Robert Burns supper January 2011

It’s never too early to start preparing for your annual Burns Supper, which usually takes place sometime in mid to late January to coincide with the Scottish Bard’s birthday on January 25th.

Robert Burns

Voted “The Greatest Scot” by a pretty impressive pool of 35 movers and shakers supports the success of the new National Trust for Scotland museum – Robert Burns Birthplace Museum.

You can search online for more information about Robert Burns, suppers and haggis, but the real reason we continue to celebrate Robert Burns 251 years after his birth is because he wrote beautiful poetry like this:

Ae Fond Kiss by Robert Burns

Ae fond kiss, and then we sever
Ae farewell, and then forever
Deep in heart-wrung tears I’ll pledge thee,
Warring sighs and goans I’ll wage thee.

Who shall say that Fortune grieves him,
While the star of hope she leaves him
Me nae cheerful twinkle lights me,
Dark despair around benights me.

I’ll ne’er blame my partial fancy:
Nothing could resist my Nancy
But to see her was to love her
Love but her, and love for ever.

Had we never loe’d sae kindly,
Had we never loe’d sae blindly,
Never met – nor never parted -
We had ne’er been broken-hearted.

Fare thee weel, thou first and fairest
Fare thee weel, thou best and dearest
Thine be ilka joy and treasure,
Peace, Enjoyment, Love and Pleasure

Ae fond kiss, and then we sever
Ae farewell, alas, for ever
Deep in heart-wrung tears I’ll pledge thee,
Warring sighs and groans I’ll wage thee.

Beth’s Recommendation: If you can’t get your hands on a Haggis then maybe this year you can celebrate by supporting this amazing group of Scots who are climbing Mt Kilimanjaro to host the world’s Highest Burns Supper and raise money for Hospitality Industry Trust (HIT) Scotland.

Edinburgh Sparkles – Nov & Dec

Edinburgh welcomes thousands of visitors for the winter holidays. As always, the city sparkles and comes alive with lights, food, reindeer.

Princes Garden rides

There are plenty of choices for shopping for that extra special holiday gift.

If you drive into Edinburgh the parking metres stop an hour early at 5:30pm to encourage visitors. Might as well take advantage of this while you can!

Beth’s Recommendation: Princes Gardens hosts holiday rides which are beautiful to see against the famous Old Town skyline. Walking through the gardens, all wrapped up, sipping from a hot cup of Glühwein makes for a perfect evening.

Ondine Restaurant is absolutely Scotland’s best!

We eat in a lot of restaurants in Edinburgh so we can see if they belong in Fiona’s Favourites, our recommended places to go, things to do and see and restaurants in Edinburgh that we give all our guests at the Storytelling Apartment. It’s a tough job but someone has to do it!

Hot roasted shellfish with Aioli

This afternoon we booked lunch at Ondine Restaurant which is located just off the Royal Mile and sort of above the entrance to the new Hotel Missoni. I can describe the lovely decor, comfy seats, unpretentious tables and friendly staff but what I really want you to know is that this is the best seafood restaurant we have ever been to in Scotland. Fiona had Lobster Thermidore and I had the plate of hot roasted seafood you see in the photo which included half a lobster, langostine, mussles, clams, a scallop and a razorfish. Of course I shared with Fiona and we both agree that besides tasting so absolutely wonderful it was very good value.

The menu is filled with a huge section of CRUSTACEAN options that are out of this world! All the seafood is locally sourced in Scotland and they have a sustainability ethos (which I wish meant that they were obligated to help sustain my waistline!).

Beth’s Recommendation: Book yourself a meal at Ondine and tell Ewan the manager that Beth and Fiona sent you! This is fresh, unadulterated, Scottish seafood at its best!

Funkiest Christmas Market in Edinburgh – Sat, 5 December

This market is guarenteed to be the coolest place to pick up 20th century gifts for the lucky people in your life!

Good quality, well-respected vintage dealers selling clothing, jewellery, collectibles and furniture. Retailers such as Godiva and Iconic from the Grassmarket will also be there and young designers including Susi Marroon and Rowanjoy.

Venue: Christ Church Hall, Holy Corner, Bruntsfield

Beth’s Recommendation: Admittedly, I’m not much of a Christmas shopper but the thought of picking up cool things that I can’t find in the regular shops on the High Street is motivation enough for me. The £1 entry makes it practicaly FREE!

Edinburgh Foodies – Sat & Sun 5-6 December

Some may believe that life is not about food, but it is! And where better to indulge yourself than at the Edinburgh Foodies fest for an entire weekend for ten quid.

Glowing Mama Tea

Scotland offers the most wonderful fresh foods from both the land and the sea. Amazing chefs create mouth-watering dishes that we all aspire to make at home too (at know I do).

So stop drooling and get yourself a ticket. If you are quick you can get 2-for-1 tickets through our friends at Edinburgh Spotlight.

Beth’s Recommendation: Look for the Glowing Mama at the Mama Tea booth and say hi to Anna Louise (tell her Beth sent you). I’ve started drinking the New Mama blend which has my favourite – nettle leaf.

Edinburgh Farmer’s Market – every Saturday

I absolutely love going to the Farmer’s Market on Saturday between 9am and 2pm. While I always manage to spend a small fortune on fresh meat, fish & veggies (and the odd German pretzel) I love running into people I know in such a glorious setting. There is a buzz at the Farmer’s Market because we’re all kindred spirits trying our best to eat healthy, locally sourced food.

Beth’s Recommendation: What’s not to like about buying food that is still moving (the fish) and dirty (the veggies) and especially healthy?! My personal favourite is the Kezie stall where I pick up a freshly grilled ostrich burger and add lots of mustard. Mmmmm…