i-on magazine | May 2017 by i-on Edinburgh

WIN A MICHELIN STAR MEAL Plus wine & fizz for two at Martin Wishart FRESH FLAVOURS Scotland’s coolest new restaurants DIAMONDS & PEARLS A very fashionable feast SCOTL A ND’S FR EE LIFEST Y LE M AG A ZINE

THE FOOD ISSUE

What’s hot – and not – in the culinary world

Contents

Issue 136 / May 2017

REGULARS

08 10 12 96 98

We Can’t Wait To… This month’s unmissable events Win… A Six Course Tasting Menu for Two at Martin Wishart The Lifestyle Edit Local news in Edinburgh and Glasgow Take To The Streets Insider tips from Stockbridge locals A Day In The Life Of… Emily Cuddeford, Head Baker at Twelve Triangles

FEATURES

24 32 58 86

i-on Breakthrough Awards 2017 Scotland’s Emerging Talent Foodie Things We Love… Our round-up of culinary trends High Street Heroes Emily Murray on the best High Street interior finds He Says, She Says One couple debate veganism

FASHION

42 50

Living for the Weekend Your wardrobe style edit Diamonds and pearls A very fashionable feast

TRAVEL

64 5 Food Reasons To Visit Venice Our pick of where and what to eat

BEAUTY

66 74

Beauty From Within Eat your way to healthy skin Tried & Tested Spa treatments with a foodie twist

CULTURE

76 5 Things You Need To Know About… Home-grown talent Callum Beattie

FOOD & DRINK

32 04

83 84 88

Move Over Mariniere A delicious mussel dish from Ondine A Rare Find Cookery lessons at Ballintaggart Farm New kids on the Block The coolest new restaurants

FEATURES

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INTRODUCTION

I-ON THIS MONTH When it comes to food, I have two great loves. On one end of the scale, there’s shellfish, there’s nothing quite like getting stuck into a pile of crustaceans dripping with garlic butter (just one look at this month’s cover has me salivating). On the other, there’s potatoes (I don’t really have expensive tastes) - mash, jackets, roasties, fries, baby boiled, you name it, I’ll devour it quicker than you can say ‘pass the salt’. But no matter how simple or sophisticated our palates are, one thing most of us have in common is our love for eating, which is why we’ve dedicated this issue to the world of food and all the delicious things happening across the culinary spectrum. From streetfood to seaweed, turn to page 32 to discover 19 foodie things we’re loving right now, or if all my shellfish chat has fired your appetite, why not try the recipe for one of

Ondine’s most popular mussel dishes on page 83? If you’d rather eat out, check out our pick of Edinburgh and Glasgow’s coolest new restaurants on page 88 and, on your way there, watch out for all the great insider recommendations from food experts and locals alike. If you’re lucky, you could also win a Michelin-star meal for two at Restaurant Martin Wishart in our great competition on page 10. Congratulations to last month’s winner, Kathleen Frew, who’ll be living it up in style at Stobo Castle Ladies Day at Musselburgh Racecourse. That’s one occasion that deserves some seriously fabulous accessorising - if you need some inspiration, turn to page 50 for a fashionable feast dripping with jewels. After styling this stunning shoot, I can’t stop thinking about the diamond pave necklace from Hamilton & Inches. Did I say I don’t have expensive taste?

Carrie Mitchell, Acting Editor

ON THE COVER: Photography: Susie Lowe. Model wears selection of Fope Flex-it bracelets in yellow gold, white gold, rose gold, and diamonds, from £2,045 to £3120 each; Duke rings in 18ct rose gold and 18ct yellow gold, both £2,700; pear-cut morganite and diamond cluster ring in 18ct rose gold, £5,250; all Hamilton and Inches. Marco Bicego yellow gold, pink pearl and diamond Africa ring, £1,030; 9ct yellow gold Halo double circle diamond set pendant, £495 on 9ct yellow gold Franco style chain, £195; both Laing Edinburgh. APM Monaco rose Geo bangle, £200; Three Floor mesh dress, £260; and YSL Kate chain bag, £1,090, all Harvey Nichols.

ionmagazineuk

ion_magazine

i_online

Published by Treacle Productions Ltd, Suite 9, 2 Commercial Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH6 6JA Tel: +44 (0)131 555 4126, Email info@ionmagazine.co.uk, www.ionmagazine.co.uk Directors Laura Cully, Jo Morris, Design Paul Dickson, Editor Nicky Howden, Acting Editor Carrie Mitchell, Lifestyle Editor Susie Cormack Bruce, Contributing Editor Carine Seitz, Digital Editorial Manager Rebecca McCosh, Account Director Amy Falconer, Head of Creative Solutions and Brand Development Zoe Schmid, Business Development Manager Amanda Southey, Finance Manager Cath Tait, Traffic and Distribution Manager Becky Conway, Head of Photography Susie Lowe, Contributors Fwad Afzal, Mairi Gordon, Tracey McCallum, Emily Murray, David Pollock, Cat Thomson All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited. All prices correct at time of going to press but are subject to change. i-on magazine cannot be responsible for unsolicited material. The views and opinions by contributors in this magazine may not represent the views of the publishers. i-on magazine takes no responsibility for claims made by advertisements in this publication. i-on is a trademark of Treacle Productions. ©Treacle Productions Ltd 2017.

FEATURES

WE CAN’T WAIT TO… The i-on team shares their must-dos this month

Go to Jupiter “Offering the most cultural outdoor experience around, the brilliant Jupiter Artland sculpture park reopens for the 2017 season on 06 May. As I’ve been in London since 2006, I’ve never visited and I can’t wait to spend an afternoon discovering the stunning contemporary sculptures across the beautiful grounds of Bonnington House in West Lothian. For more information, visit www.jupiterartland.org.” Carrie Mitchell, Acting Editor

Be beautified “I’ll be one of the first in line when the new couture inspired Givenchy pop up counter opens at House of Fraser, Glasgow, on 11 May. Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the brands cosmetic collection Le Makeup, the pop up – which runs until 07 June – offers an exclusive experience and special makeovers from Givenchy’s beauty experts.” Susie Cormack Bruce, Lifestyle Editor

3 Get wild “Sure, you might have been to the zoo before but have you ever been after night falls? Now’s your chance as the award-winning Zoo Nights is back with a carnival-themed celebration complete with adrenalinpumping rides, silent disco and up-close encounters with the animals. Best of all, it’s adults only so you don’t have to wait in line with the rugrats. For dates and tickets, visit www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/zoonights.” Carine Seitz, Contributing Editor

FEATURES

Going Up OUR NATIONAL SPIRIT Celebrate World Whisky Day on 20 May with a wee dram and a visit to the flicks to see Whisky Galore! – a remake of the classic film. BANANARAMA Heard the rumour? Yup, it’s true, the girls are back and hitting the road for a UK tour kicking off in Glasgow this November.

Feel Fyne “Booking tickets to this year’s Fynefest – a familyfriendly festival taking place in the beautiful Argyll countryside from 02 to 04 June. Featuring 160 beers from over 35 breweries (including personal favourite Beavertown) alongside live music and streetfood, the festival promises to be bigger and better than ever before. For tickets and more information, visit www.fynefest.com.” Paul Dickson, Designer

Set sail “I’ve always liked the idea of taking to the waves but assumed sailing lessons would be well out of my budget. But now, as part of a national Push the Boat Out event, Royal Forth Yacht Club (www.ryfc.org) is offering people the chance to have a go at sailing and powerboating for free. There’s no need to book either, just head to the clubhouse on Granton Harbour at 1pm on Sunday 14 May.” Rebecca McCosh, Digital Editorial Manager

OBAMA We’re buzzing that Barack’s coming to Scotland for a charity dinner on 26 May. It’ll be his first Scottish trip but hopefully not the last.

Barometer Going Down RUNNING Thanks to National Walking Month, we all have an excuse to slow down but stay active and do some good by signing up for The Moonwalk Scotland on 10 June at Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park. walkthewalk.org PLUS ONES We get it – you can’t afford to invite everyone’s partner (and latest Tinder match) to your wedding but surely co-habiting/married couples get to come as a pair? PORT O’LEITH It’s the end of an era as the Shore area’s most famous (and notorious) establishment has sadly closed its doors.

Photo by Ian Rogers

I-ON PRIZES

WIN A SIX COURSE TASTING MENU FOR TWO AT RESTAURANT MARTIN WISHART

ince opening in Edinburgh’s historic Port of Leith in February 1999, Restaurant Martin Wishart has gone on to gain the chef a Michelin star, 4 AA Rosettes, and was recently declared Best Restaurant in Scotland by The Sunday Times. Way ahead of the curve, he was amongst the first to open his doors on The Shore, setting the scene for what would become one of the city’s hottest dining spots. The influence of his early mentors – amongst them Albert Roux, Marco Pierre White, and John Burton Race – is clear in his cooking style; classical French cuisine very much at its roots. Almost twenty years after opening, the restaurant continues to bring the very best traditional and modern French cuisine to Edinburgh, using the finest Scottish ingredients.

THE PRIZE: Restaurant Martin Wishart is offering one lucky reader and a guest a dining experience to remember, worth over £300. The winners will receive Champagne on arrival, followed by a six course tasting menu with a matching wine selection. TO ENTER: For a chance to win, visit www.ionmagazine.co.uk by 20 May 2017 and leave your details. The winner will be notified by email and announced in the June issue of i-on.

Restaurant Martin Wishart, 54 The Shore, EH6 6RA, www.restaurantmartinwishart.co.uk For more exclusive prizes subscribe to the i-on weekly newsletter at www.ionmagazine.co.uk. Terms and conditions: Valid for use in Restaurant Martin Wishart Edinburgh. The prize will be issued in the form of a voucher. The voucher is non transferrable. Voucher can be redeemed Tuesday to Saturday for lunch or dinner, and must be presented during the visit to the restaurant. A reservation must be made by calling Lisa on 0131 553 3557, option 1.

FEATURES

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#stylecationedinburgh 80 High Street, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH1 1TH Tel: +44 (0)131 473 6590 www.radissonblu.com/en/hotel-edinburgh

EDINBURGH_lifestyle

EDINBURGH BEHIND THE DOOR Join Danny Boyle and Irvine Welsh and get behind Hidden Door festival’s campaign to breathe new life into the old Leith Theatre (pictured). First open in 1932 and playing host to the likes of AC/DC, Kraftwerk and the Edinburgh Festival in its heyday, the art deco theatre has stood derelict since 1988 but from 26 May to 04 June, the space will be resurrected for 10 days and nights of music, visual art, poetry, theatre and cinema. Daytime events are free while evening tickets can be purchased at www.hiddendoorblog.org.

HOMECOMING QUEEN KT Tunstall may be based in LA now but she hasn’t forgotten her roots. The Scottish singer songwriter is back in the homeland on 19 May for a gig at Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall as part of her mammoth European tour. For more dates and tickets, visit kttunstall.com/live

GET OUT!

After the huge success of last year’s event, Dunbar’s Foxlake Outdoor Festival returns on 20 and 21 May with an exciting lineup of activities, music and comedy for all the family. If you’re feeling brave, try out the Foxfall Course, the UK’s only over-water rope course, or get on your wet suit and give wakeboarding a try. Just don’t expect to stay warm and dry. Adult tickets start at £17 for the day or £30 for a weekend. Kids go free. www.foxlakefestival.co.uk

SPONSORED FEATURE

SURPRISE, SURPRISE Following the success of the ITV drama starring Sheridan Smith, Cilla’s set to get her own musical too. The show comes to town on 19 September this year but there’s still a rather large hole in the cast – namely that of the Liverpool songbird herself. If you fancy yourself as a bit of a thesp and love nothing more than belting out Anyone Who Had A Heart in the shower, get yourself along to the open auditions at the Edinburgh Playhouse on 08 May. If nothing else, it’ll be a lorra laughs. Apply at cillathemusical.com

A RIGHT GOOD CUPPA Shandon has been crying out for a nice spot for a decent cuppa so locals are loving chic new café Tea & Sympathy. Serving amazing coffee (and tea obvs), alongside tasty treats from Suki Bakes, The Manna House and The Bearded Baker, the café is also a showroom selling a selection of beautiful home accessories, furniture, art and gifts - what’s not to love?! It’s just off the Union Canal, so we’ll be making a pit stop on our next bike ride. Save us a bagel. Tea & Sympathy, Ashley Terrace, EH11 1RF

Things you should know about Edinburgh Cup Raceday 1

4 5

It’s one of the most important racing days in the UK’s racing calendar with a prize fund of £180,000 up for grabs and attracting more than 6,500 race goers and those in search of a great day out. It’s a fun and exhilarating day out, especially if you like gin cocktails. Official sponsors Edinburgh Gin will be quenching the thirst of racegoers with a range of G&Ts and gin fizzes on sale. Gourmet food hunters will love this year’s food packages. The Fish & Chips package and Aberdeen Angus Burger and Beer Package, both £45, include entrance, a programme and the tastiest freshly cooked food around. Everybody’s favourite Bolton girl, BBC Radio DJ Sara Cox will keep the party going into the evening, behind the decks in the Stage Marquee. Early bird tickets are £30 and are available until 15 May, full price £40.

