Visitors to the capital will have the opportunity to get hands-on with haggis as well as sampling craft beers and a dram of whisky during the new classes at Edinburgh New Town Cookery School (ENTCS). 

 

As a venue that offers professional cookery training, leisure courses and group hospitality experiences, ENTCS is provena hit with visitors from the United States looking to get a taste of Scottish cooking. 

 

And following a boom of Chinese tourists to Edinburgh following successful social media campaigns and the launch of a direct flight from Beijing straight to the Capital, the venue has created tailored demonstrations and tastings for the influx of visitors from China, keen to find out more about Scottish cuisine. 

 

With a focus on the best of Scotland’s larder, group tour will begin with an introduction to Scottish food and cooking which includes a demonstration of classic recipes using the best Scottish ingredients. 

 

During the meal guests will have the opportunity to taste haggis and sample local Scottish craft beers before finishing the experience with a dram of malt whisky. 

 

Principal Fiona Burrell said: “The unique nature of Scottish food works well in cookery demonstrations for our visitors. 

 

“As with many businesses in Edinburgh, we are finding an increase in requests for experiences aimed at our Chinese guests and we do find tourists have a fascination with our cookery – and haggis in particular. 

 

“We love introducing people to cooking skills, whether it’s a tourist, a professional student or someone on a leisure course. For each of them, there is a thrill in discovering something new about food.” 

 

The New Town cookery school was founded by Ms Burrell, formerly Principal of Leith’s School of Food and Wine, who has been teaching for thirty years. She started the cookery school nearly ten years ago. The number of Chinese visitors to the city rose by 40 per cent in 2017, with Edinburgh Castle recording around 180,000 visitors of Chinese origin in the same period.