Edinburgh restaurant owners raise £6k to cook meals for charity helping city's homeless and most vulnerable

The owners of a popular Edinburgh restaurant have raised more than £6,000 to pay for ingredients to cook meals for a charity which helps homeless people in the city.
Roberta Hall-McCarron and Shaun McCarron run The Little Chartroom in LeithRoberta Hall-McCarron and Shaun McCarron run The Little Chartroom in Leith
Roberta Hall-McCarron and Shaun McCarron run The Little Chartroom in Leith

Roberta Hall-McCarron and Shaun McCarron, co-owners of The Little Chartroom in Albert Place, have been fundraising and cooking for Soul Food Edinburgh for the last couple of weeks.

They are cooking for Soul Food’s “grab and go” takeaway stands and delivery around the city, offering hot, nutritious meals to those in need, like meatball and chickpea curry with homemade flatbread and pheasant pie.

Read More
Leith restaurant owner to appear in latest series of Great British Menu
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

An initial fundraising target of £750 was smashed within 24 hours to raise £2,500, but the restaurant owners decided to keep raising money and have so far raised £6,065.

The money will pay for ingredients to provide hot meals to people across Edinburgh who are homeless or are struggling to feed themselves and their families during this difficult time.

Roberta, a finalist in the latest series of the BBC’s Great British Menu TV programme, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer our support at a time like this, to such a great cause.

“It is worth mentioning that we couldn’t do it without all of our amazing guests at the restaurant who so kindly donated to the crowdfunder. It’s incredibly humbling and we are going to be able to cook a lot of meals.”

Anyone who wants to donate can do so HERE.

The Little Chartroom success

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Edinburgh-born Roberta Hall-McCarron, who alongside her husband runs the award-winning bistro in Leith, has been competing in the Scottish region of the Great British Menu competition.

The theme for the series is children’s literature, as 2020 marks 150 years since the death of Charles Dickens, who wrote the first book to feature a child in the starring role with Oliver Twist.

Every Friday, judges Oliver Peyton, Andi Oliver and Matthew Fort are joined by children’s authors and novelists to help decide the best dish from each region.

Roberta's style of cooking is traditionally Scottish but influenced by French techniques and her menu for the competition was inspired by Scotland’s rich larder, wild game and some of her favourite homegrown children’s authors.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Last year, Roberta took a top prize at the national Food and Travel Awards, taking the title of Breakthrough Chef, GQ named The Little Chartroom as one of the best places in Edinburgh to eat, and the restaurant won the title of Best Newcomer at last year's Edinburgh Restaurant Awards.

Roberta began her culinary career aged 16 doing work experience and has previously worked for Tom Kitchin, and Castle Terrace's Dominic Jack before opening her own venture.

She later worked at the world’s most luxurious hotel, the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah in Dubai, and had a stint with Shaun at running a pub and restaurant in Cambridgeshire.

With a tinge of homesickness and armed with the skills to open their own restaurant, Roberta and Shaun headed back to Edinburgh on the hunt for a site for what would become The Little Chartroom.