Bonnie & Wild’s Scottish Marketplace has revealed the first wave of food specialists set to join its ambitious Food Hall in the heart of the new St James Quarter in Edinburgh.
With eight exclusive food stalls, three speciality retailers, a patisserie, and three bars, the open-plan venue promises to be one of the most exciting food and drink venues in Scotland, with acclaimed restaurants, chefs and food producers from across the country.
Masterchef winner Gary Maclean will open his first solo dining experience with Creel Caught. The casual dining spot will champion Scotland’s exceptional seafood paired with seasonal ingredients. Headline dishes will include lobster Thermidor mac‘n’cheese, grilled langoustines with seaweed butter, and monkfish scampi with fries.
Maclean said, “This is set to be a Food Hall like no other and it’s precisely why I chose Bonnie & Wild as the location for my first ever solo dining venture. Creel Caught will showcase the very best seafood this country has to offer, something we know diners can’t get enough of.
“Being alongside the likes of Mac & Wild and East Pizzas is testament to Scotland’s incredible food scene. We all offer something different, something for every taste but all with Scottish produce at the heart.”
Billed as an “outstanding eating, drinking and shopping experience in one beautiful venue”, Bonnie & Wild’s Scottish Marketplace has set stomachs rumbling since its announcement.
Joining Maclean and the already announced team at Mac & Wild will be Edinburgh’s very own East Pizzas, acclaimed for its slow-fermentation sourdough pizzas and local sourcing ethos, and luxury artisanal gelato from Joelato, run by husband and wife team Joe and Lucie Sykes.
Roly Simpson of East Pizzas said, “I think Bonnie & Wild’s new Food Hall is going to be an amazing venue that will celebrate the breadth and depth of Scottish food and drink. I’m delighted East Pizzas is going to be a part of this adventure as we expand our Edinburgh base.
“Like the Bonnie & Wild team we are very much focused on locally sourced products, with an emphasis on using organic products when possible. For example, our organic mozzarella cheese comes from Dumfriesshire, while our venison salami is provided by the excellent Great Glen Charcuterie and our smoked chorizo from East Coast Cured.
'But of course we’ll be celebrating seasonal food, and offering an ever-changing and innovative line-up, offering up some beautiful classics as well as some exciting surprises!”
Joe Sykes, who learned the craft of gelato at the world-famous Carpigiani Gelato University in Bologna, said, “Joining Bonnie & Wild Food Hall is a hugely exciting step for us. We've been running a hugely popular gelato delivery service over the past year, and already experienced huge interest in our artisanal gelato.
'Now, we’re looking forward to collaborating with other premium food businesses who are all working together to showcase the very best that Scotland can offer!”
Boasting lip-smacking flavours such as Ferdi’s Flavour, a salted honey gelato with homemade honeycomb, and Blackcurrant Mascarpone, Sykes said that each week his gelato stall will display a selection of classic and inventive flavours made from the best seasonal ingredients, including dairy-free and vegan options.
Fitting in with the Bonnie & Wild ethos, Sykes said his gelato would be made in-house, using locally sourced milk, cream, eggs, berries and even herbs from his own garden.
When it opens later this summer, Bonnie & Wild’s Scottish Marketplace will be able to accommodate 700 guests, who will be able to choose from a wide range of freshly prepared, locally sourced food and drink.
Alongside the unrivalled food offering, the venue will also contain a private dining area, flexible events spaces, children’s play area, and a demonstration kitchen complete with broadcast capability.