Launch of the Cardinal kitchen garden

Chef Tomás Gormley of Edinburgh’s Cardinal restaurant, has announced the creation of the Cardinal kitchen garden, a regenerative smallholding on the outskirts of the city, in collaboration with Bramblewood Farm.

Bramblewood Farm is a family farm in Pathhead, Midlothian, dedicated to regenerative agriculture and supporting the local community. At the Cardinal kitchen garden, Tomás and his team will work closely with the farm’s owner, Nick Holmes, deepening the connection between the restaurant and its produce. 

The first crops will include tomatoes, courgettes, beetroots, salad leaves and a wide variety of herbs and flowers, all of which will be transported from garden to plate and, over time, make up the majority of the fresh produce on Cardinal’s menus.  

A low-waste ethos is central to the Cardinal kitchen garden. Any organic waste that cannot be repurposed in the restaurant will be transformed into nutrient-rich compost used in the garden.

Tomás said: “We're looking forward to bringing these ingredients into every part of our menu, working with Nick and the team to work with the land and become an important cog in the wider farm network.

“Restaurants aren't inherently sustainable operations, so we'll be looking harder at how we can cut waste at the restaurant in a way that benefits both us and the garden.”

Cardinal has also launched a three-course market menu, a ‘vegetable-forward’, three-course menu that will highlight the bounty of the kitchen garden. Priced at £25, it is available at lunchtimes on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. 

www.cardinal.scot 

Photography: Stephen Lister, of Tomás Gormley