19th century alehouse treat is back on menu

TWEED Kettle. It was a staple of the Capital's 19th century ale houses, enjoyed by the masses at a time when claret and oysters were also considered a poor man's feast.

Tweed Kettle

Although it may not now be remembered in the same way as those delights, a Southside pub is set to put that right.

St Andrews Brewing Co Potterrow has revived the old Edinburgh street food dish by including it on their new menu.

Allegedly brought to the city by a Kelso woman for her modest eatery, the dish quickly became popular at ale houses as well as being sold on the streets.

Tweed Kettle was a cheap and nutritious wild salmon dish made with foraged ingredients including lovage, sorrel, mace, potatoes, turnip and butter cooked together in a fish kettle and served a little like a soup or a pie filling.

Chef James Sherriff has refined the presentation, using the lovage and sorrel as a crust for the baked fish, and adding a splash of cream, some chanterelles and fresh peas for extra layers of texture and flavour.

He says, “I’ve cooked lots of traditional Scottish dishes, and Tweed Kettle feels very light, fresh and surprisingly modern.

“It dates from around the same time that oysters and claret were widely consumed by the ordinary folk of Edinburgh, and it would have been made with wild salmon from the River Tweed, but we’re using the more sustainable sea trout.”

Sherriff’s revitalised version of the dish is now on sale as part of the new menu at the bar which opened last year.

St Andrews Brewing Co Potterrow is the second pub opened by the Fife-based brewery with the aim of creating a new generation of welcoming bars that serve the best Scottish beer, gin and whiskies alongside a menu that celebrates the wonderful produce available in Scotland.

St Andrews Brewing Company Potterrow, Potterrow, 0131-662 9788