Wild Food

GO WILD

Foraging won’t solve the cost of living crisis, but expert forager, herbalist and ethnobotanist Mo Wilde tells Ailsa Sheldon that adding wild foods to our diet could benefit both health and happiness

Mo Wilde recently spent a year only eating food she foraged in Scotland, an experience she believes fostered a deeper relationship with the land. ‘If you choose to go foraging, you are choosing to have that direct connection with nature and this planet,’ says Wilde. ‘A lot of people think that foraging is about taking from the world. It’s not: it actually very quickly becomes a far deeper connection of stewardship. Because if you trash the place, you’re not gonna get seconds.’

Gut-health specialists agree that modern diets lack diversity. Over 50% of the world’s calories come from just three species (wheat, corn and rice) with soya and potatoes not far behind. In a year, Wilde ate 300 species of plants, 87 species of funghi and 20 species of seaweed. Should we all abandon the supermarkets and go foraging? ‘Most people are not going to go on a fully fledged forest diet,’ she says, ‘but I say to people, “add one wild thing a day”; you know, as a garnish, as a tea, or even as a side.’

You don’t have to live in the countryside to add foraged food into your diet. ‘Most ingredients that we forage are not found in the depths of pristine wilderness, they’re found wherever humans disrupt the edge; the edges of parks, the edges of fields, the edges of woods and the edges of ditches,’ says Wilde. ‘When we break up the mat of the grass or cover of the forest, that’s where we create opportunities.’

Foragers develop a renewed appreciation for the changing seasons. ‘Now the leaves are falling off the trees, we’re starting to get the red sunrises that herald the end of summer and the start of autumn. All the seedheads are brown, and people start to say, “oh god, I’m dreading the winter”. When you forage, you’re sad summer has come to an end, but there’s the smell of the fungi in the woods and knowing that they’re just waiting for that rain, for that moistness. And as the grasses and vegetation die back and everything becomes limp and wet, that pink purslane will come up in November and take its day in the sun without having to compete with everything else. And the sorrels in the cool woods will become so much crisper.’

Wilde notes that there’s something in every season that is special and which changes how people feel about nature and the outdoors. ‘People say, “oh no, the weather in Scotland”, but that’s only if you’re inside looking out the window. When you’re actually outside, it’s not like that at all. It’s a very different experience.’

Mo Wilde’s book The Wilderness Cure is out now, published by Simon & Schuster. To find a foraging guide, go to foragers-association. org or get involved in this year’s Foraging Fortnight across Scotland, Saturday 3–Sunday 18 September, foragingfortnight.co.uk

There was a salutary mood down on Pitt Street as Leith hosted its last ever Pitt food market on 28th August, before it all moves to Granton in spring next year. The new site is considerably bigger, with space to host 20 vendors compared to the current six, and so it’s with excitement rather than heavy hearts that we say goodbye to this game-changing spot. Before signing off, though, the venue hosted the Scottish Street Food Awards one final time, and this year’s winners, Junk, are now taking their ‘fine dining-meets-junk food’ ethos down to the British awards in September. Meanwhile, the winner of the People’s Choice nod was Kochchi, whose Sri Lankan delights are now part of the offering up at Bonnie & Wild food hall in St James Quarter.

Over in Glasgow, the West End gets some baked-goods lovin’ with Pasteis Lisbo, an Iberic deli/bakery hanging its hat on handmade pastel de nata (custard tarts), landing on Byres Road, while much-loved Colombian café Andina has opened a second spot in Finnieston after a successful couple of years at their Dennistoun original.

Meanwhile, both cities continue to climb towards pizza zenith, with the Bread Meats Bread group opening the Neapolitan-style Leopardo in Glasgow Fort shopping centre at the end of September, and good old Gordon Ramsay getting in on the act in Stockbridge with his first Street Pizza offering outside of London. If it’s the same as the London ones, then it’s bottomless pizza. All you can eat. We shall see . . .

side dishes

Pasteis Lisbo

street food

We choose a street and tell you where to eat. Suzy Pope embarks on a twopart culinary tour of Leith Walk. First up, she treks from the Foot of the Walk up to Iona Street

ORIGANO

Handmade pasta dishes and gourmet pizzas are on the menu at this casual spot, which radiates Italian rusticana. A stone pizza oven roars away and the mood is set by flickering candlelight. Spinacio pizza topped with oozing egg and cannelloni stuffed to bursting are the highlights. The wine selection is curated by independent merchants Great Grog.

WOODLAND CREATURES

Deluxe cocktails topped with charred marshmallows, small plates focused on Scottish produce and a wide selection of craft beers attract newcomers to this friendly pub. But it’s the faultless service and neighbourhood feel that keeps a stream of regulars calling back. Plus they do a mean Sunday lunch.

ORINOCO

This fast and friendly Venezuelan streetfood joint serves up a menu of arepas, empanadas and cachapa (stuffed corn pancake). It’s the kind of place people make a pilgrimage across Edinburgh to visit, just to try those arepas (corn bread with Latinspiced fillings). Orinoco offers takeaway and delivery only.

KREMA BAKEHOUSE

Slabs of red velvet cake and a rainbow of photo-perfect cupcakes might tempt passers-by into this takeaway cake shop at the bottom of the Walk. But made-to-order brioche (topped with fresh strawberries, or perhaps vanilla cream and piped with a filling of your choice) is the star of the show.

URBAN JUNGLE

This sleek and trendy spot offers casual brunch, coffee and cake amid lush, green foliage. Verdant houseplants for sale create a botanical backdrop to meals of feta and avocado on freshly baked sourdough and single-origin Brazilian coffees.

