Prepare for lift-off as Six by Nico, the pioneering restaurant brand known for its ever-evolving tasting menus, unveils its most creative concept yet: SPACE.
Launching on August 25th across Edinburgh and all Six by Nico locations, this cosmic culinary experience invites diners to journey through the galaxies with a six-course menu inspired by the mystery, wonder, and adventure of outer space.
From cosmic textures to planetary plating, each dish on this interstellar culinary voyage is a step on a journey through time, space, and taste.
Following a series of beloved themed menus such as “The Chippie,” “Once Upon a Time,” and “New York,” SPACEmarks a bold new frontier for Chef Nico Simeone and his creative team.
The new menu draws inspiration from astronomy, interstellar travel, and the futuristic possibilities of food beyond Earth, resulting in an imaginative, multi-sensory dining experience unlike anything else.
Chef Nico Simeone said: “SPACE is about pushing the boundaries of flavour and presentation. We asked ourselves: what might food look and taste like on a space station, or on a distant planet?
“The result is a menu that’s both playful and thought-provoking – a journey for the palate and the imagination.”
Prepare to be spoon-fed stardust with a six-course tasting menu featuring galactic flavour combinations, innovative textures, and visually stunning presentations that are sure to delight both returning guests and first-time diners.
Each SPACE dish represents a different aspect of space exploration – from liftoff to the lunar surface, and beyond with highlights that includes:
Zero Gravity Oyster – Smoked Salmon, Granny Smith Apple, Kohlrabi, Oyster Emulsion
Solar Flare – Flat Iron, Ox Parcel, Saffron & Orange, Black Garlic, Squash
Goodbye Earth – Baked Vanilla Custard, Orange Marmalade, Grand Marnier
The SPACE menu will be available for a limited 12 weeks only, priced at £45 per person, with an optional wine pairing experience available for an additional £30. The menu is available from August 25th until 16th November 2025.
Join Six by Nico as they boldly go where no menu has gone before. To book visit:
CAKE lovers in Edinburgh can enjoy a free slice tomorrow (Saturday 23rd August), as Cake Box opens its new store on St John’s Road, Corstorphine.
Cake Box is known for its fresh cream celebration cakes, cupcakes, brownies and cheesecakes, all of which are 100% egg-free. The bakery is popular among those who enjoy a more delicate textured cake, people simply looking for quick and delicious sweet treats, and those looking for cakes that meet specific dietary requirements.
To celebrate the launch, the first 100 visitors will be given a free slice of celebration cake (while stocks last). Families can also enjoy free face painting and balloons on the day.
The launch event will run from 11am tomorrow – Saturday 23rd August.
Sukh Chamdal, founder and chief executive officer (CEO), at Cake Box said: “We’re really excited to be bringing our delicious celebration cakes and sweet treats to Edinburgh, and we’re encouraging locals to stop by to try them on us, to mark the occasion!
“The timing couldn’t be better – families who are running out of ideas for entertaining their kids at the end of the school holidays will love being able to pick up a free slice of cake and have their faces painted on the launch day.”
Event details:
Date: Saturday 23rd August 2025
Time: From 11am
Address: 217 St John’s Road, Corstorphine, Edinburgh. EH12 7UU
Giveaway: 100 free slices of cake, face painting and balloons (while stocks last)
The new store has also created local jobs, further strengthening Cake Box’s commitment to communities across the UK.
Cake Box is the UK’s leading retailer of handmade, fresh cream egg-free cakes. Its 250+ stores nationwide offer beautifully handcrafted celebration cakes and sweet treats for every occasion. Stores also offer quick and beautiful personalisation, for an extra special touch.
Visit www.cakebox.com to find your local store, or click and collect in as little as one hour.
Edinburgh’s favourite pubs are ready to raise a glass as the finalists for this year’s Scottish Bar & Pub Awards are revealed and the best go head-to-head for the ultimate industry honours.
Run by leading hospitality magazine DRAM, these awards are Scotland’s longest-running celebration of pubs, bars, and the people who make them great. Celebrating their 30th year, they’ve become the biggest night on the licensed trade calendar, where the country’s hospitality heroes get the recognition they deserve.