Photo by Susie Lowe

www.musselburgh-racecourse.co.uk

EDINBURGH_lifestyle

CHAMPAGNE PARTY AT ROLLO

photos Thomas Skinner

The first Champagne Party at ROLLO Broughton on 20 April was a glamorous affair where guests enjoyed canapés and cocktails followed by a range of delicious champagnes including Veuve Cliquot and and Perrier-Jouët paired with a fabulous four-course tasting menu. It was such a success, they’re already gearing up for more events. Watch this space for details.

FEATURES

Travel Suit available: House of Fraser 45 Buchanan Street, Glasgow 0141 221 3880 xt 3102 www.ChesterBarrie.co.uk

THE ART OF FOOD AND MUSIC

EDINBURGH_lifestyle

ince winning the Mercury Music Prize, Speech Debelle has discovered a second string to her bow on a hiatus from the music industry, the keen cook reached the semi-finals of Celebrity Masterchef and now hosts her own weekly podcast The Work Brunch. But her latest genius move is to combine her two loves releasing a downloadable cookbook memoir along with her new album, Tantil Before I Breathe. What is the connection between food and music for you? They both heal and inspire. They’re also deeply rooted in the communion of friends and family. Why did you decide to take some time out from music? I was spent; mentally, physically and emotionally. I needed to fall back in love with the process and I did that by putting focus on my other love, food. How was your Celebrity Masterchef experience? It was intense, fun and really challenging. I’d like to take part again, and win. Can you explain the concept behind your digital cookbook? The book is made of nine songs from my three albums. Each song comes with a story about a moment in my life and a recipe inspired by that story. What’s your ultimate feelgood recipe? Jerk chicken on the BBQ – it means it’s summer in London.

We caught up with hip hop artist and foodie Speech Debelle ahead of her gig at Edinburgh’s Voodoo Rooms

DON’T FORGET THE LITTLE ‘UNS Us grown-ups might already be looking forward to August but before the Fringe kicks off, there’s another exciting festival in town. The Edinburgh International Children’s Festival (formerly known as Imaginate) runs from 27 May – 04 June, offering theatre, dance, multimedia and puppetry performances made especially with the wee ones in mind. The festival opens with a family weekend at the National Museum of Scotland with free drop-in events all day including live music, pop-up performances, storytelling, hands-on arts activities and more. For information or to book tickets, visit www.imaginate.org.uk.

What do you think of Scottish cuisine? I’m a big fan of kipper. Its salty, a little crispy but also tender. It’s a great taste combo. To buy tickets to Speech Debelle’s gig at the Voodoo Rooms on 27 May, visit www.thevoodoorooms.com. Ticket holders also get 20 per cent off food purchased on the night.

SPONSORED FEATURE

Edinburgh’s exciting new lifestyle event

LIFE & STYLE Edinburgh

ew for 2017, Edinburgh is set for a weekend of popup shops, fashion shows, workshops and talks brought to you by a selection of celebrity and local speakers, big name brands and top local businesses. Life & Style Edinburgh will take place on Saturday 01 and Sunday 02 July at the Royal Society Edinburgh building, George Street.

ECT WHAT TOshoEXP ws featuring

Fashion as, Anthropologie, Oliver Bon Gap Marks & Spencer, Covet,

and more Talks from celebrity and local speakers lasses Cocktail making masterc with Badger & Co and tea tasting with The East India Company kshops Styling sessions and wor and from Jenners, GAP, Loake Laura Ashley inal’s Pop-up shops from Asp et, Cov no, Vee , don of Lon Waterstones and more Complimentary beauty treatments from Lush, Bobbi Brown and Neal’s Yard Remedies

GET INSPIRED AT THE LIFESTYLE STAGE MORE… THERE’S St Andrew Square Common interior crimes and fixes with the BBC’s The Great Interior Design Challenge judge Sophie Robinson (above) How to vlog with Scotland’s top YouTubers Gavin Bell and Shaun Vlogs Top travel tips and inspiration with STA Travel Get your hygge on with BoConcept Get Instagram famous with Jessops #goals with lululemon Breakfast hacks with Bibi’s Bakery #BeTheBestYou with Scotland Women’s Rugby Captain Lisa Martin

Head to host where lululemon will Tesla free yoga sessions and ry will have their latest luxu on s car ed wer -po tery bat kings for display and offer boo free test drives.

EARLYBIRD OFFER Early bird tickets are available for £10 until 11 May at www.edinevents.com/ lifestyle. Tickets include entry to a morning (10am-2pm) or afternoon session (2pm-6pm), a welcome drink, a £5 voucher to spend at participating businesses, reserved seating at a fashion show, limited complimentary treatments and entrance to the Lifestyle Stage talks.

Dram & Smoke’s

Edinburgh Paul Ross and Nick Fulton, the duo behind London based pop-up dining experience Dram & Smoke, on their hometown, friendship and what makes a good night out

Where did the idea for Dram & Smoke stem from? Nick was between head chef jobs and I wanted to make a move away from restaurant marketing so we just set out to do a little popup restaurant project in a steelyard during the weekends. We’ve not stopped since. We’ve diversified quite a bit though and private events like weddings, product launches and working with whisky are a big part of the game now too. What’s the inspiration behind Dram & Smoke? Where we’re from. There was never any question for us that it was going to be a Scottish concept. Scotland is the most unbelievable natural larder and we wanted to create a fun environment in which those ingredients could be celebrated. Why are Dram and Smoke nights different? Firstly the locations of our events - leather tanneries, warehouses, whisky distilleries, warehouses, rickety Victorian townhouses, biscuit factories and everything in between. We’re a ticketed event so guests arrive and after a welcome cocktail they take their seats at large communal tables. Pair that with the post-meal live music and you have something that feels more like a private party than a traditional restaurant. There aren’t many places where you can sit down to dishes like a whole, salt-baked shoulder of lamb to crack into with a hammer either.

Nick (left) and Paul, photo by Susie Lowe

lifestyle_EDINBURGH

“

WE WORK RIDICULOUS HOURS DURING THE FESTIVAL BUT WE CAN’T WAIT TO GET BACK UP THE ROAD FROM LONDON”

What makes a good night out? People and vibes. We take our food very seriously but when we see tables of diners, who may not have known each other at the start of the night, having a laugh and sharing food, it makes the hard work all worth it.

Edinburgh’s best bits Di sh

You’re all about Scottish produce but what’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever cooked? Haggis donuts is one we do that raises a few eyebrows but has an almost 100% conversion rate. We also smoked a whole pig’s head in our whisky barrel smoker, and Nick once cooked a brown trout from The Tweed on a car engine – not necessarily his finest culinary hour but it did the job.

m oo

As Edinburgh boys based in London what do you miss most about the homeland? Dog walks. Scottish tap water. Chippie sauce. A consistently bone-dry sense of humour. Getting change out of a fiver for a pint. If you’re eating out in the city, which restaurants rank highly in your opinion? Timberyard, Ondine and El Cartel.

Sunday brunch Paul: Dishoom Nick: The Pantry Date night Paul: Smith & Gertrude Nick: Bon Vivant Cocktails Paul: Bryant & Mack Nick: Bramble Lads’ night out Paul: The Blackbird, finishing at Fingers Piano Bar. Nick: Pitt Street Market then the Queen’s Arms for sport.

Can we try the Dram & Smoke vibe north of the border anytime soon? Yup, we’re taking over two floors in the Biscuit Factory for the Edinburgh Festival having popped up there for August last year. Our Campfire Feasts restaurant will draw on the nostalgia of an adventure by the campfire and the Campfire Cocktails Experience on the ground floor offers an interactive cocktail masterclass. The hours we work during that month are pretty ridiculous but we love it and can’t wait to get up the road from London. Dram & Smoke is partnering with i-on for an exclusive reader event on Thursday 03 August.Visit www.dramandsmoke.com/ ionmagazine for more information.

EDINBURGH_lifestyle

The best boozy occasions

For beer lovers…

For gin connoisseurs…

For fizz fans…

We were already pretty excited about the Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival, then we heard about the brilliant musical line-up. With DJ sets from Bombay Bicycle Club, Young Fathers, Belle & Sebastian, Idlewild, and Metromony; there’s going to be one heck of a soundtrack to the beer-fueled weekender from 26 to 28 May at The Biscuit Factory. Not on the list yet? Snap up one of the remaining tickets at www. edinburghcraftbeerfestival.co.uk.

Discover Italy’s favourite gin cocktail on The Negroni Journey which rolls into Edinburgh on 7 June to celebrate Global Negroni week. The tour includes five classic Negronis or Negroni twists, a ‘Gin Bus’ chauffeur drive from bar to bar, your very own Negroni Guardian (Journey host) and a ridiculous amount of gin-induced fun. Tickets cost £52.75 and are available online at www.ginjourney. com/the-negroni-journey.

Take your knowledge of the sparkly stuff up a level at one of this month’s Fizz Masterclasses at Divino Enoteca. Whether you’re looking to learn to taste like a pro or simply indulge, you’ll be guided through a carefully curated selection of fine wines by Divino Enoteca’s expert sommelier, Silvio Praino. Classes take place on 16, 20 and 27 May and cost £25. To book, visit, www.vittoriagroup.co.uk/ divinoenoteca

Jo Morris joins Stockbridge Social

SOCIAL Club for a rather friendly dinner BITE

Whilst the name conjures up visions of dominoes, pints of Best and bingo, the reality of Stockbridge Social Club couldn’t be further removed. It’s a supper club, or for the uninitiated, a dinner party with complete strangers in another stranger’s home. It’s all a little bit bonkers but rather good fun if you like meeting new people. Hosts Hilary and Nick have a passion for what they do and it showed with their imaginative food, including smoked mackerel pate with pickel fennel and homemade bread, cod cooked en papillote on a gigante bean stew topped with foraged wild garlic pesto, and lavender-infused panna cotta for dessert. It was delicious, quality home cooked fare. If you like food and want to widen your social circle, this is a great way to do it. These nights are popular and do sell out so for future dates, visit www.stockbridgesocialclub.weebly.com.

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EDINBURGH_lifestyle

SPONSORED FEATURE

Hassle-free Airbnb Earn more from your property

Must see... THE RED SHOES

A beloved fairytale and Academy Award-winning movie, Matthew Bourne’s adaptation of the famous ballet arrives in Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre from 09 to 13 May promising a magical night out. www.edtheatres.com

o you have a property to let? Did you know that Edinburgh property owners can earn up to 300 per cent more by renting via Airbnb compared to long-term lettings? It’s hard to ignore those figures. So if you want the higher income and flexibility of a short-term rental without the hassle, ask Airsorted to sort it for you. Not only will they take care of all the bookings and check-ins, they’ll vet all guests to ensure your property is in safe hands. Plus they’ll organise professional cleaning and provide 24 hour on-call support. And the real beauty is, their service is completely flexible. You decide when the property is available for bookings - when you’re away for work and you want to make money from your home for example, or perhaps you’ve got a second home that you could be utilising to the full. It’s your property after all, so rent it on your terms.

Visit www.airsorted.uk/edinburgh for more information. Here you’ll also find a clever calculator to estimate how much you could be earning.

FEELING FANCY?

Get yourself along to one of the new music and cocktail evenings at The Balmoral’s Palm Court. The famous afternoon tea spot is opening its doors after dark for Spring Sessions, by Ruinart Champagne. Running every Saturday evening in May and June, highlights include Edinburgh-based pianist and vocalist Simon Armitage (13 May), jazz trio Blue Velvet (27 May) and Glasgow duo Ginny & the Tonic (27 May). Events are free but booking is recommended. Tel: 0131 556 2414 or email balmoral.restaraunts@roccofortehotels.com

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10th December Festive Lunch

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Departures from Edinburgh and Glasgow

Fine dining aboard the Belmond Northern Belle Jimmy Martin Travel is delighted to have secured exclusive carriages on the luxury fine dining train Belmond Northern Belle when it returns to Scotland this year. Step onboard, sit back and relax as the uniformed stewards cater for your every need, whilst you take in the beautiful countryside. Belmond are the name behind the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, so rest assured this will be an indulgent day to treasure with your loved ones. Book your place today. Call 0131 343 1800 Visit 94 Raeburn Place, Edinburgh Email enquiry@jimmymartintravel.com 23

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE

THERE’S STILL TIME TO ENTER But don’t be tardy; entries close at 9am on Monday 15 May 2017. Here’s the list of categories and you can enter more than one category if it’s relevant.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

WE’RE ON A TALENT HUNT

We’re looking for new businesses, people and products to shout about and we need your help to find them. So, if you know anyone who lives/ works in Edinburgh or Glasgow and has been doing really well in their chosen field for five years or less, download our short application form at www.ionmagazine.co.uk/awards and get in touch.

THERE’S AN AMAZING PRIZE

We’ll be writing about lots of the entries in future issues of i-on but one overall winner will walk away with a bespoke marketing campaign worth over £15k. We’ll be behind them all the way to help their business take off in 2018.

YOU CAN JOIN THE PARTY We’re so excited about the winners’ party on Wednesday 13 September at the stunning Mansfield Traquair. It’ll be the talk of the town… and it’s a ticketed event so anybody can be part of the fun.

i-on food+dri

ADULTS ONLY Celebrate Easter the grown-up way with some this luxury take decadent chocolate on the espresso shavings atop martini. Made smooth (and with actor Dan additive free) Aykroyd's famously Crystal Head indulgent treat Vodka, 'The Night to have when Cap' is a creamy the kids are sleeping off their sugar high.

