dellis453

Nick, I suggest a trip to Edinburgh Farmers' market will help you. There are plenty of suppliers there who have great produce including Austin Davis for game. Also check out Whitmuir Organics who have butchers on site www.whitmuirorganics.co.uk For fish, I find you cannot beat Eddie's Seafood in Roseneath Street Do have a look at my blog too. edinburghfoody.com - there are plenty of treasures to discover, such as Sunnyside Farm, Great Glen Game etc

Apologies, the link is not working correctly. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?app=gallery&module=images&img=145435 It was our first visit and we were amazed - could have spent hours there! Danielle Edinburgh Scotland

Just to share some photos taken at Dehillerin recently. It was our first visit and we were amazed - could have spent hours there! Danielle Edinburgh Scotland

If you are into serious walking, why not venture even further north to Scotland? We'd highly recommend Monachyle Mhor after walking on Beinn Tulaichean - very walker friendly (Scones are cooked to order!), really excellent local food. Plenty of lower level hills like Meall An t-Seallaidh 852 metres. http://www.monachylemhor.com/ http://www.munromagic.com www.scottishhills.com

So pleased you enjoyed the Kitchin. Just to answer your comment about Samphire, this is a "sea vegetable" sometimes call asparagus of the sea. It's found along the Scottish coast and is very delicious! Samphire description Danielle Ellis

For the central belt in Scotland and a little further afield, I would recommend the List Eating & Drinking Guide. A new edition is out soon. All restaurants are personally reviewed. They do try to emphasise the positive! Look out particularly for the Hit List - the top restaurants in each category. The current guide is also available on line. http://www.list.co.uk/eating-and-drinking/

All the list reviews are available onlineonline.They are just starting to review for 2009. I would suggest lunch time forays to the Kitchin, the Plumed Horse (both Michelin starred) and a friend of mine's restaurant Redwood, based in Stockbridge. This is Californian food using Scottish ingredients. Annette is a native Californian. Wedgwood on the Royal Mile is pretty good too. Hanedan is firmly on the list, thank you. The dogs menu looks great, so I'm pretty sure it's also a go. Though, I'm not sure what "David Ramsden's style of service" means? Your last three suggestions I don't believe I've come across, so I'll look them up. Thanks! ←

If you use an ice cream maker, it makes the ice cream smoother. I too do not have one. If you have a food processor, freeze the mixture until nearly solid (or if very solid leave out of the freezer a little while), then put it into the food processor and whizz round (you may have to do this in batches), then put back to refreeze.

I think you'll find this is quite a small machine and it would really restrict you making soups etc. I've had various processors in the past and would really recommend spending out on a good one as cheaper versions are really not up to tough jobs. Since I have had my magimix, I've used it for so many things. It even beats egg whites beautifully. Yes, it does pulse. It's a great way of controlling what you are chopping. Nisbets had the best offer when I was buying mine.

I enjoyed Sous le Nez - made me very welcome when dining on my own on a business trip. Set menu with specials - very French.

Check out the Hit List on the The List website according to the type of cuisine you want to experience. These are the best out of the hundreds reviewed this year.

If you go for a pre-theatre dinner (which in practice just means early usually before 7.30) you can eat at great restaurants at a reasonable price. For instance, we ate at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society society the other night where three courses were about £17 (although mainly for members, you can eat at the restaurant) The following restaurants all have good food and are reasonably priced. I've included links to the List which offers independents review of restaurants for Edinburgh. Also, you can book on www.5pm.co.uk which is very good for last minute bookings. If you like fish, try Fishers or the Mussel Inn (both good for kids!) The Atrium for a stylish, delicious meal - they do a set menu for around £25 Forth Floorat Harvey Nichols for one of the best views in Edinburgh Do enjoy your visit!

For a great bistrot, check out Urban Angel, http://www.list.co.uk/restaurants/everywhe...enue/detail.php For fish check out the Mussel Inn http://www.list.co.uk/restaurants/everywhe...enue/detail.php For very modern Indian, check out Roti. http://www.list.co.uk/restaurants/everywhe...enue/detail.php It is always worth booking, especially at weekends! Of course, don't miss the farmers' market on Castle Terrace on Saturday mornings. The Kitchin currently has an 8 week waiting list for Saturday dining and is full most nights, so book now for a chance! Enjoy your visit!!

