A celebration of all things Scottish this weekend. We are taking advantage of Burns Night falling on a Saturday this year to have an indulgent traditional Supper complete with Kilted Piper, Chieftain Haggis and a tasting of Whiskies and Malts from across the Highlands.
Our host for the evening is Barry Smith, Professor of Philosophy at UCL, Broadcaster and Raconteur – an expert on all things gustatory and, in particular, the nuances and flavours of Malts.
As well as toasting the Pudding with a few lines from the Baird, Barry will guide us through the nuances and distinctions between the following:
- Glenfarclas 10 Year Old
- Clynelish 14 Year Old
- Bruichladdich Islay Barley
- Lagavullin 16 Year Old
All that plus a delicious menu – Cock-a-Leekie (from the yard), Haggis from Bels Butchers in Melrose with Tatties and Neeps and Cranachan served with the last of the Raspberries we put aside in the Autumn. Last remaining tickets available here
We carry on the Scottish theme on Sunday morning when we launch our Breakfast/Brunch menu for the first time. As we have a store full of our own cured bacon and the hens have started to lay again after their mid-winter break, we decided that this would be the perfect time to start serving Sunday Morning Brunch!
Of course, we Southerners are apt to call this “The Full English” but it might, more appropriately, be called The Full Scottish! That at least is the claim made by Diane Purkiss in her book English Food – A People’s History. She can find no written trace of what we now call The Full English before 1775 when Samuel Johnson wrote “if an epicure could remove by a wish, in quest of sensual gratification, wherever he had supped he would breakfast in Scotland”. This, in turn, was consolidated into gastronomic lore in Walter Scott’s 1814 novel, Waverly: “Miss Bradwardine presided over the tea and coffee, the table laded with warm bread …. together with eggs, reindeer ham …marmalade and all other delicacies which induced even Johnson himself to extol the virtues of a Scotch breakfast”
We will, unfortunately, not be serving Reindeer Ham this weekend but we do have delicious Saddleback Bacon, Eggs, Coco Beans on Sourdough Toast, Shakshuka, rich Porridge served with Jersey Cream and Poached Rhubarb….