FEATURES

MY STYLE, MY WAY Looking to invest in a leather jacket, silk shirt or boots so beautiful you’ll want to hand them down to your kids? Don’t buy a thing before

hearing from queen of cool Erna Leon, founder of online fashion boutique MERCER7.com

What is MERCER7 all about expertly-curated

then? It’s an online boutique with a focus on quality, sustainability, wardrobe essentials and timeless investment pieces. This is fashion that goes beyond the season. Favourite fashion item? I've got three: my biker jacket, a menswear-style blazer and my leather leggings. I wear one of them nearly every day. They’re all part of my uniform, styled with classic Converse trainers or an ankle boot, a Breton top or an oversized button-down shirt. How would you describe your style? I’d call it minimalist with a rock ‘n’ roll edge. Who is MERCER7 aimed at? Online shopping can be overwhelming so I wanted to create a focused space with a single aesthetic, to make shopping easier for busy women. Can you give us some examples of brands featured by MERCER7? I’m a big fan of Scandinavian minimalism, French nonchalance, and London and New York's edgy vibe. So expect Acne Studios, A.P.C., Isabel Marant, Saint Laurent, Iro, Celine, Rag & Bone, as well as more accessible luxury and premium brands

INGREDIENTS • 45ml Crystal Head Vodka • 15ml coffee liqueur • 1 fresh espresso shot • Chocolate shavings

METHOD Pour Crystal Head, coffee liqueur and espresso into a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously to create froth, then strain into a martini glass. Garnish with chocolate shavings.

CREATIVE STYLISTS Fashion, events, pop-up events, hair and make-up artists… MUSIC, ART & CULTURE Musicians, photographers, artists, writers, comedians, theatrical directors, actors… IN ASSOCIATION WITH PW & Partners, Edinburgh Financial Specialists ONLINE VOICES & BLOGGERS Online voices and journalists across interiors, food, lifestyle, travel, fashion… IN ASSOCIATION WITH LOOKLOOK INDEPENDENT RETAIL Fashion, accessories, interiors, lifestyle, artisanal, patisseries, chocolatiers… DESIGN Jewellery, fashion, interiors, technology, craft, architecture, animation… IN ASSOCIATION WITH BO CONCEPT FOOD&DRINK Chefs, baristas, mixologists, brewers, distillers, restaurateurs, products… TO ENTER download the entry form at www.ionmagazine. co.uk/awards

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GLASGOW © Niall Walker

FEAST OF

FESTIVALS Okay, so when it comes to big festivals we Glaswegians, albeit reluctantly, concede our Edinburgh neighbour hosts the granddaddy of them all. But in a city as big as Glasgow, lots of smaller bite sized festivals make so much more sense – at least that’s what we’re telling ourselves this May when the city offers a decent helping of festival fun. First out of the blocks is Mayfesto, the Tron Theatre’s minifestival of provocative works, kicking off on 09 May. The whole programme is stellar but two not-to-miss are Horse McDonald’s Fringe hit, Careful on 26 and 27 May in which the singer candidly reveals how music carried her through her darkest days, and Off Kilter, a new comedic and physical piece of theatre from Ramesh Meyyappan from 10-13 May. Exploring mental wellbeing, identity and not quite being yourself, Off Kilter is directed by the Tron’s Artistic Director, Andy Arnold. View the full programme at www.tron.co.uk. The Southside Fringe, running 12-28 May is now officially Glasgow’s biggest community

“IN A CITY AS BIG AS GLASGOW, LOTS OF SMALLER BITE SIZED FESTIVALS MAKE SO MUCH MORE SENSE”

organised event, offering a fortnight of quality gigs, shows and performances and the Southside Film Festival, where the Glasgow Dr Who Society hosts a screening of the 60s cult technicolour spectacular Dr. Who and the Daleks in The Glad Cafe on Wednesday 17 May. Then there's one to please hungry students with rich appetites but poor finances, as SWG3 and Streat Events join forces for the biggest, tastiest end of exams party on 18 and 19 May. Called The Student StrEAT Feast, the two day festival at SWG3 features 10 top street food vendors, DJs, inflatables, live music and a special UV party (Thursday night only). If Carlsberg made an end of exams party, this would be it. Early birds tickets start at £3 (includes entry + 1 drinks token) from www.studentfeast.com. Another May hot ticket is the Riverside Festival on the 27 and 28 May. The line up includes Sven Vath, Groove Armada, Derrick Carter, Ilario Alicante and a rare appearance from the elusive Hamburg-based electronic innovator, DJ Koze. Full line-up and ticket options at www.riversidefestivalglasgow.com.

lifestyle_GLASGOW

THE FINEST SMOKED ATLANTIC SALMON FROM THE ISLE OF LEWIS

ICE, ICE BABY

10 % D I S C O U N T

Who didn’t like a slushie when they were a kid? Oh, you? for i-on readers who order from us on our OK then, you make do with a nice cup of tea while the website or by phone – discount code of: ‘i-on15’ rest of us relive our childhood memories of hot days W W W. U I G L O D G E . C O. U K on the Costa Clydebank by sampling one of the slushie T. 0 1 8 5 1 6 7 2 3 9 6 cocktails mixed to perfection by The Pop Up Cocktail Kitchen team in residence at Taste Buchanan, the street food hub within the Buchanan Galleries. Flavours include Casco Viejo tequila with strawberry liqueur, guava, lime and pineapple flavour. uig_ad_ION_67x89_portrait_aw.indd 1 16/11/2015 11:44

WHO’S HORTON? If you think Tim Horton is the new guy from accounts, listen up. Mr. Horton was a former Canadian ice hockey star who co-founded Tim Hortons, one of Canada’s best known coffee and doughnut shops. Horton himself is long gone but his legacy remains and the brand is opening its first UK site this month in Argyle Street. The coffee is brilliant and the mini Timbit (representing the doughnuts missing ‘middle’) is incredibly moreish.

Award-Winning Chinese Restaurant

59 Mitchell Street, Glasgow, G1 3LN T: 0141 248 2240 | E: enquiries@lycheeoriental.co.uk Twitter: @LycheeOriental | Facebook: Lychee Oriental www.lycheeoriental.co.uk

Pam Gilmour’s

Glasgow The blogger behind Glasgow Food Geek on life as a West Ender, the city’s food scene and restaurant hopping

Why did you start the blog? My husband and I had just moved to the west end of Glasgow and as neither of us had lived in a city before, we didn’t want to fall into the rut of going to the same bar or restaurant all the time. So, I made a list of the 100 places I most wanted to try and turned it into a food blog, mainly to give my family a giggle, and somehow, here I am nearly four years later, still writing my blog which people seem to find useful! Have you noticed any changes in the city’s restaurant scene? Yes, a huge change - each chef brings something new and exciting to the table. I particularly like that things aren’t confined to one area of the city either. Interesting independent restaurants, bars and cafes are opening all the time in neighbourhoods like Shawlands, Denniston, Merchant City and Finnieston, creating buzzy communities all over Glasgow. Any new names in the restaurant scene we should look out for? Six by Nico is my current favourite new place in Finnieston; it’s creative, fun and amazing value for money. The Spanish Butcher in Merchant City is sexy and stylish, and the food is just divine. I would throw Horn Please into the mix too - it opened last summer and is still pretty unknown - they do insanely delicious small Indian plates. I’m also really looking forward to Julie’s Kopitiam opening in Shawlands soon. Best ever meal in the city? I could say burgers at Bread Meats Bread or pasta at Don Costanzo

because they are where I eat most, but I genuinely couldn’t pick a best ever meal in the city. If you could restaurant hop over three courses, what dishes would you choose in which restaurants? I would have pre-dinner drinks at the Blythswood, the mixed starters at Lychee Oriental, prime rib with Manchego truffle fries and romesco sauce at Spanish Butcher, and the puff candy meringue for dessert at The Sisters. That sounds like a pretty awesome night to me. Glasgow’s restaurant scene sometimes gets a bad rap in comparison to Edinburgh’s. Do you think that’s justified? I think the food scene in Glasgow is every bit as good as the one in Edinburgh, it’s just different. The vibe here is more casual and relaxed - there are few places I wouldn’t feel comfortable walking into for lunch on a Saturday wearing jeans, trainers and a top-knot in my hair. Where’s your favourite area in the city? The West End, for the architecture, the mix of people and the range of independent businesses. Where would you take visitors to show them the real Glasgow? A gig at King Tuts, seeing the elephant at Kelvingrove, a whisky in The Pot Still, and dinner at The Chip are a few absolute musts. What’s the city’s best kept secret? The 1pm organ recital at Kelvingrove museum. My personal favourite is when they play music from the movies - frankly, if you haven’t heard Indiana Jones on a huge organ in Kelvingrove museum, you haven’t lived.

“

THE FOOD SCENE IN GLASGOW IS EVERY BIT AS GOOD AS THE ONE IN EDINBURGH, IT’S JUST MORE CASUAL AND RELAXED”

lifestyle_GLASGOW

Glasgowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best bits St ra v

gin

Coffee Cottonrake, Tantrum Donuts and labarito espresso Drinks with pals West on the Corner and Chinaskis Pizza Paesano Burgers Bread Meats Bread Cheap eats McPhabbs and Kelbourne Saint Sunday brunch Singl-end, Hutchesons and Stravaigin A quick escape Kelvingrove or Glasgow Green

GLASGOW_lifestyle

TAKE THREE

Want to get fit but don’t think the gym’ll fix it? Try one, two or even all three of these alternative fitness ideas.

CALLING ALL INDIE CHICKS... Eezee Trapezee

Trapeze No strength? No flexibility? No problem at Spinal Chord’s Eezee Trapezee classes, where you’ll learn the basics of trapeze along with rope and aerial silks skills. The sessions work at a physical level (your strength improves after each class) and help coordination as your brain adjusts to height perception and being upside down. The result is a workout that builds your self-confidence as well as your fitness, and offers far better bragging rights than a regular run around the park. www.spinalchord.com

Lemonheads frontman (and 90s muso pin-up) Evan Dando is back with a deluxe reissue of his debut solo album and to celebrate, he’s announced a string of UK dates, including one at Glasgow’s St Luke’s on 18 May. As well as acclaimed tracks from the alt-country Baby I’m Bored record, we’re hoping for a little grunge nostalgia on the night. Altogether now, “It’s a shaaaaaame about Ray...” For tickets, visit seetickets.com.

Bokwa Fancied Zumba but lacked the necessary rhythm? Say hello to Bokwa. There’s no choreography, no counts of eight counting steps and no feeling stupid when the only salsa you know comes with a portion of nachos. You simply draw letters and numbers with your feet and add your own flourishes and your confidence grows. It’s a bit like line dancing, only cooler and in lycra. www.danceglasgow.com

Hula-hooping Did you know that as well as being pretty addictive, hula hooping can burn up to 600 calories an hour? Fun and surprisingly easy once you nail the technique, Glasgow Hula Hoop offers full body workouts with classes including waist hooping, balance skills, dance moves, warm up and down. As your hoop skills improve, you can up the ante to more advanced hooping – even fire hooping. Yep, that’s a hoop, on fire, on you. www.glasgowhulahoop.co.uk

The Pitt

STREET FIGHT Good luck to Chompsky, ShrimpWreck and Babu Bombay Street Kitchen, who all feature on the shortlist for the Scottish finals of the British Street Food Awards. To grab a bite of the action yourself, you’ll have to head east to The Pitt in Edinburgh on May 12-14 but we’re sure the Glasgow finalists will throw in a little extra sauce on the side as a thanks for your support. Tickets are available at www.thepitt.co.uk.

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SPRING LIVING

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19 FOODIE THINGS WE LOVE… Get ready to loosen your belt: here’s our rundown of what’s happening in the world of food and drink in 2017

words Carine Seitz

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OUTSIDE THE BOX If you’re desperate to join the healthy, ‘clean!’ eating bandwagon but just don’t have the time or inclination to think about what to buy, there are companies out there to do it for you. Hello Fresh and Mindful Chef both deliver measured ingredients so all you have to do is follow the instructions on the supplied recipes. Or if you’re really tired, or the kind of person who’d burn water, Everdine will even cook your selected meals for you and deliver them freshly frozen. Where do we sign?

GIVE PEAS A CHANCE There’s no denying the rising popularity of veganism. It’s not just mere mortals who are embracing the lifestyle – an increasing number of pro athletes are extolling the virtues of an animal-free diet, dispelling the myth that vegans are a weedy and nutrient-deficient bunch. Venus and Serena Williams’ Wimbledon win last year? Their eight Olympic golds? Plantpowered. Recently-opened Pumpkin Brown in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket serves up a plethora of brightly-coloured organic vegan food, while Novapizza will satisfy cravings for a vegan slice. With PETA’s Most-Vegan Friendly City in the UK accolade under its belt, Glasgow has an ever increasing choice of vegan restaurants. Two new names well worth checking out are The V&V Café on Great Western Road, and MalaCarne, a favourite pop-up that opens its first permanent site on Cathcart Road in early May. As an aside to veganism, vegetables are having a moment all of their own. Whether it’s because we’re more health conscious (recent studies by Imperial College London have suggested we should be eating ten portions of fruit and vegetables a day rather than the previously-thought five), or we’re simply changing the way we view a plate of food, we’re seeing more meals featuring vegetables as the star of the show rather than just an accompaniment. Meat-and-two-veg is becoming veg-veg-and-a-little-meat. The backlash against carbs has also had an impact – suddenly we’re choosing cauliflower mash instead of potato, or spiralized this, that and the next thing in place of noodles. Fancy a fibre boost with breakfast?