BAKERY/CAFE

OUTLIER

Up until a few months ago, if you were in the Gallowgate and in a queue, it was for a gig at The Barras. But then Outlier began pricking the consciousness of the weekend brunch crowd, and now the start of London Road has a trendy buzz about it.

Certain elements are striking upon entering. First, the size: high ceilings and a space that stretches way back give it a utilitarian warehouse quality that’s contrasted by glazed tiles and waxy plantlife. It’s bigger than we’re used to for breakfast. Then there’s all the bakery equipment. Loads of it. This is a bakery-café with a big emphasis on the first bit; fully functioning, all around you, turning out a serious spread of goods (we’re talking 20-plus options). There’s cardamom and custard tarts, summer berry frangipanes, earthy sourdough, and decadently oleaginous and chewy focaccia. Sometimes, more is more.

Except when it’s not, of course, and that means a ‘menu’ of the day which is simply two sandwiches; one’s a riff on fried chicken (always) and the other’s veggie. It’s the chicken that they queue for. Once a batch is ready, it seems like half the tables in the place get them brought over in swift succession. Components like mooli slaw and pickled chilli ping and pop on the palate, while a crisp batter of miso and orange leaves a drawn-out, sticky-spicy growl that lingers.

Every element is exciting and has its place: between two slices of delicious bread. As mid-morning becomes early afternoon, those burgeoning counters are often near-enough empty. It’s the place to go. (David Kirkwood) n 38 London Road, Glasgow, instagram.com/outlier.gla

RESTAURANT

ROKKO ROKKO DESU

Tucked away on St Stephen Street in Stockbridge, this cosy ramen bar is like a little slice of late-night Tokyo amid the neighbouring townhouses. An ink-black and raw-wood motif feels Japanese zen, but there’s an upbeat quirkiness to the neon-painted cornices and classic rock and hip hop on the sound system.

It’s a precision menu, with just four or five variations of ramen and five or six sides and snacks. Noodles are handmade every day and are served slightly al dente in big bowls of steaming broth. The menu changes regularly, but the signature Rokko Ramen and Toky-No veggie option are almost guaranteed to be on the board. The Rokko Ramen has all the tang and flavour of a traditional tonkotsu broth topped with melt-in-the-mouth slices of pork belly and a gooey egg: it’s the epitome of soul food.

Then there are the seasonal dishes that shake it up a bit; a bisque-like broth topped with softshell crab and a venison tataki, both an homage to Scotland’s produce but packed with Japanese flavour. With its cosy interior and steaming bowls of umami-rich ramen, this is definitely a spot for the shorter nights and colder weather. (Suzy Pope)

n 112 St Stephen Street, Edinburgh, rokkorokkodesu.com

DRINK UP

In our regular drinks column, Kevin Fullerton tries a few tasty beverages and lets you know exactly what he thinks of them. This month we need to talk to Kevin about . . . pale ale

In the good old days, pubs gave you a simple choice between a pint of Tennent’s or a punch in the face, both of which were welcomed like the embrace of an old friend. Then came craft beer, and with it a tsunami of flavours, hues and viscosity levels. Now, in this Jetsons age where everyone’s getting pissedup from a microbrewery in their garage, even scheme pubs have IPA on tap, and it’s difficult to discuss beer without highfalutin terms like ‘mouthfeel’, ‘sessionability’ or ‘wet hopped’ infecting the conversation. I’m a sucker for trends as much as any drinks reviewer, so let’s sample three craft beers of the pale ale variety and see if they tickle our tonsils.

First on the bar tab is Stewart Brewing Ka Pai South Pacific Pale Ale, a light and fruity number that parades the taste of mango with single-minded zealotry. It’s as good as any drink from Stewart Brewing, yet its over-reliance on tropical overtones creates the impression that this pale ale is designed for someone who doesn’t particularly like beer. Although machine-tooled for the populous palate, South Pacific remains a step up from the mono-flavour of its arch-rival BrewDog. Approachability’s part of the point, so think of it as a gateway to purer beer and enjoy yourself.

The same can’t be said for Edinburgh Beer Factory Untitled IPA, a smoky, malt-centred delight that welcomes you into the domain of unfettered booze. Despite a strong malt overtone, Untitled would make a stilt walker jealous for its faultless balance of hoppiness and milder fruity aftertaste. Keep flying the alcoholic flag, Untitled: I love you.

For liver lovers comes the alcohol-free Drynks Unlimited Smashed Pale Ale. It looks like beer, it tastes like beer (a bit), and the label loudly proclaims ‘PALE ALE’ in a doth-protesttoo-much fashion. But Smashed’s overall sensibility is like an encounter with a shapeshifting alien masquerading as your lover. This skin-wearing impostor gets the gist, but its Martian touch is woefully unable to hit the pleasure points of the real thing, leaving you with the limp swirl of barley lingering on your unstimulated tongue. Smashed I was not, impressed even less so.

BAR FILES We ask creative folks to reveal their favourite watering hole

WRITER AND POET ALYCIA PIRMOHAMED

When asked to name my favourite pub in Edinburgh, The Royal Oak immediately came to mind. I was introduced to it by a poet friend of mine, Dorothy Lawrenson, and was captivated by the atmosphere from my first visit. The very best thing about the pub is the live music, which is often traditional folk music. Every time I visit this vibrant pub, I genuinely feel like I’m a part of a community, of something exciting and special that the musicians and warm environment create.  Alycia Pirmohamed discusses her new book Another Way To Split Water at Lighthouse Bookshop, Edinburgh, Thursday 1 September and Portobello Bookshop, Edinburgh, Tuesday 6 September.