According to the French newspaper Le Monde the quality of Edinburgh’s restaurants is to be praised.
In a lengthy piece published in its cultural offshoot, M le Mag it debunks popular misconceptions about Scottish cuisine, and the author points out that outside of London, Edinburgh is home to highest number of Michelin-star restaurants in the UK.
Indeed, the city’s growing potential is outlined by French chef Jérome Henry, who has just
opened his own restaurant in the Scottish capital, Le Roi Fou on Forth Street. Henry, who was once head chef at the prestigious Mosimann’s Private Dining Club in London, declares that the city is fast becoming one of the most ‘dynamic’ centres of gastronomy in Europe.
A number of household names are cited, such as Leith’s The Kitchin by Tom Kitchin and Martin Wishart’s eponymous restaurant Martin Wishart. Attention is equally paid to the recent development of St Andrew Square, where The Ivy, Dishoom, Vapiano, Gaucho, and The Refinery all add to the mix.
But it’s not just Edinburgh that’s making waves on the global food scene. Indeed, food and drink has always been an important part of Scotland’s tourist package, with a marked emphasis on the whisky variety of the latter, and the food and drinks industry is worth around £13.5bn per year.
And the development of Scotland’s gastronomical sector, with the development of the so-called ‘gin trail’, the rise in popularity of microbreweries, and the increased sales of Scottish fish to European countries, will please tourism bosses who, since 2007, have highlighted food and drink as a target for growth.
Only last night at the National Museum of Scotland there was a celebration of Scotland Food and Drink which is now ten years old.
Thanks to everyone who has supported us in the last ten years, here is to the next decade #scotfoodTEN pic.twitter.com/oFzT2yZxdK
— Scotland Food&Drink (@scotfooddrink) November 30, 2017
In another endorsement of the importance of food to Scotland, The Scottish Government earlier this week appointed Gary Maclean, winner of Masterchef: The Professionals, as the country’s first National Chef.
Gary Maclean said: “As a passionate advocate for cooking fresh, nutritious and locally sourced food, I am absolutely delighted to be appointed Scotland’s first National Chef. I’m sure my passion for education will also help to promote the benefits that Scottish produce can have on a healthy diet and will help to change our relationship with locally sourced and produced food.”
During a visit to Edinburgh’s Grassmarket Community Café with Minister for Public Health, Aileen Campbell, Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy, said: “The appointment of Gary Maclean as our National Chef will play a central role in celebrating the rich larder of produce that we have available and advocate the use of locally sourced, healthy, sustainable and affordable food.
“Scotland’s food and drink sector is a global success story and one of the main contributors to our economy. We want to build upon this success by becoming a world leading Good Food Nation where nutritious, fresh and environmentally sustainable food is a key part of what makes people proud of their country and Gary will play a leading role in delivering this ambition.”