Everdine keeps you ever fed

Grate some courgette into your porridge (no, it’s not a wind up – Google ‘zoats’). The trend for ‘eating clean’ means the more brightlycoloured vegetables you can fit in a bowl, the better, apparently. Don’t forget to hashtag ‘buddha bowl’ and Instagram it, will you? THE COLOUR PURPLE Food experts swear blind we’ll all be mainlining everything and anything purple by the end of the year, reaping the health benefits of their pigmentation. However, before you rush out and stock up on Ribena and parma violets, it’s the purple variety of fruit and vegetables they have in mind. Generally speaking, the darker the better – the deeper colour means they’re higher in antioxidants than their paler counterparts and is caused by anthocyanins which are said to help fight degenerative and cardiovascular diseases. Think beetroot, blueberries and acai berries; and purple varieties of sweet potatoes, carrots, aubergines, cauliflower and cabbage.

Get your fix of fruit and vegetables at Pumpkin Brown, photo Susie Lowe

Supper club Toasted Radish embraces the trend for all things purple

SEAS THE DAY Aaaand on the green end of the spectrum, we have seaweed. Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it: the salty umami flavours are actually quite moreish. No, really. You’ve doubtless already tried it in sushi, but prepare to stumble across it this year in various other permutations from crisps to pasta (apparently Jamie Oliver is a fan) and even as a substitute for bacon. It’s worth getting a taste for – it’s packed with iron and calcium, low in calories, naturally vegan and gluten-free.

A CUP OF JOE Whether you need a cup to get you moving in the morning or a pickme-up shot around mid-afternoon, caffeine is our collective best friend. And we’re getting fussy: we want a menu of perfectly brewed (and roasted) options, baristas who know their single-origin filters and espressos from their cold brew, and we want fancy patterns on top of the milk froth, damnit. Enter specialists like Williams & Johnson, the newly opened micro-roastery and café

Get your greens with seaweed pasta (photo I Sea Pasta

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Learn to brew coffee like the experts at BrewLab, photo Susie Lowe

tucked away off Edinburgh’s Shore in Leith. They take their stuff pretty seriously, describing themselves as ‘a couple of geeks who know coffee’, and their growing success is as much down to their chilled out vibe and innovative space in the converted Custom’s House as it is to their brewing skills. Further in town, Caffeine stalwarts Brew Lab are so dedicated to the craft they run training courses to teach us how to handle our beans properly at home. Meantime in Glasgow, new kids on the block Kaf and Southside Roasters are making waves in the west end and Strathbungo respectively. The west even has a whole festival dedicated to the black stuff, showcasing the best in coffee culture. The two-day event takes place at The Briggait on 06-07 May. No excuse for drinking instant, ok? WAIT, I NEED A PICTURE Why is other people’s food so interesting? Statistics suggest that we each spend an average of 15 minutes scrolling through Instagram every day (um, we could have sworn it’s more…), so if you love food, make sure you’re using those minutes spying on @symmetrybreakfast for – you guessed it – breakfast; @mynewroots for health food; @izyhossack,

@felicityspector

@mynewroots

@izyhossack

@hellolovecrumbs

Eating al fresco at Rogue Village’s Canteen

@hellolovecrumbs and @felicityspector for good food and a lot of dessert. #foodporn TAKE TO THE STREETS What is it about eating food with your hands from a cardboard box, outdoors, that’s so appealing? Grub from a van has come on leaps and bounds from the limp burger you forced down after three days at a festival. Dedicated street food markets are appearing all over the country – Glasgow’s biggest, the aptly named Big Feed festival launched in Govan in March, and in Edinburgh, The Pitt is mobbed every week. Rogue Village hosted their first street food market, Canteen, at Archerfield Walled Garden in March and are set to return on 27 May complete with DJs. With everything from pizza and tacos to cocktails and the obligatory Prosecco, it’s not difficult to understand why they’re so popular, nor why it’s such a feasible option for vendors – with high property rentals and the cost of overheads in business, a portable alternative is a win-win all round.

ZERO PROOF Forget sickly ‘mocktails’ made with sugar-laden lurid ingredients, and tasteless lacklustre beer – alcohol-free drinks are newly cool and sexy. Yes, it’s true. Teetotalers, drivers, and those with-child can now enjoy innovative drinks that taste like actual DRINKS. Dishoom’s Dry Old Fashioned is pure sorcery – you’d swear there was

Seedlip makes alcohol-free a tasty option, photo Jack Stanton

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LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR Sitting with your friends is so yesterday. It’s far more fun to rub shoulders with a bunch of people you’ve never met, break bread with new pals, and potentially knock over and spill a jar of pickled walnuts on a stranger. Or at least that’s what happened to somebody-Iknow-who-shall-remain-nameless when they went to the newly-opened Twelve Triangles’ Kitchen Table on Duke Street. Seriously though, communal tables are not a new concept – The Gardener’s Cottage has had them since they opened, you can drink wine at one at Smith & Gertrude, and Wagamama have been trading with them for years. If you’ve never done the dance of brushing arms with a random, it’s time you tried.

Make new friends Smith & Gertrude’s communal table, photo Susie Lowe

10 Caorunn gin is infused with locally forged botanicals including coul blush apple

whisky in it but it’s saintly enough to give your teetotal nana. Also check out Seedlip, a non-alcoholic distilled spirit (available at The Kitchen and 21212) flavoured with botanicals, which makes a mean alternative to a G&T.

GIN GENIE Back in the day, when a G&T was served in a wine glass with a slice of lemon a la Dot Cotton, nobody could have predicted the surge in the spirit’s popularity circa 2017. But surge it has, and now we can’t get enough – it seems everyone who’s anyone is drinking gin. We bought the equivalent of 1.12 billion G&T’s in the UK last year which, when you then consider that 70% of the UK’s gin is produced in Scotland, is good news for the industry north of the border. There’s a rise in the trend for sipping it neat, and distillers are responding by producing gins made and infused with ingredients and botanicals that go beyond juniper berries – grapefruit, tea, herbs and black pepper being just some examples. And Dot would be horrified to learn that these days we’re garnishing with the likes of lavender, rosemary, or basil. It’s a far cry from the Queen Vic.

RED, WHITE OR ROSE? Or… orange? Yep, this summer we’ll all be shunning Prosecco in favour of a glass of orange vino. So called because of its colour rather than any link to citrus, orange wine takes its hue from grape skins that are left on for anywhere between a week to a year in its making (grape and skin are separated immediately when producing white wine), the result being a golden colour and nuttier, fruitier flavour. It’s got to be better than blue wine which, believe it or not, is a thing. Not a good thing. Google it.

SELF PRESERVATION The nuances between pickling and fermenting as modes of preservation are a confusing business but essentially foods treated in this way are rich in vitamins and minerals, which means they’re having a moment. You don’t have to spend hours shredding cabbages either – restaurants like Edinburgh’s Timberyard do their own preserving so you can enjoy all the goodness without any of the effort. If sauerkraut and kimchi aren’t your thing, you can reap the benefits of fermentation through cultured

FOODS TREATED IN THIS WAY ARE RICH IN VITAMINS AND MINERALS, WHICH MEANS THEY’RE HAVING A MOMENT

Get in a pickle at Timberyard

drinks like kombucha and kefir. Yes, we’re baffled too, but essentially because of their fermentation process they’re considered probiotic which, if you’ve been paying attention to the yoghurt ads, means they’re good for your tummy and digestion. The main point here is: eat healthy stuff, have healthy body. It’s all good. LET’S TACO ‘BOUT IT What’s not to love about tacos? These little crunchy shells clutching tasty-as-heck fillings are a work of genius. We’re all going to be jumping on the taco train this year, so expect crowds at Edinburgh’s El Cartel and the recently-opened Wahaca. In Glasgow, try Taco Mazama, Bibi’s Cantina and Topolabamba for authentic Tex-Mex. The Taco Cleanse Diet is even a ‘thing’, with Jennifer Aniston reportedly a fan (therefore confirming its efficacy), and advocates tacos for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sign me up.

Be front of the queue for tacos at El Cartel

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DIG FOR YOUR DINNER Foraging takes the concept of ‘local and seasonal’ to a whole new level because frankly, you can’t get closer than your nearest hedgerow. To avoid ending up in the poisons unit of your nearest hospital however it’s best to do it with someone who knows what they’re doing (www. wildfooduk.com run a Penicuik course in August) or better still, get an expert to do it for you and also cook up the spoils. Edinburgh’s Norn is a very good place to start, where the menu features locallyforaged food and changes regularly to reflect what’s available. The Buck & Birch (www. buckandbirch.com) hosts dinners where chefs Rupert Waites and Tom Chisholm present food that they’ve foraged and picked on country walks, and recently hosted a series of dinners celebrating the abundance of wild ingredients found in local woodlands, seashores, hedgerows and fields. See their website for upcoming event dates.

AL DENTE You heard it here first: pasta is making a comeback. No wait, it’s true! We’ve not shown pasta much love over the last few high protein diet-obsessed years have we? Poor old delicious, comforting pasta has been regularly dismissed as being ‘too filling’, ‘too bloaty’, and ‘too carby’, before being shunned for a plate of courgetti. Well it’s fighting back. I know we don’t want to admit that things happen first in London, but we have it on good authority that pasta is taking the capital by storm thanks to Padella, a restaurant whose pasta is converting the city’s dwellers by the forkful. Of course if you really want plenteous pasta, Glasgow boasts more Italian restaurants per square mile than anywhere else in the whole of Britain. Pass the Parmesan.

The kitchen team from Norn foraging for your dinner

Satisfy your craving for pasta at Cucina

LONDON CALLING It would appear that industry players are shifting their focus north of the border. Last year saw the Edinburgh openings of Dishoom and Wahaca (the first foray into Scotland for both), and more recently Jerome Henry, the former head chef at Anton Mosimann’s Belgravia Private Dining Club, has opened Le Roi Fou on the city’s

Worship at the temple of all things carb at Bakery 47

Not just a pretty vessel

Forth Street. Meanwhile, ex-Ottolenghi chef Rosie Healey heads up the kitchen at Glasgow’s Alchemilla. PORTHOLE COCKTAILS Infusions are no new thing in the cocktail world, but making a bespoke infusion to order is more unusual. Enter the ‘Porthole’. Originally designed as a custom piece for The Aviary in Chicago, these unique bottles allow smaller quantities of unique drinks to be created. The Porthole offers a spectacle, the ingredients suspended in the glass disc showing the flavours infusing inside. Available exclusively in Edinburgh from La Petite Mort, where an Oolong Old Fashioned is made by infusing loose leaf tea with slices of blood orange, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Agave syrup, Angostura bitters and Black Bottle Tea bitters.

LOAFING AROUND Another win for the backlash against carb-denial is the proliferation of bakeries appearing left, right and centre that confirm we’re now officially All About The Baked Goods. First we got hella excited about cake (hello Lovecrumbs), then followed

Jaw Brew turn bread into beer. Genius.

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WASTE NOT, WANT NOT Speaking of leftover bread, Scottish brewers Jaw Brew have come up with a novel way of using surplus morning rolls from Aulds the baker – they’ve created a beer out of it. Hardtack is made by ‘mashing’ the bread with no need for added fermentable sugars, resulting in a light beer.

doughnuts and pastries (it’s impossible to get past the recently-opened Bearded Baker on Edinburgh’s Rodney Street without eating at least one each of theirs), and now we can’t get enough bread. Glasgow’s Bakery 47 is the place to get baked fodder on Thursday– Sunday in the West, and their bread is worth a visit alone (not to mention the rest). Get there promptly though – they only stay open until they sell out. In Edinburgh, Twelve Triangles Kitchen Table makes a charcoal sourdough so good we’re almost reluctant to tell you about incase demand goes up too fast. To prove (geddit?) just how good they are with a loaf, they’re hosting a Bread Dinner & Discussion on 11 May, showcasing food made with leftover bread.

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Dining at The Dome just got even more indulgent, enjoy the new steak menu while relaxing in the sumptuous surroundings of The Club Room. Enjoy top quality Scotch Beef EntrecÃ´te, cooked to your preference, served with a walnut salad and unlimited fries.

14 GEORGE STREET EDINBURGH EH2 2PF TELEPHONE 0131 624 8624 WWW.THEDOMEEDINBURGH.COM

Zara

Living for the

WEEKEND From city breaks to music festivals, we’ve got your weekend wardrobe sorted

Red print shirt, £25, River Island

T-shirt, £4, Primark Blazer, £59.99, Zara

CITY BREAK Keep your cool in light layers – a smart jacket over chinos and a cotton shirt will keep you looking city chic, especially when you experiment with bold shades and prints.

Sunglasses, £260, Tom Ford at Vision Express

Trousers, £24.99, H&M Trainers, £75, Dune

FASHION Monsoon

Biker jacket, £55, Next

Striped jumpsuit, £29.99, Zara

A loose shirt and flat shoes are a must for hitting the city streets but practical doesn’t have to be boring – make your look pop with prints and a splash of colour.

