The Herald - The Herald Magazine
Scotch eggs...pizzas...sausage rolls...hummus... What constitutes a substantial meal in Scotland?
WHAT makes a substantial meal? This conundrum became a pressing philosophical concern following the imposition of Tier Two Covid pub regulations in England. Government spokesmen made it up as they went along.
George Eustice insisted that a Scotch egg counts. Michael Gove said it didn’t, then changed his mind. Robert Jenrick thought a Cornish pasty fitted the bill.
Meanwhile, pubs from Penrith to Port Isaac bought up the cheapest freezer food they could lay their hands on to offer “Boris menus” that tick the government boxes for as little as £1.99.
The Scottish Government’s definition is, at face value, more coherent. “A main meal would typically be something more than a mere snack – such as a plated meal, usually (though not necessarily) eaten with cutlery, and could include a substantial filled sandwich or panini served with a side such as salad or chips, or a soup-and-a-sandwich-style meal, as well as other more substantial meals that may have more than one course.”
But then comes the fudge. “A common-sense approach should be taken.”
This doesn’t take us much further forward. The word “substantial” is highly subjective. Your yoga teacher might consider a green salad with some cashews and bean shoots a meal. Your rugby instructor wants steak and eggs.
What about a sausage roll, known in food manufacturing parlance as a “hand-held snack”?
A mean publican will plate one up with oven chips to bulk it out.
Are we talking heft, volume, calories, weight in the stomach, or adherence to a widely recognised meal formula?
If someone gave me an unadorned Scotch egg as a meal, I’d be disappointed.
But, although it is small in size and generally served cold as a picnic item, in terms of nutrient-density, a Scotch egg, thanks to its high protein content – meat and egg – is a pretty filling proposition that will amply satisfy appetite for a good few hours.
Of course, I’d rather it came with a side order of salad, some pickle, a bit of slaw perhaps, but these accoutrements, in appetite-sating terms, are
microwaved cash-and-carry frankfurter in a cloying bun.
But hummus is just one element in a Middle Eastern mezze assembly of starters, or a base for shavings of grilled meat.
Nowhere on its home turf is it considered to be a meal in itself.
Most of us would disagree with TV detective Inspector Morse, who famously considered, much to Lewis’s exasperation, that a pint of bitter was a lunch in itself.
But, when it comes to the knotty matter of substantial meals, would we agree on anything much else?
THE Best of Glasgow is a new book celebrating people and places in the city with neighbourhood profiles, recommendations for things to do, alongside stories from independent shops, cafes, bars, creative businesses, musicians, artists and local personalities. Compiled by Paul Trainer from Glasgowist, the city guide includes a comprehensive list of the top restaurants in the city. Here’s the overall top ten. You can order your copy of the book at glasgowist.com/best-of-glasgow.
One Devonshire Gardens is the restaurant within the boutique Hotel du Vin that occupies a handsome row of townhouses just off Great Western Road. It has a rich tradition of fine dining and discreet hospitality, retaining its own identity. Since the arrival of head chef Gary Townsend, with over 17 years of experience in some of the country’s top kitchens, including Restaurant Martin Wishart and Cameron House, an evening here is an impressive experience. The three course Sunday lunch is a local tradition. highest standard of fine dining and service.
It was the signing of the season: Chef Lorna McNee, protégé of the late two Michelin starred chef Andrew Fairlie and last year’s Great British Menu Champion of Champions took up her first head chef role at Cail Bruich in August. This meant co-owner Chris Charalambous stepped away from the kitchen for the first time since the restaurant opened in 2008. Dishes on her inaugural menus included: West coast crab, raw Orkney scallop and citrus alongside hand rolled pasta, broad beans, girolles and truffle.
The menu remains dominated by exceptional Scottish produce, served with precision. If anything, the kitchen seems to have stepped things up a notch this year despite the challenges that has faced the industry as a whole.
What a performance you get across lunch at The Gannet.
That’s what we are here for: A restaurant with a sense of occasion balanced with good humour and enthusiasm. We start off with west coast crab punctuated by slivers of parsnip and apple. Aged Taylor’s of Heatheryhall shorthorn beef carpaccio served with kohlrabi, smoked eel, potato is an eyecatching signature dish.
Then comes the double-hit of North Sea monkfish and celeriac in a seaweed butter sauce followed by saddle of Cairngorm red deer accompanied by beetroot, wild Argyll mushrooms and elderberry.
As close to an ideal selection of Scottish produce as you will find. A real triumph.
The Gannet has consistently led from the front during the five years Glasgowist has charted local food and drink.