How are you finding the food? Foraging duo launch wilderness menu nights

Communal dining events will celebrate Scotland’s locally sourced larder, reports Rosalind Erskine

This spring, Buck and Birch – the team behind Aelder wild elderberry liqueur – are set to launch a unique communal fine dining experience for anyone who loves a meal of locally-sourced ingredients.

The idea came from Buck and Birch’s Rupert Waites and Tom Chisholm, who use their extensive foraging knowledge to host occasional dining inspired by nature throughout Edinburgh and the Lothians.

Now, the duo are set to launch a series of communal dining events at Dalriada on Edinburgh’s Portobello Promenade.

Launched on 23 March, and with a series of events spanning the rest of the year, Nurture, Nature, Eat is a celebration of Scotland’s natural, wild larder.

Diners who book into Nurture, Nature, Eat can look forward to a wilderness menu that will showcase the best seasonal ingredients from Scotland’s coastlines, hedgerows, fields and forests.

Diners can expect game, fish and plenty of wild surprises; to keep everything as fresh and spontaneous as possible, menus – which are typically six courses plus canapes and petit fours – will not be completed until the day of the event.

Drinks will also be wildernessinspired and range from wines and spirits to liqueurs, including the duo’s own creation, Aelder – a wild elderberry liqueur with a whisky base, officially launched in November 2016.

Example dishes from the launch night included oyster with pickled wild leek pearls, flower buds and stems and braised hare leg and roast loin served on roast jerusalem cream, sautéed wild mushrooms and wild garlic, with a smoked cep powder.

Tom and Rupert’s Aelder liqueur, which features in their dishes and menus, and recently won a top honour at the Scottish Rural Awards.

Produced at East Links Farm near Dunbar, it took first place in the Artisan Drink category at the awards earlier this month.

The judging panel described Aelder as “outstanding, showcasing unconventional Scottish ingredients and giving a real representation of our contemporary countryside”. 0 Diners can enjoy six courses, including canapes and petit fours