Silver flats, £42.99, Office Katie Mini Backpack, £29, Accessorize

FASHION

H&M

Jacket, £39.99, Zara

Straw trilby, £12, Next

Dress, £39.99, Zara

Whitestuff

Ochre culottes, £24, Dorothy Perkins

Navy pattern shirt, £25, Debenhams

Shirt, £36, Topshop Straw shoulder bag, £19.50, Marks and Spencer

Blue pleat shorts. £69, Cos Espadrille, £18, V by Very

Shoes, £29.99, Zara

COUNTRY ESCAPE Get ready to waft through the fields in comfy separates or a flowing midi-dress. Touches of embroidery and broderie will add to the haute haybarn look. 44

Cool slacks and a short-sleeved shirt are the perfect picnic fodder. Be prepared for every eventuality with a waterproof, hat and shoes you can easily kick off.

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Summer BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL

Rainbow celebrates Nature’s magical colours Come and see Sheila’s captivating, brilliantly deep new enamel colourways at Meet the Designer Stockbridge | Edinburgh 26 - 28 May

D E S I G N E D & M A D E I N O R K N E Y, S C O T L A N D

01856 861 203 | sheilafleet.com

SPONSORED FEATURE

SO CHARMING…

Thomas Sabo knows how to celebrate life’s milestones in style

homas Sabo has been wooing the world with its individual take on jewellery design since the 1980s. Trend setting, uber-stylish and redefining the way we wear jewellery, the pieces can be combined to create a look that’s completely personal to you - what better way to symbolise your own unique life journey than with a collection of charms reflecting your most significant milestones. Thomas Sabo charms are created using 925 sterling silver and embellished with gold-plated in 18k rose or yellow gold, finished with brightly coloured enamel, sparkling zirconia stones and crystal glass. This year, a brand new Charm Club collection, taking inspiration from Africa and the themes of travel, friendship, family and summer, has been added to its 600 original charm designs. We picked out five of our favourites…

GRADUATION The Mortarboard charm pendant, £39.95, makes the perfect gift for those celebrating academic success.

TRAVEL Commemorate the trip of a lifetime with this Africa charm pendant, £35, from the new Africa series inspired by this enchanting continent.

FIRST HOME Home is where the heart is, making the Sweet Home charm pendant, £55, the ideal choice for first time home owners.

WEDDING The Hearts charm pendant, £25.95, with it symbolic interlocked hearts design, is a fitting lasting memento of your big day.

BABY Celebrate a new arrival with the Blue Pram charm pendant, £60. It makes a sweet gift for any new mum.

I-ON READER EXCLUSIVE EVENT Celebrate the latest additions to the Thomas Sabo Charm Club at these exclusive i-on events. Along with a special promotion, you can also expect fizz, canapés, goodie bags and styling tips from a top blogger. The events will take place in Edinburgh on Wednesday 31 May, 6-8pm, and Glasgow on Thursday 01 June, 6-8pm. To book a ticket head to www.ionmagazine.co.uk/thomassabo.

99b Princes St, Edinburgh, EH2 3AA, Tel: 0131 543 3123. Buchanan Galleries, 220 Buchanan St, Glasgow, G1 2FF, Tel: 0141 332 1899. www.thomassabo.com

FASHION

Earrings, £25, Hobbs

Whistles

If the navy blue suit was so 2016 – this year, dare to be different in a lighter shade and swap the leather brogues for soft suede. Next

WEDDING GUEST

Bag, £20, Simply Be

It’s all about florals this season. For maximum impact, go fabulous and full-length then just add rose gold accessories.

Pink suit jacket, £85, and trousers, £40, River Island

Per Una floral maxi dress, £49.50, Marks and Spencer

Organic cotton shirt, £24.99, H&M (Online exclusive)

Cufflinks, £19.50, Marks and Spencer Yellow floral print maxi dress, £39.99, New Look

Shoes, £95, Dune

Shoes, £38, Burton

FASHION

Back away from the cut-off denims and go for a glam grunge look – pair sequins with camo, velvet with khaki, and metallics with denim for a hot high/ low mix.

Topman

FESTIVAL FUN Denim jacket, £65, River Island

Sunglasses, £8.99, New Look Checked shirt, £29.99, Zara

Zara

Trousers, £35, River Island T-shirt, £25.99, Zara

Sequin dress, £39.99, Zara Trainers, £34.99, Office

Denim jacket, £65, Topshop Velvet jumpsuit, £39, Miss Selfridge

Boots, £90, Office

Think 90s indie icon and team acid wash denim with band T’s, checked shirts, beanie hats, and some serious rock n roll attitude.

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Harry Brown 3-Piece Suit Â£99

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165 Howard Street, Glasgow, G1 4HF Tel: 0141 552 7171 Also available Aberdeen, Ayr, Dundee, Edinburgh, Inverness and Stirling 49

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diamonds Join us for a very fashionable feast dripping with jewels and designer fashion 50

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and pearls photography Susie Lowe

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FASHION

PREVIOUS PAGE Selection of Fope Flex-it bracelets in yellow gold, white gold, and rose gold, some with diamond set rondels, from £2,045 to £3,120 each; Duke ring in 18ct yellow gold £2,700; rhodolite garnet and diamond triple cluster ring in 18ct white and rose gold, £9,000; pink sapphire and diamond cluster ring in platinum, £12,700; all Hamilton and Inches. Marco Bicego 18ct yellow gold mixed stone Jaipur ring, £1,520; and 18ct yellow gold hinged diamond bangle £8,995; both Laing Edinburgh. Sophie Hulme mini Milner envelope bag, £350, Harvey Nichols. OPPOSITE PAGE Selection of Fope Flex-it bracelets in yellow gold, white gold, and rose gold, some with diamond set rondels, from £2,045 to £3,120 each; Duke ring in 18ct rose gold, £2,700; Duke ring in 18ct yellow gold £2,700; pear-cut morganite and diamond cluster ring in 18ct rose gold £5,250; all Hamilton and Inches. Marco Bicego yellow gold, pink pearl and diamond Africa ring, £1,030; 9ct yellow gold Halo double circle diamond set pendant, £495 on 9ct yellow gold Franco style chain, £195; all Laing Edinburgh. APM Monaco rose Geo bangle, £200; Three Floor mesh mini dress, £260, and YSL small Kate monogrammed chain bag £1,090; all Harvey Nichols. RIGHT Diamond pave floral shaped ring in 18ct white gold, £8,470; Georg Jensen Marcia bangle in sterling silver with diamonds, £2,450; South sea pearl and diamond cluster pendant in 18ct white gold, £3,250, and matching ring, £2,650; all Hamilton and Inches. 18ct yellow gold hinged diamond bangle £8,995 and 9ct yellow gold diamond ring, £675, both Laing Edinburgh, Three Floor mesh mini dress, £260, Harvey Nichols.

FASHION

Diamond pave snake design necklace, £209,000; large emerald cut Aquamarine platinum ring with diamond set shoulders, £18,200; Duke ring in 18ct white gold, £2,700; Georg Jensen Marcia bangle in sterling silver with diamonds, £2,450; Fope Wild Rose Flex-it bracelet in 18ct white gold with three rondels one with diamonds, £2,830; Fope Solo Collection Flex-it bracelet in 18ct white gold, £2,045; all Hamilton and Inches. Self Portrait drape shoulder midi-dress, £330, Harvey Nichols.

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“ MOST STYLISH RETAILER” SCOTTISH STYLE AWARDS 2015

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FASHION

Duke ring in 18ct yellow gold £2,700, Hamilton and Inches. 9ct yellow gold diamond ring, £675; 9ct yellow gold Halo ring, £595; 9ct yellow gold Halo bracelet, £2,995; all Laing Edinburgh. Susan Caplan 70s vintage Monet necklace, £295, Harvey Nichols. Velvet top, stylist’s own. model Ashleigh Bradshaw; stylist Carrie Mitchell; makeup Mairi Gordon. With special thanks to our location, The Pompadour by Galvin Restaurant at The Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian. Known as ‘the grand old lady’ of Edinburgh fine dining, the award-winning French restaurant offers stunning cuisine in a luxurious setting with spectacular views of Edinburgh castle and the city skyline. To book a table, visit www.thepompadourbygalvin.com or Tel: 0131 222 8975.

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All hail the...

HIGH STREET HEROES

Emily Murray, of interior blog The Pink House, swoops down on the fabulous home decor finds on a high street near youâ&#x20AC;¦

Kennington sofa in Knebworth Light Grey, Sofas & Stuff

INTERIORS

haring your #ootd (outfit of the day) on social media is old hat. Now, it’s all about showing off your #bathroomshelfie or #cornerofmyhome. Yes – increasingly, fashionable interiors are all over Instagram, and the pressure is on to keep your front room looking fresh. Luckily, the high street is wise to the growing desire for gorgeous, on-trend home décor, and is working harder than ever to produce stylish-yet-affordable pieces and save the day. So meet my high street interior heroes which will look just as good in your home as they will on social media. Cape and mask optional… SUPERRUG The predecessor to this La Redoute beaut is such a social media hit, thanks to the likes of bloggers @erica_davies and @iamalisonperry, that it actually has its own Instagram account (@the_la_redoute_rug). But while the original non-wool Afaw rug kept things monochrome, this new one, dubbed the Ourika, adds a splash of colour while staying with the never-not-on-trend Moroccan vibe. And this time it’s 100 per cent wool, but still starts at a purse-friendly £199 for the 120x170cm version. Get clicking quick before it sells out.

La Redoute rug

CAPTAIN CAKESTAND Nothing says Insta cool like a well-styled table, and for many (well, me), the dream is a mismatched vintage flowery tea service. Problem is, I just don’t have time to go trawling the antique shops for that perfect floral side plate. And now I don’t have to, because good old Marks & Spencer has come up trumps with the Frida tableware range, which includes this super-sweet cake stand for only £15. And guess what? It’s all made of melanine, meaning it’s perfect for al fresco dining too. Stylish summer picnics: sorted.

Frida range at Marks & Spencer

WONDERSOFA The mid-century sofa style is insanely popular right now with designer versions costing many thousands of pounds. However, if your home is anything like the soggy Cheerioinfested light saber battle ground mine is, it’s probably best that Darth and his

INTERIORS

CUSHION CRUSADER You’re not allowed to go through 2017 without adding a splash of greenery to your home, according to the interior police. So it’s H&M to the rescue, with this vibrantly verdant cushion costing a mere £6.99, which will instantly make your home a hundred times cooler. Day: saved.

Cactus vase, Primark

Stormtrooper sidekick are given something less spenny to sit on. This Kennington sofa in Knebworth Light Grey with multi-coloured buttons from Sofas & Stuff looks like it came from a snooty, overpriced store, but in fact costs a mere £779 (£701 if you’re quick and snap it up in their spring sale). THE INCREDIBLE VASE You must have noticed the cacophony of cactuses in the interior world. The perfect cactus home accessory is one that allows for a floral addition (ideally pink), to complement the green. Which is why a cactus vase is the very best way to explore this trend. And because cactuses are a little like flamingoes and pineapples*, they might not be cool forever, so keeping your cactus budget to a minimum is perhaps wise – this Primark plant is only £3 but looks like it cost way more. A proper high street hero if ever I saw one. AND you don’t need to water it. *ignore me; the pineapple will be cool forever

Design Icon no.1 How a tennis ball became a chair

Imola chair from, ÂŁ1,779

Marble cutting board, £31, Amara

DINE IN STYLE

Make over your dining area with industrial materials like metal, concrete and brick, tempered with a touch of luxe

Gold bamboo tray, £24.99, H&M Sainsbury’s Home

Bordallo Pinheiro cabbage bowl, £15, Amara

Hyatt dining chair, £95.99, Sterling

Marble condiment pot set, £37.50, Rockett St George

Astoria brushed cutlery set, £49.50, Marks & Spencer

Broste Copenhagen canister, £25.95, Time & Tide

Set of 6 vintage style liqueur glasses, £48, Rockett St George

Shoreditch drinks trolley, £125, Rockett St George

Compiled by: Carine Seitz

Pitcher with gold detail, £12.99, H&M

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From Michelin star restaurants to chi-chi Champagne bars, it’s all about indulgence in the floating city. Here’s our pick of where to go and what to eat…

words Amanda Southey

FOOD REASONS TO VISIT VENICE

TRAVEL

THE RIALTO FOOD MARKET This famous food market has been running since 1097 and Venetians continue to depend upon it for their daily supplies of fresh fish, vegetables and fruit. Open every day from early morning until midday, it’s best to get there early and spend the morning taking a wander around the stalls, lapping up the smells, sampling the delicious local flavours and soaking up the buzzy atmosphere. A must-see for any food lover.

HARRY’S BAR No trip to Venice would be complete without a visit to the legendary Harry’s Bar. Nestled in the centre of the city, right on the St Mark’s Bay waterfront, it’s the perfect place to savour a bellini and a plate of beef carpaccio – two Italian classics said to have been created right here by founder Guiseppe Cipriani.

VENETIAN WINE BARS Scattered all over Venice, ‘bacari’ are local wine bars serving an array of wines by the glass alongside ‘cicchetti’ bite-sized snacks and small plates of crostini topped with seafood, mozzarella, slivers of sirloin, anything you can imagine. Try the whipped salted cod served on polenta or the Polpette meatballs washed down with a crisp white wine. Delizioso!