Hi there! The wedding is on Waiheke. We are now booked to go on a short Abel Tasman trip over Christmas, so just working on New Year - probably either Christchurch or Wellington I think. We are in the country from 17th Dec to 3 January (wedding on 21st). Suggestions welcome particularly of eating places, in no particular order(yet!), we are visiting Auckland, Waiheke, Rotorua, Wellington, Christchurch, Fox Glacier, Abel Tasman - phew! And Doubtful sound if we can manage it

Can you recommend any food tours (any length) that will take place between 22 December and 3rd January, North or South Island More interested in the food aspect rather than wine tours. Any suggestions very welcome

We're attending a wedding on Waiheke island on 21 December and are wondering where best to spend Christmas day and New Year. Where would be best to head for? What should we expect?? Very open to suggestions on North or South Island.

We had been warned, Good Friday was probably not the best time to arrive in Reykjavik. The poor souls you saw trudging about were all tourists who had made the same mistake. Luckily some restaurants were open. We had chosen Tveir Fisker (Two Fish). The menu sounded delicious but was unfortunately over fussy with a lot of different flavours competing for one another. We tried the dolphin carpaccio which had very little taste but some great lemon, and langoustines which were fine. The two main courses came with identical towers of vegetables but were otherwise forgetable:Roasted monkfish with wild mushrooms ragoút and port wine balsamic syrup and Pan-fried artic char with caramelized raisin and lemon sauce. Mains were more than £20 each. Our deserts were a long time coming, the waiter apologised an offered them free on the house as they had had an accident with them! Sykr (a type of yogurt) pannacota was fine but like flavoured soft cheese than a pannacotta. Meanwhile, more and more foreign visitors filled the restaurant .... By the way, do order coffee not latte, cappuccino or americano in a cafe. You then get a pot of a delicious brew at any cafe (at least 3 cups) which will supply any caffeine lover's needs. The second evening, we found a gem. Icelandic Fish and Chips. Many Icelandic families were enjoying their meals here. The formula is simple. All organic produce, no white flour and no sugar. Choose the type of fish you fancy (from a list of about 6). This is then cooked in the lightest imaginable batter (made with spelt flour) and served with crispy potoatoes (rather like roast potatoes). Add a side order of "skyronnaise" a mayonnaise-like sauce made with skyr and you have the perfect meal. There were at least 6 flavours including coriander and lime or mango which really enhanced the flavour of the fish - delicious. Prices by Iceland standards were very good about £11 for this meal. They make their own soft drinks. Children are very welcome. Each table is provided with crayons and a paper cloth - most adults just had to doodle. The owner's father says that they are looking to open in the UK. I do hope so!! No website: Tryggvagotu8 101 Reykjavik +354 5 11 11 18. This is in the harbour area almost opposite Tveir Fisker

My favourite is the cafe inside the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh. Renowned for their scones (both savoury and sweet), they also have fabulous home made soup (2 different varieties each day) a range of tasty dishes and other cakes. I particularly like that you can help yourself to coffee, and although it always looks full by the time you get to the end of the queue you always find a space. The staff are just lovely too! http://www.list.co.uk/restaurants/everywhe...enue/detail.php

Have a look at http://www.discoverthetaste.com/reviews/Christmas_05.htm my site I know, I attended a fascinating event last year and these were a couple of the recipes. The Het Pint is particularlygood!

← Nothing so exotic Matthew that's the name of the nearest village - it was a selection of wild mushrooms