This year’s winners will be crowned at a glittering, Oscar-themed gala on Tuesday 26th August in Glasgow, in a night of red carpets, champagne, and high spirits! From cosy locals to cutting-edge cocktail spots, the competition is fierce, and all eyes are on who will take home the industry’s most prestigious titles.
Local finalists include the Athletic Arms, The Belfry and the Mother Superior which are up for Benromach Whisky Bar of the Year, The Cocktail Geeks, Hey Palu and Lady Libertine who are fighting it out to become Brugal 1888 Cocktail Bar of the Year and the Boston Bar, Malones, O’Connnor’s and Seamus’s who are all hoping to be crowned Jameson Best Irish Bar!
However, with nearly 25 award categories, there are plenty more local legends, rising stars, and incredible venues all hoping for their moment in the spotlight – and guests can expect a few surprises on the night too!
Publisher, Susan Young, said, “We’re delighted to congratulate all our finalists from across Scotland. Thousands of customers have cast their votes to make sure their favourite pubs, bars, restaurants, and bar staff get the recognition they deserve!
“In the midst of the many challenges facing hospitality, these businesses have gone above and beyond to keep their customers happy and that hard work has not gone unnoticed. Our mystery shoppers and judges have been full of praise for the outstanding quality of entries and the exceptional service they experienced on their visits.”
Over 600 of Scotland’s hospitality stars will gather for one glittering night to see who takes home the industry’s highest honours. Here’s the full roll call of categories and contenders vying for glory:
Benromach Whisky Bar of the Year
Athletic Arms – Edinburgh
The Belfry – Edinburgh
Mother Superior – Edinburgh
The Pot Still – Glasgow
Black Ivy & Montpeliers Rising Entrepreneur of the Year
Ceceley Chambers, The Bowlers Rest – Edinburgh
Edward Fox, Encore Bars – Edinburgh
Allan Low, The Fox & Willow – Ayr
Lauren McIntosh, The Cocktail Joint – Elgin
Connie and James Taberner, Fintry Bay – Millport
Brugal 1888 Cocktail Bar of the Year
The Cocktail Geeks – Edinburgh
Hey Palu – Edinburgh
Jacks Bar, Dakota Hotel – Glasgow
Kelvingrove Café – Glasgow
Lady Libertine – Edinburgh
DRAM Dog Friendly Pub of the Year
The Anchorage – Dunure
Bag o’Nails – Glasgow
The Original Rosslyn Inn – Roslin
Weston Tavern – Kilmaurs
Campari Bar Apprentice 2025
Aimee Ashworth, La Jupe – Helensburgh
Lewis Crone, Margo – Glasgow
Cameron Evans, Lynnhurst Hotel – Johnstone
Anya Garrow, Gleneagles – Auchterarder
Callum McCarthy, Encore – Edinburgh
Stuart Robertson, Badger & Co – Edinburgh
Wesley Smith, Di Maggios – East Kilbride
Finn Truter, Brewhemia – Edinburgh
Louise Turner, Rabble – Edinburgh
De Kuyper Award For Cocktail Excellence In Neighbourhood Venues
More than £50k in funding has been awarded to food growing projects across Edinburgh.
The City of Edinburgh Council’s £52,500 Grow Your Own Fund has been shared between 13 community and voluntary groups whose work includes creating food growing spaces and providing food growing education.
Applications for funding were individually assessed by a panel, with grants of up to £5000 awarded to a range of schemes. Amongst the initiatives are Tuk Tuk and Grow, which brings mobile growing and cooking sessions to families across Edinburgh using a tuk tuk bike, and Nuclear Growth, which plans to set up a food growing project on the site of a former nuclear bunker on Corstorphine Hill.
Funding is intended to be spent in areas such as: purchasing seeds, plants, and tools; equipment for community garden cooking areas; education and training activities; personal protective equipment; and staff time directly related to establishing the growing area.
Councillor Margaret Graham, Culture and Communities Convener, said: “The standard of applications to the fund was extremely high, and the panel were really impressed – the successful projects demonstrate real creativity and ambition.
