Why Leith is the UK's hottest foodie destination
The port's first culinary festival builds on its stellar reputation as a top place to enjoy global cuisines
When it comes to food destinations Leith is very much a la mode. More than that, it’s as hot as a Scotch Bonnet chilli slathered in wasabi with a dollop of mustard. You don’t need to take our word for it, ask Conde Nast Traveller. The influential high-end travel and food magazine this year named the port as the UK’s hottest food destination.
From classically trained, French-influenced Michelin starred excellence to vibrant Venezuelan street food, Artisan bakery to craft micro-brewery, there is something to titillate every taste bud. Whether you choose to eat and drink in a unique distillery bar with an eye-in-the-sky waterfront view, or enjoy the post-industrial vibe in a former ironworks that’s taking the city by storm, Leith is the place to be.
All of that delicious creativity is being celebrated at the end of this month when Leith Food Festival will run over the weekend of May 30-31, offering a menu of magnificent food, sizzling cookery demonstrations from some stars of Leith’s culinary scene, and a healthy dollop of music from some of the stars of our local and excellent music scene.
Barry Bryson, the chef behind one of Leith’s hottest new openings, the Michelin-recommended Barry Fish on The Shore, has helped curate a line-up of his professional colleagues who are happy to take part to spread the word in the demonstration kitchen, and there are full details of what is on offer at the Festival website.
He tells us all the chefs featuring have genuine feeling for Leith with many beginning their own stories there. “We’ve got people who’ve been 20 years and others who have only opened recently, but what we’ve all got in common is that real feeling of connection in Leith. It’s a community. None of us began cooking to get into competition with anyone, we can all celebrate what we and our colleagues do that makes this such a special place.”
Plaudits a-Plenty
Barry’s own plaudits in gaining entry to the Michelin Guide and being named in the Good Food Guide’s Top 100 Local Restaurants are no mere flash in the sauté pan. There have been several other openings in Leith which have generated a lot of excitement. For example, Michelin-starred chef James Murray, formerly of the Edinburgh Food Studio and Timberyard has been earning rave reviews at Dogstar in Portland Place and within weeks had earned a place in the Michelin Guide.
Brown’s of Leith is a multi-use venue that has been packing them into the historic former ironworks it occupies on The Shore, with its bars and dining, food pop-ups, functions and community and creative events. Pride of foodie place in this new addition is Haze, an all-day space run by the Radford Family of Michelin starred Timberyards fame, where you can enjoy everything from a fresh coffee through to small plates and fine wines.
Jo Radford, Sommelier and Co-Owner of Timberyard, Montrose and Haze, told CN Traveller: “Leith has great energy. It’s industrial and confident in its own identity. There is a European feel to the waterfront, but it is still unmistakably Leith. We love the coastal influence, its diverse mix of residents and its strong creative population. It’s one of the most progressive neighbourhoods in Scotland.”
The super-stylish bar and restaurant atop the nine-storey Port of Leith Distillery remains a cool place to enjoy some fine food washed down by cocktails featuring the distillery’s own award-winning spirits.
Just along the road at Pier Place in Newhaven is Norah, where Chef and owner Claire Hanrahan has been singled out by Conde Nast as “one to watch.”
How it all began…
Of course, it wasn’t always so. Those of us of a certain age (cough, oh okay, pensionable age), will remember when Leith had not a single Michelin star or bib gourmand to its name, when a gastronomic sortie to the Port seemed an extraordinarily exotic thing to do. Like going on safari. One of the earliest pioneers who helped lure us down with the promise of fine dining was Allan Corbett, brother of famed comedian Ronnie, who bravely and successfully opened Skippers Bistro in Dock Place, a seafood haven that was to run successfully under his watch until he retired in 2000.
Fishers and The Shore Bar were to follow, providing great quality casual dining with a strong focus on fish, before Martin Wishart’s guidance teacher further changed everything as the chef opened his eponymous restaurant on the Shore and became the first in the city to gain the ultimate accolade of a Michelin star. Others, notably Tom Kitchin, were to follow, and now the Port is home to an amazing three stars with Heron the latest to be added to that esteemed list. That Michelin excellence in Leith and Edinburgh is no small thing.
More are Michelin recommended, with Rebecca Hall-McCarron’s Little Chartroom another opening, in 2018, that has made a huge impact, providing fine dining of great quality in a more informal setting. It encouraged still more to follow, and also encouraged her to open Ardfern more recently, an all day venue in Bonnington Road which has its own bottle shop and has blended nicely into Leith.
But let’s get back to the inaugural Leith Food Festival, on the last weekend in May at Leith Links. Nine different cookery demonstrations will take place over the Saturday and Sunday, where attendees can learn the intricacies of a diverse mix of global cuisines.
Saturday’s line-up will see award-winning chefs Dan Ashmore of the Schloss Roxburghe Hotel, acclaimed hospitality consultant and chef Scott Smith of Blank Plate Creative and Sharif Gergis of the much admired Asian influenced Mirin in Albert Place joined by chef patissiere Sarah George of The Palmerston and baker extraordinaire Theo Pantazis of the hugely popular Krema Bakehouse on Leith Walk.
Sunday’s line-up will be equally stellar, with Tomas Gormley the Chef Patron of the Michelin recommended Cardinal, joining Petro Barriera, Head Chef of the AA Rosette honoured Lighthouse Restaurant on board the floating hotel Fingal, and Molly Pennington, a MasterChef quarter-finalist last year who is also a nutritional therapist and the owner of Nourish with Molly. Last, but by no means least, Barry of Barry Fish will close out the cookery demonstrations as well as acting as host for the demos.
Festival to suit all tastes
Each day will also see a line-up of musical talent on stage, with leading tribute bands headlining both days with Just Beatles on Saturday (you’ll love them yeah, yeah, yeah) and Killer Instinct on Sunday, with a set that will pay homage to The Killers. A full line up is available here.
There will also be street food stalls reflecting tastes from around the world, indie bars, and roaming entertainers, alongside a scavenger hunt, competitions and challenges for all the family.
Barry Bryson added: “When the food festival organizers approached me to help host the demonstration element of the event I was happy to do it. It seems to me that bringing food, drink and music together is always a combination that seems to work in providing people with a great time, and it also really reflects Leith.”
Assistant Festival Manager Izaak Shuttleworth spoke on how the festival’s programme reflects the festival’s commitment to supporting local talent across all the aspects: “Since we launched, it has been our top priority to bring an abundance of local vendors, makers, artisans and entertainers to the event. Our main stage is also a great platform to showcase as many local performers as we can, so we’re thrilled to have such a fantastic catalogue of up-and-coming musicians joining us from across the region.”
Given the plethora of tempting goodies on offer, we leave you with one piece of advice. Do enjoy, but remember moderation in all things. As the great movie actor and director Orson Welles – a man noted for his excessive love of gastronomy – noted: “My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people present.”
Bon appetit.