Tom Kitchin’s restaurant, the Kitchin – what else could it be called? – is now approaching its 10th year as one of Scotland’s finest. Kitchin won a Michelin star in 2006, only six months after opening his Edinburgh restaurant with his Swedish-born wife, Michaela, a British hotel school graduate. He received the Observer Food Monthly best UK Restaurant award in 2010.
The young couple, who started with an overdraft, 20 bottles of wine on the list and two chefs, now have four children under the age of seven (old enough to go mackerel fishing or mushroom picking), a pub, the Scran & Scallie, and sister restaurant, the Castle Terrace. Last year the original restaurant doubled in size.
Kitchin prides himself on his range of menus: lunch, and a separate, meat-free variation of the tasting menu, as well as the à la carte. The many loyal customers – “Edinburgh’s different from London” – appreciate variety and the intensely seasonal menus, and will rise to the challenge of extracting brains from a roast partridge head.
When the menu features oysters from the Isle of Cumbrae prepared six ways, you have to take on trust a chef’s definition of his cooking as simple. ‘‘I try to keep it homely but my food does have a certain technique to it,” he says, meaning the exacting standards of the French classical tradition, “but really it’s about ingredients.” And what ingredients.
He initially had to coax suppliers, but they now beat a path to his door on the Leith dockside. “I always wanted to cook seasonally; now it’s off the scale.” He can pick up grouse on 12 August, still warm, and have them on the menu that evening. The fridge is full of furry rabbits and hares; butchery and fish filleting is all done in the restaurant. And Kitchin is always in the kitchen. He thrives on the insane hours and the adrenaline, and is now acting as mentor to young chefs. “I’m proper old school and I hope never to lose that; it’s in my blood.”
Carrot, ginger and apple soup
Ingredients (serves 8)
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 40g fresh ginger, finely chopped
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 20 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 5 Granny Smith apples
- Juice of 4 limes
Method
Sweat the onion and ginger in the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add half the carrots, keeping the rest for later, season with salt and pepper and sweat for 5-10 minutes over a medium heat, then cover with the water and bring to the boil.
Cover and cook on a low heat until tender (around 20 minutes). Set aside to cool down before blitzing in a food processor to a smooth puree, then transfer to the fridge.
Juice the rest of the carrots and the apples in a juicer, then add the juice of 3 limes. If you don’t have a juicer, peel, core and chop the apples and put them in a food processor, along with the carrots and the juice of 3 of the limes.
Blend until the apple and carrot have broken down into a rough pulp, adding a splash of water if need be, then strain the mixture through a fine sieve, over a bowl or jug, squeezing all of the juice out of the pulp with the back of a ladle.
Combine the juice with the chilled carrot mix until you have a soup-like consistency. Taste and add more lime juice if you like. Serve chilled.
