By Head Chef & Proprietor Jason Gallagher
Asparagus has a very short season, so we make sure to make the most of it at The Stockbridge Restaurant. Being in Edinburgh, we are really lucky to have this yummy vegetable growing right here and we can’t wait to receive our batch of the first crop from East Lothian Asparagus. It’s normally in season during May and June but as winter seems to be sticking around a bit longer this year, the asparagus crop may well be a couple of weeks late. Not only is our Scottish asparagus very tasty it’s also packed with goodness as it contains more folic acid than any other vegetable. It’s also a great source of vitamins A and C and has antioxidant and anticarcinogenic properties. All these benefits aside, I really enjoy using it because there are so many ways of preparing and serving it and it is incredibly fresh – just perfect for spring. Traditionally, asparagus is served with hollandaise sauce but if you prefer a fresh and easy take on it, have a closer look at the recipe in this newsletter. It takes less than 30 minutes to make and is simply delicious.
The season is just coming to an end for beetroot. You may be familiar with the bright red varieties, but there are also golden and white versions of beetroot available. It is one of the sweetest vegetables around and is packed with vitamin C, which makes it ideal to prevent an early spring cold when you’re out and about. When buying beetroot, we recommend you go for the fresh rather than the pickled variety and look out for the smaller roots as they are sweeter.
Another home-grown spring favourite that is available from early April is rhubarb. Did you know you can actually eat rhubarb stalks raw? They are perfectly edible, however, their taste is very sour. In fact, you may have seen it as the dessert on some of the Easter menus around. And while rhubarb and custard are a firm favourite on British dessert menus (our kids absolutely adore it), it was originally used for medicinal purposes helping to cure gastric ailments. At The Stockbridge Restaurant, we are serving it with ginger sauce and vanilla ice cream.
During spring, the number of seasonal fruits and vegetables to look out for when you’re shopping for food or eating in a restaurant is growing almost by the day. New potatoes are one of our favourites, and at the Stockbridge Restaurant we like to serve the Ratte variety which is perfect for many different uses including roasting or sautéing. As we are getting closer to summer, keep your eyes peeled for the first Scottish summer berries to come into season towards the end of June. We’ll bring you more about them in the next edition of this newsletter.