My husband enjoys bagging Munros. After each long day on the hills the essential thing is to find a good place for tea. The day he came home exclaiming “they baked the scones to order”, I knew he must have found a very special place. The day following, good friends rang to say “we had the most amazing lunch yesterday”. Amazingly it turned out to be one and the same place. Monachyle Mhor is not exactly a place you would come to by accident, it’s a 4-mile drive from the main road and Balquhidder along the side of Loch Voil. Last Saturday the loch was so calm, the trees were reflecting in the water. The hotel is painted bright pink, which might make you assume a particular type of interior. Stepping inside, you’ll find a modern interior that wouldn’t look out of place in a city setting. We opted to go straight to our table in the Conservatory, past a bookcase of well thumbed cookery books from all over the world (which we couldn’t resist looking at later). It has a lovely relaxed atmosphere – you can just have a sandwich if that is what you fancy – walkers always welcome. The hotel’s setting is amazing with a view out to sheer hillsides opposite and the loch. There were no dinner reservations available that day, so we had opted to come for lunch. The menu has four starters and three main courses with a selection of puddings. Do you have the same problem as we do? Both wanting to order the same dish? We resolved to be “good” and try one each. My husband’s pan fried grouse on a warm garden vegetable salad, bread sauce, aged sherry and radish dressing was exceptional. The meat was very tender, the sauce rich and savoury, matched with crisp vegetables. The pink radishes were a surprise – apparently marinading them ensures the skin colour colours all of the vegetable. I’d chosen the baked scallops as I was rather intrigued to see how they would taste. The scallops just barley cooked to perfection, served under a light breadcrumb crust on top of white crab meat served with a classic Hollandaise. A beautifully fresh concoction (why don’t you find baked scallop more often?)- my only thought was that the parma ham wasn’t really necessary. I do not normally choose chicken, as it can be ordinary. Not so this dish. The breast of cornfed chicken, mixed mushroom stuffing, truffle mash potatoes, balquihidder mushrooms, garlic bok choi and morel jus was juicy, with the mushroom flavours enhancing the meat, not overpowering – delicious. My husband had seared fillet of sea bass with baby ratatouille, mixed garden beans and a champagne butter sauce. We had wondered what baby ratatouille might be – it was made with small dices of vegetables that had probably been cooked separately as the taste were so distinct. The sea bass was beautifully cooked and swiftly eaten with the wonderfully buttery sauce. We finished with vanilla pannacotta with strawberries poached in pernod and cinnamon- I know, we didn’t managed to have two separate dishes for this course .. Again, delicate subtle flavours, enhancing the pannacotta. A great place to have lunch, it definitely merits a detour. We understand that Tom Lewis’ team of chefs were in charge that day – they did a very good job indeed – fresh local ingredients interpreted in the best way possible. Well worth the 1 ½ hour drive from Edinburgh Price for 3 course, with a glass of wine each and coffee, £80 for two. Monachyle Mhor Hotel

My parents are looking for somewhere nice for lunch that's not too noisy in Brussels ina couple ofweek's time- all these posts seem veryold! Any recent suggestions?

How better to discover France than to cook the local ingredients? A couple of recommendations (and a couple to go on my wish list for my next visit) Delicieusement Votre - Private Cookery Courses in Lyon Aurelie Chauvin welcomes small groups to her beautiful house just 15 minutes from the centre of Lyon. We joined her for a morning cooking with a Father's Day theme. The group cooked together, each adding their bit to the lunch we would eventually sit down and savour. Our course was one of the higher priced ones 70 euros (well it did include fois gras on the menu).We made a superb tagine with lamb and artichokes and very rich chocolate dessert with tuiles, with scallops and fois gras to start. Aurelie speaks excellent English and provided recipes in French as well as English Participants enjoying a leisurely lunch after a hard morning's work Aurélie Chauvin Delieusement Votre 18, allée des Mirabelles 69340 Francheville 04 37 41 58 07 Delicieusement Votre La Maison du Moulin Benedicte Appels Maison d'hôtes de charme 26230 GRIGNAN Maison du Moulin maisondumoulin@wanadoo.fr Benedicte runs the most fabulous upmarket chambre d'hotes/table d'hotes in Grignan not far from Montelimar. This accomplished Belgian Chef (who includes a "stage" with Jean Luc Rabanel as one of the highlights of her culinary career) runs a varietyof seasonal courses including one on black truffles! Benedicte speaks excellent English. We did a mini course with her helping prepare the evening meal for her guests (which we savoured too!) And on my wish list .... Lecon de Gout et Degustation (Taste Lesson) restaurant Nicholas le Bec, Lyon 04 78 42 15 00 restaurant@nicolaslebec.com 2nd Monday of each month either 15.00 to 17.30 or 19.30 to 21.30.8 people max. 55 euros per person or 45 euros if you belong to Cercle Nicolas le Bec (20 euros per year) Discover seasonal produce, understand the products in a relaxed atmosphere and taste a cuisine that focuses on health and equilibrium at this Michelin star restaurant. Jean Luc Rabanel of L'Atelier is shortly to introduce cookery courses http://www.rabanel.com/ecole.htm#