TRADITIONAL PASTRY SHOPS If you have a sweet tooth, you are in for a treat. Venetian bakeries known as ‘pasticerria’ offer a huge assortment of melt-in-the-mouth pastries, biscuits, and buns and can be found on almost every single street. They say that tiramisu was invented here so to try the best, head to Tre Mercanti. This venetian gourmet food shop makes

Rialto food market

The Met Restaurant at The Hotel Metropole

tiramisu fresh on the premises every day, with all sorts of tempting flavours to choose from like mango, passionfruit and pistachio. Yes, we tried them all. THE MET RESTAURANT AT THE HOTEL METROPOLE This Michelin star restaurant alone is enough of a reason to visit Venice. With the help of Matteo the Maitre’D and his wonderful team, choose from the traditional or contemporary three or five-course tasting menus and get ready to be seduced by traditional Venetian fare with a twist. We dined on one amazing dish after another: Spider crab salad with polenta, Blackened cod with sea foam, Spaghetti with Siberian caviar and, finally Sorrento lemon and apple strudel with vanilla cream. The endless explosion of flavours makes it impossible to refuse a mouthful, so you will quite likely have to be rolled out of the restaurant after this delectable experience.

WHERE TO STAY: Make it easy for yourself and check into a room at the sumptuous five-star Hotel Metropole. Located a stone’s throw from Piazza San Marco, the boutique hotel offers breath-taking views across the lagoon, luxurious accommodation and warm, attentive service. They even have their own private mooring allowing you to arrive directly from the airport by water taxi. Classic rooms from €225 per night. www.hotelmetropole.com HOW TO GET THERE: easyJet flies direct from Edinburgh to Venice from £36, easyjet.com.

words Carine Seitz

FEATURES

beauty FROM WITHIN

Fast track your way to great skin by eating the right foods... but which ones are they?

t’s no secret that what we eat impacts the way we look. But with the internet telling us every week there’s a new miracle berry we have to eat to achieve baby-soft skin, it’s difficult to keep up. A trend for bone broth, and the fact that it’s packed with collagen, has brought it legions of devotees. There’s the current craze for drinking rose water which is said to contain flavonoids anthocyanins; while fermented drinks like kombucha are supposed to have beneficial antioxidant and probiotic properties. And we also apparently need to eat foods containing selenium (eggs, wheatgerm) to retain skin elasticity; vitamin E (nuts, seeds) to protect against cell damage; monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (avocados, fish) to moisturise from the inside out; omega-3’s (flax seeds, walnuts) to keep skin lubricated; and zinc (shellfish, spinach) to maintain skin suppleness. No wonder we’re overwhelmed. WATER, WATER Of course we all want radiant, youthful skin. But is it really this complicated? Ask any expert the secret to good skin, and they’ll more than likely recommend something mind-blowingly simple: drink water. When you’re not having enough water, skin can become dry and flaky, and wrinkles and under eye circles appear more pronounced. It’s a no-brainer that water keeps you hydrated, essentially moisturising your skin from the inside out. There’s a reason why the likes of the Hemsley sisters, Gwyneth Paltrow, and that person you know with the glowy complexion rave about the virtues of starting the day with a cup of warm water

and lemon. Full of antioxidants that help combat free radicals (healthy cells turned bad as a result of trauma like stress, alcohol and pollution), it helps purge toxins from the body as well as being a good source of vitamin C to help repair damaged skin cells. Water alone won’t cut it though, the buzzwords de jour are ‘beauty foods’ and cosmetics guru Bobbi Brown has added her voice to the movement. “When it comes to beauty, I’m a firm believer that it starts from the inside," she says. "It’s simple: your health shows on your face. If you take care of yourself by eating the healthiest foods possible it shows.” After years of fad dieting and erratic eating habits, she realised it was impacting her wellbeing. “I began to make the connection that the foods I was eating were making me feel slow and tired. I ditched the weight loss books and began to read about health and wellness. Since then, I’ve shifted my lifestyle, paying closer attention to what goes into my body. Health food is life food— and ultimately beauty food.” She’s not alone in feeling this way. Scroll through Instagram and you’ll doubtless stumble across a bowl of brightly coloured fruits and vegetables with hashtags certifying them #skinfood. Eliza from Happy Skin Kitchen (@happyskinkitchen) has almost 30k followers who lap up her daily skinnourishing recipes, each one promising to #makeyourskinhappy. EAT CLEAN-ER So where to start? Known in the States as ‘The Spa Doctor’, Dr Trevor Cates reckons that a good place is with a ‘clean plate’: “It’s important to see food as something to

BEAUTY

The ultimate beauty superfoods Nutritionist Dr Charles Passler reveals what to put on your shopping list

DARK GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES support and increase collagen production. Try: kale, spinach RED VEGETABLES improve collagen formation and contain lycopene. Try: tomatoes, red peppers, beetroot ORANGE VEGETABLES contain vitamin A, helping cells heal and repair. Try: carrots, sweet potatoes DARK BERRIES are loaded with antioxidants and improve collagen production. Try: blueberries, raspberries CITRUS AND TROPICAL FRUITS have high levels of vitamin C. Try: lemons, limes, grapefruit, oranges, mangos AVOCADOS are loaded with healthy fats, fibre, phytonutrients, and antioxidants. Try: With a squeeze of lemon or lime for extra vitamin C

nourish the body rather than simply to fill us up," she says in her new book Clean Skin From Within (Fairwinds Press). "The most important foods to eat for clear, glowing skin are those rich in skin-loving fatty acids, antioxidants, probiotics and prebiotics, collagen-boosting nutrients, cleansing and anti-inflammatory properties.” Realistically though, we don’t always manage to eat the ‘right’ foods. With the best will in the world, sometimes a skipped breakfast followed by a coffee al desko is the closest we get to our five-a-day. Enter: supplements. Arguably the one with the most buzz right now is Lumity, a powerful dose of vitamins, minerals and vital amino acids developed by expert on ageing, Dr. Sara Palmer Hussey. The twice-a-day supplements work with the body’s natural cycles, delivering targeted nutritional support to prevent and undo the damage caused by ageing. It’s a pretty bold claim but not one without substance: fans include leading nutritionist Eve Kalinik, facilaist Nichola Joss and four times gold medal winning Olympian Rebecca Adlington, and users report glowing skin, improved sleep and more energy – where do we sign? Now turn the page for an exclusive recipe from Bobbi Brown's new book Beauty From The Inside Out.

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BEAUTY

The ultimate beautifying lunch

This tasty lunch recipe combines protein, healthy fats, and veggies for a perfectly balanced bowl. Feel free to mix up the vegetables based on what’s in season, and make this your go-to weekday lunch. BASIC BEAUTY BOWL Serves 2 Ingredients 55 g tahini 1 to 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 60 ml warm water Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 200 g cooked lentils 120 g cooked quinoa 120 g cubed and steamed sweet potato 40 g cherry tomatoes 4 kale leaves, sliced 1 watermelon radish, sliced 1⁄2 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced Pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, and lemon wedge, for topping

Method 1. For the dressing, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, and water in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. 2. Divide the lentils and quinoa between two medium bowls and add the sweet potato, tomatoes, kale, radish, and avocado. Top with tahini dressing, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, and a lemon wedge. Bobbi Brown’s Beauty from the Inside Out (Chronicle Books) is out now.

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OUTSIDE THE LINES

Clarins brilliant 4-Colour Pen featuring four retractable coloured tips might have sold out almost as soon as it launched but you can still have some fun with two new pencil case inspired products. Add some colour with Chanel’s Le Rouge Crayon De Couleur, £28, the brand’s first pop pencil, available in 11 shades; or go for gloss with Clinique’s Chubby™ Plump & Shine Liquid Lip Plumping Gloss, £18, a new addition to the much-loved Chubby Stick family.

BEAUTYNOTES Must-try products and expert advice PETAL SOFT SKIN For an instant beauty boost, try Origins new Flower Fusion Hydrating Sheet Masks, £5 each. Choose from Softening Jasmine, Soothing Lavender, Radiance Boosting Orange, Refreshing Raspberry, Hydrating Rose and Nourishing Violet - or try them all.

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The latest addition to the Neroli Portofino collection, Tom Ford Sole Di Positano, £155 for 50ml, is a fresh green floral bursting with sun-drenched citrus.

There’s now a dry conditioner to sort out your mane on lazy (sorry, busy) mornings. Aveda’s Shampure Dry Conditioner, £25, instantly conditions, detangles and softens hair in between washes – so you can treat yourself to that extra half hour in bed after all.

BEAUTYINSIDER featuring Victoria Watt, owner of Frenchy’s Beauty Boutique

My time-saving tricks… are LVL lashes and regular brow tints - as a working mum of two, time in the morning is precious.

fresh citrus scents

Neom’s Energy Burst, £49 for 49ml, is a 100 per cent natural Eau de Parfum blended to energise with the uplifting scents of grapefruit, lemon and rosemary.

CALLING ALL DRY SHAMPOO FANS…

My signature scent is… Hermes Elixir Des Merveilles. My little boys tell me I smell like mummy with it on. Our most popular treatment at Frenchy’s is… Hollywood Waxing. Based on the scent of bitter orange, Diptyque Eau de Sens, £64 for 50ml, also features the unexpected spicy and woody notes of angelica and patchouli.

The one treatment people neglect but usually need is… a pedicure. The biggest beauty mistake people make is… avoiding waxing in winter! Frenchy’s, 83 Bruntsfield Pl, EH10 4HG. Tel: 0131 228 8333

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BEAUTY

Good enough to

EAT The i-on team samples spa treatments with a foodie twist

BEST FOR CHOCOHOLICS… “The Chocolate and Lime Escape at Edinburgh’s Radisson Blu hotel is the perfect treatment to completely indulge without consuming a single calorie. The 70-minute spa experience is great value at £60. It begins with a zingy grapefruit and lime foot scrub, followed by a warm cocoa back massage, where the therapist melts a scented candle into the massage oil. I could feel all my tension slip away as I breathed in the chocolate-y scent. Next came a lime blossom facial, grapefruit and lime hand massage and pressure point scalp massage. I left feeling completely relaxed and rejuvenated – and I smelt amazing!” Susie Lowe, Head of Photography Visit www.radissonblu.com/en/hotel-edinburgh or Tel: 0131 557 9797. BEST FOR BEACH BABES… “Bathing in seaweed might not sound like a luxury spa experience but when the spa in question is Glasgow’s exclusive Blythswood Square Spa, you can bet your fluffy white towels it will be. The 30-minute ishga seaweed bath, £30, involved lying in a hot bath infused with natural Hebridean salts and actual Scottish seaweed. The smell was nothing like a soggy weekend in Saltcoats and my skin looked brightened and tighter on exiting the bath. I further indulged with a sea salt and oil scrub, £47, and left with super soft skin and a healthy ‘yoga’ glow.” Susie Cormack Bruce, Lifestyle Editor Visit www.blythswoodsquare.com or Tel: 0141 248 8888. BEST FOR A SWEET TOOTH… “As a spa novice, I was more than a tad excited to experience the ‘Relax into Radiance’ ritual, £110, at The Balmoral Spa. The treatment uses all Spiezia Organics products, which are handmade

in Cornwall and 100% organic. The best part? They are all edible. Before we began, I had a bite of the Embrace the Day body scrub - a marigold and lemon scrub with caster sugar - and it was fantastic, a sweet taster of what was to come. During my session which included a full body scrub, light back massage, mini facial and head massage, I could feel myself completely unwinding. I left 90 minutes later feeling recharged for the week ahead…and a little bit hungry.” Cat Thomson, Photographer Visit www.roccofortehotels.com or Tel: 0131 622 8880 BEST FOR THOSE WITH EXOTIC TASTES… “Scented candles and oriental music set the scene at Castle Thai Spa, a sexy subterranean space hidden beneath Edinburgh’s busy shopping streets. One of their signature treatments is the lime and ginger massage, £60, and the zesty aroma combined with sunflowers, sweet almond and Marula seed massage oil really does awaken the senses. Different to a standard pampering massage, the Thai oil treatment is a firm, full body massage concentrating on pressure points to ease aches and pains, followed by assisted back stretching. It left me feeling knot free, lighter and brighter in just 60 minutes.” Nicky Howden, Editor Visit www.castlethaispa.com, or Tel: 0131 629 0794.

SEE THE DIFFERENCE CLAIM YOUR FREE DAY PASS BY VISITING WWW.DAVIDLLOYD.CO.UK/DAY-PASS David Lloyd Edinburgh Newhaven Harbour Newhaven Place, Newhaven EH6 4LX Tel: 0131 554 5000 T&C’s apply. Under 18’s must be accompanied by an adult & pass must be pre-booked.

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HE’S A LOCAL BOY MADE GOOD “At school I decided I wanted to be a rock star,” says Callum, 27, who went to Musselburgh Grammar. “My dad played me artists like Rod Stewart and Elton John, and they made me mad inspired, so I picked up a guitar and started writing my own songs. I was a young guy with big dreams, I’d sit in English drawing pictures of me onstage at Glastonbury. I played hundreds of bar gigs in places like the Loch Inn, you’d get all sorts of characters in. But it was a good education and I’ve carried it with me.”

