I don’t like the space, the kitchen’s too small, etc.’ But for me something just went off in my head and I thought, ‘this is the place.’ But what no one really knows is that the purchase actually fell through. We were literally on the by-pass coming into Edinburgh and we got a phone call to say something had gone wrong with the lease.
So it fell through for us, but we spent two years living in Edinburgh and we were very committed and we just thought, ‘let’s make the most out of Edinburgh’, it’s such a beautiful city and we fell in love with it so let’s see what else is available. Then we were away on holiday and this guy who we were friends with and who lived on the top floor of the Wedgwood building phoned us to say they had just put up a for sale sign outside, so the following day we got straight in touch with the estate agents, put an offer in and were subsequently accepted because we already had the business plan ready to go. So we got it in the end and it was worth waiting for!
Have you always wanted to work in the food industry?
Yes, absolutely, my first job was washing pots when I was 11 years old so I’ve been working in the industry for my entire life really. From that very first service I was in an adult environment being treated like a grown-up. The chef was really respectful of us and actually became a friend.
You were featured in the Sunday Times Top 100 this year, how does that feel?
It feels absolutely incredible because it’s not something that you can apply for, it’s the general public who are voting so we were absolutely astonished. Every single one of us is so proud and humble. We had a bit of a party, I took the team out to say thank you in a very special way.
So was it something that you were actively working towards?
We are always striving to give our customers the perfect restaurant experience, so I am delighted that they also agree with that vision! We wanted to be a successful restaurant on the Royal Mile and our main aim was to get local people to come up to the Royal Mile. So our goal was to change that perception and get a local following, rather than just appeal to the tourist market.
One day the Editor of ‘The List’ – a local magazine - popped in when we doing the refurbishment and introduced him and me jokingly said: ‘We want to be the best new restaurant in your publication’ and subsequently we won the accolade in their annual Eating and Drinking Guide! And although it felt good we thought, ‘this isn’t really what we’re about’ and then in 2010 Harden’s restaurant guide named us best new restaurant outside of London which again is voted for by the public, so that was just incredible.
You have done a number of demonstrations throughout the UK and internationally, where’s been your favourite location?
Barbados I suppose, I’ve been out there quite a bit and I’m the head chef of an annual Celtic festival they hold. So I go out once a year for the festival and cook in several different hotels and locations. Because I’ve been out there so many times I’ve fallen in love with the island and I’ve just bought into a small restaurant chain as well which means I am probably out there eight times a year In June I was invited to go to Florence to mark the 50th anniversary celebrations of the twinning between Edinburgh and Florence, so that was really great and I learned so much.
What plans do you have for Wedgwood in the future?
We’re doing a complete refurbishment of the restaurant in January. We’re completely changing the look of it, for the last eight years we’ve been in control of the design but this time we have teamed up with a great restaurant designer so we can work alongside them on something a bit more daring, but still keeping the “Wedgwood” atmosphere. As I am so keen on foraging we’re going to incorporate some natural elements in there, such as some natural wood going on the wall, but I don’t want to give too much away. But we’re definitely embracing the fact that I’m a wild food chef.
Does that mean the menus are going to change as well to coincide with the refurbishment?
Yes, the menus will also change for the relaunch which will be on January 28, so there will be a brand new seasonal menu. I do get a lot of people asking about when I’m going to change the menu but my response is always the same, it really all depends on Mother Nature as she dictates what goes on the menu
