FAMILY VALUES
Husband and wife restaurant owners, Paul and Lisa Wedgwood know that creating fabulous food is easy when you’re part of a winning team
Paul Wedgwood and his close-knit team at Wedgwood Restaurant on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile provide this month’s recipes
There’s a world of incredible restaurants out there to explore, and in his lifelong cooking career Paul Wedgwood has been lucky enough to work in some of the best in Australia, Italy, Barbados and Peru. But no matter which far flung location he’s visiting, be it east or west, the Edinburgh restaurateur knows that home is best.
It was 2007 when Paul and his wife Lisa – who runs front of house – opened Wedgwood on the Royal Mile. ‘ We thought “hey it’s festival time, we won’t need to advertise” and so we ended up doing only one single cover that night,’ recalls Paul. But this didn’t dampen the couple’s love for the capital, its people, culture and burgeoning food scene. Ten years later the restaurant is still going from strength to strength.
Paul’s lack of formal culinary training has allowed him the freedom to experiment with flavours and to create dishes that you may not normally expect to find on the menu at a Scottish fine dining restaurant. This, coupled with a passion for foraging and for sourcing produce from fellow small, independent companies and producers makes for an often surprising and always exciting range of dishes.
Working closely with a spouse isn’t always easy – Paul and Lisa have had their disagreements in the past with each looking out for their respective departments within the business – but by creating a family-style environment they are able to work together with their team to make sure the restaurant runs like a welloiled machine. ‘Every single person that I have worked for, and alongside, including all of the massively talented people I have worked with at Wedgwood throughout the years, have inspired me and taught me to be the chef I am today,’ says Paul. ‘Every day is a school day.’
‘It’s a pleasure to work with Lisa, she is so professional, yet caring of everyone around her, including me,’ he says. ‘Every single member of the team has a voice and a part to play in our guests’ experience.’