Tasting Britain
TastingBritain.co.uk - FoodFest15 - Eat On The Green, Udny Green, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
This visit was part of a press trip I âattended' on behalf of Visit Aberdeen for FoodFest15 (www.foodfest15.com). FoodFest15 is Aberdeenshireâs take on 'The Year Of Food & Drink Scotlandâ 2015 - and if itâs anything like the experience I had, a grand old time it shall be for anyone who goes. It runs all the way through January to December, though I only showed up for a few days at the end of June. As far as Iâm concerned, itâs ALWAYS the year of food and drink - I donât care where I am, or what year it is. Anyway, I shall now talk about the place you can see before you...
So, Eat On The Green. In a nutshellâ¦fkn incredible. Described by a TripAdvisor reviewer as âGourmet food in the middle of nowhereâ (lol). The little hamlet of Udny Green isnât exactly the middle of nowhere - itâs 20odd minutes from Aberdeen town centre. The restaurant's style is mainly british/modern European/Scottish with what someone else described as âA French twistâ I think. I didnât have the chance to do a âproper' review but based on the few hours I spent here, it was at LEAST an 8/10. So yeah, itâs fine-dining restaurant in a former post office though I think it was a pub that had fallen on bad times before the guys started converting it in 2004. They keep strange hours, being closed on Mondays and Tuesday
Whoâs behind it then? None other than the âkilted chefâ Craig Wilson (as affectionately named by TV personality Lorraine Kelly). Heâs cooked for the likes of Sir Sean Connery, Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Patrick Stewart. Craig got started at the tender age of 16 as a trainee chef at the Strathburn Hotel in Inverurie. He even did an âindustryâ stint as a product development chef for Baxterâs Food Group and Grampian Country Foods. Craigâs also a real chill guy - thatâs him standing by the entrance, no kilt the time but STRONG tartan trouser game going there.
These days, everybody goes on about using fresh and local produce (which is undoubtedly a very good thing indeed). But these guys really take that seriously. as in, they have their own little farm. The pictures of what looks like a farm are taken at the secret location of Craigâs polytunnels - where they grow much of their own herbs and produce. Having eaten fresh strawberries off of the stalk, I can say that the farmer/horticulturalist that Craigâs got looking after it knows his shit. And itâs all real healthy too! A hidden gem this one is, oh yes. Well done Craig.
TastingBritain.co.uk - FoodFest15 - Eat On The Green, Udny Green, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
This visit was part of a press trip I âattended' on behalf of Visit Aberdeen for FoodFest15 (www.foodfest15.com). FoodFest15 is Aberdeenshireâs take on 'The Year Of Food & Drink Scotlandâ 2015 - and if itâs anything like the experience I had, a grand old time it shall be for anyone who goes. It runs all the way through January to December, though I only showed up for a few days at the end of June. As far as Iâm concerned, itâs ALWAYS the year of food and drink - I donât care where I am, or what year it is. Anyway, I shall now talk about the place you can see before you...
So, Eat On The Green. In a nutshellâ¦fkn incredible. Described by a TripAdvisor reviewer as âGourmet food in the middle of nowhereâ (lol). The little hamlet of Udny Green isnât exactly the middle of nowhere - itâs 20odd minutes from Aberdeen town centre. The restaurant's style is mainly british/modern European/Scottish with what someone else described as âA French twistâ I think. I didnât have the chance to do a âproper' review but based on the few hours I spent here, it was at LEAST an 8/10. So yeah, itâs fine-dining restaurant in a former post office though I think it was a pub that had fallen on bad times before the guys started converting it in 2004. They keep strange hours, being closed on Mondays and Tuesday
Whoâs behind it then? None other than the âkilted chefâ Craig Wilson (as affectionately named by TV personality Lorraine Kelly). Heâs cooked for the likes of Sir Sean Connery, Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Patrick Stewart. Craig got started at the tender age of 16 as a trainee chef at the Strathburn Hotel in Inverurie. He even did an âindustryâ stint as a product development chef for Baxterâs Food Group and Grampian Country Foods. Craigâs also a real chill guy - thatâs him standing by the entrance, no kilt the time but STRONG tartan trouser game going there.
These days, everybody goes on about using fresh and local produce (which is undoubtedly a very good thing indeed). But these guys really take that seriously. as in, they have their own little farm. The pictures of what looks like a farm are taken at the secret location of Craigâs polytunnels - where they grow much of their own herbs and produce. Having eaten fresh strawberries off of the stalk, I can say that the farmer/horticulturalist that Craigâs got looking after it knows his shit. And itâs all real healthy too! A hidden gem this one is, oh yes. Well done Craig.