Celebrated Edinburgh-based chef, Roberta Hall-McCarron, is working with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and its catering partner, Heritage Portfolio, to create dishes using ingredients grown onsite.
The Kitchen Garden within the Royal Botanic Garden covers over 300 square metres of land, and produces more than a tonne of crops each year. This fresh produce is already used in many of the dishes served by the Heritage Portfolio team.
Roberta has recently opened her third restaurant, Ardfern, in the Scottish capital, following-on from her success with The Little Chartroom and Eleanore.
Her partnership with the RBGE aims to highlight the quality of locally sourced and locally grown produce served in its Gateway and Terrace cafes.
She said: “The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Heritage Portfolio are absolutely committed to sustainable food, to the point where produce they themselves grow is harvested and delivered to their cafes daily. It’s an honour to be chosen to highlight the RBGE’s commitment to sustainable modern, Scottish seasonal food.”
The partnership will kick-off with a dinner at the Grade B listed Caledonian Hall on 29th August, where Roberta will present a five-course Mediterranean-inspired tasting menu developed exclusively for the occasion.
Featuring ingredients grown in the Kitchen Garden, this ‘dinner in the garden’ will include a herb gazpacho, ricotta agnolotti and beef sirloin with seasonal greens.
More events are planned for Roberta at RBGE, including a cooking demonstration and the presentation of a special dish created by Roberta for RBGE’s cafes.
Heritage Portfolio, a division of Sodexo Live!, has been providing catering, hospitality and events services at RBGE since 2007 and earlier this year extended its partnership for a further five years.
Its operations director, Adam Kennedy, said: “We’re delighted to work with Roberta at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Roberta is a celebrated and award-winning chef, and our team is looking forward to working alongside her to create more memorable food experiences for visitors.”