HIS DAD’S HIS BIGGEST INSPIRATION “He brought me up since I was about seven, it was just the two of us [after his mum left]. We hadn’t been on a holiday in years when he told me, ‘I’ve got a wee bit of money saved up – do you want to go camping in Tenerife or drive around the UK for a week seeing bands? It was a no-brainer. We begged ticket touts in London for a good price and saw The Who at Hyde Park, Red Hot Chili Peppers in Derby, then he took me to T in the Park to see The Who again the next week.”

HE’S A CHANCER (BUT IN A GOOD WAY) “My first job was in Tesco, so I had a high-vis coat I would take to festivals and use to pretend I was security. I sneaked into T in the Park and managed to jump onstage with REM, then Kings of Leon invited me to hang out in their dressing room. I just brassnecked it and explained to everyone what I was doing, and they were all brand new – they all got my demo CD, though.”

HE STILL HAS TO PAY BACK THE GUY WHO MADE IT ALL POSSIBLE “When I moved to London, I would send my songs to as many Scottish people in the industry as possible, and hope they might be able to open a door. Jim Duguid (songwriter for Paolo Nutini and Alex Clare) got back to me and we met up for a coffee, but it was an Edinburgh DJ called Craig Wilson (son of the late DJ Tom) who remixed my song We Are Stars and sent it to 3 Beat Records in Liverpool. They liked it, I signed a deal, and it became my first single. I’m massively grateful to Craig and I hope I can repay him in some way.”

|5|THINGS|YOU|NEED|TO|KNOW|ABOUT...|

CALLUM BEATTIE David Pollock meets the Edinburgh lad on the verge of stardom 76

CULTURE

“

I WAS A YOUNG GUY WITH BIG DREAMS, I’D SIT IN CLASS DRAWING PICTURES OF ME ONSTAGE AT GLASTONBURY.”

HE RECORDED HIS DEBUT ALBUM WITH HIS HEROES “It’s called Lights in Stereo, I wanted it to sound authentic and timeless, so without massive production. Ken Nelson (who recorded Coldplay’s Parachutes and X&Y, as well as Paolo Nutini and The Charlatans) produced it, and he insisted it all come from my voice and guitar. I wrote a song called Bonfires and Ken told me it sounded like The Verve, so we asked (Verve guitarist) Nick McCabe to play on it. I met Kaiser Chiefs when I jumped the fence with my highvis at Meadowbank Stadium, and they asked me to sign my autograph for when I was famous. Their former guitarist Nick Hodgson and I co-wrote a song called San Antonio for the album, we’re good mates now. And he still has the autograph!” Callum Beattie’s We Are Stars EP is out now, go to callumbeattie. co.uk for more info and live dates as they’re announced.

CULTURE

The Hot Ticket

It’s time to get booking these unmissable gigs, shows, and events

BEN SIMS 5 May, Reading Room, Dundee. The techno star helps celebrate Headway’s 13th birthday.

JUN 2017JUL 2018

THE BAND Already the fastest-selling theatre tour ever within hours of going on sale, Tim Firth’s new musical based on the music of Take That will feature the winners of the BBC talent show Let It Shine. It stops at King’s Theatre, Glasgow between 26 June and 07 July 2018 before heading to Edinburgh Playhouse. www.thebandmusical.com

WAR IN AMERICA 24-27 The King’s and Festival Theatre’s MAY youth theatre group, The Attic Collective, has staged a huge coup with its new production. Not only will it bring to light an unproduced and very timely piece of political writing by the acclaimed Scots playwright Jo Clifford, but it will also take audiences inside one of Edinburgh’s most famous and controversial disused buildings. The Former Royal High School, Edinburgh. edtheatres.com RIVERSIDE FESTIVAL 27-28 Run by Slam Events alongside MAY Electric Frog, this established, 5,000-capacity dance music city festival is the natural replacement for the absent T in the Park Slam Tent this year. A first-rate and diverse line-up includes Sven Vath, Nina Kraviz, Art Department, Derrick Carter, Detroit Swindle, Surgeon and local heroes Slam and Jackmaster. Riverside Museum, Glasgow. www.riversidefestivalglasgow.com

THE GUESTLIST

THE BLACK MADONNA 6 May, Sub Club, Glasgow. Mixmag’s DJ of 2016 plays the iconic Subculture for the first time.

EDINBURGH ART FESTIVAL Another of Edinburgh’s big August festivals has also released its programme, and will use the city and its galleries in new and inventive ways. Among the 45 planned exhibitions will be a welcome (albeit temporary) return to use for Inverleith House at the Botanic Gardens, an art walk around Calton Hill presented by the Collective Gallery, and big shows by artists including Ed Ruscha and Douglas Gordon. Various venues. edinburghartfestival.com

27 JUL27 AUG

EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL The programme for the 70th anniversary year of the most prestigious of all Edinburgh’s festivals is now on sale, with a premiere of Alan Ayckbourn’s new play The Divide (presented with London’s Old Vic, who brought Richard II with Alec Guinness to the first Edinburgh festival) among the highlights, alongside shows from PJ Harvey, Jarvis Cocker and Benjamin Clementine. Various venues. www.eif.co.uk

04-28 AUG

HELENA HAUFF 12 May, The Berkeley Suite, Glasgow. Eclectic techno at Healthy, with The Modern Institute and Ewan Chambers in support. FLY OPEN AIR FESTIVAL 20 May, Hopetoun House, near Edinburgh. Bicep, Midland, Denis Sulta, Hunee, Artwork and more at this great one-dayer. MAGIC WHEEL FESTIVAL 20 May, Kincardine Castle, near Aberdeen. A boutique club event featuring Move D, Crazy P Soundsystem, Esa and more.

SPONSORED FEATURE

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n Monday 28 August, the Virgin Money Fireworks Concert will bring the Edinburgh International Festival to a spectacular conclusion, when over 400,000 fireworks are launched from Edinburgh’s iconic castle, accompanied by thrilling live music from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. To make this unforgettable experience even better, you can watch it all while sharing a luxury picnic hamper with your friends and family - just choose your extras when booking your tickets for the concert. There are freshly prepared vegetarian or meat options to choose from, and if you’re feeling indulgent you can add Pimms and chocolates too. Then sit back, relax and enjoy this sparkling celebration of the end of the summer festival season. Virgin Money Fireworks Concert starts at 9pm on 28 August. Visit eif.co.uk/virginmoneyfireworks to find out more and to book tickets. Edinburgh International Festival runs from 04 to 28 August.

EARLY BIRD OFFER Book before 01 July and get your hamper for only £39.50 (RRP £45) or your Pimms and Chocolates for £19.50 (RRP £24). Terms and conditions apply.

jamieprimrose

Tranquil Destinations A glistening journey from London, Provence & The French Riviera, to Italy – Liguria, Tuscany & Venice by Jamie Primrose, contemporary Sottish artist

Friday 9th – Saturday 17th June 2017 The Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh Monday – Friday, 11am – 6pm Saturday and Sunday, 11am – 5pm 6a Dundas Street, Edinburgh EH3 6HZ

“A prolific bestseller” The Herald

t: 0131 446 9510 m: 07947 243 418 e: mari@jamieprimrose.com

“Highly collectable”

“Well-known artist” The Times Scotland on Sunday

www.jamieprimrose.com

CULTURE

THE BOOK SHELF Must-reads for May…

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins (Penguin, out 02 May) When Nel turns up dead in a river known locally as the Drowning Pool, Jules is left to care for the teenage daughter her sister left behind – and whose friend met the same fate earlier that summer. From the author of Girl on the Train, this psychological suspense novel tells the story of a family drowning in secrets. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (Harper Collins, out 18 May) This original tale follows a lonely woman living in Glasgow as she starts to emerge from her solitary life. For Eleanor, this is no small task – first of all, she has to take down the walls she has built around herself then she needs to face the demons that haunt her every day.

Netflix and chill

...with our must-watch top three picks 1: THE KEEPERS Fans of Making a Murderer will be glued to the newest real-life whodunit, coming to Netflix on 19 May. The Keepers tells the story of the 1969 murder of Baltimore nun Sister Cathy, who was believed to know things she shouldn’t about alleged corruption within the Catholic church and police department. Will there be a resolution? Tune in to find out. 2: ANNE WITH AN E When a Breaking Bad writer-producer signs up to be involved in a re-make of Anne of Green Gables, you know it’s going to be a different proposition to the classic. Far from twee, Anne with an E deals with issues including identity, feminism and bullying, the lead character (played by newcomer Amybeth McNulty) a feisty girl set to steal the hearts of viewers. Available from 12 May. 3: HOUSE OF CARDS SEASON 5 Part of the entertainment value of House of Cards used to be the relative ludicrousy of the characters and plot. And then 2017 happened. Enter season five, available to watch from 30 May. With Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright back in the lead roles and Patricia Clarkson and Campbell Scott joining the cast, it’s set to be another gripping series.

DON’T MISS…

the return of Twin Peaks The Woolgrowers Companion By Joy Rhoades (Chatto & Windus, out 8 June) Kate Dowd’s mother raised her to be a lady but she must put away her white gloves and pearls to help save her family’s sheep farm. Set in 1945 New South Wales, Kate finds within herself reserves of strength and rebellion that she could never have expected.

When the ghost of Laura Palmer told Agent Cooper she’d see him again in 25 years in the disturbing 1991 Twin Peaks’ finale, it’s unlikely that many viewers actually believed we would. But here we are, with a new series about to be unveiled. Starring much of the original cast including Kyle MacLachlan and Sherilyn Fenn and from the mind of creators Mark Frost and David Lynch, the two hour-long first episode will air on 22 May on Sky Atlantic (repeated on 23 May). Details of the plot remain secret, but for fans of the classic series, it’s going to be essential viewing. Now, pass the coffee and cherry pie, we’re settling in for a binge.

FEATURES

Lunch Special 2 COURSES - £12 or 3 COURSES - £15 Valid Monday - Friday 12-5pm

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Dine is Edinburgh’s award-winning luxury brasserie and cocktail bar. Menus are designed by Michelin chef Stuart Muir using fresh, local and sustainable produce with fine wines, champagnes and seasonal cocktails available.

DINE WITH WINE WEEKENDS Saturday 12 noon – 3pm / Sunday 12 noon – 4pm 3 course meal / 1 bottle of house wine / £42.50 per couple MARKET & LUNCH MENU Monday-Friday 12-3pm / 2 courses £13.50 / 3 courses £17.50 inc tea or coﬀee

Monday – Saturday from 5pm* / 2 courses £14.50 / 3 courses £17.50 CHAMPAGNE FRIDAYS A bottle of Fourtin Brut NV Champagne for only £35.00, all day from midday *6.30pm is the last sitting for our Market Menu on a Friday or Saturday evening

RESERVATIONS

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i-on food+drink

Move over Mariniere One of Edinburgh's favourite seafood restaurants, Ondine, reveals the recipe to its signature dish

MUSSELS MOUCLADE Serves 4 Ingredients For the mussels 50g diced butter 1kg cleaned mussels 50g finely diced shallots 1 tbsp masala curry paste 1 tin coconut milk 1 bunch chopped coriander For the Poori 250g flour 120g warm water 1 pinch chilli flakes 1 pinch of salt

Method for the Poori 1. Place all the ingredients into a mixer. Using the dough hook, mix on a slow speed until smooth and elastic then allow to rest for 1 hour. 2. Dust the mix with flour then roll out until thin before cutting into disks. 3. Drop the Poori carefully into a fryer (set at 180c), moving them around to achieve an even colour. 4. When they puff up slightly, remove from the fryer and set aside on a drying cloth.

Method for the Mussels 1. In a thick bottomed pan, melt the butter, add the diced shallots and cook on a low heat for one minute, before adding the masala paste and cooking for another minute. 2. Add the mussels, coating completely in the curry and shallots then pour over the coconut milk and cover until the mussels open. 3. Sprinkle with coriander, season and taste. 4. Serve with the warm Poori to mop up all the delicious juices.

If you’d rather leave the hard work to Ondine’s head chef Ishu Mehrotr, visit www.ondinerestaurant.co.uk to book a table.

