinch

Lemon Zest finely grated, ½ tsp

FILLING

Golden Syrup 1 cup

Fresh Bread Crumbs 6 Tbs

Whipping Cream 3 Tbs

egg 1 large, lightly beaten

Salt a pinch

Lemon zest of 1

Whipped Cream for serving

1 MIx the flour, chilled butter and icing sugar with the paddle attachment on an electric mixer until no lumps appear. Add the egg, water and lemon zest, mix until just combined. Transfer to a clean flat surface and form into a flattened disc.Wrap with plastic wrap and let rest in refrigerator at least 30 minutes before rolling.

2 roLL out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 11-inches diameter. Transfer to a 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable base. Chill for 30 minutes. Line the base and sides of the uncooked pastry case with parchment paper. Fill with rice, dried beans, or baking weights. Place on a baking tray and cook in an oven preheated to 425 F for 8-10 minutes. Remove the parchment and rice or beans (these can be saved for blind baking next time). Cool the tart shell.

3 heat the syrup over medium heat until loose. In another saucepan mix together the bread crumbs, egg, cream and salt. Slowly whisk in the warm syrup. Pour into the cooled pastry case and bake at 375 F for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and filling is just set in the middle. Remove and allow to cool.

4 Serve with whipped cream.

ServeS 8–10

TREACLE TART

Cook it

…Walking edinburgh is the best way to explore…

honeymoon. But the real interest for me lay below decks where the officers and crew lived – from the sparkling galleys where elegant dinners were prepared for visiting delegates and heads of state, the polishing rooms (all that silverware and crystal) and the laundry facilities where every monogramed napkin was starched and pressed, to the officers’ and crew pubs (complete with draft ales!)

Scotch and golf your pleasure? The internationally renowned courses of St Andrew’s are a short trip away. Along the way, you can visit the newly minted Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Centre. This interactive 3D installation celebrates the 700th anniversary of the famous battle where Robert the Bruce routed the forces of King Edward II to win freedom for the Scots from English domination. It’s a high-tech centre where you can see how the battle unfolded and meet holograms of the various civilians and troops that made this a winning battle.

I first met Scottish celebrity chef Nick Nairn at the 2000 Tasting Australia event in Adelaide and finally had the opportunity to visit his renowned Cook School in the lush countryside of Trossachs at the Port of Menteith. Nairn opened his flagship school (and another in Aberdeen) in 2000 with one simple aim: to give students the skills necessary to turn great raw ingredients into great food. After a brief demonstration, our class of five international journalists is off with deft hands shredding potatoes and gently frying them to golden discs of yumminess for a dish of rosti stuffed with blood sausage, and cheddar cheese, served with a salad of lightly dressed rocket.

Then through the luscious rolling scenery of the highlands to the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond and the elegant Cameron House. Legendary for its Scottish hospitality, this majestic manor has everything I expect in a Downton Abbey setting. Besides the grand entrance of dark wood panels, plush rugs and roaring fireplaces, the various sitting rooms have tasteful interiors, antlers and chandeliers pairing well hand-in-hand. The spacious guest rooms are plush and plaid, with big comfy arm chairs and lots of wool throws. I loved the special touches like a separate bunk bed room for the kids. But it's the views of the mist covering the loch in the morning sunrise and the seemingly ever-changing weather throughout the day that makes Cameron House an intimate haven for guests. A superb Scotch whisky library bar offers small-batch single malts and rare premium labels, while the Cameron Grill produces the best of the region, from an outstanding selection of smoked salmon and gravlax to juicy char-grilled Angus beef cuts. And for those wanting some activity, there’s an award-winning golf course, a massive spa and water features.

And what’s a visit to Scotland without a distillery tour? We head to Glengoyne, nestled at the bottom of Durngoyne Hill with its cold and clear spring waters. I was impressed to learn that Glengoyne was the official Scotch whisky for the Queen Mother and also has one of the best distillery tours in the land. They’ve recently introduced a Whisky and Chocolate matching tour which gives a delicious insight into what happens when world-class single malt whisky and chocolate collide. I think it’s a great pairing, especially with dark chocolate and a dram of an award-winning 21 year old!

THIS PAGE CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT ? FACING PAGE ?

64

destinations

un

ited k

ing

do

M

taste& travel international january–march 2015

The Glasshouse www.theglasshousehotel.co.uk

hotel du Vin & Bistrowww.hotelduvin.com/locations/edinburgh

cameron housewww.devere-hotels.co.uk/hotel-lodges/locations/cameron-house.html

Eat Walk Edinburghwww.eatwalkedinburgh.co.uk

Tasting Scotlandwww.tastingscotland.com

nick nairn cook Schoolwww.nicknairncookschool.com

Glengoyne Distillerywww.glengoyne.com

royal yacht Britanniawww.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk

Prestonfield house hotelwww.prestonfield.com

Twenty Princes Street www.twentyprincesstreet.co.uk

The Vintagewww.thevintageleith.co.uk

The Scran & Scalliewww.scranandscallie.com

Tower restaurantwww.tower-restaurant.com

Vancouver born NathaN FoNg segued from cooking and catering to a brilliant career as a food and props stylist for culinary print and film advertising, with a distinguished international

client list. He is celebrating his 23rd year as television host for his food and travel

segments on GlobalTV and a columnist for The Vancouver Sun and writes his popular

blogs at www.vancouversun.com and www. fongonfood.com

THESE BISCuIT-STYLE CRACKERS are a delicious

accompaniment to Scotland’s wonderful cheeses.

65

destinations

un

ited k

ing

do

M

january–march 2015 taste& travel international

Visit

it

Click

it

old-Fashioned rolled oats 2 cups

Unsalted Butter 1 cup

Wholewheat Flour 2 cups

Baking Powder 2 tsp

Light Brown Sugar 1 ½ Tbs, packed

Salt 1 tsp

homogenized Milk ½ cup

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 large baking sheets with butter or line with parchment paper.

2 In a food processor pulse the oats until finely chopped. Cut the butter into small bits. Add the butter to the oats with all remaining ingredients except the milk and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the milk and pulse until the mixture just forms a dough.

3 on a lightly floured surface halve the dough and wrap one half in plastic wrap. Roll out remaining dough 1/8 inch thick (about a 14-inch round) and with a 3-inch round cutter cut out about 18 oatcakes. Collect the scraps, form into a ball and reroll.

4 on baking sheets arrange oatcakes about 1-inch apart and bake in upper and lower thirds of the oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until pale golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer the oatcakes to a rack to cool completely. Make more oatcakes with remaining dough in the same manner. Oatcakes may be made 1 week ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

MakeS aBoUt 3 ½ doZen

SCOTTISH OAT CAKES

Cook it