Centotre, George Street
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Fresh Simple Scottish: an ethos we stand by

July 3, 2012

The Scottish Cafe – FRESH SIMPLE SCOTTISH

This is an ethos we stand by when creating our menus.

FRESH encapsulates a lot more than just being fresh. The products that we use are fresh because they’re local.  As well as cutting down on the air miles and our carbon footprint, it also helps us support local producers.  The relationships we have with those producers means that when we use the product, it’s at its best – the best flavour, the best texture and it reaches the plate in the best possible condition.

We use ingredients when they’re in season, which is the key to why we change our menus 11 times a year.  When our menus change it’s to bring the best of that season – that month even – in front of you.

It’s hard work to do this and we put a huge amount of effort working with our 62 suppliers.  And we’re not standing still – we’re increasing the number of suppliers to ensure we have excellent quality seasonal ingredients all year round.

Every month I try to find a new Scottish supplier.  For June it was Hood’s Scottish Blossom Honey.  Until Victor can produce our own honey, Hood’s Honey is fantastic and they’re based at Ormiston in East Lothian.

The last big find was Hebridean Sea Salt - and we were the first in Edinburgh to get to use it.  A great find even if I do say so myself!

Every time one of our local suppliers has a new product we will try it.  Our rapeseed oil supplier, Summer Harvest Oils, has just started a range of great fruit vinegars – so again this is something we will be incorporating into our menus.

It’s great to use our own produce and Erica, our gardener, is keeping me informed on what we are growing and when it will be ready… very, very exciting!

SIMPLE – again this is letting the ingredients speak for themselves, having them as the shining star on the plate.  We don’t try to over complicate the flavour and try to marry the main item with a balance.

SCOTTISH – this again is a pleasure to incorporate into our menu. The Scottish larder is one of the best in the world, with excellent fish, shellfish, lobster, game, beef and its worldwide reputation.  I didn’t know how amazing it was until i came to work in Scotland… 12 years ago.

We’re very lucky to be able to have our ethos as Fresh, Simple, Scottish and we stand by it!

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