A RARE FIND Budding cook Amy Falconer learns to cook the perfect steak at Ballintaggart Farm

n cooking, what I lack in skill I make up for in enthusiasm. So when the opportunity arose to attend a new cook school – specifically to learn how to cook the perfect steak – I leapt. Owners, Rachel and Chris, were the husband and wife team behind Edinburgh’s first supper club, Charlie and Evelyn’s Table. Five successful years later, they made the move to London where Chris attended the world-renowned Leith’s School of Food and Wine before working with

Andrew Fairlie and Rick Stein. When he eventually deciding that teaching was his thing, the couple found the perfect place to do it at Ballintaggart Farm, a stunning farmhouse in rural Highland Perthshire that now houses the cook school and two overnight rooms. Just over an hour’s drive from Edinburgh or Glasgow, through rolling hills, we arrived at our destination where we were acquainted with classmates over tea and cake. Then to the kitchen,

and a slow recipe for ragu. A former food stylist for Waitrose, Chris shared tricks for cutting and cubing vegetables, as well as explaining when to add each ingredient to maximise flavour, he taught us how to make perfect gravy with juices from a roast chicken and then it was onto the steak. Turns out, it’s all about timing. To test each stage of cooking, we took the meat off the heat at 30 second intervals and tasted it rare, medium rare and so on, to better understand

FOOD AND DRINK

THREE MORE FOODIE ESCAPES

KINLOCH LODGE

DINNER KICKED OFF BY THE OPEN FIRE, WITH CANAPES OF DUCK CONFIT AND VENISON SALAMI

what happens as it cooks, and how this affects flavour and texture. A break for a lunch of pulled pork with crackling, roast chicken (and our delicious gravy), coleslaw, and soft rolls (with paired wine, no less), set us up for the afternoon when, back in the kitchen, Steve the butcher demonstrated how to correctly butcher a leg of lamb and talked us through the different cuts. We even got to French trim a rack to take home. After a full-on day of learning, our well-earned dinner kicked off by the open fire with canapes of duck confit and venison salami. Then on to the candlelit dining room where we were served a feast of hot smoked salmon on winter leaves with horseradish cream, an earthy, rich venison loin on pearl barley with broccoli and a gooey chocolate brownie with gin

soaked berries, accompanied by a ginger oatcrumb and ginger ice cream. It was divine. Ballintaggart Farm is by far the most thorough cook school I’ve been to. Attention to detail is second to none, and Rachel and Chris are natural hosts. If you’re looking to hone your kitchen skills or just want to relax in beautiful scenery and eat glorious food, Ballintaggart Farm is a good place to start. I’ll see you there. A day at the cook school costs £110 per person including a light lunch. Rooms are £125 per night including breakfast for two, and you can book in for dinner at £45 per person for a five-course menu. For details on upcoming courses and to book, visit www.ballintaggart.com.

GASTRONOMIC TOUR This three-night getaway is a fast track to Skye’s best food hotspots. Taking in a selection of local producers and artisans, the package incorporates Marcello Tully’s unique Cookery Workshops. www.kinloch-lodge.co.uk SCOTTISH SEAFOOD TRAIL Enjoy the freshest of seafood and wonderful scenery on this trail throughout the Western Highlands. Features include a boat trip with a creel fisherman as he hauls in langoustines and brown crabs, and a seafood lunch at the famous Loch Fyne Oyster Bar & Restaurant. Accommodation is in three carefully-chosen small hotels and inns. www.mckinlaykidd.com SPEYSIDE WHISKY & BEER TOUR This tour takes you into the Scottish Highlands’ heart of ‘malt whisky country’ and features visits to eight distilleries. Includes three nights accommodation. www.scottishroutes.com

Fwad Afzal on life with an omnivore...

HE SAYS,

One couple on how his veganism

es, I know: you “couldn't give up bacon, cheese, or milk in tea”. That’s the most common thing said to me since I moved to a completely plant-based diet two years ago, followed by "but how do you get your protein?". Well, there’s about 39 grams of protein in a cup of chickpeas, as you’re asking. The truth is, I became vegan largely for health reasons and I’ve never had any problems ‘getting my protein’ or any other nutrients. In fact, I feel fitter and healthier than ever. Being in a relationship with an omnivore raises challenges – two days ago, Carine sent me an audio clip of bacon sizzling immediately after we had a heated phone conversation about it being a carcinogen (not my opinion but that of the World Health Organisation). She likes to occasionally boast to me that she’s been practically vegan that day, asidefromthesalmonatlunchtime. I can practically hear PETA clambering over themselves to high five her. She reckons she could easily ditch dairy and stop eating meat, but couldn’t live without seafood so she ‘might just become pescatarian’. Aaaaany day now. Just as soon as she gets this steak out of the way. And the Camembert. You get the picture. Is there change in the air? Honestly, it's up to her. But she knows one of us is going to live forever and she simply can't enjoy immortality by mere association. Ultimately, food beliefs are deeply personal and often linked with family or culture. Carine's definitely the best cook between us. Her infamous roast chicken lunches bring friends together and have become a tradition for her young daughter now too, and there’s no denying the joy that comes from long meals filled with conversation and laughter. But I get just as much pleasure from these occasions by eating food that isn’t derived from an animal source. If you’d tasted her roast hassleback potatoes, you’d be more than happy with just a plate of those too.

“TWO DAYS AGO, CARINE SENT ME AN AUDIO CLIP OF BACON SIZZLING IMMEDIATELY AFTER WE HAD A HEATED PHONE CONVERSATION ABOUT IT BEING A CARCINOGEN”

OPINION

SHE SAYS

comes between them in the kitchen

Carine Seitz on why she just can’t give up meat...

“WHILST PLANT-BASED MIGHT BE THE DIET DU JOUR, PLEASE SEE ALSO: ALL THE SEAFOOD, POACHED EGGS, CHOCOLATE, CHEESE, AND ER, ROAST CHICKEN”

’m on board with Fu’s vegansim – I’ve made meringues out of aquafaba (chickpea brine, to the uninitiated), I’ve bought brewer’s yeast, I’ve even eaten vegan cheese (as good as it sounds). And I’m all for clean eating, but I just can’t make the shift to meat-free. Whilst plant-based might be the diet du jour, please see also: all the seafood, poached eggs, chocolate, cheese, and er, ROAST CHICKEN. Just typing the words makes me salivate. There’s surely nothing better, no more delicious, more comforting than a roast? Despite our ‘conflicting approach to food’, one of mine and Fu's favourite things is eating out together. We just need to factor in at least an hour for deciding where to eat – and then nine times out of ten the server assumes that I’m the vegan, what with Fu being built like a bull (living proof that vegans aren’t weaklings). Other than that, it’s a pretty peaceful union. Oh, aside from that time I moved his B12 supplement so he forgot to take it (the only reliable vegan sources of B12 are fortified foods and supplements, and very low intake can cause anemia and nervous system damage. JUST SAYING.). My only real bone of contention is that Fu can’t cook. Recently, I furnished him with four (plant-based) cookbooks. Lo and behold: several hours, a LOT of fennel, and one very messy kitchen later, we had a ‘warm salad’ for dinner. Progress. And considerably more impressive than his usual fare which basically consists of beige-things-fashioned-fromchickpeas: hummus, chips with hummus, and a lot of falafel. I should stress that Fu never preaches, he respects other people’s food choices. However, he does like to regularly remind me that as a vegan, he’s basically immortal and I’ll die way before him, of heart disease. Which is nice. If the B12 deficiency doesn’t get him first…

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

We undertake the arduous task of checking out Edinburgh and Glasgow’s coolest new restaurants

FORAGE & CHATTER Nicky Howden visits the atmospheric new restaurant in the West End of the capital

he first venture for Cameron McNeil, protégée of chef Angela Hartnett, Forage & Chatter’s emphasis is on foraged finds (the clue’s in the name), and specifically those within a 25-mile radius. Inside, it’s cosy and relaxed with quirky interior touches like plant pots as light shades. We sat in the light and airy conservatory where our culinary experience started with a glass of delicious Italian Rosato Spumante, £7.50, and South African-style bread (essentially fried dough balls), served with a homemade yoghurt butter and pesto. My starter of melt-in-the-mouth cured trout with herb pesto and aioli, £7.50, shouldn’t be missed. Nor should the mushroom carpaccio, goats’ cheese and herbs, £8.50. Delivered weekly by the professional forager, the mushrooms’ blend of different textures

creates a culinary masterpiece. Mains kept up the picture-perfect standard. Curried butter monkfish, £17.50, tasted divine as did spiced Scotch lamb, £19. Desserts are equally appealing and we received our sugar fix with Valrhona Chocolate, £6. A welcome addition to the city’s food scene, Forage & Chatter offers great food, top service and a chilled vibe. Photos by Susie Lowe

1A Alva St, EH2 4PH. Tel: 0131 225 4599. www.forageandchatter.com

FOOD AND DRINK

A’CHALLTAINN Tracey McCallum bags a table at the hip seafood joint in the heart of BAaD at the Glasgow Barras

’Challtainn (pronounced A Cawl Tain) shares an industrial courtyard space in the heart of the market, a bright open restaurant that magically transforms into a cosy setting as the evening light fades. With a glass of Prosecco, £5.50, for me and a bottle of Tuborg, £3.80, for him; we got stuck into the menu. I chose cullen skink, £6, a hearty soup served with sourdough, while across the table, his scallops, £11, were plump, golden and served on pea puree with pancetta and truffle oil, tasting as good as they looked. Mains didn’t disappoint either: roasted monkfish on a crab and asparagus risotto, topped with a pistachio crumb, £19, was meaty and delicious; whole seabass with soy ginger and coriander, £16, was zingy and

fresh. A shared side of handcut chips with lemon mayo, £4, meant we were too full for pudding, and a subsequent attempt at a cheeseboard, £7, defeated us. We’ll give those a proper go next time. 54 Calton Entry, G40 2SB. Tel: 0141 237 9220. www.baadglasgow.com/achalltainn

FOOD AND DRINK

LOVAGE Amy Falconer samples seasonal food with a Polish twist at this unassuming Edinburgh eatery

he focus of chef brothers Lukasz and Bartek Jedrejek is seasonal Scottish produce with a Polish touch. We started with pork cheek, £8.95, and steak tartare, £9.95, matched with Romanian Chardonnay, £4.80 a glass. They arrived pretty as a picture; confit pork cheek (with fuchsia pink rhubarb, chive mash, cumin jus and charred wild leek) melted in the mouth; and the steak tartare served with beetroot, wasabi, bread tuile and a quail egg was delicious. Lamb rump, £20.95, was served with plums, almonds, celeriac, dates and kale, a heady mix of earthy and sweet; and the pork, £18.95, which came with sauerkraut, black pudding, apple, lardo and horseradish, was cooked to perfection. Dinner was rounded off with chocolate cremeux, £6.95 and cheese, £9.95. My dish of gooey chocolate came with banana ice cream which I wolfed down while guarding the dish from my partner who was devouring the cheeseboard with equal gusto. 38 St Mary’s Street, EH1 1SX. Tel: 0131 557 5754. www.lovagerestaurant.co.uk

Photos by Susie Lowe

BEST OF THE REST ALCHEMILLA London chef Rosie Healey brings her Ottolenghi pedigree to Glasgow’s Argyle Street in Alchemilla. Co-owned by Fergus McVicar (Chinaski’s), the open kitchen provides a full view of what she’s up to. Expect simple ingredients and skillful cooking.

JULIE’S KOPITIAM Julie’s Malaysian street food has garnered cult-status with those in-the-Glasgow-know, her pop-up attracting hungry diners in their droves. The good news is she’s about to open a permanent residence on Pollokshaws Road – form an orderly queue.

OTRO The owners of Edinburgh success story New Chapter have ventured to Coates Crescent in the West End where they’ve opened Otro (‘other’). Offering brasserie classics, it looks set to follow in its sister restaurant’s footsteps. Full review coming soon…

Noodle Bar

WEEKDAY EXPRESS LUNCH FROM ONLY ÂŁ5.95*

Simple and nutritious Japanese food in the heart of Glasgow; from noodles and rice to bento boxes, sushi, tempura and kushiyaki. Sit-in or takeaway. We are just a two minute walk away from George Square and Queen Street rail station. 52 Queen Street Glasgow G1 3DS 0141 204 4200 www.ichiban.co.uk

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i-on Eating and Drinking guide Four pages of food and drink news and inspiration

BIER HOOSE Specialising in over 80 of the best German, Belgian and British beers, the Bier Hoose is the place to go for something a little different. Alongside their extensive beer menu, they serve quality German sausages from Crombies of Edinburgh. 379 Leith Wk, EH7 5HN, Tel: 0131 629 2731, www.facebook.com/bierhoose

WUDON Serving delicious noodles, wonderful wee plates and fresh sushi in a contemporary and relaxed environment, this family owned restaurant uses authentic ingredients to deliver tasty and healthy dishes. 535 Great Western Rd, Kelvinbridge, G12 8HN, Tel: 0141 357 3033, www.wudon-noodlebar.co.uk

HENDERSON WINES Good food deserves great wine so head to Henderson Wines for the perfect combination. Established in 2001, they offer advice and can carefully select a pairing to suit every occasion. Beers, spirits and glass hire is also available. 109 Comiston Rd, EH10 6AQ, Tel: 0131 447 8580, www.hendersonwines.co.uk

LE DI-VIN WINE BAR Le Di-Vin serves a range of small plates and sharing platters to complement your favourite wine, most sold by the glass. Enjoy a complimentary cheese or charcuterie tapas platter when you buy a bottle of wine, Monday - Wednesday, 3-6pm. 9 Randolph Pl, EH3 7TE, Tel: 0131 538 1815, www.ledivin.co.uk

THE CALEY SAMPLE ROOM The Caley Sample Room believes in using fresh ingredients, locally sourced when possible, from homemade burgers to the popular Caley Sunday roast. The laid back gastro pub also boasts a great crafted wine and beer selection. 42-58, Angle Park Terr, EH11 2JR, Tel: 0131 3377 204, www.thecaleysampleroom.co.uk

THE PANTRY The team at The Pantry likes to keep things simple and uses only the best ingredients. Coming to Colinton this month, the new venue will be open from 9am seven days a week for breakfast, brunch and lunch, and for dinner Wednesday to Saturday. 2-4 Bridge Rd, EH13 0LF, Tel: 0131 629 4420, www.thepantryedinburgh.co.uk