“Urban food growing is important for the health of both people and nature. These initiatives will really benefit local communities and the wider city by bringing people together, reducing food waste and supporting biodiversity.”
Full list of successful projects:
Nuclear Growth, Barnton Bunker Preservation Society (awarded £4640)
Get Blackhall Growing, Blackhall Parent Carer Council (awarded £2000)
Tuk Tuk Grow and Go, Edinburgh Community Food (awarded £5000)
Redhall Grows, Friends of Redhall School (awarded £5000)
Gate 55 Community Food Growers, Gate 55 Community Centre (awarded £4946)
Growing Together, Goodtrees Neighbourhood Centre (awarded £5000)
Longstone Primary Farm and Garden, Parents at Longstone School (awarded £1400)
Community Garden at Pilton Equalities Project, Pilton Equalities Project (awarded £4000)
StJV Allotment: a growing space for the campus community, St John Vianney Primary School Charitable Trust (awarded £5000)
Community Garden and Foraging Trail, St Mary’s Episcopal cathedral (awarded £5000)
Flourishing Together at Gracemount Medical Practice, Transition Edinburgh South (awarded £5000)
Garden @ the Snake, Fountainbridge Canalside Community Trust (awarded £2625 – partial funding)
Edible Garden at The Action Group, The Action Group (awarded £2889 – partial funding)
Patricia Lee from Gate 55 said:“We were really keen to support a new community food growing group here and this grant makes a huge difference to us.
” The funds will enable us to provide the group with resources for propagation space and for fruit bushes and compost, as well as supporting them with a project worker who will help with capacity-building and growing the membership of the group.”
Ryan Lytwyn, Mental Health Worker with the Pilton Equalities Project, said:“We’re absolutely delighted to receive this funding from the Grow Your Own grant scheme.
“It will make a huge difference to our community garden at the Pilton Equalities Project, allowing us to expand our growing space, install greenhouses, and involve more local people in growing fresh, sustainable food.
“This support means we can promote food security, improve wellbeing, and help our community take positive action for our climate.”
Jonathan Baxter from A+E at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral said:“We were delighted to hear about the Grow Your Own Fund and even more delighted when we heard that our application had been successful.
“Community food growing is a key part of that commitment and securing funding for a community gardener/development worker allows us to realise our aim of establishing a Community Garden in the West End of Edinburgh.
Alongside local residents and current users of Walpole Hall, the Community Garden aims to support the wider climate justice movement in Edinburgh. It does this by providing a welcoming space where horticulture and ecological design skills can be learnt in a hands-on way.
Following a sell-out success in March, local charity LifeCare Edinburgh is delighted to announce the return of its popular Afternoon Tea at the LifeCare Hub on Cheyne Street on Thursday 4th September.
Guests can look forward to a delicious spread of homemade cakes, savoury treats, and endless cups of tea and coffee, all served in the heart of one of Edinburgh’s most loved community spaces. It’s the perfect chance to enjoy a relaxed afternoon with friends, family, or neighbours – all while supporting a fantastic local cause.
But this event is more than just tea and treats – every ticket sold will directly support LifeCare’s urgent fundraising appeal to keep the Hub running. With rapidly rising costs, the charity is calling on the community to help protect the services so many people rely on.
Sarah Van Putten, CEO of LifeCare said: “The LifeCare Hub is a lifeline for thousands across the city. Whether it’s classes for isolated older adults, support for unpaid carers, or just a welcoming place to connect, the Hub brings people together.
“This Afternoon Tea is a chance to enjoy a lovely afternoon whilst helping us secure the Hub’s future.”
The Hub, which first opened in 1975 as ‘Stockbridge House’, now welcomes over 47,000 visits a year, offering 80+ weekly activities for all ages. As a charity, LifeCare works hard to ensure that its services are affordable or free, so no one is left out.
The twinkle lights are up, the books are on the shelves, the food trucks have pulled up – oh yes, the Book Festival site at Edinburgh Futures Institute is ready for all the amazing authors, artists, costume characters, musicians, thinkers, dreamers, and, most importantly, YOU – our wonderful audience – to start arriving from Saturday. 9th August – i.e. TODAY!.
