Holyrood Lamb Unites the City - Aspiring Young Chef Unites Four Great Scottish Food Institutions with Edinburgh’s Signature Dish

Submitted by roben on Tue, 12 Aug '08 11.23am

Jamie Wakeford, winner of the Scottish Food Scholarship will be showcasing Edinburgh's signature dish, Holyrood Lamb, around the city on Saturday 16th August 2008. The first demonstration will take place at 10:30am at the Edinburgh's Farmers Market before Jamie heads to House of Fraser on Princes Street for 12 noon. Both demonstrations will showcase the dish before Jamie appears at the annual Foodies at the Festival held the following weekend.

After winning two rounds of cook-offs, Jamie was unveiled as the winner of the Scottish Food Scholarship after which he was invited to create Edinburgh's signature dish by the city initiative Edinburgh Inspiring Cuisine. Following careful preparation the dish, which consists of lamb, chorizo and summer greens, was unveiled.

Jamie commented:

"I spent 3 days in the capital researching this dish. Edinburgh is such a melting pot of cultures but with a truly Scottish voice and I wanted my dish to reflect that. I decided on the name Holyrood Lamb as I wanted it to be instantly recognisable as something associated with the capital."

Jamie will be cooking with ingredients supplied by Scotland's finest producers, who can be seen at Edinburgh Farmers Market including Lamb from Mrs Hamilton's Organic Beef & Lamb, Chorizo from Piperfield and vegetables from Phantassie Food.

The following weekend Jamie will be demonstrating Edinburgh Signature dish at Foodies at the Festival, Edinburgh Festivals only dedicated food event, along with Scotland's finest chefs including Michelin stared Martin Wishart and BAFTA award winning Hardeep Singh Kohli.

For further information and images please contact Roben Hera or Su Hesketh at Crimson Edge PR on 0131 311 7050 or email [email protected] / [email protected]

Editor's Notes

* Jamie's first demonstration will be taking place on Saturday 16th August at 10:30 at the Edinburgh Farmers Market held at Castle Terrace. He will be demonstrating at House of Frasers Princess street from 12 noon until 2.30pm. Please be in contact if you would like the recipe for Holyrood lamb.

* Foodies at the Festival is Edinburgh Festival's only dedicated food event, a celebration of Scottish food and drink which takes place at the Sheraton Grand Hotel and Festival Square on the 23rd and 24th August. The event includes a chefs theatre with hour long cooking demonstrations from Scotland's top chefs, a market with over 100 of Scotland's finest producers and food and drink masterclasses including whisky, ale, cocktails, wine and fine cheese and chocolate, held by industry connoisseurs. Tickets cost £10 (£5) and are available at www.foodiesfestival.com or by calling 0131 226 7766

* Inaugurated in 2006, the Scottish Food Scholarship is a national competition open to talented young chefs up to 28 years. The scholarship not only aims to nurture talent but opens doors for the winning chef. The winner carries out a series of internships including a stage at Restaurant Martin Wishart, and a trip provided by Inverarity Vaults to a European vineyard. The competition is organised by Martin Wishart, Braehead Foods Ltd and Crimson Edge PR. www.scottishfoodscholarship.co.uk

* Edinburgh Inspiring Cuisine (EIC) is a body established by the City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian to promote Edinburgh's restaurants and local food and drink producers in a bid to attract new visitors to the city.

* The Edinburgh's Farmers Market takes place every Saturday in the city centre at Castle Terrace, attracting producers from thought-out Scotland who sell specialities such as wild boar, venison, ostrich, wild game and organic beef, chicken and lamb. Other produce includes fish (including lobster when in season), cheese, seasonal fruit and veg, baked goods, plants, chutneys and liquors. Edinburgh Farmers' Market was awarded the title of 'Certified Farmers' Market of the Year 2007' by industry body FARMA, and 'Britain's Favourite Farmers Market 2006' by Country Life magazine. www.edinburghcc.com/farm_market.htm