The best Edinburgh restaurants are celebrated in glossy new coffee table book
The new read features 19 of the Capital’s finest establishments
Ferrier Richardson has worked as a private chef for wealthy clients and is a restaurateur, as owner of Glasgow gastropub, The East End Fox
However, the latest recipe he’s dished up is Edinburgh on a Plate.
This isn’t his first book.
The first iteration of this read came out in 2000, and he’s also released three Glasgow on a Plate books over the years.
The most recent edition features 19 profiles on the Capital’s best restaurants and chefs, including Stuart Ralston and Neil Forbes, as well as their contributed recipes. So, you can challenge yourself to make Lyla’s incredibly intricate lobster croustade, or attempt something slightly easier, like The Table’s Cullen skink.
We asked Richardson to reveal a bit more.
Tell us about the new book
Edinburgh on a Plate is a cookery book that contains great recipes, and fabulous photography that also tells a story about the venues and the principals who operate them. The book features Michelin-starred restaurants, great brasseries and quality casual restaurants that we believe are the best in their field.
We have also tried to give a voice especially to up and coming venues who we feel deserve to be recognised and encouraged.
How long was it in the making?
The book was six months in the making, remarkably quick, all thanks to the team involved and a strong hand on the tiller, even though I say so myself. We had a great template to follow having just produced Glasgow on a Plate to great success.
How did you choose the shortlist?
As we did with Glasgow we surveyed the culinary scene and included venues that we felt were relevant to the city in all sectors of the market. I think you can see from the books we didn't necessarily go for the obvious, we wanted to encourage those who are pursuing excellence but didn't necessarily have the biggest voice in the restaurant community.
Which is your personal favourite restaurant?
All the venues are all very special in their own way. I love what Stuart Ralston is doing with his group and the success he is having, but, if pushed, Cafe St Honore has been a favourite of mine for a very long time. I have a lot of time for Neil, as his longevity and the way he operates on a daily basis is to be admired.
How do you think Edinburgh's restaurant scene has changed in recent years?
Like Glasgow there are a lot more casual quality dining venues at prices that don't require taking out a mortgage, with young front of house and kitchen teams that truly care and are passionate about what they are doing.
Have you test driven all the recipes?
That would take a long time and would also cost a lot of money. We did ask the venues and chefs for dishes that truly reflect the style of their venue and, if possible, that the dishes could be still on their menus when the book was launched. I am also sure that the great photography by Amanda, Charlie and Mathilde will help drive business to the restaurants over the next few months and beyond.
In the book, you encourage readers to thank hospitality teams and leave good reviews online - do you think customers often neglect to do that?
We often have to deal with the odd negative keyboard warrior, but these are in the minority. I would love it if more people would post their positive experiences, especially mentioning a member of staff who made their visit memorable. Despite coming from a kitchen background, I believe the welcome and service you receive is perhaps at least 60 per cent of your experience. Great service can cover a so-so meal but a great plate of food can’t disguise rude or can’t-be-bothered front-of-house service. I would ask your readers to please post their positive experiences on a more regular basis.
Why did you decide to self publish?
The publisher I used in the past for the previous eight books I had produced couldn't work to my time scale so I took the financial gamble and brought together a great team. They are all given credit in the books and without them the books would never have happened. It is very much a team effort and I look forward to working with them all in the future on other projects. Waterstones have also been a great supporter, especially their bookseller Angela MacRae, who believed in the project from the get go. She is an absolute star, as are all the Waterstones teams - fabulous people to collaborate with and are so enthusiastic. We need to support all these styles of operations on our high streets and city centres, or they will become ghost towns and we will all be the poorer for it.
Who do you think will buy the book? Where will it be available?
Anyone with an interest in food, restaurants and people who dedicate their lives to creating something special that gives others pleasure. It is a perfect Christmas present and is more than just a recipe book, as it tells the story and philosophy of each venue. Especially in January and February, the hospitality industry needs all the help and support we can get at the moment. The current and previous governments are not champions or supporters of our industry and they could do a lot more to help. The book is available at all the restaurants involved, Edinburgh Waterstones branches and their website.
Tell us about the Glasgow version of the book
It has the same philosophy and style as our Edinburgh book. It has sold remarkably well - we sold out two weeks before Christmas last year. We are now on the second reprint and hopefully we may have to do a third for next year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. I have also just completed an On the Plate book on Northern Ireland which again is going down really well. I will also have a novel out for Christmas called The Kitchen Vigilante about a chef who loses a member of his family under difficult circumstances. Hopefully it will sell as well as the On a Plate series, I also feel there could be a second or third novel in the series and hopefully maybe even make it onto the big screen or television.
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