If you still haven’t decided what to come along to yet, we’ve got you! This e-news will give you plenty of events to pick from:
ROLL WITH IT – OASIS REUNION CELEBRATED WITH SAUAGE ROLLS
In a delightful nod to Oasis’ triumphant return to the stage, Make it Scotch encouraged fans to ‘Roll with it’ with Specially Selected Pork sausage rolls yesterday afternoon (Friday, 8th August).
As fans queued up for the highly anticipated reunion gig, they were treated to free sausage rolls and Oasis-inspired bucket hats, ensuring they wouldn’t “Look Back in Hanger.”
The excitement was electric as fans held up their savoury treats and donned their new hats, all set against the backdrop of the iconic Murrayfield stadium. This fun and light-hearted activation brought smiles and satisfaction, making the wait for the concert even more memorable.
Be sure to catch more of these moments shared by @makeitscotch on their social media channels.
To find out more about Specially Selected Pork, Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb, visit: makeitscotch.com.
We are excited to share a delicious community meal with you tomorrow. We do our best to have a variety of options, including vegetarian and often a delicious pudding. What’s on the menu tomorrow:
Carrot and lentil soup
Chorizo and sweetcorn pasta
Cauliflower and sweetcorn pasta (V)
Garden salad
Banana bread
Please check the board or ask our volunteers about allergens. And just a heads-up, our food is served until it runs out! Do come along and enjoy. Thank you!
Three local Edinburgh food trucks served up something special for customers last weekend – teaming up with Scotland’s number one cheddar brand, Galloway Cheddar, to raise money for FareShare and help tackle food poverty and social isolation across the country.
Food trucks across Scotland are hitting the road to serve limited-edition cheesy creations for one-day-only fundraising events as part of the nationwide Galloway Gathering Project.
The campaign launched on Friday 25 July as Wanderers Kneaded Pizza, Wanderers Kneaded Street Food and Lazeezdished up a bespoke menu made with Galloway Cheddar at Innis & Gunn’s On The Mound site – proving that comfort food really can be a force for good.
The fundraising day was part of the ‘Galloway Gathering Project’, a nationwide campaign that brings together Scottish cheese brand Galloway and FareShare – the UK’s leading food redistribution charity. Customers were encouraged to donate to FareShare via QR codes at the trucks.
Mark Morris, Managing Director at Wanderers Kneaded said: “Since starting Wanderers Kneaded in 2018, it’s been amazing to see the way the people of Edinburgh gather around food and socialise.
“By doing something as simple as using Galloway Cheddar on our pizzas and burgers for the day, we’re able to turn that shared love of food into something meaningful – helping raise funds and awareness for those facing hunger and isolation in our communities.”
Following previous years of success, this year’s ‘Galloway Gathering Project’, will see the equivalent of 90,000 meals donated* to those in need.
Heloise Le Norcy-Trott, Marketing Director at Lactalis UK & Ireland, said:“The food truck days have become a highlight of the Galloway Gathering Project, with local vendors across Scotland serving up delicious cheesy dishes to support FareShare.
“It’s a simple but powerful way to bring people together and raise awareness of food poverty and loneliness in Scotland’s communities.”
Kirsty Ford, Head of Fundraising at FareShare said:“We are so grateful to everyone at Galloway Cheddar for supporting this campaign. The donations made to FareShare from this initiative will help us get good-to-eat food, which might otherwise go to waste, to people who need it.
“Every day, food from FareShare is redistributed to a network of charities including homelessness shelters, after school clubs, refuges, and older people’s lunch clubs.
“By donating to FareShare via the food trucks, supporters help power the redistribution of surplus food, supporting essential services that strengthen communities and improve lives. Thank you.”
As part of the campaign, 800kg of Galloway Cheddar is being donated to FareShare’s partner organisations, and Scottish National Chef and MasterChef: The Professionals winner Gary Maclean is hosting two cooking events in Dundee, preparing comforting Mac n’ Cheese dishes to be distributed to local charities.
To donate to The Galloway Gathering Project, visit:
