On The Side

Chef Watch Featuring Stephen Harris of The Sportsman, Seasalter, Kent How long have you been a chef? I became a chef in 1995 – 27 years ago. Why did you become a chef? I thought I might be good at it and I knew I wanted my own restaurant. I figured the only way to…

Happy New Year! As you are probably aware, this column doesn’t make new year resolutions. Well, not for me, but I thought you lot could use a few. Avoid Vegans Part 1 Lift up any packet of ready made, allegedly plant based food and shudder. For starters, if you are eschewing meat (as opposed to…

It’s usually quite easy to tell when food has gone off. When restaurant reviewers are downright bad, it’s sometimes harder to notice. Last week was intended to be the last On The Side column of the year; however, a food review appeared on Saturday, which I felt I couldn’t let pass. In the last Tom…

Those who know me will be aware that much of my life is centred round three Fs. Food, Football and Books. (Ah, you noticed the flaw in the last part of my tricorn rhetoric. Never mind.) I write a fair bit about food books in this column, so perhaps I can justify that as the…

I know that some friends will be recoiling in horror at the thought of this stuff. Truth be told, cooked without care its coarse bitter leaves are pretty unpalatable, and its reputation as Scottish peasant food hasn’t helped. The original spelling in Scots was kail. It was an important staple, largely because it would grow…

Chef Watch Featuring Phil White of LeftField, Edinburgh How long have you been a chef? Very long time, Tom. I started when I was 16 at the National Exhibition Centre. It was great. We cooked from 4 people up to 2000. We also got to sneak into the gigs at the arena afterwards. Why did…

For a number of years now I have been making my own Christmas pudding. While I guess my mum did too, at least in the early days, I have no recollection of any great tradition surrounding it, the silver threepenny excepted. I normally get round to it in the latter part of November, but when…

Were you as shocked as I to read of the recent death of Aldo Campeol owner of Le Beccherie in Treviso in northern Italy? Shock at the passing of a 93 year old man? Hardly, but it was the news that he was credited as the father of tiramisu, which had me shaking my head…

I hesitate to use the C word, but we have now passed Hallowe’en. I find a good bookshop to be the source of a perfect Christmas present for many. If anyone on your gift list is at all interested in food, there is a plethora of suggestions for all levels of expertise, and to suit…

Chef Watch Featuring Christopher Trotter, Fife’s Food Ambassador How long have you been a chef? More years than I care to remember!  My hotel management training began at the Savoy in London in 1977. The one year I was meant to spend in the kitchens turned into three. It was the most amazing experience. Why…

Cameron Bell It’s midday on a sunny Sunday, and I’m here for my lesson at The Smiddy Night School in Powderhall. Now I know what you’re thinking. This is just one example of the flexibility and adaptability of the amazing business run by Cameron Bell, wife Emma Roeder and their team from converted blacksmith’s premises.…

Sometimes one is simply spoiled for choice. You can alight on a letter for a food alphabet columns and lo! the world is your oyster. As it may turn out to be when we get to O in a few months’ time. But J? Fewer examples than you might think. Jackfruit, currently best friend to vegans. I rejected…

  Chewing The Fat: Tasting Notes From A Greedy Life Jay Rayner Guardian Faber                        pp136                                           £6.99 I have long believed that Jay and I…

Chef Watch Featuring Willie McCurrach OBE FIH, formerly Head of School, City of Glasgow College, Food Technology How long have you been a chef? I have been a chef for a total of 50 years and loved every minute of my career. I started as a student at Aberdeen Technical College and was really impressed…

I awoke with a start and an itch. Something, I could tell, was beckoning. History, as it transpired, seven years’ worth to be precise. This month marks the seventh anniversary of the first ever Tom Eats! review. It came to pass after I had abandoned any plans to trade under the banner of the then…

Eat Safe: Use A Condiment It’s not entirely certain whether this warning, which appears on the lids of our hero’s products, has the backing of the World Health Organisation, but it’s not a bad strapline. It’s also an indicator that this is a business with a smile. Don’t, however, confuse that with something that is…

CHEF WATCH Featuring Dean Banks of Dean Banks at The Pompadour, Edinburgh  How long have you been a chef? 18 years. I started when I was 15. Why did you become a chef? I’ve always had a love of food. I started helping in the kitchen when I was growing up, making cakes and biscuits,…

Well, no prizes for guessing what the I was for. I did think about focussing on ice alone, but doubted you would let me away with it. Ice is defined as a food in the UK food legislation, and should be handled as such. The few times I’ve had a dodgy tummy out east can…

  Can you tell your tang from your bolster*? In the aftermath of the Tokyo Games, what is the major difference between Japan and Europe? Read on, and I’ll explain. I am sometimes accused of being blunt – not today. Having suspended publication (but not writing) for a month, I became complacent. Having a lot…

If there are any budding Messiahs out there, I have a word of advice for you. Arrange to meet Andrew Whitley of Scotland The Bread, persuade him of the benefits your cause, then appoint him as your first apostle. In the eighteen months or so since I started this feature it has been my pleasure…

CHEF WATCH   Featuring Kamil Witek, Chef Proprietor, Aurora modern eatery, Leith, Edinburgh How long have you been a chef? I have been a chef on and off for 15 years. I started when I was 18 in 2006, working in the summer in Blackpool. After taking a few seasonal jobs, I started working in…

In the final extract,we consider how to combat Snack Attacks and The Bad Idea Bears,the importance of not being bored by your food, and how to keep the weight off when you get there.  EPISODE 5 Coping with Snack Attacks If you’re at home, as opposed to at work or out and about, this should,…

Weighing in, how to cope with setbacks, and the importance of exercise EPISODE 4 Weighing In The Beginning You do need a set of accurate scales. You’ll have a temptation to jump on every set of scales you see. Resist that. Even if your scales aren’t 100% accurate, they’ll be consistent. My experience is that…

CHEF WATCH   Featuring Craig Stafford, Head Chef, Fishers in The City, Edinburgh   How long have you been a chef? 24 years.  Why did you become a chef? I was always cooking & baking as a kid, loved watching Ready Steady Cook & cookery shows when I was wee, so I enrolled in catering…