Isles food proves popular in London

Shetland mutton, seafood and fiddles went down a storm in London at the weekend, with almost 50 people turning out to sample isles produce prepared by the esteemed River Cafe’s head chef.

It was the first Shetland night to be held in the UK capital, the brainchild of Yell woman Helen Nisbet who wanted her city friends to experiences the delights of her homeland.

Helen described the inaugural night, held at the Waterhouse Restaurant on the banks of a canal in Hackney last Saturday, as a “huge success”.

There was so much interest that she is already planning another night early in 2013. Helen is also looking into other ways of promoting Shetland produce in the big smoke.

The guests who enjoyed Joseph Trivelli’s tasty cooking were a mixture of Shetlanders, those with isles relatives and others who had never heard of the place.

“Amongst them were food writers, critics, chefs and even a somelier, but it was mainly the Shetlanders who danced the Boston Two-Step to the fiddles at the end of the night,” Helen said.

“We ate rope mussels supplied by C&A Thomason in Cullivoe, beremeal bannocks with Shetland butter, barley soup, slow cooked mutton with carrots, neeps, cabbage and tatties and finall we had apple cake with whisky ice cream.”