How long is it since you visited? I had the most disappointing meal there ever. It was pretty empty(being Monday) Taureau (bull) was on the menu. After a discussion with the waiter, I decided to tryit. Now to be asked how I wanted the meat cooked (medium rare), I thought it would be pretty tender. We asked the wine waiter to bring us a glass of wine as we were driving, he eventually plonked it on the table without saying what it was. Ok that can be forgiven. What cannot be forgiven is the meat that was served to me. Each bit had chewy gristle,and to cap it all there was a hard piece of bone/fat served on the plate. I complained. Nothing happenend. Eventually yet another waiter came along and asked if everything was OK. I said no I had made a complaint. Eventually the chef,Arman Arnal who was trained under Alain Ducasse (!) came to the table to tell me that the meat should be like that as is organic! At that point we curtailed our meal and left. My husband obsevered a German couple close to us who seemed to be having similar problems. It may still have a wonderful vegetable garden, but I guess they think they can serve anything up to tourists. It is longer under the watchful eye of Jean Luc Rabanel!!

We'd made the reservation at Nicholas le Bec on our first night, keeping our fingers crossed that Easyjet would get us to Lyon on time. We got to our aparthotel in the Presqu'ile with time to spare - the start of a remarkable evening. restaurant Nicolas Le Bec 14 rue Grolee 69002 Lyon 04 78 42 15 00 www.nicholalebec.com We found Nicholas le Bec just a few streets from where we were staying - a discreet frontage in a mainly shopping street, and so our adventure began ... The interior is discreet, cool and modern. Tables are nicely spaced. The staff were lovely, they caught our enthusiasm and were eager to translate terms we did not know (althought I am still not quite sure which grain epautre is ..). There are two menus, Menu Gourmand which we chose at 98 euros and Menu Epicure 128 euros. We asked for wine suggestions, our sommelier brought these by the glass focusing in the main on local wines. Our photos start off fine, but as the lights dimmed we had trouble with a few, so please excuse us. Firstly, a mouthwatering selection of amuse bouches http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/1153344720/gallery_11246_3275_278190.jpg A cheese "cake" with tapende, crab in a light dressing in a pastry case, a further pastry case with anchovy on sour cream and a green puree. A basket of fresh bread was then offered. Next a cold tomato soup "Mixed ripe tomatoes in olive oil with a mustard iced cream" Wow! This was smooth and rich, with a smoky taste - the mustard iced cream was the perfect foil for the rich flavours - best not eat on its own. It was topped with a parmesan crisp (these appeared also appeared at L'atelier in Arles) "A bowl of red tuna in a modern tartare style, with a perfumed sauce of grey shrimps" The fish appeared lightly smoked and was served with horseradish, onions and japanese mushrooms. This was set in full flavoured shelfish broth. The flavour were beautifully balanced. The next dish was probably my favourite (although it was difficult to choose) as it was just so spectacular. Two pictures needed here to describe what happens. On a "milk" of brown morilles, duck foie gras and white ham in a "fried egg" with sorrel jus.Apologies for the focus, but when you cut into the egg, a warm delicious flood of flavours escapes Next, a "heart" of beautiful poached cod on a rock fish bouillon, perfumed with saffron and black olives. The fish was cooked to perfection, the flavours well balanced with the potato adding an extra dimension. This was followed by rack of limousin lamb "barbequeued" with cauliflower semolina, with a bouillonor raisins, puree of blackfigs and spiced honey. No picture. Lovely flavours, but I think Scottish lamb has the edge for flavour! A cheese course followed featuring local cheeses, served with biscotti-like savoury, nutty biscuits I realise now, we were treated a different dessert to the set menu, a delicious raspberry sorbet on a chocolate soup with a crisp biscuit. Followed by home made nougat, fudge Wines: Chablis premier crus Laforet 2004,Domaine Danoisoat (?spelling) Macon Vire Clesse 2004 Domaine O Merlin St Joseph 2004 Domaine Grippa Beaume Premier crus marconnet 2002 Domaine Morot Muscat de Beaumes deVenise 2004 Domaine de Bernadin Please go an sample this wonderful place yourselves