Edinburgh's Superico head chef, Calum Ralston on his food loves and hates

This chef tells us about his love of Lea & Perrins and Lyon

What’s your favourite ingredient and why?

Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce. It's spicy, sweet and savoury all in one go. At home I put it on nearly everything, except sweets.

Do you have a guilty food pleasure?

Calum Ralston

Flamin’ Hot Cheetos or Royster’s crisps are probably my guilty pleasure. I can eat either by the tonne.

Tell us about your first food memory

Having to grate the cheese for whenever we had lasagne. These days I pass that job off during prep whenever I can.

What’s your favourite Scottish restaurant, deli or cafe?

Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce was co-created by the grandfather of Ardross Estate owner Dyson Perrins

This is a bit biased I know, but if I'm dining out in Edinburgh it's a choice of either Noto, Aizle or, if I fancy fish and oysters, White Horse.

My parents and elder brothers Scott and Stuart are all trained chefs. Stuart appeared on the recent series of Great British Menu and is owner of Noto and Aizle. Scott is Head Chef at White Horse Oyster and Seafood Bar on the Royal Mile.

Starter or pudding?

Definitely starter and usually more than one. I love a selection of small plates, so I'll pass on dessert for two starters any day.

What would be your last supper?

That’s an easy choice. My mum makes savoury pancakes stuffed with beef ragu, then baked in the oven with bechamel. I’d have that, served with garden peas, black pepper and a nice glass of wine - that's me sorted!

What are your food hates?

I generally like most foods. Coming from a family of chefs, we weren't really allowed to be picky growing up. Having said that, I'm not the biggest fan of blue cheese.

What starters, main and dessert would be served at your dream dinner party and who would you invite?

There would be steak tartare with some nice bread to start. A huge roast with all the trimmings for main course, probably using a cote de boeuf. For dessert, we’d have to have chocolate and salted caramel tart. These are all pretty simple dishes, but if they're done perfectly, they're hard to beat.

I’d probably be boring and just invite family and close friends. I don't want to waste valuable eating and drinking time getting to know people.

What's your favourite geographical foodie destination?

At Superico, I take inspiration from some of the most exciting food destinations, including Japan, Latin America and France, but my favourite has to be Lyon in in France’s Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. I visited Lyon for the first time with my brothers in 2019. The quality and variety of food and drink there blew me away. It has more restaurants per capita than any other city in France and has 15 Michelin star restaurants. It’s also famous for its open food markets, so it’s definitely my foodie hot spot.

For more information about Superico Restaurant, 83 Hanover Street, Edinburgh, visit www.superico.com

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