Blog Post

The past several years have seen a growth in outsourcing and an increase in the number of consultants of varying types. But do consultants truly offer value for the money you invest in them? The answer may surprise you

Scottish cuisine you say? What on earth is that? Hideous helpings of raw meat and champagne flutes of pig's blood?

Think again, my dear friend. Our chefs are highly adept at complementing locally sourced meat produce like Aberdeen Angus or seafood such as salmon with a sortiment of the nation's favourite vegetables.

Scottish cheese is also a regular feature on Scottish menus alongside fruit sorbets, purees and sauces. An evening at a Scottish restaurant will have diners looking beyond the much-discussed stereotypes.

I will be telling you about the internationally admired Scottish restaurants in Edinburgh of which the locals are proud, such as the internationally-renowned James Thomson trio The Witchery by the Castle, Rhubarb in Prestonfield and The Tower above the Museum of Scotland.

I will also tell you about the much-loved Edinburgh 'chains' Stac Polly and Howies.

We do, of course, have an impressive range of international restaurants in Edinburgh, most of which offer extremely high culinary and service standards.

The extremely popular but often one-dimensional Italian cuisine is given a refreshing make-over at Valvona and Crolla, an Italian delicatessen, wine specialist, cafe and restaurant.

The business was started in 1934 by Alfona Crolla, the present owner's grandfather as a way to provide Italian immigrants with authentic Italian products sourced from the finest local producers in Italy.

Nowadays the delicatessen has been extended to incorporate a highly successful restaurant. The family also have a bakery and a cafe in the city centre. Specialising in the best wine and cheese Italy has to offer with an admirable family-oriented approach to their work, Valvona and Crolla is more a way-of-life than a business.