So proud of the team here at Mr Pook’s for all their hard work and dedication as once again we have been listed and awarded ‘Very Good’ by the Good Food Guide.
We would like to take this opportunity to say a huge and heartfelt thankyou to all our guests who have supported and helped us make Mr Pook’s Kitchen the restaurant it is today.
You keep coming and we will keep feeding you.
Ed and the team
https://www.thegoodfoodguide.co.uk/restaurant/mr-pooks-kitchen/id/39192
At the moment we have some handmade authentic Italian dishes created by our talented Italian chef Giacomo.
and Galloway.
The wild garlic season is fully underway.
The arrival of wild garlic often signals the start of the foraging season in earnest.
Galloway wild garlic or ramson is abundant in our woodlands and on our riverbanks, typically growing in dense clusters and has bright green leaves with a distinct garlic aroma.
Mr. Pook’s Kitchen is known for its commitment to using fresh, locally-sourced ingredients, and the wild garlic is no exception. The chefs forage for the herb in the nearby forests, ensuring that it is at the peak of its flavour and freshness. Once back in the kitchen, the herb is carefully washed, chopped, and added to dishes in a variety of ways.
One popular dish at Mr. Pook’s Kitchen is the wild garlic pesto, which is served with handmade pasta and locally sourced vegetables. The pesto is made by blending the wild garlic with pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and a touch of lemon juice. The result is a bright, flavourful sauce that perfectly complements the pasta and vegetables.
Wild garlic can be used in a plethora of recipes, some examples being soups, pestos, oils, salads and homemade breads. It has a deep and pungent flavour and adds wonderful depth.
It is fair to say spring has sprung here in Dumfries and Galloway and Ed has been out with Eva foraging and finding the freshest leaves for the kitchen.
Overall, the season for wild garlic at Mr. Pook’s Kitchen is a time of creativity, innovation, and delicious flavours. Whether you’re a fan of traditional dishes or looking to try something new, the chefs at Mr. Pook’s Kitchen have something for everyone.
So why not head to the restaurant and taste the flavours of spring for yourself?
Well, we are now in March, nearly a year since the word normal was blown out of the water.
This time last year we were developing our dishes and looking forward to the upcoming early spring forage for use in our dishes. Then, well… we all know what happened and no need for us to labour a point, we want to look forward to what the fresh shoots of spring will bring this year.
Last year we adapted and you supported us. Our @home and carry oot menu’s helped to get us through. We have spent the time since Christmas reviewing the last year and trying to find our path for 2021.
You will have noticed we are closed at present. That is partly due to financial constraints, it is tough for all the businesses in our small area to survive on takeaways. However, we have also taken time to refocus, review and plan.
Mr Pook’s Kitchen opened to provide Castle Douglas Food Town with a new type of fare, to add a new dimension to the town’s current offering. This year, we want to build on our original foundations, get back to the core of providing fine dining in Dumfries and Galloway.
When we are able to open again, it goes without saying, we will ensure all covid rules are followed to keep our customers and staff safe.
We are working on a new fine dining menu, but cannot finalise this as we don’t know what will be in season we reopen.
Hopefully time will fly by really quickly until we can welcome you back again.
Ed & the team
So, we have all had to adapt over the last few months and try and find a new “normal” (if there ever was such a thing anyway!).
We don’t have a designated ‘beer garden’ here at Mr Pook’s, it is just a concrete car park. However, with the consent of our upstairs neighbours, Bell Ogilvy, and an extended alcohol licence, from today, Friday 10th July we have opened up outside sun trap to offer you ‘Mr Pook’s Outside Dining’.
This coming weekend is looking good, but obviously each week it is dependent on the Scottish weather. We will take bookings for tables with 48 hours notice. The word unprecedented has been used a lot in the media throughout this pandemic and we think that has included the weather to date… it was glorious for a few weeks… so we are hopeful the rain remembers to stay away, at least at the weekends!
At the moment we will be serving our Carry Oot menu in our outside space, with some specials for you to come out and enjoy with cocktail, cold beer, or glass of whatever you fancy in the Scottish sunshine.
We are continuing to run our Carry Oot and eat@home menu for those who aren’t yet ready or able to be around people, even socially distanced in accordance with guidance.
We have yet to set a date for opening the inside of the restaurant, so to be the first to know, sign up to receive updates from the kitchen.
We have a great, strong community here in the Stewartry and Dumfries and Galloway at large and at Mr Pook’s we want to try our best for everyone during these unprecedented times.
In the next few days we will be lauching a home delivery and take away service, so if you don’t wish to come into the restaurant, you still have options other than just pasta and tinned tomatoes!
We are also putting in place a Pay if Forward scheme, where you can buy a meal for someone in our area that is in need. As Ed explains in the video, we are working with local charities to makes sure the right help reaches the right people.
We are proud of the support our community gives us and want to give as much back as we are able to in the coming weeks and months.
This time two years ago we weren’t getting set up for Valentine’s Day, we were busy with renovations and the fit out of the Restaurant and Bottle Shop here in Castle Douglas.
This Valentine’s Day we are preparing for another change, Chris Bain of The Bottle List is setting up a new business on King Street with his partner Lynsey Hogg, so here at Mr Pook’s we are left with the space that once housed The Bottle List and are looking at ways to re-purpose the space. We wish Chris and Lynsey the best of luck in their new venture.
We are going to start by using the space as a private dining area and our aim is to open up a bar area, so that you can pop in for a glass of wine or a cocktail, whether you are dining with us or not. You can still buy a bottle of wine from us to take home with you and enjoy. 
The first step towards re-purposing the former Bottle Shop
Any suggestions you have for the space would be most welcome.
Over the last couple of summers, since I moved to Dumfries and Galloway, I have been building my knowledge of the local foraging. I have been collecting a range of sweet, savoury and sometimes unusual ingredients.
Working with Mark Williams from Galloway Wild Foods, I have slowly increased my knowledge base and confidence with foraging around the Solway Coast.
The summer months bring more of a coastal flavour with samphire, sea purslane, dulse and other assorted seaweeds. These allow me to add elements to dishes you may not have tried before and bring a real hit of the coast to various fish dishes. The seaweeds are of particular interest. I hope to use it to bring an oriental twist to certain dishes. The famed Japanese stock dashi can be re-created without expensive imports in both cost and food miles.
From now, heading towards mid-summer the first chanterelles begin to appear. Known as summer gold they are easy to identify and bring not only a big flavour but also a stunning colour to dishes.
Working with Mark I have been expanding my knowledge of the mycelial world and although there are many that I would personally eat and experiment with, only the tastiest and most easily identifiable will make it onto the menu. I like stretching peoples palette and knowledge, but I understand there are limits. If you enjoy the small touches on the dishes, please speak to me in the kitchen. I am always willing to share my knowledge and if you are interested. I may even have some other tastes available to push your pallet slightly further!
Chef Ed Pook
