Recipes from Carina Contini, plus Rose Murray Brown on the best lesserknown white wines
It’s so lovely being back doing what we know and love – serving great food to our guests and friends
Nnext month two of our children will be leaving home to start the next stage of their journey. I’m so happy for them. All three have been the strength that has pulled Victor and I through this Covid journey.
Like all the children of their generation they’ve missed their pals and the final celebrations, never mind the confusion around their exam results. But for us they’ve not been missed. I didn’t think I could love them more but the resilience and love they have shown us will fix our bond for ever. We’ve most certainly had many ‘ moments’, but we’ve had many laughs too.
They say you have three careers in your life. Being a cook and a mother count as two of mine. Some of you will know I studied surveying and practiced for four years before I joined Victor in his family business.
During August we’ve seen so many English friends and visitors. Never before can we remember hearing so many northern and southern, English accents. Without a doubt Edinburgh has been admired as a staycation destination. With our visitor attractions opening up there is even more to see, but the city’s architecture really has been appreciated. With so much less animation on the streets and fewer people filling them, our beautiful buildings have been stealing the show. Edinburgh International Festival’s Ghost Lights spectacular also helped make an impression.
As a surveyor, I’ve loved the history of our buildings. At Contini George Street, our former banking hall, designed by JM Dick Peddie, was the first retail bank of the Bank of Scotland on George Street, built in 1884, but modelled on a Florentine Palazzo. All our visitors have been in awe of this venue. We’re so lucky to see our venues as our home.
We spend more time in them than we do in our houses. We often take them for granted. It’s been wonderful sharing their beauty with all our visitors. Our team has been so committed to re- establishing service and have been working huge hours to get us back up and running. They too have been at work longer than staying at home. Our team are more treasures for Victor and I to appreciate.
When guests say we are taking Covid seriously, we sure are! I’ve used up my careers and need to make the most of this one. I also most importantly have to look after the health and wellbeing of our team, our customers and our children ( never mind Victor and I). We have 200300 guests in George Street each day. Many of you haven’t had family visit your homes, never mind customers. If you think of work as your home, you can see why we are taking the measures we are to keep everyone’s health and wellbeing foremost in our minds.
So, who knows what three careers my children will have, but their first ones are now in clear view. Let’s keep all our families as safe as we can for their future journey.
Potato and Lanark Blue soup
As part of the Go Rural Campaign, I visited our dear friends the Erringtons at their farm in Lanark. A little Lanark Blue really lifts any soup. Serves four
150g unsalted butter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 onions, chopped
2 leeks, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
1 litre chicken stock
9 large floury potatoes, peeled and diced
125g Lanark Blue cheese 125ml double cream salt and pepper 1 Melt the butter and oil in a large pan, add the onions, leeks and celery and sauté until translucent.
2 Season and add the hot stock and potato. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the liquid has reduced slightly. Add the Lanark Blue and stir to melt through, then add pepper to taste.
3 Blend until smooth, add the cream and adjust the seasoning. Serve piping hot sprinkled with a little extra Lanark Blue crumbled on top.
Nonna Flora’s apple pie
My Nonna Flora looked like Barbara Cartland. Her apple pie was as light and delicate as her dresses. The apple harvests in the garden have never had a better year. Pie time.
Serves four to six
250g self- raising flour, plus extra for dusting pinch of salt
125g unsalted butter, chilled 100g sugar
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp ice- cold water
25g unsalted butter, melted, for greasing egg wash made from 1 egg, beaten 7 small or 4 large Bramley apples 1 tbsp water
1 tbsp caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling pinch of cinnamon
100g caster sugar
1 egg yolk pouring cream, chilled, to serve
1 Sieve the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and coarsely grate the butter on top.
2 Dip the butter into the flour to stop
it sticking, then rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
3 Add the sugar and mix through, then add the egg yolk and bind with the water until the mixture forms a ball.
4 Place on a floured surface and knead gently. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
5 For the filling, peel and core the apples and slice them to roughly the same size. Place in a pan over a low heat with the water and sugar and cook for about 10 minutes, until the apples have collapsed into a soft but slightly chunky purée. Add the cinnamon and adjust the flavouring, adding a little more sugar if required. 6 Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4 and brush a 20cm ovenproof glass pie dish with melted butter.
7 Remove the pastry from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature. Cut the pastry in half. On a floured surface, roll out half to the same size as the pie dish. Line the bottom of the dish with the pastry.
8 Spoon the apple mixture on top and gently spread it over.
9 Roll out the remaining pastry and carefully cover the apple mixture. Cut away the excess pastry from the edges and brush with the egg wash. Make one slit in the top to let the air escape. 10 Bake in the preheated oven for 20- 25 minutes until golden, then remove and sprinkle with sugar. Serve hot or cold with a generous spoonful of chilled pouring cream.