][1]The 5pm Dining blog had a fun, if unconventional, Saturday last weekend.
We were at Cafe St Honore where Chef Neil Forbes and Sascha Grierson of Grierson Organic Farm were exploring the Fifth Quarter, also known as offal.
Now the 5pm Dining blog is no stranger to offal – liver, kidneys and sweetbreads hold no fear for us. However, our familiarity with some of the more rarely spotted animal organs didn’t stop us from finding out new and marvelous facts from the wonderful world of offal.
For instance, I’d always thought that chicken gizzards were simply the birds’ necks but no. Turns out that gizzards are more akin to stomachs than anything else. Very tasty they are too.
From pig trotters to ox tongues, we ate pretty much everything apart from the oink. I suspect that it may still be a while before I attempt to bone out my first pig’s head but I am keen to get hold of some chicken hearts.
The offal masterclass was crowned with a lunch of chicken liver pate and rolled Bath chaps, or pig cheeks. Rather more interesting than the scrambled egg on toast which this scribbler usually has for Saturday brunch.
Edinburgh Farmers’ Market
The Griersons are usually at the Edinburgh Farmers’ Market on Castle Esplanade each Saturday should anyone wish to sample their wares. From organic chickens to top quality beef, they raise and sell amazing meat.
Chef Forbes has yet to decide on his next master class although there was talk of it possibly being dedicated to shellfish.
Watch this space for news or follow @CafeStHonore on Twitter.
Incidentally, the Griersons donated a tremendous chicken to be won by who ever came up with the best offal-related pun.
You can see them all on the Cafe St Honore site here.
For me, the best pun was: ‘I would have cooked her some offal, but I’d never met herbivore.’
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