It was 1986, or maybe it was 1985, yes 1985, and I found myself seated at the hairdresser. “Shorter” I hear, “a bit shorter”. That’s my dad talking to the guilty party who will leave me with hardly a hair on my head. I’m about to go to the second job interview of my life (remember, I lost my first job at The Nemrod in St Maure de Touraine).

“I won’t forget this year, like all of us, but I’ll keep in mind the good times. I’ll always remember that evening we spent at Fred and Betty’s house, when we decided to start a take-away service. A brand new job for all of us and we had to adapt. I’ll always remember the famous “allez” (“come on”) we all shouted every time the phone rang on the first days, or Fred singing his heart out while we were out on deliveries. Good times!” Our general manager Carole

“Sometimes reading in the media you would think that’s it’s only cod and haddock that our fishermen catch in the seas around the U.K. Nothing could be further from the truth. Looking into the fish hopper on my trawler Budding Rose, I’m always amazed at the amount of different species we catch, especially in the summer months when we can catch up to 15 different species in one haul. Yes, we do catch cod and haddock but also species like wolffish (rock turbot), monkfish, hake, saithe, whiting, lemon sole, plaice, megrim, halibut and turbot to name a few of them.” By fisherman Peter Bruce

It was a year ago, yes a full year, when we closed both restaurants. It’s now God knows how many weeks since blanc has had a visitor. No-one has been there except me for a weekly check: pipe, taps, meter readings. Bleu has been doing ready meals since what feels like May 2016, but we did manage to trade as a fully-operating restaurant for, erm, 5 whole weeks in 2020. Enough said on the subject.

“I first met Fred in 2010 at the old Institut Français, a short stroll from l’escargot blanc in the West End. In a neat continuation of l’entente cordiale, the photography collective I was a member of held our inaugural exhibition at l’Institut, and I would go on to develop more connections over the years, even getting married there in 2013.” by photographer Albie Clark

“Couldn’t every restaurant do its own home delivery, like Fred, at l’escargot bleu? Lots can’t adapt to delivery, and for good reason. Those that do see it as a short-term survival measure, not a blueprint for the future.” by Joanna Blythman

“I research and write historical snippets for Edinburgh World Heritage's Facebook page and while researching happened across the first use of the term ‘restaurant’ in an Edinburgh newspaper, and it was a French restaurant - in 1828! As a fan of your restaurant I thought I would send you the information [see link above] for your interest! Especially as they did take-away!!” by Barclay Price

It came to my mind a few times to run away. Especially during the week Thierry (the second apprentice) was at college when I had to endure the whole week on my own with the bully family. That was a very long week; a week with no-one to speak to during the afternoon break, or in the evening before bed. No-one to play with or chat to.

“Those of you, like us, who follow Fred’s passion and allegiance to the provenance of foods, will know that in supporting these dedicated producers, we are often also supporting Slow Food Ark of Taste.” by Wendy Barrie

“Now, to tell you a little bit about the farm and its animals. Uradale Farm was bought by my father 25 years ago, and after farming conventionally for a few years he realised he wanted to move to what he believed could be a more financially and environmentally sustainable system more suited to Shetland.” by Jakob Euanson of Uradale Farm